So can someone walk me through a typical scenerio for a video shop? Also, what do they generally pay and how long does a typical shop take? Thank you!

Sand,
There is no typical video shop, since they cover almost as many industries and situations as written shops. For instance, an oil change video shop plays out pretty much like a written shop but with a shorter written component and a nice fee over and above the reimbursement. Fee for that shop: $35 to $90 depending on location, urgency, and required travel bonus.

Then a video apartment shop may pay as little as $10 to $15 more than a written (only) shop, and may have anywhere from no written report to the same very long report as that client requires for non-recorded shops.

The long scenario shops (60 minutes and longer) do require that the shopper develop and "sell" pretty complex personae, both for themselves and (in the case of assisted living shops) for the relative for whom they are making a decision. These may also require some complex "back stories" that need to be maintained throughout the shop, during a preshop phone call and email, and for follow-up after the shop. Depending on the expected length of the shop, these may have fees of from $65 to $125, possibly plus travel bonus. I am giving "normal" fees; when the schedulers get desperate, or need a special shopper to take out the "lead" shop for a new client, the fees and travel bonuses may escalate. It take quite a track record to get offers for "lead" shops.

Video shopping is becoming the standard, slowly but surely and it pays so much better than written shops. I am currently doing a route that pays $400 per shop, so, keep in mind this can be a very lucrative niche. The average shop does pay about $70, but the range is so huge and the complexities range. Many video shoppers find their favorite types of shops and stick with those, so you can do the hour plus shops or you can stick with 30 minute apartment shops. It is totally up to you as an independent contractor.

As Walesmaven said, the scenarios and aliases can get very complex, so you need to be very detail oriented and learn some tricks of the trade. I love it! It keeps me challenged and everyday I get to be someone new and interesting.

Okay Carrie, I want to be like you when I grow up. No I want to be like you now. LOL $400 that's great. I know I will have to work my way up. I now have over 200 shops under my belt since taking your class a year ago.


CarrieP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Video shopping is becoming the standard, slowly
> but surely and it pays so much better than written
> shops. I am currently doing a route that pays $400
> per shop, so, keep in mind this can be a very
> lucrative niche. The average shop does pay about
> $70, but the range is so huge and the complexities
> range. Many video shoppers find their favorite
> types of shops and stick with those, so you can do
> the hour plus shops or you can stick with 30
> minute apartment shops. It is totally up to you as
> an independent contractor.
>
> As Walesmaven said, the scenarios and aliases can
> get very complex, so you need to be very detail
> oriented and learn some tricks of the trade. I
> love it! It keeps me challenged and everyday I get
> to be someone new and interesting.

I am bumping this up so it is easy to find.

Where do you put the velcro recorder pack for video shops? Is it intended for a belt?

I put my PVR in my pocket.

I do not use the pack provided with the kit. I have a TuneBelt that has a pouch that I place under my armpit. The unit fits in there and it well hidden. Not all of my video shirts are long enough to cover a unit in my pocket, which can be bulky when using the extended battery pack. Finally, I once had the elastic waitband on some nice linen slacks "die" in mid-shop. Fortunately, I was wearing a belt and could retire to the restroom to reposition the belt to hold up the slacks which, of course, did not have belt loops.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2012 12:29PM by walesmaven.

Thanks walesmaven. I may have to look in to that Tunebelt. The equipment is small but still a bit bulky and I do not want it to be noticed.

I have designated video shopping shirts and pants/skirts. I typically shop for them at Target, Wal-Mart, and other discount retailers but am always on the lookout. I use these clothing items only for video shops and when I look for each piece, I am specifically focused on how it would suit my DVR and camera. I look for bottoms with deeps pockets and buttons (randomly found a fantastic denim skirt at Ann Taylor Loft that met the criteria for $9.99) and usually a black or navy button-up shirt. I recently accepted a shop at a clothing store that had a $10 reimbursement plus pay and ended up getting another video shirt, essentially for free! If they are designated items, you can use them as a business expense on your taxes, but I would consult your own tax pro for confirmation.

amie,
Because of the permanent modifications to my video shirts that make them useless for daily wear, I count them, and their cleaning expenses, as business related equipment expenses. BUT, even though I would need particularly large pockets on slacks or skirts if I wanted o place the DVR in a pocket, I would not write off skirts or slacks, since they still can be used for daily wear without being modified in any way.

This might sound like a dumb question but if you're short, can you still video shop? I'm 5'0 tall and don't want to end up filming employees' chests, lol.

Heather,
Not a problem. You would just place your video camera a bit differently, either at a higher button location or with a mini-wedge to tilt the camera up just a bit.

walesmaven,
I have a question about writing off the expense for my video outfit. If the skirt I purchased is something I would NEVER wear (which it is because it adds the appearance of about 10 pounds to my waist line which is never cute), would you still recommend not writing it off? I bought it for function, not because I necessarily liked it for personal use. The button in the pocket was the selling feature because I would not have the worry of the DVR falling out during a shop.

aime,
Sorry to tell you that it is not a matter of taste. If the garment was capable of being worn outside of the business use, it is NOT a business expense, not matter how you feel about its acceptability to you.

Well, you have to give me an "A" for effort for at least trying! Thanks for your tips. I enjoy your posts. You give solid, sound advice, even if it is things we may not want to hear, but NEED to be told.

aimie,
Think of it this way. If your boss requires that you wear a red shirt with the company logo embroidered on the front and back, it has been modified beyond "everyday use," and you can deduct the price of the shirt, whether you like red or not. BUT, if you are required to wear a plain red shirt, that shirt remains "useful" for everyday wear, even if you would not be caught dead in red away from your job, and it is not deductible. Would you really want all the fat cats to be able to write off their tailored silk shirts because they need to "keep up appearances" on the job?

CarrieP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Video shopping is becoming the standard, slowly
> but surely and it pays so much better than written
> shops. I am currently doing a route that pays $400
> per shop, so, keep in mind this can be a very
> lucrative niche. The average shop does pay about
> $70, but the range is so huge and the complexities
> range. Many video shoppers find their favorite
> types of shops and stick with those, so you can do
> the hour plus shops or you can stick with 30
> minute apartment shops. It is totally up to you as
> an independent contractor.
>
> As Walesmaven said, the scenarios and aliases can
> get very complex, so you need to be very detail
> oriented and learn some tricks of the trade. I
> love it! It keeps me challenged and everyday I get
> to be someone new and interesting.


$400 per shop? How do you get them priced at $400? That is much better than my $30-$50.

spree,
I cannot speak for Carrie, but I know a bit about how she, and other high demand video shoppers worked up to that level. No one starts out with $400 shops, I can assure you! But, if you have your own equipment and are willing to set up multiday routes, living on the road, you can work up quite quickly to videos that pay $80-$100 plus travel bonuses. The typical track would be to start with apartment shops, move up to new homes, then branch out to senior living (if you are in the right age range to shop for an older "loved one", temporary office leasing, etc., each level requiring longer and more complex scenarios, actual unique phone numbers with your own voice on the outgoing message, and email addresses to be set up and monitored, etc. Keep your video scores in the 8-10 range, preferably the 9-10 range. Keep strict records of every alais, phone number and email address that you use so that you never repeat something that the client company's tracking system could catch as a duplicate. Keep your scheduler informed evey day that you have a shop attempt scheduled as to the outcome, good, bad or indifferent.

Then you will build a reputation as an absolutely reliable video shopper who seldom gets ID'ed by the target. You will start to get calls and emails asking you to take shops before they are ever posted on any job boards. I would estimate that 95% of my "$90 and over" shop fees are shops that never saw the light of day on a job board. I don't think that I have ever seen any of my new or used car videos on a shop board and I have done a few of those those for 5 years.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2012 02:45PM by walesmaven.

Porhammer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I put my PVR in my pocket.


Me too!! I also wear an over-sized blouse, which I belt to help mask the bulge, especially in my skinny jeans.

walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> spree,
> I cannot speak for Carrie, but I know a bit about
> how she, and other high demand video shoppers
> worked up to that level. No one starts out with
> $400 shops, I can assure you! But, if you have
> your own equipment and are willing to set up
> multiday routes, living on the road, you can work
> up quite quickly to videos that pay $80-$100 plus
> travel bonuses. The typical track would be to
> start with apartment shops, move up to new homes,
> then branch out to senior living (if you are in
> the right age range to shop for an older "loved
> one", temporary office leasing, etc., each level
> requiring longer and more complex scenarios,
> actual unique phone numbers with your own voice on
> the outgoing message, and email addresses to be
> set up and monitored, etc. Keep your video scores
> in the 8-10 range, preferably the 9-10 range.
> Keep strict records of every alais, phone number
> and email address that you use so that you never
> repeat something that the client company's
> tracking system could catch as a duplicate. Keep
> your scheduler informed evey day that you have a
> shop attempt scheduled as to the outcome, good,
> bad or indifferent.
>
> Then you will build a reputation as an absolutely
> reliable video shopper who seldom gets ID'ed by
> the target. You will start to get calls and emails
> asking you to take shops before they are ever
> posted on any job boards. I would estimate that
> 95% of my "$90 and over" shop fees are shops that
> never saw the light of day on a job board. I
> don't think that I have ever seen any of my new or
> used car videos on a shop board and I have done a
> few of those those for 5 years.


I sure would like to do fewer shops at higher rates. Thanks for the tips. I will have to find a way to get myself noticed by the shopping companies like you guys have.

I apologize if this has already been covered in this forum - and if it has, can someone point me in the right direction? I am uploading files from my first two video shops tonight, and after 2 full hours, the first 2 files (of 7 total) are about 33% uploaded. I have already contacted my ISP and they told me I already have the fastest speed available. Does this sound right? At this rate, I'm concerned that the files will be uploading all night, and I'm not sure I'll keep my connection if I'm not at the computer to babysit it overnight. Any suggestions?

Unfortunately, it does. It is too late for the shop you are doing now, but in the future, I have found videos upload faster if you only transfer one at a time. My equipment/SD card only allows 30 minutes per file. If I try to upload 3 or 4 files at a time, it takes several hours. If I upload one at a time, it takes much less time. If you are using FileZilla and it ever asks if you want to overwrite a file, even though it is the same file name, NEVER DO IT. I have made that mistake once and it was one time to many. Make sure you always save your files to your computer, and don't transfer directly from your camera with the USB cable. I learned that tip from another shopper on this forum and am forever grateful! That way, if anything goes screwy, you have a solid back-up to hopefully correct the problem.
Don't babysit your computer tonight. If you have saved the files to your computer and they are still on your SD card, go to bed. If you wake up and there is a problem, make a slight modification to the file name and start it up again.
Sweet Dreams!

pcs Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I apologize if this has already been covered in
> this forum - and if it has, can someone point me
> in the right direction? I am uploading files from
> my first two video shops tonight, and after 2 full
> hours, the first 2 files (of 7 total) are about
> 33% uploaded. I have already contacted my ISP and
> they told me I already have the fastest speed
> available. Does this sound right? At this rate,
> I'm concerned that the files will be uploading all
> night, and I'm not sure I'll keep my connection if
> I'm not at the computer to babysit it overnight.
> Any suggestions?


As long as your power settings do not put your computer in to standby mode you should be OK letting them upload overnight. Turn your monitor off but leave the computer on.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2012 01:25AM by spree.

spree Wrote:
>
> As long as your power settings do not put your
> computer in to standby mode you should be OK
> letting them upload overnight. Turn your monitor
> off but leave the computer on.

I have an all-in-one, so I can't turn off the monitor without turning off the computer as well. Next question: how do I change the power settings so that the computer doesn't go into hibernate or standby?

pcs Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> spree Wrote:
> >
> > As long as your power settings do not put your
> > computer in to standby mode you should be OK
> > letting them upload overnight. Turn your
> monitor
> > off but leave the computer on.
>
> I have an all-in-one, so I can't turn off the
> monitor without turning off the computer as well.
> Next question: how do I change the power settings
> so that the computer doesn't go into hibernate or
> standby?


May depend on what operating system you are running but for me I click start>control panel>power options then scroll down to system stand by. Make sure standby and hibernate both say never. If you have to change them make sure you click apply. Goodluck with it.

Thanks spree!!

It's morning now and my last 2 files are plugging along. When finished, it will have taken about 15 hours to upload 7 files, the largest being just shy of 1gb. So back to my original question: is this typical or should it be faster? I have AT&T u-verse, using Filezilla to upload, Gateway computer with AMD Athlon II X2 240e processor, Windows 7.

It is probably the speed of you Internet connection. With my Verizon Fios connection, using Filezilla, I upload 45 minutes of video in about 18 minutes.

Filezilla is one of my favorites and I queue up multiple videos. They still don't upload as quickly as wales, but they do okay without babysitting. Could have sworn someone told me it is a combo of the connection and the computer. I have no idea what kind of processor is on my laptop, just that the laptop was inexpensive. My PC seems to have more power, but is bogged down with a lot of stuff after 5 years or so. It may be time for both of them to get a tune up.