BESTMARK EXIT INTERVIEWS

My first mystery shop is doing an exit interview for Bestmark. The shop is approximately 35 miles away. I would like to know if this is a good company to work for. Also would you travel 35 miles to make $56.00? The shop is 3 hours long. I greatly appreciate any input on this.

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This is probably not one I would accept, but that does not mean that the value is not acceptable to you. We are all shopping for different reasons and we all have a different break-even/profit ratio. I work full-time and do this for "extras" rather than pay. I'd be more likely to take a $150-$200 fine dining, reimbursement only, because I adore dining in wonderful, expensive places and it would be worth the evaluation and reporting to me to enjoy the meal.

My rationale on a fee-based shop: If it is 35 miles (are we talking 35 miles round trip or 35 miles each way for a total of 70 miles?), I would figure, given the traffic here, I would spend half an hour driving to go 17.5 miles and 1/2 hour to drive the other 17.5 miles to get home. The exit interview shop takes 3 hours. How long does the report take? At this point, driving + shop is 4+ hours (maybe 5? given additional travel time/report writing?) = $56 - carfare costs = $_____ per hour.

It depends on whether it meets the hourly wage you feel is acceptable for your services.

Thank you for your help, I greatly appreciate it. It is 70 miles roundtrip plus tolls. They reimburse $9.50 on tolls but to be quite honest I think the tolls are more than that. The route I need to take is in toll happy Pennsylvania and there seems to be a toll every mile on this route off I 76. The shop is 3 hours, longer if you don`t get the minimum 25 interviews. I never did the report before because this is my first shop. I was really skeptical about taking this shop. I have read in the forum that Bestmark takes deductions out of your pay. Do you know anything about this? I want to make the right decisions when doing these shops. My money is very tight right now. Do they pay right away after doing the shop or do you have to wait a long time to get paid? Sorry for all the questions.

Bestmark pays two times a month by check in the snail mail.
They have always paid on time for me.

I do these exit interviews a lot (6 of them this quarter so far) and have no problems at all.

For yours, due to the distance involved, I would try to pick something else around the same area to go with the exit interview.
Is there any restaurants that you can get lunch before or dinner afterward (or both?)
Most of the exit interviews I have been on have been in strip malls and there is usually other retail places you could shop as well.

If none of these other places aren't listed on Bestmark, then you should be signing up with multiple companies anyway (I have about 50 and just getting started).

Shopping across Indiana but mostly around Indianapolis.

Hello I am new on here and at being a secret shopper! So many farces out there not sure where to choose. I have signed up for Best Mark but did not know they dock you?? Do hope this works out and able to find reputable companies! What is an Exit interview?
Thank you

Shari66

Hi, Shari, welcome to the forum. An exit interview is where you wait outside a business (restaurant, cell phone provider, etc.) and pounce on customers when they exit the business. You ask them questions to determine the level of service and other things, and you capture their answers for your report.

Those exit interviews pay far less than what other companies have been paying the last few years, like $7 an hour less. Other companies also send clipboards and all supporting paperwork requiring no printing and include paid return labels. There will be data entry for some, but others have you return the forms to them to enter. I have had two different experiences regarding the target number of surveys versus hours. In one case it was a set number of hours regardless of how many or how few were completed. For another there was a target number of surveys. If the surveys were completed prior to the end of the shift the interviewer was finished and paid in full. If additional time was required the shopper was compensated at the same hourly pay for each additional hour.

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shari66 they dock you if late. I have done the exit interviews, and it is the easiest thing bar none in terms of report.

I have never had a problem with Bestmark; have done many exit interviews for them. They are easy to deal with, pleasant on the telephone. Their system is very organized. I plan on doing many more exit interviews for them. And, they give you plenty of time for you to submit your report. Always get paid on time. Nothing but good things from me to say about Bestmark! They are a great group of people!!!!

70 miles round trip, tolls, three hours work plus data entry, fear of being docked for $56??= NO WAY JOSE!

I have three shops today: $30 Hardware, $15 retail, $23 furniture store=$68 plus $2 in reimbursement. I will drive 6 miles total and spend a little over an hour with shops and reporting.

Shop smarter!

gigshopper wrote:

>70 miles round trip, tolls, three hours work plus data entry, fear of being docked for $56??= NO WAY JOSE!

>I have three shops today: $30 Hardware, $15 retail, $23 furniture store=$68 plus $2 in reimbursement. I will drive 6 >miles total and spend a little over an hour with shops and reporting.

>Shop smarter!

That is not always possible. I live in the sticks with corn fields in my front and back yards. Civilization for me is a WAWA and that is 4 miles from home. However, I live within 1 hour of 4 major cities and 3 states. I MS full time and do quite well. It does take some smarts and organization but that comes with the experience.

If markanthony is going to shop in PA and the surrounding areas, get an EZPASS. Get it for the state you will use it in most though as you get discounted tolls for using it. I print out my account summary from the EZPASS and send that in for those companies that reimburse tolls. The ones that don't, I take the tolls off my taxes.

If you have road toll expenses, tell them in advance, they will almost certainly reimburse you.

If they won't, you don't have to do the job.

Don't work for $2 an hour, it ruins t for the rest of us.

____________________________________________________________________________

No, I don't want a free meal. I do this because I want to make money.

tgihvaa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That is not always possible. I live in the sticks
> with corn fields in my front and back yards.
> Civilization for me is a WAWA and that is 4 miles
> from home. However, I live within 1 hour of 4
> major cities and 3 states. I MS full time and do
> quite well. It does take some smarts and
> organization but that comes with the experience.
>
Excuse my lack of imagination or my ignorance, but what is a WAWA?

WaWa is Pennsylvania's answer to 7-11

____________________________________________________________________________

No, I don't want a free meal. I do this because I want to make money.

"This"--> "The shop is 3 hours, longer if you don`t get the minimum 25 interviews. "

Response:

You can't control the customer flow. I live near a "famous **** **** *********company" and they hardly ever have any cars. I did a few exit interviews there and it was slow going.....(but, I was paid $30 for one hour because they needed it done that day. I live less than a 1/4 mile from the store, so it worked great.)

So, if you HAVE to stay longer than 3 hours, you are out of luck. Are you going to be paid MORE than $56 if you don't get your quota in 3 hours?

On the other hand, if you get your quota and work 3 hours, you will have made $17+ an hour.

I have done lots of these and have never had to stay over the 3 hours. The number of exit interviews are based upon normal customer flow stats that the stores have. I have noticed that the bigger, busier stores have 35 interviews instead of 25 during the same 3 hours but are paid slightly more. I have never had trouble getting all of those either.

I think those requirements are just in there to be sure that the interviewer is being outgoing and trying to get interviews. Plus, it provides a goal and makes it more fun. Once I get my 25 or 35, I keep going for the rest of the time but it feels easier as I know I have what I really needed.

Shopping across Indiana but mostly around Indianapolis.

Not sure how you figure that because that doesn't account for the 70 mile drive or the report time and whatever printing expenses are incurred.

SunnyDays2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> On the other hand, if you get your quota and work
> 3 hours, you will have made $17+ an hour.

I've also seen WaWa's in Florida.

Rupert Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WaWa is Pennsylvania's answer to 7-11

.
Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
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imagator Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not sure how you figure that because that doesn't
> account for the 70 mile drive or the report time
> and whatever printing expenses are incurred.
>
> SunnyDays2 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > On the other hand, if you get your quota and
> work
> > 3 hours, you will have made $17+ an hour.

Report time on these is about 20 minutes tops in front of the tv. I do these and take shops around them before or after.
Sometimes I will do them on the way to my boyfriend's house (he lives an hour away) to help with gas.
I think they are fun because I get to people watch and talk to people.
However, I recognize not everyone is an extrovert like me (there is no way that my boyfriend would do these as he's an introvert).
I did get him starting to mystery shop but so far he has only done fast food and casual restaurants.
I thought food was a good way to ease him into it especially when it's his favorite restaurants LOL.

Shopping across Indiana but mostly around Indianapolis.

One of the best parts of these jobs is the ability to schedule out more than a month away -up to two months. If you have that opportunity, you can realize that as long as you stick it out, and follow directions, it is sure money. No worry of being outed as a shopper, no reimbursement, no purchase and return. Just do your job and get paid.

I would not travel 70 miles to make $56 for 3 hours worth of work. Less likely even if it was 35 one way. I would do it though if I were in the city that is 35 miles away or if I had a free ride there.

What it comes down to is how much you are making per hour and how much it's going to cost you in gas or transit fare to get there.

Silver Certified ~ Shopping all of Toronto and beyond

Not worth the time unless you are going there anyway? I found that BestMark asks a lot for very little reimbursement and would only use them as filler shops.

With an SUV, it definitely isn't worth the drive alone. I had one in my area I thought I could add other shops with but none coincided with the appropriate due date.

Honestly, if you are new, it may be worthwhile because if you are in a rural area and there aren't many shops, it will help you with experience and get your food in the door per se. See it more as on the job training and the next time, you know are better prepared for the next time.

I have done a few shops that were in the sticks but it was to finally land a few gigs with a coveted MSC. I don't know if Bestmark operates the way others do as I've only done several shops for one client for them and it was to cover lunch.

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