SPAR was looking for people in my area, so I applied, and after an interview process that felt similar to having my teeth pulled out to get the job, even now I don't know the pay! Seems since then it's gone down hill faster than a hill with a 90 degree decline. The UI is a mess on both the website and the app, I tell my local boss things and I have to repeat myself to get myself understood. She seems about as organized as a preschooler.

The last kicker is I told her when I was booked by another client, made it clear as crystal how long/what day. Take three guess's who expects me to attend training right in the middle of that other project?

I work under a three strike your out system, and at the rate SPAR is going I am sensing they'll use up all 27 before the end of the month. I swear if the pay is as low as I fear it is, SPAR won't even make the probationary 3 months, I'll quit before Canadian Thanksgiving!

They actually have changed for the worse. They love sending you to a store today in an emergency and then calling you again for the same store tomorrow. I asked oh they well​ knew about both jobs but only dole them out a little at a time. 15 minute jobs. No thanks.

I worked for them for 1 day. 1 hour cycle call. 7 hours later I was almost done. No one had done the weekly DVD cycle work for 4 months, so there were hundreds of them to be returned. I did get paid for the time, but informed them, thanks but never again. Too much paperwork. Nice area manager, but sort of clueless.
They were IC also, so I was concerned that every job was going to be a battle to get paid for the real hours worked.

I've cooled down (work and working out does that), so I want to try and explain things in a more organized manner.

The local manager wants to be treated like top dog, and hasn't done anything to earn that right. Yes clients who I have an established history with or are regulars I will work harder for. When you started with me last week, and start to make those kinds of demands. Well it's not going to happen, epically when I told you early no and why.

The site and the app both contain different pieces of data. It seems all the paperwork can only be printed from the app. A function that doesn't work with my printer/cell (Epson ET-2500 if anyone is curious). Which means I download it all to the cloud, then print it all. Speak of paperwork, its trial and error to find which files you need for which days. On a closing note the app doesn't save thing when you enter things like your start time.

I'd love to download a master list of due dates/locations/project, pump it into an excel spreadsheet, and organize where I am going. Seems I can't do that with their website. Trying to download forms from it is also a bust.

I am figuring with my current workload I might be current in 2-3 weeks, but that's assuming no more curveballs are thrown my way. I am not too keen to going back to the same part of town 2 times a week for mini-projects given how I am not paid per mile here.

Sounds like a total nightmare. It seems so many companies want to go with app based work, but don't want to take the time / spend the money to get them right. I hate repeat performances in stores! Let me spend the day and finish everything.
Did you ever find out what they are going to allegedly pay you?

My boss got back to me at 10 PM, and told me she had found someone to "cover for me". Acting like she was doing me a favour when she gave me an assignment at the last minute.

Pay I've been told is per project, so I could have two assignments same store, one pays say $15 an hour, another might pay $10.

I am hoping/praying this flex-time banking gig comes though. I like field work with good companies, but SPAR has worn out their welcome. Sooner rather than later my boss and I are going to have words, and not the usual kind of words an employee and employer have.

With SPAR they may be the usual words.

Well, after 4 hours today, along with the hours from last week.

I waved the white flag, told my boss until the UI is fixed, I can't do the work since I can't get the information I need to do the work in question.

I have worked with Spar for a few years now. I never had any trouble in any way at any time.

me neither.

I have who knows how many locations. I want to organize them offline, can't do that.
I can't print documents via smartphone, so I need to download them.
Which documents which project, wild guess given how the app displays it.

Insert your own creative cursing on my thoughts of the website and app.

I work for four other companies, I don't have these problems with them. As far as I am concerned it's not me, it's SPAR.

You lost me OldDog,

Is this the portal you log into to print projects?

[mi12.webreportms.com]

No need to download and print from a smartphone. You can easily print your POG's etc from the portal.

You can also bypass the app altogether and report from portal as well if you really want to be old school.

Well I just got told, and I quote here, "Unfortunately this partnership will not work. "

Learn something new everyday, I just learned there is a new way to be fired.

I can't say I am sorry, this was an IC gig, and I was already at wits end.

Yes, hard to work with, portal difficult to naviagate, force you to purchase workers comp and you make more money working part-time at Walmart or a fast food joint. Skip it. And skip Hallmark and their minimum wage postings while you're at it.

Other than the name, I'm completely unfamiliar with SPAR. Are they self assign?

It's a Merchandising Company, who happens to somehow get away with hiring only Independent Contractors. Even though they require you to be there at a certain time, require you to complete the work a certain way and do not allow you to refuse to do a certain job (you have to do all that you are assigned or they don't give you any more work). They mostly have what I call the dirt-bag jobs; reset videos or fabric patterns in Walmart for a flat fee (when it hasn't been done in a year and was supposed to have been completed each quarter) and your pay (for which you need to pay all the taxes on) ends up being $5.23 an hour. My experience anyway.

Funny update to this story, it seems after I was "fired" I still had assignments for them, which I didn't do. Doubt I'll be paid for the ones I did do.

Someone I've kept in contact with over the years contacted me out of the blue, 3 month contract, assembly line work, with great pay. Now I don't feel so worried, and with any luck neither will my piggy bank in a while.

I so glad for you. I am casually looking in other fields as things are getting too heavy in the stores. Too many whole days spent in just one store. I have 5 stores, plus two other companies I have seasonal change overs in 4 stores, plus their cycle work. Too many stores that I was just supposed to be covering for a few weeks that have already been a few months and no relief in sight. 60-70 miles in winter for 3 stores, each in a different direction, is not something I want to be committed to. I'm tired of working 7 days a week to keep up.

I worked for them for almost a year. I could not believe how low the pay was. I know I am newly retired but really? I was hired at one rate and then Flat fees showed up! Usually $10

Spar is the best company I work for right now. They give me travel fee and I have work every week.

That's awesome lucky. How much do they pay you?

@lucky7s wrote:

Spar is the best company I work for right now. They give me travel fee and I have work every week.

Bully for you Lucky7. After my interactions with the local manager they'd have to triple rates and redo that horrible UI for me to consider working for them.

Then you need to find other merchandising companies. You will find they are not the creme of the crop at all.

@lucky7s wrote:

Spar is the best company I work for right now. They give me travel fee and I have work every week.

Here's how my math worked out. They wanted to pay me a flat fee of $10, right. They are assuming for an hour's work. Then, subtract 15% for basic taxes of $1.50 = $8.50. Then subtract their worker's comp ins = 5% (was it 5%? someone correct me if I'm wrong) = .50 = $8.00. Subtract travel time there and back, subtract .54 a mile or even .31 a mile. And when you arrive, it can take 12 minutes in-and-out to deal with the managers. If you have rely on the store to get product, I don't know, sometimes, forget about it but that can take 15 minutes or more, usually. Then, you have to do the job you are there to do. Which is usually far more than an hours work. If I were broke, living in my car I would work for them for what turns out to be about $3.94 an hour.

@CANADAMOMMY wrote:

Then you need to find other merchandising companies. You will find they are not the creme of the crop at all.

@lucky7s wrote:

Spar is the best company I work for right now. They give me travel fee and I have work every week.

Yes, I do work for other companies and I would hardly say any company is "The "creme of the crop" or "The cream of the crop." lol

There are Companies, Clients really, that pay much better. Im working with one right now thats a project for 6 months thats paying $22 an hour full time.

Who might that be?

Brand Ambassador, you have to do a presentation (on paper) as opposed to an application. It's really just plain old merchandising. Make a small bio (examples online), demonstration paper on how you improved sales (even if it was a small improvement), brand awareness, etc. Go directly to the client, pester the project managers. Who's coming out with new products? Who's improving their old ones? Who has competition creeping in to the market? Look at who Shark Tank just approved, do the "new" product reviews on Amazon so you can get your verbiage straight, (straight and to the point in a few sentences, get your phone voice straight, learn to LOVE Walmart! Home Depot, Lowes and their great Associates! They're the ones who give you sidecaps, endcaps, extra facings etc. NOT CORPORATE! For the Client's REP: Make a statement and listen, even through awkward silences (let them sweat, think about what a serious flaw it would be to turn down a great idea!). Seriously, speak one or two sentences and let them speak, think, consider. When they make an objection, DO NOT restate or explain your objection to the objection. State, "That's true, however, that will not get us what we need" OR "That's true, however, that will get us what we need." So, now, you're empathetic, you're clubby and not objectionable and positive. good luck.