Basic questions:

- How much on average does a scheduler make?

- Is he/she paid per scheduled shop?

- How do companies recruit schedulers?

- Can a scheduler be an editor at the same time?



thx in advance.

Being a shopper, and this being a shopper's forum, I wouldn't know nor care.

You can be a shopper and a scheduler at the same time...an editor too. Each company has their own rules about it. I was always in the inner circle of shoppers I used when scheduling shops - meaning if I had a shop to schedule in my area; I would definitely assign myself if I wanted it.

Rates varied - some companies have employees that are paid hourly and work M-F, some use independent schedulers that are paid per completed shop. When I did it, the pay was between $1-5 per shop with 2-3 dollars per completed shop being the average. Some months you could do very well; others not. It is an all day/all night job trying to get the shops scheduled and COMPLELTED. If I scheduled to A and they didn't do it, I had to schedule to B, then C etc until it was done. I was paid per completed shop. It was not based on the time I spent or the difficulty of the scheduling.

I found it sort of fun but very difficult and frustrating and honestly I could make more money with less work. Now I know some schedulers who much prefer scheduling over shopping and do very well scheduling. It's just a matter of finding your niche.

As far as how companies find schedulers - I have seen posts on their home pages, I have seen ads on "shop boards" I also receive emails occasionally when companies are looking to hire schedulers.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2011 07:37PM by Traveliz.

Thanks Traveliz, that was very informative. I always wondered if scheduling might be for me.

Traveliz: Thanks. Who decides what to pay for a shop?

anakin Wrote:
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> Traveliz: Thanks. Who decides what to pay for a
> shop?


I don't know, honestly. It wasn't the scheduler if you are asking that.

Liz

After shopping a year, I thought I wanted to be a scheduler becasue I thought they made a lot of money. I'm not sure how much they make now but I hear it can be a hassel. I got that information from those schedulers who actually call me and ask me to do shops. I found the reall $$$ in doing video shopping. I am relatively shy when it comes to performance but once I got past hearing my own voice on the video I was okay. Just a suggestion if you are looking to make more money.

rardon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Basic questions:
>
> - How much on average does a scheduler make?
>
> - Is he/she paid per scheduled shop?
>
> - How do companies recruit schedulers?
>
> - Can a scheduler be an editor at the same time?
>
>
>
> thx in advance.

Keep in mind that a scheduler theoretically doesn't have to spend on gas and car expenses.

Also keep in mind that many schedulers are prohibited from being shoppers by either time constraints or company policies.

When I was a scheduler, my income level theoretically rose, but my lifestyle declined.

There is something to be said for being able to get out of the house and enjoy the 'fruits' of MSing.

Might be a good thing for me when/if I get to the point where it's too difficult to route shop because of health constraints. Then I could work from home.

Time kept me from shopping when I scheduled -- scheduling took ALL of my time; but I was not prohibited from shopping so did a few. I agree though that my lifestyle declined. I would much rather live for "free" off shops.

Liz

SteveSoCal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Also keep in mind that many schedulers are
> prohibited from being shoppers by either time
> constraints or company policies.
>
> When I was a scheduler, my income level
> theoretically rose, but my lifestyle declined.
>
> There is something to be said for being able to
> get out of the house and enjoy the 'fruits' of
> MSing.

It just really seems to me that someone has to be making the money. Companies spend milllions on market research each year and this is part of it.I personally will not do a shop for less than $15 and certainly not do one for reimbersment unless it is something I need and I do not need a free lunch. Especially if I have to wait 6 weeks to get my money back.Can anyone tell me who is paying? I would love to make a little more than 2 bucks an hour then have to wait to get the money 4, 6 or even 12 weeks.

Traveliz Wrote:
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> Time kept me from shopping when I scheduled --
> scheduling took ALL of my time; but I was not
> prohibited from shopping so did a few. I agree
> though that my lifestyle declined. I would much
> rather live for "free" off shops.
>
> Liz
>
> SteveSoCal Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Also keep in mind that many schedulers are
> > prohibited from being shoppers by either time
> > constraints or company policies.
> >
> > When I was a scheduler, my income level
> > theoretically rose, but my lifestyle declined.
> >
> > There is something to be said for being able to
> > get out of the house and enjoy the 'fruits' of
> > MSing.

I had some offers for a scheduler's and editor's position and I asked advised from my favourite editor and scheduler. I was strongly discouraged to accept it and was told, "Not unless you hate your life right now."

He told me how much he was getting and I definitely would not consider it.

I received an email from a msc looking for several editors and one scheduler. The pay averaged $10/hour for both scheduler and editor, plus or minus. The job description did not look attractive to me. I like to be out shopping instead of being in front of a computer for long stretches of time.

I have recently become aware that some MSCs, mostly the older established ones, have schedulers in their offices who work a 40 hour week and may do additional things beside scheduling> And some are paid quite well. If think that these jobs are listed in a traditional way, online or newspaper ads.

I made a comparatively good salary as a scheduler. I just found it a stressful job and missed the freedom that shopping provided. Well...I just missed freedom in general.

Hats off to the full-time schedulers who can do it and remain sane!

I will bet some of them would tell you that they have not remained sane. I so respect what they do. If we do not work together, as best as we can, with all arms of this industry, it will not be profitable for any of us.

I would be BORED out of my skull if I sat at home all day trying to find shoppers to fill jobs and answer massive amounts of email..ugh...

Give me the field, anytime!

I love the variety of all the stores I shop everyday

rwb1965 Wrote:
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> It just really seems to me that someone has to be
> making the money. Companies spend milllions on
> market research each year and this is part of it.I
> personally will not do a shop for less than $15
> and certainly not do one for reimbersment unless
> it is something I need and I do not need a free
> lunch. Especially if I have to wait 6 weeks to get
> my money back.Can anyone tell me who is paying? I
> would love to make a little more than 2 bucks an
> hour then have to wait to get the money 4, 6 or
> even 12 weeks.


No doubt there is a lot of gross profit being made on our labor, but when you consider the cost to obtain that profit . . . . Right off the top of my head you need:server space, the software that manages the job postings and reports, editors, schedulers, client contact staff, sales staff, office space of some sort even if most of the operation is run from ICs homes, liability insurance (never mind what the ICA says, an MSC would be insane to send a shopper onto a location uninsured). It appears to me, and I am talking strictly on supposition, that Prophet may be a leasable operating platform to run an MSC but there is still a cost.

On top of the costs you need cash flow certainty to cover your first 3 or 4 months payroll since the clients will definitley lag their payments as long as possible after receiving the shops, and the first time you delay paying your shoppers you might as well hang it up.

I agree with you on the food - I haven't eaten fast food in probably 20 years and have no desire to start now. However the Dinosaur BBQ shops are great - good food, big reimbursements, 40 days or so to wait for pay isn't bad.

If more of us just drew a line in the sand as you amd I have done at a set price and simply not take shops under $xx.xx we might see some slight increases in pay, but there will always be people broke enough to need a free McD lunch in return for too much work and too much gas. It would seem that there are also shoppes who truly don't understand or don't have the personalities to take advantage of the fact that we are not employees and can negotiate payment rates. In some areas the MSCs have the upper hand because there are more shoppers than shops but in many others there are shops that can be bonused 300,400,500 percent due to location.

Anyway hang in there - there is more to life than a free donut and a report

Art

SteveSoCal Wrote:
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> Also keep in mind that many schedulers are
> prohibited from being shoppers by either time
> constraints or company policies.


It really depends on the MSC. I know of quite a few schedulers who snap up lucrative shops all the time.

That also removes a very large tax deduction.

rardon Wrote:
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> Keep in mind that a scheduler theoretically
> doesn't have to spend on gas and car expenses.