Lowe's shops having trouble getting filled? Bonuses going up daily!
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Last month I think I saw a few go over $100. It was a few hours away from me but I might have considered trying to make up a route with some other small shops if I had had the time.
I've done the Lowe's shop a few times. I won't do them for the low pay usually offered ($12) but I have done them for $25 (which still is too low for this shop in my opinion.) I would not likely do it again unless it was more like $40 because it takes too long to do. The reason why it takes so long to do is that I find that staff are not in abundance on the floor and therefore I have to wait around and wait around to do all the steps required. Therefore I find I am easily in there for 40-45 minutes and it needn't take that long so it's irritating. Then you go home and have to write the report. So $40 might be fine but I wouldn't do it for anything under say $35 at the least myself. Too much time and irritation involved to ever take it for $12, that's for dang sure! lol
Shopping Southern Ontario (Canada) and Western New York (U.S.A.)!
Every once in a while I may see one show up near me. Otherwise, the bonused Lowes in my state are way out in the boonies.... Like 2-3 hours one-way drives. The drive itself offsets the bonus pay. At that point, you gotta rely on a nice route of shops to make that drive worth it. But if the drive's reasonable, $40 bonus pay is super slick and a steal.
Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
I received a phone call from the MSC. They seem to have someone new there who kept mispronouncing my simple, common, name no matter how many times I corrected him.
He was is need of someone to take a 100 mile trek across the mountains do to a Lowe's in a small town that very day, the next at the latest. Round trip, that's a good four hours of hard driving and plenty of fuel burnt. He asked how much I wanted. I told him that I would need at least $100 on top of the base fee. He said that is what others have told him too. Then he had the nerve to ask if I would do it for less. I told him no. When will they learn we don't work for free, and certainly not for less than free? I don't think the shop got completed.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2016 03:55AM by Rousseau.
He was is need of someone to take a 100 mile trek across the mountains do to a Lowe's in a small town that very day, the next at the latest. Round trip, that's a good four hours of hard driving and plenty of fuel burnt. He asked how much I wanted. I told him that I would need at least $100 on top of the base fee. He said that is what others have told him too. Then he had the nerve to ask if I would do it for less. I told him no. When will they learn we don't work for free, and certainly not for less than free? I don't think the shop got completed.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2016 03:55AM by Rousseau.
@Rousseau wrote:
I told him that I would need at least $100 on top of the base fee. He said that is what others have told him too. Then he had the nerve to ask if I would do it for less.
It's pretty clear, then, that the market value of that job, in that location, is $100 plus base fee. So why would he think someone should do it for less? Sigh....
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I have done the Lowe's shops about 6 months ago and was so frustrated by them I swore them off. Until about a week ago I committed to one more, never again will I do a Lowe's shop for another company. Same stuff different day, if you no what I mean. Different companies are taking Lowe's shops and assigning them to us as MSpers but it's still frustration. Stay away I don't care how much they pay, there are plenty of other good shops to do. Just my thoughts tonight.
A couple of months ago, I got one for $100 bonus (the most I have gotten). I do have one to do today for a $55 bonus. I got one for $30 bonus that I did last Friday.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2016 06:09AM by lbw1000.
Shopping across Indiana but mostly around Indianapolis.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2016 06:09AM by lbw1000.
While you are at Lowe's, maybe you can pick up a lovely snake.
[www.nbcnews.com]
Now that is one serious incentive!
[www.nbcnews.com]
Now that is one serious incentive!
I haven't done one for the MSC I think this thread is referring to, but I have had my eye on one whose bonus keeps rising. What made you so frustrated? Was it just the difficulty of finding an employee or was there more to it? I might do it for the current price if it is like others I have done, but I will let it go if it's going to be a nightmare.
@janete.ballingergmail.com wrote:
I have done the Lowe's shops about 6 months ago and was so frustrated by them I swore them off
I did a few, but have also lost interest for two reasons:
1) I hate the out of stock scenario. The associate plays their part here so well, every time they have the computer ready for me to order and I feel like an idiot using excuses to leave without buying. I would do the shop more often if not for this. Although there is point two...
2) I am a big Jimmie Johnson fan in NASCAR. Jimmie has wrecked every weekend after I did a Lowe's shop. Coincidence? Not tempting it.
1) I hate the out of stock scenario. The associate plays their part here so well, every time they have the computer ready for me to order and I feel like an idiot using excuses to leave without buying. I would do the shop more often if not for this. Although there is point two...
2) I am a big Jimmie Johnson fan in NASCAR. Jimmie has wrecked every weekend after I did a Lowe's shop. Coincidence? Not tempting it.
I have done Loews as well. I have a dedicated email address for all of the 25 Mystery Shops I am registered with. I received an mail from one of them I had not heard from in a long time. She needed a shop done fast. I asked what the shop paid and she shared $30.00 with a $45.00 bonus for a successful shop. Needless to say I did the shop and had the report done and sent the same day. A few weeks later I got paid $75.00. Never neglect your dedicated email.
Michael G.
The most I've seen them bonused in my area was $10. Since I'm not a fan of this archaic msc I refuse to bite.
@Angel wrote:
I've done the Lowe's shop a few times. I won't do them for the low pay usually offered ($12) but I have done them for $25 (which still is too low for this shop in my opinion.) I would not likely do it again unless it was more like $40 because it takes too long to do. The reason why it takes so long to do is that I find that staff are not in abundance on the floor and therefore I have to wait around and wait around to do all the steps required. Therefore I find I am easily in there for 40-45 minutes and it needn't take that long so it's irritating. Then you go home and have to write the report. So $40 might be fine but I wouldn't do it for anything under say $35 at the least myself. Too much time and irritation involved to ever take it for $12, that's for dang sure! lol
They get rid of good shoppers who feel they got duped performing these shops at $12 and now feel sick or scarred"Once bitten, Twice Shy"! Why do you think its taking them to get up to $100 to locate shoppers to drive to remote areas. Even at $60 nobody budged, so my opinion is you have shoppers driving 70-90 miles to grab two shops close by at the high rate.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2016 06:16PM by GuyFawkes.
Well, I did my first one today, at a $40 fee total, and for that, it was worth it. But $12 for this shop? That's insane. No wonder nobody will take them for that! Somebody here said once that they should be two separate shops, and I agree.
It took me longer to download and read the guidelines and survey than it did to do the in-store shop! But what miserable service at this Lowe's! I had to "push the red button" in both departments, but at least the associates showed up right away. But the guy in the out-of-stock department was right by where I was browsing for the OOS item. Looked right at me at least two or three times, but couldn't be bothered to ask me if I needed help. When he responded to the call for assistance, he was clueless and useless. The guy in the scenario department was more helpful, but didn't do hardly anything he was supposed to. Based on various threads and comments here, this service is not unusual. You'd think after getting many mediocre or poor reports, this chain would up its game. Apparently not!
The report doesn't look too bad, but I haven't started it yet, so I may be proven wrong.
It took me longer to download and read the guidelines and survey than it did to do the in-store shop! But what miserable service at this Lowe's! I had to "push the red button" in both departments, but at least the associates showed up right away. But the guy in the out-of-stock department was right by where I was browsing for the OOS item. Looked right at me at least two or three times, but couldn't be bothered to ask me if I needed help. When he responded to the call for assistance, he was clueless and useless. The guy in the scenario department was more helpful, but didn't do hardly anything he was supposed to. Based on various threads and comments here, this service is not unusual. You'd think after getting many mediocre or poor reports, this chain would up its game. Apparently not!
The report doesn't look too bad, but I haven't started it yet, so I may be proven wrong.
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
This was the one they called me to negotiate a bonus with me. I asked for 50 which they accepted after asking the supervisor. they ended up paying me 50+fee+reimbursement. It was awesome.
Last month an $88 bonus was added for the last MA shop. The total shop paid $100 Which is a great price for a Lowes shop.
And sometimes they run they other way when they see that determined look in our eye... 
I just did one with a $70 incentive on top of the normal $12 fee .
Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.
After doing the report, I'm convinced more than ever that the $12 base fee for this shop is insanity. It was not a difficult report, but was time consuming, especially given the way they break the narrative sections up. I think it would be easier if they had you write a single narrative at the end of the scenario section. From a writing standpoint, it flows more easily; you don't have to keep starting and stopping, and figuring out exactly where the breaks in the conversation match the breaks in the report.
But I laughed at the "limits" in the narrative boxes. A person would have to be crazy to write that much on this shop for that amount of pay! Even I, who, alas, tends to overdo my narratives, made a point to limit my narratives as much as possible to keep my time down while still giving enough information.
At base fee, even if you wrote two sentences per box, your time would far exceed $12 worth!
I imagine that if I do another one, the report will be easier; the first time on a shop is generally the most difficult. I'd do more of these, but not for less than $25 or $30, and only if the store is five to 15 minutes away. I wouldn't travel to do one for less than a minimum of $45 or $50, and that would depend on the distance.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/2016 01:51PM by BirdyC.
But I laughed at the "limits" in the narrative boxes. A person would have to be crazy to write that much on this shop for that amount of pay! Even I, who, alas, tends to overdo my narratives, made a point to limit my narratives as much as possible to keep my time down while still giving enough information.
At base fee, even if you wrote two sentences per box, your time would far exceed $12 worth!
I imagine that if I do another one, the report will be easier; the first time on a shop is generally the most difficult. I'd do more of these, but not for less than $25 or $30, and only if the store is five to 15 minutes away. I wouldn't travel to do one for less than a minimum of $45 or $50, and that would depend on the distance.
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/2016 01:51PM by BirdyC.
I can't figure the Lowes shops. They are definitely not worth the base fees and they sit on the board forever. I saw one a few months ago close to me offering an $80 bonus and I grabbed it. I got a call for another one a couple of days later, a little further away, and I asked and received a $90 bonus. For that amount of money they are well worth it. Yesterday the bonus went up to $20 and all but three near me were taken. I just checked and there is only one remaining about 30 miles from me for $25. Like I say, I can't figure the Lowes shops.
You'd think the MSC would be better off paying a higher base fee for all of them, instead of ending up paying outrageous bonuses at the end of the period to get them done.... If these paid, say, $25 base, the MSC probably wouldn't have trouble filling them. Except in the really rural areas where there might not be many shoppers. But that's always probably going to happen.
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I love this MSC insofar as I make a ton of money with them and they have quite a few very nice people on the teams that I work for. That said, there are some very frustrating flaws. The vast majority of their base rates are too low to even be worth it. I can only think of one type of shop they have that might be worth the base rate if there was not much of a drive. Also, the staff members are similar to salespeople. The "supervisor" hides behind them and calls the shots, but the frontline employees are employed to try to get as many shops filled at the lowest rate possible. Their job is most likely tied to their ability to do this, so this could be a fairly high pressure job. Also, their deadlines are constantly changing and seem to rarely be set in stone. This makes bargaining difficult. I have done many shops for them that were past the "solid deadline." And, because I only settle for relatively high bonus offers, It takes a ton of phone tag to finally get them awarded.
All this said, I make a lot of money with this MSC and they have many very good people working for them. I put up with the other annoyances. (Last week, I made $700 with this MSC in 8 hours total of my time, including driving approximately 200 miles round trip on my route.)
Edited for grammar and spelling.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2016 01:14AM by thunderdeacon.
All this said, I make a lot of money with this MSC and they have many very good people working for them. I put up with the other annoyances. (Last week, I made $700 with this MSC in 8 hours total of my time, including driving approximately 200 miles round trip on my route.)
Edited for grammar and spelling.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2016 01:14AM by thunderdeacon.
This MSC is got to be a site to see. Picture it a floor of schedulers on the phone all day with offer slips that are written out and ran over to the head supervisor office. The supervisor okay or no or counter at this by call to schedulers station. They then call the shopper back to inform them. I do enjoy the telephone approach as it is rare in this day and age. As far as base rate the shop is never worth it. If I lived next store I would still need $25 to do it. Anyone need a piece of junk that was under a $1. Light switch plate, screw, eye screw, yardstick? Going to try and get another one of these tomorrow. Don't need the work as I have had a stellar week with other shop but hey one shop day with a nice drive in the boondocks for $125 why not.
Edited for spelling
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2016 12:04AM by BuffaloNY101.
Edited for spelling
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 05/20/2016 12:04AM by BuffaloNY101.
Birdy, for around a dollar you can get some useful items that extend grocery budget. You can get one roll paper towel, a small bottle dish soap, a bottle hand soap for the bathroom sink, air freshener, etc. Also,light bulbs are good to get if they are on sale. The guidelines do say to not get the soda, chips, etc. around the registers.
Shopping across Indiana but mostly around Indianapolis.
occasionally ill buy a gift card for another restaurant that i go to that will be used. Or the movies gift card. That's if I have the extra cash available at the time.
Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.
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"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
They are all gone in my area. Some went at $20 and the remaining few at $25. Poof.
That's the problem. They don't like negative reports especially when I tell them that Lowes is not my go-to home improvement store. I had an editor make two requests for the questions the associate asked to assess my needs. There were a total of two questions, but they weren't having it. Am I suppose to make this stuff up?? The service in the stores in my area is terrible. I can't remember the last time I went to the ceiling fan department and the associate was NOT out on his lunch break. I get someone from seasonal to help me who knows nothing about ceiling fans!
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