Most threads are restarted if not once a week once a month... me im just trying to get to 2000 comments and then go back in my hole for several months

Very detailed report $12.00 is usual starting base...

AZWolfman, do you make a consistent amount throughout the month? Most of my MS income comes from schedulers who give me shops at the beginning of the month and schedulers who beg me to take shops at the end. In the middle, there is quite a bit of free time, and time to do multi-day shops and/or shops that I know don't usually get bonused

I assumed that most shoppers work this way, and would be curious to know whether or not I am off-base in my assumption.

@MA Smith wrote:

No one knows why anyone mystery shops. Some do it full time. Others do it to get out of the house pay down debt or a date night.

I do this just so I can "steal" all the shops in AZwolfman's area.

@PasswordNotFound wrote:

AZWolfman, do you make a consistent amount throughout the month? Most of my MS income comes from schedulers who give me shops at the beginning of the month and schedulers who beg me to take shops at the end. In the middle, there is quite a bit of free time, and time to do multi-day shops and/or shops that I know don't usually get bonused

I assumed that most shoppers work this way, and would be curious to know whether or not I am off-base in my assumption.

I work consistently throughout each month, each quarter, each year. It does slow down in general by the third week in December thru the beginning of the New Year.

Income is fairly consistent month to month, and year to year, but it seems that the 3rd week of the month is slower and I have to make a conscious effort to fill that week with shops. I will try to schedule my out-of-state shops for the third week of the month. Most of my shops are not bonused unless they require me to travel out of the city. I never, ever let a shop sit on the board just because I am waiting for it to be bonused. I take that job now, so I will have room for other bonused shops at month's end. Instead of sitting around doing nothing but waiting until the end of the month to pick up the bonused leftovers, I schedule from the many jobs that are available at the beginning of the month.

HOW I SCHEDULE MY WORK FOR MONTHLY CONSISTENCY:

I also specialize in certain types of shops and make sure the schedulers know my specialties. I work with a small handful of schedulers so I can build a good relationship. I never flake, ever. My reports are on time 99% of the time, except when prearranged on out-of-state routes.

Of course there are shops the last week of the month that nobody wanted and are bonused. There are more than I would ever have time for. Most any business has busy times and slow times. I believe the key to making money in this business is filling out my schedule for the entire month at the beginning of the month when all jobs are on the board, instead of gambling that they will still be there at the end of the month with bonuses. If a job I want is on the board; I put it on my schedule now. There will always be shops to fill any empty slots in my schedule.

To put this in perspective, you should realize that unlike most shoppers, this is my only job and I work at it full-time. I shop over 1,000 shops a year and do not shop car dealerships, fine dining (unless part of a casino or hotel), no fee shops, phone shops, and I rarely take a $10 shop or a shop (like a movie shop) that takes 3 hours and pays only $15. Of course a favor to a scheduler can always be an exception that can cause me to take a shop I don't want. I apply for almost every video shop I can get, even if I have to travel. The farthest I have driven one way for a profitable shop is 878 miles, but I did travel over 2,000 miles by air to shop a casino once.

When jobs are listed on SASSIE for the beginning of next month, the first thing I do is click the column to sort them by $$$$ in descending order and select from there. It's okay if the shops are involved (like designer clothing shops) as long as the fee is appropriate. By contrast, fine dining shops generally to not come with an appropriate job fee.

The last week of the month (like now) is also when job offers come in for next month. This week and the next is when I will select, apply, and schedule shops for the first 2 weeks of next month. I fill the rest of next month with job offers that trickle in during the month. There are always more jobs than I can do, and I am thankful for the so-called "competition" for taking the jobs I do not consider profitable ($10 or less mostly) and worthwhile.

@Sybil2 wrote:

@MA Smith wrote:

No one knows why anyone mystery shops. Some do it full time. Others do it to get out of the house pay down debt or a date night.

I do this just so I can "steal" all the shops in AZwolfman's area.

LOL! I know you're joking, but I don't think there are enough hours in the day for you to "steal" all the jobs in this area. Rotation requirements help keep me from considering other shoppers my competitors, especially on video shops. C'mon down Sybil; there are plenty of shops here for you.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2016 05:30PM by AZwolfman.

I don't have to come down unless you live in Tuscon, Bisbee or Yuma.

Some MSPs have clients who only have shop locations in large metropolitan areas and thus, can come out paying more because they have a large pool of shoppers. But, some MSP's have places like Dairy Queen, Sonic, Arbys, McDonalds - who thrive in small rural towns where they don't have shoppers - or very many shoppers. So, the MSPs with clients like these have to hope that a lot of people in the large cities will take the shops at the lower price - and they usually fill most of them that way - and they use the extra that they have saved to fill the small town shops. It's not about the MSP having a 'heart', they are a business.

I now live in a small city and although shops are not nearly as plentiful as they were when I lived in a GIGANTIC city, I find that I get more bonused shops, especially if I'm willing to drive 30-50 miles on a route. So, in my new city, I do less shops with a much higher shop fee/shop than I was able to do in the big city.

Just my 2 cents...

@guanadu wrote:

Some MSPs have clients who only have shop locations in large metropolitan areas and thus, can come out paying more because they have a large pool of shoppers. But, some MSP's have places like Dairy Queen, Sonic, Arbys, McDonalds - who thrive in small rural towns where they don't have shoppers - or very many shoppers. So, the MSPs with clients like these have to hope that a lot of people in the large cities will take the shops at the lower price - and they usually fill most of them that way - and they use the extra that they have saved to fill the small town shops. It's not about the MSP having a 'heart', they are a business.

I now live in a small city and although shops are not nearly as plentiful as they were when I lived in a GIGANTIC city, I find that I get more bonused shops, especially if I'm willing to drive 30-50 miles on a route. So, in my new city, I do less shops with a much higher shop fee/shop than I was able to do in the big city.

Just my 2 cents...

yep

If you want people to do a good job you have to pay themm fairly.

@alanwest276 wrote:

If you want people to do a good job you have to pay themm fairly.

If you take a job you should do a good job regardless. It's called having pride and a good work ethic. If you think the pay is unfair then don't pick up the job. You mean to tell me, you pick up jobs that you think have an unfair wage and then you do a bad job to prove a point?

With Mystery Shopping there is no "foot in the door."

I am all for the rural shopper bonuses..lt seems those are my bread and butter shops living so far out in the country. I pick up those shops since there is only 1 local place that gets shopped locally a month. I am doing a ff tomorrow for 120.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2016 11:52AM by dmp777.

I am sure most MSC's that have been in business for a while and are seemingly successful have a formula that works for them. Don't forget the most important piece of the puzzle for them: They have little of NO money invested each month in their operation as far as wages to shoppers go. Their business plan is very little like most other types of business. In retail the business buys goods and then resells them at a profit, but up to the time they are sold they do not get a return to pay their employees or expenses. On the other hand MSC's don't pay their contractors for anywhere between 25-60 days after they have completed their work. This gives them plenty of time to be paid by the companies that hire them. So ultimately they have little of no cash outlay until they are paid and then they eventually pay us. They are the middleman who manipulate us to do the work and they definitely take their cut before we even see a dime.

I don't think the post meant that we should do a poor job just because the pay is low. I just think that the better, more experienced shoppers don't take the very low-paying jobs. I believe most, but not all, of the lower paying jobs are taken by newcomers and thus, may not be of the highest quality.
IMHO of course.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2016 02:22PM by dakotagypsy.

@rchipe01 wrote:

I am sure most MSC's that have been in business for a while and are seemingly successful have a formula that works for them. Don't forget the most important piece of the puzzle for them: They have little of NO money invested each month in their operation as far as wages to shoppers go. Their business plan is very little like most other types of business. In retail the business buys goods and then resells them at a profit, but up to the time they are sold they do not get a return to pay their employees or expenses. On the other hand MSC's don't pay their contractors for anywhere between 25-60 days after they have completed their work. This gives them plenty of time to be paid by the companies that hire them. So ultimately they have little of no cash outlay until they are paid and then they eventually pay us. They are the middleman who manipulate us to do the work and they definitely take their cut before we even see a dime.

exactly

There seems to be a number of criticisms of shoppers who take shops for low pay. I suggest we get off that kick and quit belly-aching about low pay and other shoppers. The shoppers who take low paying jobs have every right to do that. If you don't like the pay you're being offered then get out of the mystery shopping business.

@alanwest276 wrote:

If you want people to do a good job you have to pay themm fairly.

An Independent Contractor chooses his jobs. If the pay is not fair, a contractor should not accept the job. If the contractor deems the pay to be fair and accepts the job, he should give his best work.

@Pop wrote:

There seems to be a number of criticisms of shoppers who take shops for low pay. I suggest we get off that kick and quit belly-aching about low pay and other shoppers. The shoppers who take low paying jobs have every right to do that. If you don't like the pay you're being offered then get out of the mystery shopping business.

no offense, but...a suggestion to you: stop reading these kind of posts and you won't elevate your blood pressure and/or it will reduce your sense of outrage. this reminds of a few simpsons episodes where "old man yells at cloud". are you one of the "kids, get off my lawn" kind of person?

@parkcitybrian wrote:

@Pop wrote:

There seems to be a number of criticisms of shoppers who take shops for low pay. I suggest we get off that kick and quit belly-aching about low pay and other shoppers. The shoppers who take low paying jobs have every right to do that. If you don't like the pay you're being offered then get out of the mystery shopping business.

no offense, but...a suggestion to you: stop reading these kind of posts and you won't elevate your blood pressure and/or it will reduce your sense of outrage. this reminds of a few simpsons episodes where "old man yells at cloud". are you one of the "kids, get off my lawn" kind of person?

I disagree with your suggestion that @Pop stop reading these kinds of posts and expressing his opinion about them. The point of this site is to provide information, tips and support to other shoppers. Criticizing shoppers for making decisions based on their financial needs (of all things) is unnecessary and not supportive. And let's face it, it's one thing if someone criticizes a CEO for taking a $50,000,000 salary year after year, but if someone is taking a job that pays $7 or $10 they must really need it. The Forum's posting guidelines clearly say, "Add a positive contribution to the community". Criticizing other shoppers is not providing a positive contribution. @Pop is suggesting that people actually follow the guidelines set forth by the forum and be supportive. Maybe if enough shopper's voice their opinion then people who criticize other shoppers might stop.

@Pop wrote:

There seems to be a number of criticisms of shoppers who take shops for low pay. I suggest we get off that kick and quit belly-aching about low pay and other shoppers. The shoppers who take low paying jobs have every right to do that. If you don't like the pay you're being offered then get out of the mystery shopping business.

I suggest that those who are complaining about those who are complaining get off that kick. Shoppers who complain have every right to belly-ache.

There are more options than the limited like it or lump it you suggest. It is possible to make changes in the world. If somebody complains about one part of their job, relationship or their country (or whatever) they can try to change that part. Leaving is an extreme reaction to having a complaint. Nothing is perfect.

@ninamartin wrote:

I disagree with your suggestion that @Pop stop reading these kinds of posts and expressing his opinion about them. The point of this site is to provide information, tips and support to other shoppers. Criticizing shoppers for making decisions based on their financial needs (of all things) is unnecessary and not supportive. And let's face it, it's one thing if someone criticizes a CEO for taking a $50,000,000 salary year after year, but if someone is taking a job that pays $7 or $10 they must really need it. The Forum's posting guidelines clearly say, "Add a positive contribution to the community". Criticizing other shoppers is not providing a positive contribution. @Pop is suggesting that people actually follow the guidelines set forth by the forum and be supportive. Maybe if enough shopper's voice their opinion then people who criticize other shoppers might stop.

... She said critically

@TeriW wrote:

@ninamartin wrote:

I disagree with your suggestion that @Pop stop reading these kinds of posts and expressing his opinion about them. The point of this site is to provide information, tips and support to other shoppers. Criticizing shoppers for making decisions based on their financial needs (of all things) is unnecessary and not supportive. And let's face it, it's one thing if someone criticizes a CEO for taking a $50,000,000 salary year after year, but if someone is taking a job that pays $7 or $10 they must really need it. The Forum's posting guidelines clearly say, "Add a positive contribution to the community". Criticizing other shoppers is not providing a positive contribution. @Pop is suggesting that people actually follow the guidelines set forth by the forum and be supportive. Maybe if enough shopper's voice their opinion thven people who criticize other shoppers might stop.

... She said critically

very good. maybe..."that's what she said, critically" might be more punny?

@parkcitybrian wrote:

@Pop wrote:

There seems to be a number of criticisms of shoppers who take shops for low pay. I suggest we get off that kick and quit belly-aching about low pay and other shoppers. The shoppers who take low paying jobs have every right to do that. If you don't like the pay you're being offered then get out of the mystery shopping business.

no offense, but...a suggestion to you: stop reading these kind of posts and you won't elevate your blood pressure and/or it will reduce your sense of outrage. this reminds of a few simpsons episodes where "old man yells at cloud". are you one of the "kids, get off my lawn" kind of person?

Also no offense, but Pop sounds pretty reasonable to me. I don't hear any yelling in his post and I don't see any indication that he is outraged or that his blood pressure is elevated.

Those who should stop yelling "kids,get off my lawn" are the belly-achers complaining about those taking jobs at what THEY consider low pay. To each his own. Low/high pay, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Each shopper should take shops that meet their own personal requirements and stop whining about what they think other shoppers are doing.

Belly-aching. I like that term, Pop. I like pcbrian's term, too - yelling "kids get off my lawn." Forum members who whine and abuse others about their choices are like those who yell "kids, get off my lawn." I'm writing that one down, too, to use next time I see someone yelling "kids, get off my lawn" on our forum.

Interesting opinions. I would add my two cents worth, but, I have to feed my 21 cats and yell at the those d#@! kids to get off my lawn.

So Pop's opinion is valid and other's aren't? I don't agree that everyone taking a $7 or $10 job is doing it because they are desperate for money. Some shoppers don't know better, some do it for a hobby/to get out of the house, some add them as filler shops, the list goes on.

What bugs me about the direction these threads go, it's not about the actual pay for each shop. To me there is a more important factors to consider. Is the work commensurate with the pay and how much value can the shopper get out of the shop? Is the $5 or $7 shop taking ten minutes or less in total, part of a route and maybe reimbursing you a buck or two for something you need like gas? You can't really compare the same shop on a route with driving 30 minutes each way for just that one shop.

Exactly. I don't have a minimum set amount. I have to weigh each job. There are so many factors involved.

@alanwest276 wrote:

If you want people to do a good job you have to pay themm fairly.

"Fairly" is the amount for which you negotiate. Any job you agree to take should be done well because it's what you agreed to.

To each his own. Too bad we all don't have all of the answers like some feel they have. My blood pressure is fine. It's people with all of the answers that make it increase.