Several days ago I filled at $3.11/gallon. I decided that once gas hit $3.25/gallon I was about done as the profit margins pretty much completely disappear. Today when I passed that same station we were at $3.35/gallon for regular. So without a gas bonus, at this point future shops will be along the route needed to run my personal errands. Unconsciously I have already been doing this already, but I do have a few 'far flung' shops that I won't cancel but won't take in the future without some gas money.

I'm with you and have been seriously considering a smaller car. Having checked this out, my pymt would be too high, and I'd have to go into something I don't like, a huge trade down. I am not driving my 30 mile radius, and have been unable to schedule a 4 shop run for Feb. I have asked for gas bonus's and not had luck. Gas in L.a. is anywhere from $3.50 to 3.89 and going up. I am looking for $5.00 by summer. This coupled with the lower paying shops and the 2.00 bonus shops does not work. I personally am looking into a different way to supplement my income. I'm at a point where I don't want to put out for reimbusement only any longer, My time for driving requires a paid job.

Funny I was just thinking this same thing as I was driving by each gas station today and seeing the price just keep getting higher and higher.

Its just not cost effective.

This may be a bit out of place, but I note that Maritz is offering a new gas station shop, consisting of up to 11 pictures, and a reveal after first checking out the CRS. All this with no purchase and no reimbursement for a generous fee of $10.00. This just doesn't make sense to me unless I trade in my car for a scooter.

Last month, I scheduled a 'special occasion' dinner shop for this weekend that's 75 miles, round trip. That's about $10 out of my pocket. The restaurant will be lovely, and has a generous reimbursement, but no fee. I will be none too happy as I'm watching the gas gauge.

Prices at the station nearest me went up .15/gallon last night. $4 a gallon is expected. The IRS likely will increase its mileage rate. Nonetheless, gas bonus or increased fee will have to be offered on assignments I have regularly shopped in the past. I've always planned routes as judiciously as possible. But, if driving to shops puts me in the red, forget it.

I'm grinding my teeth about gas prices today. Last week I scheduled an 80 mile rounftrip to do two video shops that made the trip very, very profitable. Well, of course, it turned out that I could not get to both shops in time to do the second on the same trip because the first ran nearly an hour longer than anticipated. Now I have to make a second trip to get that shop done. The MSC had provided a gas allowance based on one roundtrip, of course. Next time I will be sure to start the first shop earlier in the day! (Mama always told us that education is expensive; so true, so true!)

Grrrr, this morning, gas prices in Montreal are at $1.339/L ~ that's $5.356/G to most of you. Insane right?

If this is a sign of things to come, MSCs better start upping the fees or lots of jobs will stay on the boards! I used to spit on $10 shops but now it's looking like even $15 are barely worth starting the car for

I did 11 in the past 3 weeks. They were close by and on the way home from work. I am trying to decide if I want to take more now so that I can pay off my gas card. LOL.


ShopUntilYouDrop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This may be a bit out of place, but I note that
> Maritz is offering a new gas station shop,
> consisting of up to 11 pictures, and a reveal
> after first checking out the CRS. All this with no
> purchase and no reimbursement for a generous fee
> of $10.00. This just doesn't make sense to me
> unless I trade in my car for a scooter.

MtlShopper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> If this is a sign of things to come, MSCs better
> start upping the fees or lots of jobs will stay on
> the boards! I used to spit on $10 shops but now
> it's looking like even $15 are barely worth
> starting the car for

And the unfortunate thing, at least in my area, is that a whole lot of clients are no longer shopped (locations closed and/or client has stopped shops entirely). Thus it was becoming increasingly more difficult to perform the $12 to $15 shops profitably even before the gas prices zoomed.

I just got an email for a shop I used to do at $15 because within 2 miles of the destination I could usually pick up 3-5 shops. When I first started doing those shops the cost of gas to the destination using my vehicle was about $5.33, so the destination shop was no bargain and the other shops made it worthwhile. Today I have an email to do the destination shop for $20, but other nearby shops are not available and the cost of gas in my vehicle to get there would be $8.93. So the destination shop would be better than break even, but I am not convinced that it is worth $11.07 to spend about an hour in the car, 15 minutes on site and 25-30 minutes writing a report. Unfortunately I have no errands to be run there, so the sole purpose of the trip would be the shop.

I told myself the honeymoon's over, back in the day I was happy to do two shops totaling $40.00, these shops are now $30.00 and gas more, so, reality has set in...shopping no longer profitable for me. Checking to see what's available takes time. I had scheduled to do a resturant I really like, but am cancelling due to the 60 mile rd. trip and gift card senario. Got a bunch of coupons (buy one get one free) for lunch in the mall close to my home, rather spend the ten $ on that than on gas adding mileage to my car.



MSC's are you listening.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2011 04:37PM by Irene_L.A..

Irene, it's a sad day that's for sure. I'm only doing grocery/haircut/oilchange. Doing what I need anyway. Grocery shops don't pay much but help a little. But with this gas deal going on I don't see a future in this Msing.

Yesterday morning I got gas for $3.25 per gallon, a couple of hours later I got some more gas at the same station on the way to another place and it had gone up to $3.33, Four hours later I traveled back down the same road to go home and the station raised it's price once more to $3.43 for the same grade of gas. Between that and many less shops then there were a year ago I'm not doing much in the way of MS'ing, especially when you add driving in extreme snow and cold.

ShopUntilYouDrop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This may be a bit out of place, but I note that
> Maritz is offering a new gas station shop,
> consisting of up to 11 pictures, and a reveal
> after first checking out the CRS. All this with no
> purchase and no reimbursement for a generous fee
> of $10.00. This just doesn't make sense to me
> unless I trade in my car for a scooter.


I received a phone call and an email that as of today these shops have been rescheduled for March 15 or later. They were located so conveniently on my routes that I was planning on using them as filler so I could filler' up the car (Sorry for lame hillbilly humor, could not resist). Anyone else get the call?

I was just thinking about that too. I will have to carefully limit the number of shops to nearby locations and things I use anyway, like oil changes and such.
I rejected an offer to do gas stations that reimburse $4 for gas, to locations I would have to spend $5 in gas to get there. Give me a break!

Coming home from a shop this evening, that I had scheduled several weeks ago so not cancelled, I noted gas at most stations at $3.41 and a few as high as $3.49. I ground my teeth because at today's prices the shop I performed cost me $1.75 more in gas than the fee for the shop.

Here it has climbed again, now at $3.79...and more in the city, yes, that's the fear, paying more for gas than you get for the shop. That's why I cancelled my dinner in the city (10.00 fee), but, gift card won't work any longer.

Numbers of shoppers could decrease for any given shop. Most of us will pick and choose much closer to home. That could be good for me if competition in my surrounds isn't as good as me, or bad for me, if good shoppers are plentiful.

We know that when the price of gas increases, so does everything else that has to be transported. Reimbursements will buy less. Fees won't reach.

What if an MSC gave a gas shopping party and nobody came?

Pretty soon you will be able to put your $1 of reimbursed gas in a tea cup.

Am I EVER allowed to make this discussion political? Mother may I?

NO!

Mert Wrote:
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> We know that when the price of gas increases, so
> does everything else that has to be transported.

I'll say it does. I bought a can of Alpo for my pet today for $.79
That's 5.53 in doggie dollars!

Too bad, Mert. We are all complaining about rising price of gas and no one is willing to discuss the reality which is that certain key people in control of this country love the increase and WANT gas prices to rise to at least $6.00, foolishly thinking it will curtail usage and free us of foreign oil.

It is too bad that you can't just keep your politics OUT even when requested.

Perhaps some have a different opinion.

And perhaps there are many, many, many websites out there where you can discuss politics, religion, racism, mysogyny, child care, or other topics to your heart's content and let THIS place be about mystery shopping.

ShopUntilYouDrop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Perhaps some have a different opinion.


If you are asking for additional opinions, let me add mine: NO politics.

I've been sitting not shopping again because of recent surgery. I'm watching gas prices shoot up and wondering if I'll shop again. Might be more cost effective to give the car back to the bank and take paratransit. Can't get around easily anyway so maybe it's time to throw in the towel. Could use son-in-law's car for a few close in shop's but my wild routes into rural Kentucky are a thing of the past without significant increases for mileage.

Best wishes to you! and speedy recovery. Hope that in the time it takes to heal the gas prices will be low (hahaha) again.

..... And the price of Alpo goes down.