One of the perks of being an IC

I just got a call inviting me to do some breakfast shops. With a job I'd have to suck it up, but I was able to say I don't do breakfast. Or mornings. Or leave the house before 10. Basically I just guzzle coffee and growl at anyone who dares look my way.

What are your favorite perks of being an IC?

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I took the day off today. I didn't ask anyone's permission or try to find someone to cover for me. I just chose to not work and got caught up on laundry, dishes, and took a nap.

I just do breakfast by myself, also, sometimes, do it outside.....

It is funny because when I did the 9 to 5 thing, I was the one who showed up at 8:30 to get the coffee started. That gave me some time to have the office pretty much to myself to wake up and get started without a barrage of questions. Now that I am retired I am still not a morning person but I don't need to be up early to have peace and quiet while I wake up. I am with a wonderful guy who makes coffee and I can haul a cup out to the porch to wake up listening to birds rather than blather.

I work about 25 miles from home so when I can plan a route including getting to work I can deduct most of that mileage. And if it's slow at work I get paid to right reports.

I have found some of my favorite places to shop and eat while on a shop. Places I never would have ventured into if not on a shop. And I still would not be going on my own dime if they hadn't quit the msc at the end of their contract. That is the downside of mystery shopping..all the places I finally found that are gone unless i dig into my own pocket now.

Being able to work anywhere in on any day. Being able to take any day I choose off. Being able to work every day each month a few hours or 2 weeks on hardcore with 2 weeks off. Taking christmas shopping season off. Free meals, oil changes, and the little necessities most people have to pay for.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/2015 04:12AM by BuffaloNY101.

Your "bosses" only email you, and call you and beg you to come to work once in a while for extra money.

How about rescheduling? I woke up with a killer headache and I can reschedule my day if I choose to. I don't choose to, but I could and thats the point.

I guess there are times we can't reschedule but employees don't get to reschedule at all. I can see me calling in and saying " Let's reschedule that conference call, I have a headache." Yeah right.

No office politics and back biting.

I had to revive this thread to report today's perk! Not a perk of being an IC but a perk of being a mystery shopper...closest thread i could find.
So, I started eating at the Landry's restaurants as a mystery shopper (Chart House, Mc Cormick and Schmidts mostly) and joined their rewards club. They have some great deals I would never have found out about had I not started eating there as a mystery shopper. Today they gave a free meal to anyone who is currently or in the past served in the military....My husband got a wonderful planked salmon dinner absolutely free. My meal from the less expensive lunch menu with the wine did not come to much for this level of restaurant and NO Report to write...no timings, just sitting out on their patio and enjoying the meal.

Being an IC is my second job as I work my way out of debt. Like mentioned above, I love that my schedule is MINE! I refuse to work weekends - unless there is a great bonus or I'm doing a favorite scheduler a favor. I appreciate that I can still be there for my kids. Instead of being out of the house for 15-20 hours/week, I'm home writing reports. I can stop what I'm doing, handle whatever situation has come up and then go right back to typing up my report. As I get better at this, my average hourly rate is almost double minimum wage in my area, so I can work less hours than I would in retail and still reach my financial goal each month.

I used to see a life coach pretty regularly.... back when they were called bartenders.

Where else would I have the opportunity to out-run a horny goat or find dead bodies in the bushes?

Her Serene Majesty, Cettie - Goat Queen of Zoltar, Sublime Empress of Her Caprine Domain

Working in my pajamas!

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

I'm a night owl - I can fill out the surveys late at night! Signed, Night Owl at 2:16 pm

A big thank you to the schedulers who allow me to change a shop date when the realities of daily life conflict with mystery shopping.

I'm from metro NJ near to Fort Lee. I empathize with your dont leave the house before 10 AM thinking WHY ? Traffic is snarled, rush hour drivers, school buses ETC ETC..... I stay home and out of their way........

I leave when all that havoc has been abated. and I actually traverse to my destination without without witnessing someone using their middle finger, horn or cussing !!!

One of the perks of being an IC I can think of right now is if my performance is exemplary, I don't get to have a special dinner with a boss I am not too crazy about or have a luxury trip in the Mediterranean or abroad, spending my whole week with the same, accepting awards away from my family. I enjoyed the trips only because I met my colleagues from all over the world. But to spend majority of the time with the same people I worked with daily, who I saw more often than my family, was not my idea of a reward.

As an IC, If my month is extra special, I treat myself or my family to VIP movies or fine dining or a trip or something in kind. Or I hang out with people I really, really enjoy being with and vice versa. No more of the plastic environment. Freedom is an IC perk. I can celebrate and enjoy my own company once in a while or just hibernate, if I want to.

The IC status works for me best because I can't always work. A 9-5 whether in the office, on the road, or at home, usually requires that I work 8+ hours during a 24 hr period. I can't do that. Some days are good and some days are not so good. The IC status and great schedulers allow me to be productive (and have a good time) on good days, while allowing me to be sick on bad days without penalizing me.

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

My life is a little like the Twister game. Just now I have one foot in IC world, one in a traditional flexible job, and something (not a foot) in a daily job where I assist an IC. Next week I could add a shop, or something, and who knows what will be where...

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

Oops.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2015 11:31PM by Shop-et-al.

Like some days, rolling into work at 1:00 in the afternoon.

sobgal how about rolling out of bed at 1PM wasting 2 hours and then going to do work. Did that today and still managed to get 8 of 9 shops I wanted to get done. Don't worry I got till tomorrow to do that 9th one.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

Ha ha yes. Us shoppers need our beauty sleep for all of those late night reports.

Wow, no report to write? This is me feigning amazement over here, not sure how you managed that or what mystery company is doing high en restaurant shops without a report but I want in on that!!

Shopping til' I drop, no joke here!

I love picking what days, jobs, how much or little. I live with severe chronic pain so there are days that my body says "nope not today." but that's ok because I can rearrange my schedule and get everything done without being late! Try calling a regular boss and telling him my body just doesn't want me moving today sorry. Especially now when the weather starts to get cold (Chicago) it gets a lot worse and driving becomes more difficult so then I get to choose how far I want to travel.

@Flash wrote:

It is funny because when I did the 9 to 5 thing, I was the one who showed up at 8:30 to get the coffee started. That gave me some time to have the office pretty much to myself to wake up and get started without a barrage of questions. Now that I am retired I am still not a morning person but I don't need to be up early to have peace and quiet while I wake up. I am with a wonderful guy who makes coffee and I can haul a cup out to the porch to wake up listening to birds rather than blather.

You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want ..Zig Zigler

I did a high end casino hotel where the casino thought I spent a lot of money. The MSC required me to make a couple of $500 bets. For the last six months the casino has sent me offers for three free rooms every single month! They think I'm a high roller. Nothing could be further from the truth. Of course I have not been able to take advantage of the rooms yet because of the distance, but I will. That's my example of a great perk! Next time I go, no excruciating report.

Today's perk is that I have time to contemplate how I want my next year to be.

What is the correct proportion of this business? Will I actually try the new-to-me shops that I have read about on this forum this year, or will I be grateful that I may try those jobs in future? Hmmmm............

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

Yes! I was so nervous at first that they'd throw daggers at me for rescheduling, but I'm finding out in most cases it's not life or death, lol!

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