Sorry fellow shoppers, I took theses shops at such low pay

and contributed to the low pay they will probably remain at . . . but its hard to pass up a PRETZEL shop(s). Again I apologize.

A Dad shopping the Ark-LA-Tex and beyond.


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2015 03:15PM by ShoppingDad.

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No worries. I take Lots of Dudes burger shops for a fee that is less than the peanuts on the floor of their restaurant.

I used to see a life coach pretty regularly.... back when they were called bartenders.
@ShoppingDad Do your homework. There is a company that pays more for the pretzel shops than the company I am betting you found them through. If I recall correctly (I no longer live in an area where these shops are located), they paid a total of $20 (including the pretzel) as opposed to the $11 total for the fee and pretzel the more well-known company pays.
@nhgirl1970 wrote:

@ShoppingDad Do your homework. There is a company that pays more for the pretzel shops than the company I am betting you found them through. If I recall correctly (I no longer live in an area where these shops are located), they paid a total of $20 (including the pretzel) as opposed to the $11 total for the fee and pretzel the more well-known company pays.

I've never seen those.

I quit doing them, as I got sick every single time. Too much grease I'd guess? Actually, I'll do them in an airport, but they go right into the trash.
This is the only MSC conducting these in my area. Free product and a small fee can't ask for more, well except for a larger fee.

A Dad shopping the Ark-LA-Tex and beyond.
I do plenty of low-fee shops that reimburse me for a cup of coffee or a snack on routes. If the shop takes six minutes, the form takes five, and I'm offered seven bucks plus two reimbursement I am fine with that.
Since you like these great deals, I just received an email for a Revealed shop, and it pays $7. But you won't get a free pretzel, only $1.50 in reimbursement for a required purchase. Let me know if you need the MSC info!
Once it is a reveal, it is no longer quick and easy. It is impossible to get in and out in a couple of minutes when you have to speak with someone even if the instructions were to ball up the certificate and throw it at the cashier without a word.
@Sandman1048 wrote:

Since you like these great deals, I just received an email for a Revealed shop, and it pays $7. But you won't get a free pretzel, only $1.50 in reimbursement for a required purchase. Let me know if you need the MSC info!

I think the OP's point was that he knows the shop he took maybe isn't objectively worth what he took it for.

But there are intangibles. Golden brown, pretzel-y, intangibles.

Shopper in California's Bay Area
I am a sucker for chocolate. A required purchase of chocolate is like a carrot in front of a mule.

@CaliGirl925 wrote:

@Sandman1048 wrote:

Since you like these great deals, I just received an email for a Revealed shop, and it pays $7. But you won't get a free pretzel, only $1.50 in reimbursement for a required purchase. Let me know if you need the MSC info!

I think the OP's point was that he knows the shop he took maybe isn't objectively worth what he took it for.

But there are intangibles. Golden brown, pretzel-y, intangibles.


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2015 12:31AM by heartlandcanuck.
I try to bundle them with other shops. If you can also do a bun shop at the same location it adds up. I am also trying to coordinate some of the candy store shops for the same day. Some of the pretzel shops have more than one outlet at the same location by the way, if you check you might be required or allowed to visit both locations on the same visit.

By the way, why throw that away? I find a quiet place to "taste" the product and take any required pics. I cut small piece off, then bag up the rest. Just give the bag to someone at the intersection asking for help, or if in the city you know where to find them. If you budget against the reimbursement right, you can get a small coffee or drink of some kind at most of these places.

Now for the more advanced shopper, add in some cell phone shops and whatever else there is at the mall (where most of these places are) and that is how you can advance from a $5 profit to a $100 profit for a half days work.

My posts are solely based on my opinions and for my entertainment, contact a professional if you need real advice.

When you get in debt you become a slave. - Andrew Jackson
I take the aveda shops knowing the reimbursement went down. I feel like I'm at an AA meeting with these admissions.

Doing what I can to enhance the life of my family! I LOVE what I do smiling smiley
@ShopSouthTexas wrote:

I feel like I'm at an AA meeting with these admissions.

Don't you mean "MSA" smiling smiley
I have two companies in my area one pays a flat $15 for pretzel and drink. The other is $4 fee for $5 reimbursement, I haven't done that one so not sure if you need to get a drink with it...
It's been on the board for a few days now I wonder if the pay will go up ?? But the last few months they get taken before they need to raise the fee. I'm not a huge fan of their lemonade way too sweet the last few times I have just tossed the drink after a few sips.
The lesser paying one only requires a pretzel, drink is optional.

Does the higher paying one use a specific job board looking for shoppers? I think were allowed to share that much?

My posts are solely based on my opinions and for my entertainment, contact a professional if you need real advice.

When you get in debt you become a slave. - Andrew Jackson
One MSC shops Wetzel's. It's about the easiest report out there. Plus the same company shops cinnamon rolls so it isn't too hard to get a two-fer. I usually do my reports while enjoying one of my treats in the food court.

Two MSCs shop Auntie Anne's. One pays a flat fee of $20. The other pays a little less. But there is narrative.

In my opinion Auntie Anne's has a far superior product.

Plus, since they are usually in or near a mall food court, there is often an Arches, Panda Express, or Rubios that needs to be shopped plus a See's Candy or Rocky Mountain Candy, cell phone shops, Lane Bryant (cause who could fit into a size 8 after all that), Nautica or any other number of retailers.

It's when you drive 20 miles for a $3 reimbursement that we all shake our heads in frustration. And even at that, to each his own.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2015 05:54AM by whiterosie.
@ShoppingDad wrote:

and contributed to the low pay they will probably remain at . . . but its hard to pass up a PRETZEL shop(s). Again I apologize.

Ah, it's Tool Time!
@isaiah58 wrote:


By the way, why throw that away? I find a quiet place to "taste" the product and take any required pics. I cut small piece off, then bag up the rest. Just give the bag to someone at the intersection asking for help, or if in the city you know where to find them. If you budget against the reimbursement right, you can get a small coffee or drink of some kind at most of these places.
.

There are days when I throw out at least $200 worth of perfectly good food and drink. I can't take it place to place on a route. I can't give it to the homeless people. They aren't at the airport or the concert or the football game, etc.

You'd hate watching me throw out fine seafood. I do it all the time. I'm not so worried about tossing out a greasy pretzel.

If I'm somewhere that I can pack the food into my suitcase (this won't work for the soup of the day ), I'll do that. My kids get the most random stuff when I get home. $5 for a granola bar? Yes please.
@whiterosie wrote:



Two MSCs shop Auntie Anne's. One pays a flat fee of $20. The other pays a little less. But there is narrative.

It's ridiculous how excited I am to see this! After all this time of seeing pretzel shops advertised, our mall is finally getting an Auntie Anne's!
The two I was mentioning were Auntie Anne's and in my area it is flat of $15 with a drink purchase! I thought I lived in a high cost area, obviously not compared to the $20 shop.

I have seen the Wetzel but the nearest one is about 25 miles away so I never paid attention to the price of that shop.

@whiterosie wrote:

One MSC shops Wetzel's. It's about the easiest report out there. Plus the same company shops cinnamon rolls so it isn't too hard to get a two-fer. I usually do my reports while enjoying one of my treats in the food court.

Two MSCs shop Auntie Anne's. One pays a flat fee of $20. The other pays a little less. But there is narrative.
@aayaey Be glad you are not living near me, here they are $6 with up to $5 reimbursement! Sad! The funny thing is, they do not seem to be able to get people to take them anymore, I wonder why that might be smiling smiley
I'm very sad because I know no one can say the MSC that pays more for Auntie Anne's and I only know about the low price one. sad smiley
But one of these days I am definitely going to plan a mall route, have a Cinnabon for breakfast, ask as many people as I can what the best cell phone is, have something awesome for lunch and then an Auntie Anne's on my way out the door haha
@CeciliaM, make sure you do the Cinnabon and pretzel shops first so you can jog through the mall to the phone shop and burn off the newly added calories (and possible sugar rush) smiling smiley

But it does sound like a great combo. Add to it a smoothie shop and you have the best of most worlds.
@Sandman1048 wrote:

@CeciliaM, make sure you do the Cinnabon and pretzel shops first so you can jog through the mall to the phone shop and burn off the newly added calories (and possible sugar rush) smiling smiley

But it does sound like a great combo. Add to it a smoothie shop and you have the best of most worlds.

see... this is why I need the pro tips from this board haha.
@CaliGirl925 wrote:


I think the OP's point was that he knows the shop he took maybe isn't objectively worth what he took it for.

But there are intangibles. Golden brown, pretzel-y, intangibles.

Exactly, I like the free pretzels and a small fee to eat them.

A Dad shopping the Ark-LA-Tex and beyond.
I do bed shops. Overall they are about minimum wage for me as I usually take longer than the average bear.

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230
@CeciliaM wrote:

I'm very sad because I know no one can say the MSC that pays more for Auntie Anne's and I only know about the low price one. sad smiley
But one of these days I am definitely going to plan a mall route, have a Cinnabon for breakfast, ask as many people as I can what the best cell phone is, have something awesome for lunch and then an Auntie Anne's on my way out the door haha

Sounds like a plan.

A Dad shopping the Ark-LA-Tex and beyond.
The pretzel shop is my guilty pleasure when I travel. I usually fly an airline in the required terminal for that shop and so I get a pretzel for breakfast before my flight. I only fly once or twice a year and contact the scheduler when I travel. They have a really hard time filling the airport location so they pay extra! Nothing like cinnamon sugar to give you a buzz when traveling!
I love A&A.. I can't remember which company does A&A. Unless it's not shopped in my area sad smiley
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