I just did a huge circle route, longest I've ever done. started with FF in my hometown, then headed to my next shop, a bank, 65 miles away. That's an hour and 45 minute drive through gorgeous but tourist infested, two lane mountain roads. It was worth it, the bank was bonused and it alone paid for the gas. Then to the next town, 25 miles and 45 minutes away to my next two shops. First one was a cable company (I was suspected!! The manager was peeking out the window at me to see if I took a photo. I didn't. Already have one! LOL). Second was a cell phone shop, also bonused. I turned for the 45 mile trip home. I was on a roll! Beautiful day, a little "daycation" time, got home and my entire 155 mile day went up in smoke!

Got home, was checking my email, and see, "URGENT!!! DO NOT SHOP <that store> THIS WEEK!!! Check your log for your new dates!"

<face slap> Well crap! Lost that one. Since I already shopped it, I can't go back. That one was really frustrating . . . 15 pages of instructions and 15 pages of questions AND an exam!!! I worked really hard for that shop!

Then I tried to enter the cable company shop, and I can't log in! My ID and PW are "Not found in our system." Great. WTH! I emailed and the response was "We will contact you within 24 hrs, except on the weekend. Then we will contact you Monday." The MSC for that shop was Secret Shopper. Anyone have any trouble with them lately? If I lost that shop, it was a break even day. Of course there's no such thing really, since I put wear and tear on my van, AND spent all that time driving.

Oh well. Got my first shop for Trendsource under my belt anyway. And I got to eat FF for lunch. Yay. Now I'll go look for Secret Shopper in in the MSC discussion section. <sigh>

I got you beat. Once I go home in the morning a 145 miles in of itself my near 400 mile route will be complete. I did bank a nice $167.50 minus gas of a little under $50 including tolls I made lets call it $100 plus. My hotel was free do to rewards club and I earned it on other stays for shops. Not a bad day. I get to go to Erie, PA next week. Lot of route shopping lately.

Depending on the company, you may still get paid for that cancelled shop. Tell them their email was too late and you already did it. I was paid for a shop they couldn't use because they changed the scenario at the last minute. Good luck!

Stand up for yourself regarding the canceled shop. You and the MSP made a contract and you did your part. Contact them and tell them you have a shop to enter. Remind them that you did your part.

If they don't or can't make it right (for example, the client changed their specifications or some other reason) consider that a start of negotiations. Hopefully, the scheduler will know they owe you so remind them how much. Tell them the mileage and time it took to do that shop before they notified you. Consider asking for a re-shop at your convenience and with a fee that is worth it for the time and wear and tear on your van for both shops. Maybe they can give you different shops as well, but also at your convenience and a good bonused fee. These extra shops might be part of a route for the re-shop of the cancelled one or they might be others that you are willing to do. The bottom line is job we do is a business. The MSPs could not exist without shoppers making money at what we do.

Lastly, please consider naming the MSP for us. This forum is the only place shoppers can read about the good and bad about companies. Who knows, maybe your scheduler can make this bad event into a good outcome for you. Either way, we want to know.

Good luck.

PS: $146.80. I hope you got something close to that in fees because one might estimate that as the cost of your trip. (Mileage: $86.80, $.56 x 155 miles, Time: $60, estimated 6 hours @ $10 hour). This does not include the time to apply for the shops, read the instructions, and plan the route. It does not include the costs of printing the paperwork. You did state you got a reimbursed lunch in the trip. If you didn't, the cost of lunch would have been a deductible business expense, adding to your costs.

Thanks for that vlade5394, My fee total for the day was $80. Gas cost me $40 so I had a net of $40. I know it sucks, but I live outside of a metro area, and I have to take what I can get. The original total for the day was $100, but I rescheduled 2 FF shops in the interest of time. I worked 3 days about 20 hrs this week and netted $60 after gas. If I was working at a minimum wage PT job, it would have been about the same, and wouldn't be nearly as much fun, right!? LOL

I took these shops because I wanted to get my foot in the door with these, all my first shops for Trendsource, gfK, and Secret Shopper. Gotta start somewhere!

It has been slow here. My bread & butter jobs have dried up, USPS, Grocery stores, and FF. I do have some high paying bank shops coming up next week that will more than make up for this miserable week.

GFK was the company that postponed the shop on me.

If you performed the shop prior to receiving the postponement update, GfK will honor your shop.

Good luck with GFK. I have stayed away because of the chatter on this forum... there's one more to add to my list why I won't do any jobs for them...

BBird, the difference in receiving and READING the email is the question. The email came in before I actually did the shop, I just missed it. :-( To be fair, I shouldn't have missed it, but that's what I get for being in a rush to get out the door!

I will ask about it and then see what they decide to do.

You are welcome.

Yes, I agree there are benefits to this job that simply don't fit into the balance sheet. Those can include getting your foot in the door with new MSPs, an enjoyable drive, or otherwise mixing personal pleasure and business.

However, I have to disagree with your characterization of getting $40 net for the day ($80 fee - $40 gas). Like many shoppers you are ignoring your car expenses. You put 155 miles on your van that you would not have done otherwise. Now it is that many miles closer to the next oil change, tire replacement, radiator leak, etc.. That trip cost you more money than gas. Unless you get car trouble like a flat tire while on a route, you just don't pay until later. The IRS allows us a simple way of calculating that cost. It is 56 cents per mile in 2014. The figure can change each year as the costs that go into formula change.

Another IRS approved method is to divide expenses by business mileage. First, you add up all your van expenses for the year. These would be gas, insurance, repairs, maintenance, interest on any loan, etc.. and divide them by the percentage of miles you used the van for business. It is harder, so most people don't use this method. But if you give it a thought, you might see more clearly why I'm saying you really netted much less than $40 for that trip.

Was it worth it for you? Hopefully it is worth it for you to get your foot in the door with at least some of those companies. It sounds like the 'daycation' was enjoyable. At times I will do trips like this for the enjoyment and pick up a shop or five along the way to add some income for the day. It comes down to is the question, "Is it sustainable as a business?" The answer is no. We could not do this every time out and survive. Companies realize that in rural areas they have to offer significant bonuses to get shops done. In time, when you get recognized as a reliable shopper, you will be able to ask for better bonuses to make it worthwhile. When you ask for them, include mileage as part of your cost. Your business depends on it.

How did I know this was GfK before it was mentioned??

They are a good company if you are really bored or desperate for extra cash but there are many more amazing companies that you could do work for.

Hopefully they will honour the original shop but be very prepared that they will just tell you to do the shop again during the new times or to cancel it. They have "requested" I go back to cell phone stores because they magically decided last minute they wanted an exterior photo when it was not mandatory before.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2014 08:53PM by dixiewhiskey.

Hymnsinger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BBird, the difference in receiving and READING the
> email is the question. The email came in before I
> actually did the shop, I just missed it. :-( To be
> fair, I shouldn't have missed it, but that's what
> I get for being in a rush to get out the door!
>
> I will ask about it and then see what they decide
> to do.


They have no way of knowing when you left home unless you've already told them. If your only source of email is from home, they can't expect you to keep up with such last minute information.

I feel for you shoppers in remote areas with limited access to jobs and the most up-to-date information about them. I'm lucky that I live in a major metropolitan area with a smartphone. I'm not sure I'd attempt shopping at all under those hardships. The MSC's are lucky to have you.

Thanks for that, cvb42jeb, you are right, it isn't easy. I would not recommend that anyone outside of a metro area try doing this full time. It would be a great addition to a permanent full-time job, but I can't do that (full-time caregiver), so I just keep plugging along for what I can get. I love driving, which helps! I wish I were driving a Volkswagen Beetle though!! :-D

It was only a $15 phone shop. I have a plan . . . we'll see if it works!

--
"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door.
You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet,
there's no telling where you might be swept off to!"
Bilbo Baggins

vlade5394 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You are welcome.
>
> Yes, I agree there are benefits to this job that
> simply don't fit into the balance sheet. Those
> can include getting your foot in the door with new
> MSPs, an enjoyable drive, or otherwise mixing
> personal pleasure and business.
>
> However, I have to disagree with your
> characterization of getting $40 net for the day
> ($80 fee - $40 gas). Like many shoppers you are
> ignoring your car expenses. You put 155 miles on
> your van that you would not have done otherwise.
> Now it is that many miles closer to the next oil
> change, tire replacement, radiator leak, etc..
> That trip cost you more money than gas. Unless
> you get car trouble like a flat tire while on a
> route, you just don't pay until later. The IRS
> allows us a simple way of calculating that cost.
> It is 56 cents per mile in 2014. The figure can
> change each year as the costs that go into formula
> change.
>
> Another IRS approved method is to divide expenses
> by business mileage. First, you add up all your
> van expenses for the year. These would be gas,
> insurance, repairs, maintenance, interest on any
> loan, etc.. and divide them by the percentage of
> miles you used the van for business. It is
> harder, so most people don't use this method. But
> if you give it a thought, you might see more
> clearly why I'm saying you really netted much less
> than $40 for that trip.
>
> Was it worth it for you? Hopefully it is worth it
> for you to get your foot in the door with at least
> some of those companies. It sounds like the
> 'daycation' was enjoyable. At times I will do
> trips like this for the enjoyment and pick up a
> shop or five along the way to add some income for
> the day. It comes down to is the question, "Is it
> sustainable as a business?" The answer is no. We
> could not do this every time out and survive.
> Companies realize that in rural areas they have to
> offer significant bonuses to get shops done. In
> time, when you get recognized as a reliable
> shopper, you will be able to ask for better
> bonuses to make it worthwhile. When you ask for
> them, include mileage as part of your cost. Your
> business depends on it.

You are absolutely right!! I am choosing to ignore certain things, and no, it wouldn't be sustainable over time. I'm actually paying the MSC's to work for them!

That said, I see great potential and a sustainable future. I have established myself with several major MSC's with average shop ratings of 9 and 10. I have developed a reputation as a "go-getter," I have let my schedulers know that they can depend on me if they are ever in a bind, even if it costs me money. And best of all, I am moving into a major metro area (Billings, MT), with an entire under-shopped state just begging to be shopped! The MSC's that I have notified are thrilled that I will be based in Billings! So, yeah, right now I'm shopping just for a little gas/food money because we are in a bad way financially. It's Friday, but Sunday's coming!! :-D

(My sister once described me as a "hopeless optimist!"

--
"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door.
You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet,
there's no telling where you might be swept off to!"
Bilbo Baggins

Hymnsinger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>> I have established myself with several
> major MSC's with average shop ratings of 9 and 10.
> I have developed a reputation as a "go-getter," I
> have let my schedulers know that they can depend
> on me if they are ever in a bind, even if it costs
> me money.


Living in a rural area, if I hopped in the car at my own expense every time there was an emergency gas station, cell phone, or fast food shop I'd burn out pretty quickly. I am upfront with schedulers… that I am reliable, but expensive, especially if it is a distance away and there is no route I can build.

Love the part about being the dependable shopper they can go to in a bind. The part about it costing you money, not so much. You aren't an employee, you own your business and need to make it profitable. If they think they can get you to jump and run for any amount of money you will not only be their go-to shopper, you will be allowing them to take advantage of you. Keep in mind the IRS could easily determine your business is actually a hobby if they feel you are not making an effort to show a profit. At that point you lose the business deductions like mileage and could end up having to write them a check.

I had this happen almost did the shop. The date was changed this weekend then when I went to do the shop I read an email on my phone don't do this shop it has been cancelled. It must be the same MSC doing cel phones.

I only had one company do this to me. They changed the date and although it was a good amount of notice, I cancelled it totally. I won't do it again either. This is my only job. I need the shops that I get and when I don't get the ones I want I have to scratch to fill my quota for the month. I take small shops and shops I hate just to make money when I have to. That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

This is a job, a business and I do what I have to do to make it successful. Period.