Can anybody tell me about the $14 "put something big under the grocery carriage" shops? There are tons in my area, all the time, but I consistently pass them by because they seem to me to be a hassle and I don't like the thought of having to a) "sneak" out with a large item under my cart, b) have the cashier mention it and look like I'm trying to sneak out without paying, and c) go back into the store to return the item. But, maybe I'm missing out on what just might be an easy shop; I don't know. I usually try a shop once to see if I like it, but for some reason I can't bring myself to do so on this one. I see them all the time. I've done a couple of other shops for this company, but they are few and far between. Where I live, it seems the majority are these $14 shops. Perhaps I could make a dent in my grocery bill with these, but the pay doesn't seem to be that good for what's required. Thanks!

I haven't seen that shop but, from what I've read here, I'd be willing to give it a try. I look at any grocery shop as a way to extend my grocery dollars.

I tried one of these. I felt kinda funny doing it and the same afterwards.

I don't mind the sneaky part, but $14 isn't enough for multiple interactions with restrictions on purchases. There isn't anything I want to buy at most stores that warrants putting it under an almost empty cart. This means that a chunk of the reimbursement does me no good. Most grocery store shops have many interactions and a (albeit short) narrative for each. That is more than $14 of work, in my opinion. I'd rather do a quicker shop and then shop where I want.

The $14 shops in my area require you to bring the large item to the cashiers attention after they provide me with my total.

When someone "catches" me, I just just play it off like a normal customer would.

What pippa said, is how it works here. AND, here those shops paid $16 until the new MSC took them over this year. The shop is quick and the report is a breeze.

I like the grocery shop that pays 20 and I can return anything I buy with the exception of the quarter pound of sliced deli meat...and no large item required under the cart.


I used to do another one where you had to reveal only if the cashier didn't catch it. Would walk out and turn around and go back in to the cust serv desk and see the manager and they would just return everything. Can't tell you how many times they would try to give me back the money for the item never rung in.


There is another one I do where I meet with their loss prevention head in the parking lot before going in and my goal is to "steal" items openly in front of associates in the store to see if they report it like their suppose to. Then I go to the register and hide things and see if they see them while ringing it in then walk out the store and meet up again...Always an interesting shop...

techman01 Wrote:
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> There is another one I do where I meet with their
> loss prevention head in the parking lot before
> going in and my goal is to "steal" items openly in
> front of associates in the store to see if they
> report it like their suppose to. Then I go to the
> register and hide things and see if they see them
> while ringing it in then walk out the store and
> meet up again...Always an interesting shop...


Now there's one I would like to try. Sounds like a Cettie adventure waiting to happen.

I was once stopped in the parking lot of a Safeway after purchasing a drink at the self checkout. The employee (not security) yelled at me across the parking lot and accused me of stealing. And me all dressed up in my business casual for a shop, too. It was handled very unprofessionally. I didn't react well, but my friend did and he reported it to the manager.

I don't consider it "trying to sneak" the item past the cashier. I just put the 24 pack of water, or a 12 pack of soda, or you could do a bag of dog food, whatever, on the bottom rack. I wouldn't take it out even if I wasn't doing a shop because of my back.

Last time the cashier saw it when putting my groceries in the cart after she rang them up, and just rang it up separately. So I gave her credit for seeing it. If she had missed it completely, I likely would have pointed it out and paid for it, or told her, oh, just skip it, I didn't really need it anyway and left it behind so I wouldn't have to bother getting my credit card out again. Lots of ways to determine if the cashier saw it without actually becoming a shoplifter.

When not shopping, I often will ask them, "Did you get the sodas there?" I leave lots of stuff in the cart when checking out because I don't want to be lifting heavy items any more than I have to.

I do those $14 grocery shops. In the beginning you had to place a large size item in the BOB and see if the store associate noticed it before you paid. If she did not then you brought it to their attention. If you wanted it you paid by receiving a separate receipt and if you did not you left it in the store. This was only one part of the shop. You also visited different department in the store and asked an associate where a item was and observed what they did.

Those shops which asked you to "steal", I have heard about them. But I never did any of those.

The thing about the $14 shops is you have to make a deli purchase. And really how many ways do you want to fix cheese in a given week when you have close to 2 or 3 lbs of sliced cheese? And now I find out that the cheese is just as bad for me as the sliced meats. Don't say buy the salads........I did that last week and spent the next 48 hours in the "Lavatory".

If we could buy what we want and not a specific department item, I would do more.

Instead of BOB now all we do is leave something in the cart and see if the cashier or bagger notices before you pay. This is much better b/c if the cart is "something to lean on" while at the store, then a loose item inside the cart doesn't look suspicious. It looks like "Oh it must have fallen down."

Then, there is the comparison grocery store. You shop two stores within two hours and evaluate the same department, in each store.

All the types of grocery shops frequently get bonused so,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Anybody want any cheese?????

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2013 11:10PM by sojo917.

It's not shoplifting if the company itself tells you to take it. It's extra reimbursement.

I do these all the time. I have a basement full of paper towels and toilet paper! I think it will last me a couple of generations!

So, do you all do some regular grocery shopping? I mean, it would look silly if you have one small deli wrap and then "forget" a big item under the carriage. Do most of you return the large item, or keep it? I think I'd return it most of the time, because how many paper towels or TP could I have? I don't have a dog and I don't drink soda. I have a small apartment with limited storage. I guess I'll give it a try; thanks for the input. It seems like it could be a good "add in" while out doing something else. I could get free produce or other groceries. This seems to be a shop that I'd do for free groceries and not a "for profit" shop. But free groceries are a good thing.

Several yrs. ago, I tried the $14 grocery shops, BUT, the store was a middle priced grocer; that meant I was only receiving approx. $11, based upon Aldi pricing. In addition, I don't eat deli food, so that was a required purchase waste. Finally, there was a mandated 30 minute stroll through the aisles; just not my "cup of tea."

The grocery shops I do require a bakery purchase and it's my favorite part of the shop.

But in order to get the separate receipt I did the whole shop and checked out, and THEN went to get the item I "forgot" to get at the bakery. Otherwise I would have felt compelled to eat it in the store while shopping if I'd paid for it. They don't require you to pay at the bakery, I could have taken it to the checkout with my other stuff and paid there but I had to have two receipts. But unless I was going to eat it right away, there would be no reason to pay for it right away.

Anyone who doesn't want their deli item -- make it thinly sliced Genoa salami and mail it to me.

I do get cat food for my BOB, but for the rest of my purchase I usually manage to get produce or some kind of soft bakery item (bread works for me) and just tell them I put the big bag under so I wouldn't squish the other item. Also, if you're short, sometimes it's easier to get it in the bottom of the cart than to lift something up and over.

I do the grocery shops all the time in my area. There are two msc that do two different stores n both have you do a BOB. At one store they have an electric eye on the bottom of the check out lane. So when you push your wagon threw it alerts the cashier that their is n item on the bottom of the cart. At the other store the bagger always seems to catch it. I love doing these shops cuz between the pay and alllllll my coupons I make out like a bandit....lol

Give me the bakery any day. Showing up to my 9 to 5 with a pie or dozen donuts , is a more shareable item than cheese

It is not up to us to remember the BOB item. It is up to the sales associate to be know what we are purchasing. After all it is their job. A large item should be seem by every cashier or bagger as we approach the checkout. But it is not. Some store have mirrors or lasers position at the bottom of aisle. If something is detected it shows up on the register as not scanned item.

Most cashiers miss the item because they are trying to improved there accuracy score and timing. Even when I am regularly shopping, I placed the majority of what I am getting in the carseat of the cart. Because I don't want to lift anything out and put it back.

JUMPFORJOY: You tuned that BOB item out. Or haven't you ever grab a cart that others had used to do shopping? You say to yourself-->"now remember, this is mine and that is someone else's." You look in your purse, around the store, or even read or glance over the magazines. Let the cashier or bagger tell you about BOB.

BTW, I try to keep my purchases under $14. Cause I know that is all I getting back.

On grocery shops, I'll generally go $5-6 over the reimbursement. I figure if I try to cut it close they will figure I'm a shopper.

Lildalejrfan...I had never thought about adding coupons to the shop. Can stretch the dollar even further.

I do them all t he time around here . They actually aren't that bad. Some of the stores don't even have half of the departments you have to check.

I happen to shop regularly at the large groery chain with the $14 "must get deli" shops. So, I just coordinate the paid shops with my regular shopping.

Don't see the reason to go over reimbursement unless you already planned on it. Plenty of people go to grocery stores everyday and only buy a few items...

That's why they have express lanes.

I was at a store once and there was a cart in the parking garage with a case of water on the bottom rack of the cart. Someone had bought it and forgot to put it in their car. I wanted to bring it back to the store, but I can just see the scene at Customer Service trying to explain that one. Mr.Cat insisted we take the water.

How about a 50 pound bag of potatoes. We had friench fries for days.



SETHD85: The object is to look for the food item of that nature (dept) and evaluate what condition the items are in. If the store is advertising a type of Fish is on sale and they don't have a SEAFOOD Department then you must look for the fish that is in the store and evaluate if it is in the proper conditions to sold in the store. I shop a chain of stores. The bigger stores have THE department but the smallers (that were build first) don't, but they still carry the merchandise but it is kept in a combined food area, with meats or frozen foods.

I was told by QC, that other shoppers had "shopped" that department. So I had to find that food item and evaluate, where in the store it was.

I would love to have some of these as I am forever having to go back inside and pay for something was overlooked. Usually though, it is in the cart and I just failed to put it thru the check out. Gum, candy bar, etc. yes, this would be right down my line

Love the schedulers, not a fan of the editors.

sojo917 Wrote:
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> How about a 50 pound bag of potatoes.
> We had friench fries for days.
>
>
>
> SETHD85: The object is to look for the food item
> of that nature (dept) and evaluate what condition
> the items are in. If the store is advertising a
> type of Fish is on sale and they don't have a
> SEAFOOD Department then you must look for the fish
> that is in the store and evaluate if it is in the
> proper conditions to sold in the store. I shop a
> chain of stores. The bigger stores have THE
> department but the smallers (that were build
> first) don't, but they still carry the merchandise
> but it is kept in a combined food area, with meats
> or frozen foods.
>
> I was told by QC, that other shoppers had
> "shopped" that department. So I had to find that
> food item and evaluate, where in the store it was.


ok then I am talking about another completely different shop.

I have 4 of them to do this week. Some of them are at $20.

I really miss mine. They were for a discount offshoot of the main company that is not in my area.
The BOB was NEVER checked. There was a sign on the front of the belt that instructed customers to check their BOB. LOL! Like that ever happened. Anyway, the instructions were to bring it to the cashier's attention if they didn't notice before giving you a total. I always acted spaced out and said, "What? I thought it would be more. Oh, look!" They never batted an eye. I usually bought ice.
The multiple interactions were no big deal. They were quick and the report was simple.

I do the under the basket ones...just started and am getting the hang of them.....kind of tricky at first though I will admit. mine are the $14 ones...I tend to feed my dogs and cats with these shops...sometimes I get the litter to take on the other end of the feeding! they are close and I shop there all the time, so not too much hassle doing them for me. I would love to do for $20 though.....