Anyone else notice the drop in pay? I feel like I am being nickeled and dimed to death by these companies. What is the point of dropping the fee $1 when the fee is already low? It feels like an insult. So now I am not taking my favorite shops because of the pay cut. I am an independent contractor - not a slave.

They're cutting prices to see if they can. Every buck they don't pay a shopper stays in their own pocket -- either the MSC or the client's.

With the prior MSC, Bob's Furniture store used to pay $18-$20. With a new MSC, it's at $12 and I haven't seen a bonus yet....and I haven't done one on principle. Their furniture is crap anyway, but the snacks were good.

This is the only profession where the pay rate goes down over the years instead of up. However, somehow, my income does seem to rise each year, but not enough IMHO. I guess it's knowing how to value your time and make shop choices that will give you the best fee for the time involved. That comes with experience of having done the dogs at some point and learning how to say, "NO THANKS," and mean it.

As long as they can get someone new to take a burger for a 3 page with photos as pay, and the $4 and $7 shops, we will keep seeing this. I really don't think they are aware of the actual cost of driving over, time spent doing /observing, going home, uploading, filling out audit/survey. I can't touch anything that doesn't pay my car .51 cents a mile, then I would want a fair hourly wage. We all have had the site upload problem, where 12 photos take 30-60 min. Not on your end, on theirs. Faxes that keep retrying as someone at the MSC forgot to turn it on/load with paper/etc.. How much is the frustration worth? It is a big ticket item in my world. I will work my butt off for a fair wage and fair expectations, however, a specific 2 hour window, specific day, pictures and 3 pages of questions, and an upload for a sandwich and, if your lucky, $3? I think I could pick up cans and make a better wage. As IC's, they are forgetting about the taxes we have to take out of pocket and expenses. Newbies, please wise up. You have costs. " I'm going that way anyway" isn't a reason to sell yourself short! Would you swing by an office and type for 45 min. for a sandwich because it was on your way to the beach? Run a cash register for half hour on your way to the show? I bet you wouldn't, so treat MS like a job, as that is what it is. Please excuse the rant, I just looked at 9 boards and was disappointed to say the least.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2013 10:50AM by cindy55.

I understand that the MSCs have to make money. We have to make money too. I feel with these very low fees that our work is not being taken seriously. Remember now....Anyone that can breathe can be a mystery shopper. Remember that comment? MSCs are in this to make money and any new shopper that takes these low paying fees, ensures that the companies will continue to offer these low fees because the job's getting done, right?

I'll take shops that are reasonable, but I will not work for peanuts. I take pride in what I do and to offer me a few bucks to do a few hours work? I don't think so.

It is our choice to accept or reject the offer. The newbies will eventually understand this and back off. Mind you, I bet some have to do whatever they can to survive. I understand that of course. $5 is better than nothing.

Off to check the job listings now....

When a $5 shop costs the shopper money, and it probably will, then it is not better than nothing.

My pay hasn't decreased. I personally don't
care what anyone lists their base fee as. My
formula doesn't change and neither do my
rates that I am willing to head out for.

Their in business to do it as cheaply as
possible and you (should be) trying to do
It for the highest fee as possible...just like
any other type of job that uses contractors

The worst attitude I've seen is shoppers who
think "well, I would of been sitting home
doing nothing so something is better then
nothing." You are not a charity for these
for-profit businesses. If you are
bored at home help out in a soup kitchen...

Amen brother!

Bored?

I don't mystery shop because I'm bored. I mystery shop because the economy in this town sucks, I can't get a real job, and I can't survive on what I have coming in. So, yes, my "opportunity cost" of mystery shopping is the zero I'm being paid to watch TV.

What I see on this board are a lot of complaints about the CL's taking shops for $5. Are you upset that they are not waiting until they go up to $20 so THEY can make $20 or that they are taking them at $5 so that YOU can't get them for $20? Because whether they take it for $5 or take it for $20, they have taken the job before you take the job.

We can't get possessive about these jobs. This is one industry where the free market really operates in its pure form. You could teach an entire course on economics using the mystery shopping industry as the perfect model.


Techman, how will your strategy work when "your fee" is higher than what the client is willing to pay? Are you going to hold your breath until you turn blue and demand they pay more, or will you be wondering where the jobs went when someone with a different reality takes that job from you because they're willing to do it for less?

Time will tell. Until this economy recovers there will continue to be pressure on this industry because of all the unemployed and underemployed people who will see this as a way to make that extra $100 a month to help make ends meet. And that's why I look at my income per month, not my income per hour. If I'd insisted I needed to earn $10 an hour when I started mystery shopping I wouldn't have the $3000 I've made AFTER EXPENSES mystery shopping in the last 9 months. And if the $3000 I've made means some other mystery shopper I don't even know didn't make the $5000 they would have made if I hadn't taken those jobs, all I can say is I'm working to feed MY family, not THEIRS.

So true but if a shopper lives in a city and the shop is within walking distance, then I can see someone taking a cheap shop. I live in the boonies and to start my car would cost me! I can't afford to do these cheap fees, but some can I suppose. Everyone is different from each other. Everyone has their own reasons for accepting or declining low fees. We have the choice. We are not their employee.

I just checked some job listings and it's sad. Oh well, I'll check tomorrow and see what's being offered.

Have a great day!






LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When a $5 shop costs the shopper money, and it
> probably will, then it is not better than nothing.

cindy55 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
......." I'm going that way anyway" isn't a
> reason to sell yourself short! Would you swing by
> an office and type for 45 min. for a sandwich
> because it was on your way to the beach? Run a
> cash register for half hour on your way to the
> show? I bet you wouldn't, ..........

LOL

I think the reason that so many of us get upset about CLs grabbing assignments on the cheap before they are bonused is because that sets the going rate for future assignments. That does none of us any good. Nor does it help to represent us as professionals in this industry whose services should be respected. If we don't value ourselves, why should the MSCs?

You may not mystery shop because you are bored but you have no problem telling others that making a few bucks is "better than watching TV." It is not good for anyone to devalue their time to that extent. Regardless of what I choose to do with my time, it has value. Like techman, my income has increased regardless of what the companies do with their starting fees. I never wonder where jobs went because I know they were taken by people who are desperate or uneducated and if they are willing to work for so little, they can have them. I turn down four or five times what I accept.

I understand the market is not the same in every part of the country, but that will not stop me from continuing to urge serious shoppers to value their time and know they are worth more.

Well, I don't work as cheap as I did nine months ago. I'm just saying I understand why someone who is shopping out of financial desperation will peck at the crumbs when they first start out. Also pointing out the "you snooze you lose" factor -- WAITING for the job to go up may mean someone else will take it anyway.

And I still think that the jobs that get snapped up early for peanuts are what enable the schedulers to have that bonus money at the end of the month that we all wait for.

If they have $15 per job allocated to the project and half the jobs get done for $10, the other half can go for $20. If nobody did them for $10, they wouldn't have the money for those who wait to be able to get the $20.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2013 02:49AM by CAscotch.

I'm sure you're right about the client being involved in the choice to lower fees. Anyone that has done any work in advertising knows that marketing programs are the first to be cut when the economy is tough, when in actuality, that's when it is even more critical for a business to be on the top of its game.

Example: anybody been into the former craft store client lately? Service and store appearance has gone to hell since they stopped getting mystery shopped.

The client probably does not know what we make and does not care. Why would they care what it takes their contractors, the MSCs, to get the job done? If you are going to build a house you look at the overall cost, the quality of the work and the delivery time, not what the individual employees of each of the trades is making.

No, the client probably doesn't know what the shoppers actually make. But they very well could be negotiating for less expensive contracts with MSCs in order to be able to more easily afford to continue their mystery shopping programs. That would result in a decrease in pay for the shopper, which I am sure they realize. Or they could be doing away with their programs all together until they feel the economy has recovered.

Having been through this before, my guess is everyone in the food chain will be trying to squeeze each other dry because the economy is showing signs of improving

I work for a company I like and am friendly with the scheduler who has jobs in my town for 10.00 a piece. I usually get three or four, so, it's worth it. This time around I am only able to get one and I declined...it still cost me a couple bucks
for gas (4.09), and the pictures, uploading, reading instructions, etc. this takes well over an hour total. I just don't see how
they expect anyone to leave the house for a couple dollars, your losing money, think about it, and please value yourself,
unless there is a nice perk in there for you, just say no!!

For myself, sometimes I'll take a base pay ff shop if I'm in the area anyway. I'd rather be paid to eat for $7.50 than pay out of my own pocket. I won't go out of my way for base and will ask for a bonus if they call me, but, if I'm in the area (and hungry) I'll do it.

::banging head against brick wall::

I only ask for a "fairly priced shop." (if it's further out or was a PIA shop, then I will ask for extra next time).

Take the "$4 buck-grocery-shop" fee + $5 bucks for groceries. Mostly, I don't take them because they are more than 15 miles away. And not very lucrative. But, if I have a few shops already in that area, I will pick up that 20 minute grocery shop and get some needed groceries. (I won't get rich on that shop but it's a buildup, because they pay me every month into my bank account.

I stopped taking the $5 ice cream shops too, as they are too far away and it's just a waste of my gas tank. There happens to be one very near me though and that one I will take for the $5 bucks.

I have stopped taking a lot of the "low-cut/pay" shops because I want to send a message to myself and them... that my time and money is more valuable. If they keep lowering, I will keep refusing. But then the newbies will grab them....

It reminds me of the housing market. One guy's "bad f--up yard" devalues all the houses in the neighborhood. Accept a "cheap shop" and all the shoppers are devalued on their time and worth...;(

I have not been in this as long as most of you have, and I too have seen pay being cut. My primary MSC has a shop for a deparment store chain that caters to a primarily Hispanic clientele. I have seen that shop start at $18, then drop to $15, then go on down to $12. I have also seen it sitting there and then get bonused to $18, $20 and once even $25. I gotta tell you I was glad to take it for $18, $20, and $25, but when you are talking $15 I have to factor in all my time and aggravation getting across town in the heat, then back, then the report, etc. I have also seen their trendy clothes store shop go from $15 plus $10 reimbursement to $12 plus $10 reimbursement, and I still take these as I can buy something that works out to free or close to free and either keep it or list it on ebay or elsewhere.

I also learned something when I took a different shop of Bank of America for $10 - the people I dealt with at this bank were very rude and pushy and agressive and I don't want to experience that again for $10 - just not worth it to me. When that same shop was sitting there for $25, I was thinking.....OK, I'll most likely never interact with these people again anyway....Point being, money talks. I too am learning to value my time more and won't leave the house for less than $10. I will go down to $10 for a sunglass shop that I really enjoy but it that were to slide down to $8, I'd start thinking about time and trouble and distance.....

teriraia Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Anyone else notice the drop in pay? I feel like I
> am being nickeled and dimed to death by these
> companies. What is the point of dropping the fee
> $1 when the fee is already low? It feels like an
> insult. So now I am not taking my favorite shops
> because of the pay cut. I am an independent
> contractor - not a slave.


Another area in which pay has been cut is in surveys.....to the point of it just not worth doing them now. I used to make extra money in my spare time doing surveys, not much but to me enough to justify doing them. Now all the survey companies are nickle and diming survey takers. Fewer points, less money, and some even charge $5 to redeem a $20 Amazon GC.....does that say drop this or what?

Also I have noticed that focus groups are starting to pay less too. I was able to snag one for this coming Tuesday that pays $150 cash for two hours of my time and I was stunned as this has slid down to $85 or so now on the market.....It's not just mystery shopping that is paying less, there truly seems to be a race to the bottom going on out there - not good with so many costs relentlessly increasing.

I don't mean to take this thread over but I thought of something else. I need some dental work done and I live in Arizona. Guess where I'll be going to have it done? Mexico. I will save at least 60%, probably more by doing so. The price diffential is so great that I will no longer see an American dentist unless it's a life or death situation, I just can't justify paying the costs on the US side of the border. Point is that in Arizona I have a lot of company in this and dentists are seeing a race to the bottom to some degree too. And really, am I not just like an MSC by crossing a border to save money? I want the lowest cost, too, and know of dentists that are good and trustworthy and have the same equipment dentists on the US side have. Just something I thought I'd pass along.

squireparty Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't mean to take this thread over but I
> thought of something else. I need some dental
> work done and I live in Arizona. Guess where I'll
> be going to have it done? Mexico. I will save at
> least 60%, probably more by doing so. The price
> diffential is so great that I will no longer see
> an American dentist unless it's a life or death
> situation, I just can't justify paying the costs
> on the US side of the border. Point is that in
> Arizona I have a lot of company in this and
> dentists are seeing a race to the bottom to some
> degree too. And really, am I not just like an MSC
> by crossing a border to save money? I want the
> lowest cost, too, and know of dentists that are
> good and trustworthy and have the same equipment
> dentists on the US side have. Just something I
> thought I'd pass along.

I thought I would "pass this along" too...

I am a San Diego resident and never have been to Tijuana myself, because everybody always says how dangerous and dirty it is. Well, this was confirmed when a very good friend of mine went there this past weekend. My friend's roommate convinced her to spend the day in TJ to go to the dog track. She agreed, and off they went. After being at the dog track, they went to a bar and had two beers each, and decided to head back to the border.

Then, a seemingly nice English-speaking Mexican couple befriended them and said they "knew of a shortcut" back to the border.. Well, that would of been a red flag to me, but they were like OK! So this couple were leading them through the streets repeating "one more block, one more block!" Then she said things got ghetto fast. The couple ripped the necklace off my friend's neck, took her purse, phone, passport, and then put a knife up to the roommate's neck demanding money. Then the criminals took my friend's phone and started texting anyone in her phone under "mom" or "dad" saying she was in a Tijuana jail and that they need to Western Union $500 to get her out. Anyways, long story less long, the roommate had to buy back the passports for $200 and were able to escape.

And this:



However, the few Mexican Mega-Horror Dentist Stories I have heard would make me extremely cautious. Once the work has been performed incorrectly and/or infection has set in, correction procedures can be a financial nightmare and the pain even worse.

Yes, Dental Work is expensive but most Dentists offer decent payment plans.

Definitely not worth the risks . . . MY TWO CENTS WORTH.

SunnyDays2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> squireparty Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I don't mean to take this thread over but I
> > thought of something else. I need some dental
> > work done and I live in Arizona. Guess where
> I'll
> > be going to have it done? Mexico. I will save
> at
> > least 60%, probably more by doing so. The
> price
> > diffential is so great that I will no longer
> see
> > an American dentist unless it's a life or death
> > situation, I just can't justify paying the
> costs
> > on the US side of the border. Point is that in
> > Arizona I have a lot of company in this and
> > dentists are seeing a race to the bottom to
> some
> > degree too. And really, am I not just like an
> MSC
> > by crossing a border to save money? I want the
> > lowest cost, too, and know of dentists that are
> > good and trustworthy and have the same
> equipment
> > dentists on the US side have. Just something I
> > thought I'd pass along.
>
> I thought I would "pass this along" too...
>
> I am a San Diego resident and never have been to
> Tijuana myself, because everybody always says how
> dangerous and dirty it is. Well, this was
> confirmed when a very good friend of mine went
> there this past weekend. My friend's roommate
> convinced her to spend the day in TJ to go to the
> dog track. She agreed, and off they went. After
> being at the dog track, they went to a bar and had
> two beers each, and decided to head back to the
> border.
>
> Then, a seemingly nice English-speaking Mexican
> couple befriended them and said they "knew of a
> shortcut" back to the border.. Well, that would of
> been a red flag to me, but they were like OK! So
> this couple were leading them through the streets
> repeating "one more block, one more block!" Then
> she said things got ghetto fast. The couple ripped
> the necklace off my friend's neck, took her purse,
> phone, passport, and then put a knife up to the
> roommate's neck demanding money. Then the
> criminals took my friend's phone and started
> texting anyone in her phone under "mom" or "dad"
> saying she was in a Tijuana jail and that they
> need to Western Union $500 to get her out.
> Anyways, long story less long, the roommate had to
> buy back the passports for $200 and were able to
> escape.
>
> And this:
>
>
>
> However, the few Mexican Mega-Horror Dentist
> Stories I have heard would make me extremely
> cautious. Once the work has been performed
> incorrectly and/or infection has set in,
> correction procedures can be a financial nightmare
> and the pain even worse.
>
> Yes, Dental Work is expensive but most Dentists
> offer decent payment plans.
>
> Definitely not worth the risks . . . MY TWO CENTS
> WORTH.

I can see where caution is a good idea, yes. Personally, I go to Los Algodones for such and to date, it is safe there. I realize this can change at the drop of a hat, but to date whichever cartel has Los Algodones had not been disputed, so there has been no reason for scary gore there. I would avoid Tijuana like a plague, and ditto for any border city period from Agua Prieta all the way through the border line with Texas. There are many cities there which are very bad news. About oportunistic crime - I'm sure it happens where I go but I have not know anyone who has had this sort of thing happen to them in Los Algodones. Do your business by day, stay in at night, and any alcohol you buy if you do - wait until you go home to consume it.

About the dentists - I go to someone who has been there since 1978 and I have gotten good recommendations from. To date I have had seven crowns done, some dating back to 2007, with no issues thus far at $140 a crown - for the ones this year. Prior to this year I paid $125 a crown.

I think there are good dental deals to be had along the border but you have to do your due dilligence first. And not to knock your friend, I would not have gotten myself into a similar situation, I would have avoided Tijuana period and not befriended the Mexican couple. To date, Los Algodones is safe and so is Tecate (not far from San Diego). You still have to exersize due dilligence and keep your wits about you in both places, though.....much like you would in any large city in the US.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2013 11:41PM by squireparty.

Its pretty simple. If people will do the jobs for less $$, then the MSCs are going to offer less. Combine that with multiple MSCs competing to get accounts, they have to promise the clients that they will get paid a certain rate for each job. I've only been shopping for about 4-5 years now and I've seen MSCs come and go... some with big clients. I used to do a coffee shop the green coffee company for a certain MSC a long time ago, and haven't seen it since. I heard they don't get shopped anymore. I scratch my head as the shop was a very "low priced" shop at like $7.50 plus reimbursement for a Mocha. Ever since they quit being shopped, I've run into a lot of issues where some locations don't fill the cup as high. Considering they have already reduced the sizes of their drinks and upped the costs... this basically just sucks. Everyone is cutting corners now. I've quit shopping a lot of places and have found ways to make ends meet in other ways. I make less from not spending a ton of hours working on piddly pay shops, so I have to not buy as nice of clothes, tighten up the grocery budget, not use the car too much, etc. I personally would rather do that than spend an hour or more on a $6 shop.

I will take a job I really love to do at $5.00 plus reimbursment. If not, I will hold out for a bonus or request one upfront. I did a normally paying $5.00 shop for $20 today because I asked for a $15 bonus.