Route Shoppers: Opinion
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Not bad for getting started. Be sure to negotiate some slack in your report deadlines.
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
I view that sort of thing as a 'get away'. If you are looking forward to it, fine. If you are dreading it, not a good idea. Keep in mind that your reward points have value so are (or should be) a consideration, especially if you could or would use them for some personal outing instead.
the thing with route shopping is that you rarely can go back and correct ANY mistakes as it is exceedingly expensive and time demanding to do so ...
i did two shops during a weekend on a 1000 mile round trip... one i could not do because i had to get back to my day job and the other I did wrong... these two shops were with the same company and because of it i lost my ability to self assign shops because they counted as 0's in a row and dropped my rating down to below a 3 ... lucklily i live in a lightly shopped area and was able to call and schedule two additional shops in my home area to bring my rating back up
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2016 02:56PM by cooldude581.
i did two shops during a weekend on a 1000 mile round trip... one i could not do because i had to get back to my day job and the other I did wrong... these two shops were with the same company and because of it i lost my ability to self assign shops because they counted as 0's in a row and dropped my rating down to below a 3 ... lucklily i live in a lightly shopped area and was able to call and schedule two additional shops in my home area to bring my rating back up
shopping north west PA and south west ny
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2016 02:56PM by cooldude581.
Flash,
While I would agree in principle about rewards points, this looks like a good way to get the route experience, so I would consider them an investment on growing a shopper's capabilities. He/she gets to try out a longer route without the added risk of using a hotel shop for the overnight portion.
While I would agree in principle about rewards points, this looks like a good way to get the route experience, so I would consider them an investment on growing a shopper's capabilities. He/she gets to try out a longer route without the added risk of using a hotel shop for the overnight portion.
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
I actually wasn't thinking about adding a hotel shop but rather paying a hotel as a business expense while saving the points for personal use. Why use up something that is tax neutral on business if it leaves you out of pocket on a personal trip?
I'm with Wales. It seems like a great starter route, and very similar to some of my first ones.
If I were bored and they were shops I particularly enjoyed, or a location I wouldn't mind spending the night in, I would do a similar route now.
If I were bored and they were shops I particularly enjoyed, or a location I wouldn't mind spending the night in, I would do a similar route now.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
I'm not a route shopper, but on the occasion on when I take these looooong routes, I take into consideration of 2 things:
1. Overall time spent on driving, actual working (since it sounds like one of those shops is a hotel overnighter) and report time. This will help me calculate my overall hourly rate to help me decide if the work's worth it for me.
2. Overall mileage; are you planning to rent a vehicle out or use your own? For long routes, my rule of thumb is a minimum $1 for every mile.
1. Overall time spent on driving, actual working (since it sounds like one of those shops is a hotel overnighter) and report time. This will help me calculate my overall hourly rate to help me decide if the work's worth it for me.
2. Overall mileage; are you planning to rent a vehicle out or use your own? For long routes, my rule of thumb is a minimum $1 for every mile.
Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
Ha! For that many o's there should be a few extra 0s in that mileage.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
@bgriffin wrote:
Ha! For that many o's there should be a few extra 0s in that mileage.
Lol maybe it's a good thing I'm not a route shopper then! Adding that many zeros will probably get me over to the next states over.
Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
Interesting point about being able to deduct a hotel stay paid with money, but not one paid with points. I'd be tempted to use Hotel Points too because it would make the route seem more profitable, but that might be artificially inflating your sense of how much the route is worth.
I don't have much route experience, but I find that the first time I do anything new, it's best (for me) if I don't try to worry about making it profitable. Profits are for the second time. Now, that's a little easier on one off shops where I don't have much out of pocket and may not be applicable to a route, but I'd be inclined to save those points, find a cheap hotel and deduct the cost as a business expense. Then, at the end of the route, you'll have a good sense for what kinds of shops you like to do (lots of the same kinds over and over again? Or does that make you mix up the details because they're all so similar?), what kind of profit you'll need to cover expenses and make a good return, plus a bunch of other stuff.
Good luck! I hope you'll let us know what you decided and how it goes if you take the route.
I don't have much route experience, but I find that the first time I do anything new, it's best (for me) if I don't try to worry about making it profitable. Profits are for the second time. Now, that's a little easier on one off shops where I don't have much out of pocket and may not be applicable to a route, but I'd be inclined to save those points, find a cheap hotel and deduct the cost as a business expense. Then, at the end of the route, you'll have a good sense for what kinds of shops you like to do (lots of the same kinds over and over again? Or does that make you mix up the details because they're all so similar?), what kind of profit you'll need to cover expenses and make a good return, plus a bunch of other stuff.
Good luck! I hope you'll let us know what you decided and how it goes if you take the route.
Shopper in California's Bay Area
@Tarantado wrote:
@bgriffin wrote:
Ha! For that many o's there should be a few extra 0s in that mileage.
Lol maybe it's a good thing I'm not a route shopper then! Adding that many zeros will probably get me over to the next states over.
I recently did a route that was about 11,000 miles and 14 states.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
300 miles @ $0.53 per mile = $159. That leaves $381. So, for two 8 hour days, that amounts to $24.81 per hour regardless of whether that is driving time or mystery shopping time. That seems pretty good to me.
I suggest that you pay for the hotel with cash and keep the point for a future personal trip. The hotel would be a tax deductible business expense as part of this route, and you will get more points. If you pay cash for a hotel on a personal trip, it is not a business deduction.
I suggest that you pay for the hotel with cash and keep the point for a future personal trip. The hotel would be a tax deductible business expense as part of this route, and you will get more points. If you pay cash for a hotel on a personal trip, it is not a business deduction.
@tcurione wrote:
I've never done this distant of a route before..... thoughts.
$540 for 300-mile round trip? (150 each way) Twelve shops add up to this figure.
(I will redeem reward points for my hotel overnight)
Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
Im thinking about getting into route shopping. Most likely every other weekend when my wife is at work.
I often use points for hotel stays during routes. I find most route shoppers stay at lower quality hotels than I prefer. I find staying at nicer properties with better rewards programs gives me enough free rooms that overall I pay slightly more but stay in much better rooms.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
@CaliGirl925 wrote:
Interesting point about being able to deduct a hotel stay paid with money, but not one paid with points. I'd be tempted to use Hotel Points too because it would make the route seem more profitable, but that might be artificially inflating your sense of how much the route is worth.
I don't have much route experience, but I find that the first time I do anything new, it's best (for me) if I don't try to worry about making it profitable. Profits are for the second time. Now, that's a little easier on one off shops where I don't have much out of pocket and may not be applicable to a route, but I'd be inclined to save those points, find a cheap hotel and deduct the cost as a business expense. Then, at the end of the route, you'll have a good sense for what kinds of shops you like to do (lots of the same kinds over and over again? Or does that make you mix up the details because they're all so similar?), what kind of profit you'll need to cover expenses and make a good return, plus a bunch of other stuff.
Good luck! I hope you'll let us know what you decided and how it goes if you take the route.
Hotel points have their worth, even though it's not a monetary worth. It's one way to help me weigh when a shop / route is worth depending on how I use rewards, build up meal cards for free meals at fast casual restaurants, etc.
When it comes to business, there are some intangibles you have to consider and squeeze the most out of it.
Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
I think that looks like a great route. Almost identical to my first overnight route, except I did twice as many shops for the same pay. I remember even taking a book along to pass the extra time at the hotel. Very foolish on my part - I was glued to my computer until 2 a.m. writing reports.
@myst4au wrote:
I suggest that you pay for the hotel with cash and keep the point for a future personal trip
At face value that is spending an extra $100 in order to save your tax rate on $100.
There are so many other factors. Perhaps hotel rooms in this area have high cost but low point value redemptions. Perhaps the OP does not have the cash to pay for the room, in which case they are way ahead using points because otherwise they lose out on $540 because they don't want to pay an extra $15 later.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2016 03:44PM by bgriffin.
@bgriffin wrote:
I recently did a route that was about 11,000 miles and 14 states.
Hey, hey. You're a full-timer. Not many of us can say that
.
But holy moly. 5.500 miles is basically across the entire country! Definitely have to applaud that!
Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
One very important issue is claiming your miles... no? I have never done a route shop but prolly will after reading the valuable info here! 
Lucky7s - Generally, my mileage costs amount to 1/3 of my gross fees, so it is important to deduct them. A few years ago, it started to creep up, and I realized that every mile is also time, and I now try not to exceed 1/3 on a monthly basis. Of course, it depends on location, and as usual, your mileage may vary. (Pun intended.)
Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
Thanks for the input, I have decided to go ahead with this route. It will be next week!
For me it is best to use my reward points for the hotel here, I have quite a few with one brand. Also like bgriffin said, in this area the trade off for low point redemption values and higher rates makes it the best bet.
None of the shops I will be doing on the route are my first time with the shop, so I am looking forward to it.
For me it is best to use my reward points for the hotel here, I have quite a few with one brand. Also like bgriffin said, in this area the trade off for low point redemption values and higher rates makes it the best bet.
None of the shops I will be doing on the route are my first time with the shop, so I am looking forward to it.
If your trip expenses (gas, food, lodging) is manageable, then $540 gross revenue for 12 locations is not bad. That, unless you live in the Tri-State or Bay area.
One thing to consider when choosing cash vs. points is that you aren't subject to the tax when using points. If you're in an area such as New York City, you're paying (1) NY state sales tax, (2) NYC sales tax, and (3) Hotel tax. You don't pay these with points. Also, if you book at the lowest tier in one of your rewards programs (or score a deal such as HIE points break), the value is greater. And, use that rewards card for your shops.
Now scheduling travel shops for the day after Christmas through mid-January.
How do you decide what type of shops to do on a route shopping weekend?
You decide what is important to you.
Shush up, I hit shops that my family hangs out. They aren't told about the shops, but their fit pitching can almost write my narratives.
I try to evaluate with a neutral attitude and ignore family. .
I love when my 95 year old dad, decides that he needs to drive my routes. That day usually sucks for me, because I don't get anything accomplished with in my time frame. But he's my guy and I like that he decided to hang out with me.
He's bent, because I haven't found a great place to fish,
Shush up, I hit shops that my family hangs out. They aren't told about the shops, but their fit pitching can almost write my narratives.
I try to evaluate with a neutral attitude and ignore family. .
I love when my 95 year old dad, decides that he needs to drive my routes. That day usually sucks for me, because I don't get anything accomplished with in my time frame. But he's my guy and I like that he decided to hang out with me.
He's bent, because I haven't found a great place to fish,
Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning; the devil shudders...And yells OH #%*+! SHE'S AWAKE!
I live in a rural area, so that sounds like the kind of route mileage I drive pretty often, although I usually don't have as many shops, since I plan those routes around other shopping, medical appointments, etc. I always try to include gas/convenience store shops along the way, and sometimes have done as many as 10 gas station shops on a round trip. Reporting those by deadline can be challenging. I try to avoid audit shops on route trips, since those involve so much more detail.
Would it be okay to claim the price of the cheap hotel room in exchange for using points? After all, the points have value as well and would be similar to selling the points to the business. If you did not have the points, you would have spent the money on the cheap hotel room.
Shopping across Indiana but mostly around Indianapolis.
Okay??? Frankly you can claim anything you want on your tax return because YOU sign it and are responsible for what it contains. IRS can demand an actual receipt for the expenses claimed. So what do you produce?
A case could be made for using points as a business expense. But if you did it, you would also need to claim the points as income, so the two would basically cancel each other out.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2016 04:41AM by mystery2me.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2016 04:41AM by mystery2me.
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