If anyones eyeballed these shops but hasn't taken the leap yet I can help you out. I've been doing it for 6 months now and I love it! They're high paying and if you wait for the right time and are willing to drive a bit you can get REALLY high bonuses as the month progresses (you HAVE to talk to the schedulers though they do not often bonus the shop on the job board unless they're really desparate.....and those are usually like shops in the middle of no where New mexico or something).

You have to pay up front $32 on your own to get a drug & background test but they reimburse you after you've performed two shops. The very first shop I did was a disaster and I'm sure this happens to a lot of people and they just give up. The audit is long (5 hours at minimum, well I could probably get it done legitly in a little over 3 now but they force you to be there at least 5 hours or you get removed from being able to do them). After my first shop I swore I'd never do it again but then I decided I may as well do one more just to get my reimbursement and now it's become my bread & butter.

I do get though that announced audits just aren't for everyone but if you are interested or have been thinking about it I'm glad to answer and help out

I need to go to, what is it, Office Max and buy one of their BullSh!t Button!

I'm fast, and I mean lightening fast! People, customer's and employees see me coming and they move out of the way. I mean, I move so fast it looks like there's a fan on me when I'm walking down an aisle.

For me, these audits ended up paying a little more than $6.00 an hour, because it's a flat fee, and that was with many variables like NOT locating the incident reports. The more display items that are broken, the longer the audit takes. The manager's play all sorts of games to throw you off and when I reported it, they did nothing about it. The MCS's passwords don't work so you have to beg an employee for theirs and so they get to follow you around while you're using it!

These are 12 hour audits that need to pay $15.00 an hour. It's a real rip-off how it's set up. And for such a large and profitable company to provide such low pay to assist them in becoming a better company is shameful and provides a self-inflicting wound.

The people who are doing these in 5 hours, and by the way, there's no way, absolutely NO WAY that these can be done in 3 hours.........COME ON! The 5 hour ones are done by cheating. For example, sitting down with the Ad-set check and entering the information directly from the ad and NOT BOTHERING to scan the item! How would Best Buy owners like to know that?! Does anyone from Best Buy even look at their auditors to see if they are actually doing the work? I doubt it. I think it's shameful that such a huge lie is told, that these take 3 hours, or even 5 hours, much less "oh, sure, my first one took more than a day". How many suckers can you go through until there are no more left is the only question remaining.

I will admit to not doing these since they left the current company, went to another and then returned. My understanding is the audit does go faster because of some changes. I will tell you this from a couple years experience doing them before, mine could easily be done in 7 to 8 hours and one in particular took four to five. No cheating, no cutting corners. Because the audits also paid more, my hourly was in the $16 range. Not great from an IC standpoint, but having $700 to $800 a month in regular work that took five to seven business days was okay by me.

It is certainly possible some managers would be less than cooperative, but it was never the case for any store I audited. In fact, most of the managers and employees went out of their way to help. The audits are a big deal for them. I also never had a manager argue with any issues I found.

I've found efficiency in auditing does not correlate directly to speed alone. Speed can actually be a detriment since one is more inclined to make mistakes requiring backtracking. It is the ability to plot a logical order along with combining tasks.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2016 02:19AM by LisaSTL.

I literally just did a shop today that i finished in 3 1/2 hrs. But yea only two things were wrong in functionality. I spent the other 90 minutes with my tablet on my keyboard extension on top of an oven range compiling everything correctly into the app so the report was all ready to send once I got the leave behind form filled in. It can definitely be done. I thought the exact same thing the first time I did one and I'm glad I stuck with it. It;s second nature now. I admit functionality can be a pain in the (insert word here). There's no doubt about that! But it can be done quicker if you know what you're doing. Like when i first walk in I ask right away for the IDIL tablet. After I log in to LILO and check the bathrooms. I go right through the IDIL and put any items in the IDIL in my report....BOOM done now I know any other non-functioning devices are not in the IDIL. After inputting the IDILs I give back the tablet and do planos. I space out my functionality sections. I've learned that if you do functionality as one big section it's taxing but if you spread it out it's so much better. Like after I do planos then I do my first functionality section. After functionality area 1 is done then i do ad set, after ad set functionality area 2, then pricing accuracy, then area 3, then I do a mix of store environment & downstocking at the same time. I'll downstick area 1 and then because it can take awhile to print I'll start doing store environment, when it prints then I do downstocking area 2 while waiting for it to print I do more of store environment...etc...etc. These audits can easily be done in 5 hours once you settle in and know what you're doing and I get HUGE bonuses sometimes more then double the pay if you ask right

Yes, I get that leaves the door open for me missing an IDIL added in between the time I arrive and checking a later device but that's why I give a quick rundown to the manager before I walk out. If they think I'm wrong they can pull out the IDIL and show me

I wanted to add this. Apparently I need one of those BS buttons for a member who would be so rude as to call another member a liar and cheat simply because they had found a way to perform an audit more efficiently.

No, way, Jose! Some items you can't even start until 11am.

You can only do these every other month, so how are these your "bread and butter"?

At $85 a day, do you have 60 Best Buy stores around you? No, maybe 5? Even if you did, how can you pay adult bills on $85 a day? Walmart pays about that hourly wage now! And you get paid for EVERY HOUR YOU WORK.

So, you can make, what?, $425, every other month for an average of 8 day's work.

If you can imagine completing one of these correctly in 3 or 5 hours, good for you, you have a good imaginations. Lisa, please remove your feet from my back! I never backtrack, ever! Because I'm fast does not mean I miss things. I don't miss things. This is clearly a promoter and I get to call this out because it's not obvious to new people and you can do whatever you want with it.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2016 02:31AM by spicy1.

Why don't you just read what he wrote? He already said his audits are bonused regularly. Base pay is $85 to $95. I don't know where you live, but within my metro area there are at least 10 Best Buy stores with an additional four within 90 miles.

Maybe you should try actually reading what we both wrote.

I did 4 last week all within 10 miles of me for $100 each. I have four this week within 50 miles away each for 170. I'm already looking at 100 miles away for next week but waiting on the weather forecast to be more up to date before sending a bonus request. I've had shops bonused as much as to 250 before and if you can bulk them up in a route you're looking at serious money for 4 or 5 days. I've done $1,000 in a week and that's totally worth it. Not to mention usually if they couldn't find somebody to take these shops nearby that usually means other MSCs are having trouble too...look on their sites and I find bonused cell phones shops and grocery stores all of which i can easily do after the best buy audit

I live in the northeast we have best buys everywhere. I have to have 20-30 in just 20 miles of me

I have complete 6-7 of the audits and I struggled each and every time to get out the door by 5:15 pm. In my case, the audits DEFINITELY took every bit of eight hours. Many times, the passwords provided by the MS company did not work, or they were so complicated it took a long time to punch in. At one store, it took 40 precious minutes to get the Telxon gun working in the morning. Most stores would not give me a Telxon gun until their employee was finished using it - usually around 11 a.m. The Telxon guns would stop working in the middle of downstocking, forcing me to start over. Plus, I noticed the MS company kept adding requirements to each monthly audit - for the same pay. How anyone could do ad set quickly is beyond me. I would even pre-type in the front and back ad pages into my tablet the night before to cut down on some of the typing. It did not help much. Great, if someone can do an accurate, complete audit in 5 hours.....

Have done them in the past, very NOT NOT NOT worth it even with a bonus. And 30 Best Buys in a 20 miles radius, yeah right. No way.


JJ NewFebruary 10, 2016 09:43PM
I live in the northeast we have best buys everywhere. I have to have 20-30 in just 20 miles of me

@CANADAMOMMY wrote:

Have done them in the past, very NOT NOT NOT worth it even with a bonus. And 30 Best Buys in a 20 miles radius, yeah right. No way.

Google Maps seems to show at least one spot in the northeast where many Best Buy stores are close together: [www.google.com]

I don't like the pay much; I don't like the restrictions (have to be there BEFORE the store opens? ICK!) Spoiled rotten by earlier audits (3 hours, $115). But what stops me cold is the technology. I don't even come close to understanding the jargon used in the above posts.

Other than those little things, I'd happily take these!!!

LOL!!!

I have never traveled there but can bet it is as the crow flies and not by direct miles. I can imagine the 20 I do count are not as easy as open miles..... I still do not see 30 from his/her quote. I do see about 20. Have also not see any note of parking paid and can bet the bulk of those are not free parking.
Just saying.....

As I have done them and do not want them again someone else can have them!

@DennisNE wrote:

@CANADAMOMMY wrote:

Have done them in the past, very NOT NOT NOT worth it even with a bonus. And 30 Best Buys in a 20 miles radius, yeah right. No way.

Google Maps seems to show at least one spot in the northeast where many Best Buy stores are close together: [www.google.com]

Is it that important to argue over 20 or 30 or whether they are 5 miles away or 25 miles away? Is there a @#$%& full moon or something?

I'm just trying to help people who were thinking about considering to do these audits or those that have/are doing them to teach some efficiency tricks I've picked up. If these audits are not your cup of tea, great I understand completely! MS is so greatly perceptive on what each individual finds to be to their liking. Me personally I can't stand sales person mystery shops. I HATE being pitched to by employees paid on commission in my normal life why would I want to have to go through that multiple times a day. Regardless I still have picked up cell phone shops when they're bonused or convenient near something else I'm doing....but I stay away from car sales shops like the plague. God I just bought a new car in November and hated every minute I had to spend talking to a salesman. But that's just me I'm sure some of you love sales shops and theres nothing wrong with that. I love my best buy audits if it's not your thing I respect that but that's not what I made this thread to discus.

Also everyone I've gotten a couple private messages from people asking me to basically give them the answers to the monthly auditor quiz for this. I'm copying and pasting my response to them, if you were thinking of PMing me asking the same thing please note: I'm willing to help auditors out who are having trouble performing the shops, but the quizzes are a whole nother ballpark. Reading over the guidelines and taking the quiz properly is essential to perform this shop correctly, you will be extremely lost at the location if you do not understand the guidelines and if you're having trouble with the quiz that means you're not fully understanding the guidelines. The things in the quiz are the most important aspects of the shop that you really need to understand so what I'd recommend is that any question you are having trouble with; read the question and then go to the guidelines and look for the specific answer to that question. It's that mental process of doing that little bit of work that helps to make it stick in your mind, me telling you the answers only hurts that learning process for you and sets you up for failure when you perform the shop. These audits have many parts and you really need to understand them before doing your audit. If there is something in the guidelines that you feel you need more clarification of I'm happy to explain to make it more clear if I can but it's really important for you to be able to complete the quiz on your own.

Glad I'm not the only getting PMs for answers to a quiz. I would like to add, giving some answers to a quiz is a violation of the contracts we sign. If you want to ignore yours so be it. Don't ask me to do the same.

I did them about 6 years ago when I was unemployed. I only had a couple near me so those weeks were nice once they hit my bank account.

Stunk though because one of them was a big store, the other was a smaller store in which I was forced to do them in two days (even when I called and stated that this location is much smaller than a regular Best Buy). I was just told to hang out since the client was paying them for two days.

Not too soon after that they went over to "if you can do it in a day feel free".

Hi 1sandman I'm interested but everytime I get the email to do the conference call, I'm always busy or tied up. What steps do I need to take? If it's anything g line Kmart, it's not to bad, but dang 5 hours, that's a long time

1Sandman; it's because of best buy. I could make major bank if they'd allow two shops in a day...omg that would be my dream! But best buy does not want the auditors in the store past 5pm....additionally Best Buy does not want the audits started any later then 10:30a. I never worked for best buy but I believe it has to do with what category of employees are working and when. At night theremay not actually even be warehouse associates to ask about overboxing for instance. I had a partial shop come up one time cause there was actually an auditor who on their first audit they did functionality first and then literally walked out of the store and told (the MSC) they were out lol.They did send (the MSC) their functionality report though so I just had to do everything else....which is so easy! Pricing accuracy I can legitly do in 5-10 min for instance. Anyway I asked when i picked it up if there was any amount of time I had to stay and was told no but that I still needed to finish the audit no later than 5p. I decided to arrive at 3p and the store manager was very unhappy cause she said her downstocking employees don't even work past 2 unless an auditor comes then she makes sure one of them stays til the audit is finished. That's what made me realize why best buy must have these time guidelines. Also I only ran into the store manager that day because she was conducting an interview in the room that I had to get the telxon in. The manager for evening and all of the other employees there when i got there at 3p didn't even know they had a planogram filing cabinet so that shows how much of a disconnect there is in the evening for us to even be able to conduct the audit properly

(Mod note: Linking the MSC with its clientele is a breach of Forum rules and probably a violation of your ICA.)

@1JJ wrote:

If anyones eyeballed these shops but hasn't taken the leap yet I can help you out. I've been doing it for 6 months now and I love it! They're high paying and if you wait for the right time and are willing to drive a bit you can get REALLY high bonuses as the month progresses (you HAVE to talk to the schedulers though they do not often bonus the shop on the job board unless they're really desparate.....and those are usually like shops in the middle of no where New mexico or something).

You have to pay up front $32 on your own to get a drug & background test but they reimburse you after you've performed two shops. The very first shop I did was a disaster and I'm sure this happens to a lot of people and they just give up. The audit is long (5 hours at minimum, well I could probably get it done legitly in a little over 3 now but they force you to be there at least 5 hours or you get removed from being able to do them). After my first shop I swore I'd never do it again but then I decided I may as well do one more just to get my reimbursement and now it's become my bread & butter.

I do get though that announced audits just aren't for everyone but if you are interested or have been thinking about it I'm glad to answer and help out

I need help passing the quiz. I'm stuck on reading the Telxon Gun and planograms. I'm not looking for answers because I know the importance when out in the field. I've asked to shadow someone, but haven't heard back yet. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you. It would be nice if someone did a video on these subjects.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2016 03:16PM by issdc04.

And when you're stuck in the field, who are you going to call?

10 minutes for the pricing audit, omg, even if nothing is priced incorrectly, which is never the case, 10 minutes.
How many items do you scan in the pricing audit and in how many departments.

This is a bunch of bologne. Someone pass the cheese. This is a promotion because they are running out of people because they're burning through them because of the b.s. that these can be done in a day.

Maybe they can be done in a day, 8 hours total minus your breaks and lunch and that's $85 which for 8 hours is $10 an hour. But that's after many audits, of which you can only do them every other month. And that is if you have a very well managed store; of which I have never seen. I'm just trying to protect the innocent. If you think the quiz is confusing, wait until you get into the field.

I've done these several times. They usually take 6 hours, but can take eight if you have technical dificulties, such as not being able to log into the Telxon gun, having to print out planograms, etc. I do get frustrated when people get on the board suggesting that they can be done in less than five hours, particularily the suggestion that they could be done in three. The company doesn't want auditors to spend less than five. Talk like this is why they think they are doing us a favor to pay $85-95 a store.

Unless you have a really tiny store, I don't see how you could do it in less than five hours. For functionality, you have five categories. You must check each item. The stores I do have 70-100 laptops. There are also a high number of tablets. These are just two of the areas you have to check.

If you can do it in five hours or less, good for you, I guess. You can take your time and still get paid. But, why announce it on the forum when doing it in less than five hours is frowned upon by the company paying you?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2016 12:49PM by christinereed.

Actually there was a full moon this week. Do you not have a calendar? But.... Show me where there are 30 within a 20 mile range. Except one place in New York there are not places where you could bulk up so many shops. Fact is fact.

@LisaSTL wrote:

Is it that important to argue over 20 or 30 or whether they are 5 miles away or 25 miles away? Is there a @#$%& full moon or something?

Spicy1 you said is absolutely exactly.....

Who you going to call in the field...? No one.

@spicy1 wrote:

And when you're stuck in the field, who are you going to call?

10 minutes for the pricing audit, omg, even if nothing is priced incorrectly, which is never the case, 10 minutes.
How many items do you scan in the pricing audit and in how many departments.

This is a bunch of bologne. Someone pass the cheese. This is a promotion because they are running out of people because they're burning through them because of the b.s. that these can be done in a day.

Maybe they can be done in a day, 8 hours total minus your breaks and lunch and that's $85 which for 8 hours is $10 an hour. But that's after many audits, of which you can only do them every other month. And that is if you have a very well managed store; of which I have never seen. I'm just trying to protect the innocent. If you think the quiz is confusing, wait until you get into the field.