Those Gas Station Shops...Question?.

December 17, 2014 02:54AM

A BIG Mystery Shopping Company just released gas station shops (new to them) and I was wondering..

It says you must buy 2 gallons of gas...Can you buy more than 2 gallons? (I understand they only reimburse up to 2 gallons).. It says you must also purchase an item inside the store and take 2 incognito pictures of the over-all gas pumps and another picture.

So, lets say it's $3 bucks a gallon and you must buy 2 gallons, so they reimburse $6 bucks and then a small purchase inside the store. Any good or bad to these shops?

I see a whole slew of them on the board but hesitant, not a fan of mystery gas shops..but if they are easy and there are a few near me...your input is appreciated..

(I have only done audits and revealed audits/part MS and part Merchandising products for the gas stations...

Thanks..

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December 17, 2014 02:58AM

I'm sure you can. It's really hard to stop a pump on exactly 2 gallons. Suppose I'm gonna have to go take a look at the job boards tonight. Would love to find these.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

December 17, 2014 03:17AM

If these are the same ones I am seeing -----
Yes, you can buy more gas, it just must be at least 2 gallons.
However, the reimbursement is a flat $5 maximum. You don't necessarily get reimbursed for the whole 2 gallons.
Part of the reimbursement is for the inside purchase, part for the gas -- and it's a max of $5 total.

Maybe if the price of gas really keeps going down, then your 2 gallons might be totally reimbursed

December 17, 2014 03:24AM

$5 will more than buy 2 gallons of gas here. I think it was $2.399 when I bought the other day.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

December 17, 2014 03:31AM

I did three of them this year, so they are not new with the MSC.

I filled up my vehicle with gas. I needed gas anyway. I went inside and bought a coffee. The reimbursement was $5.00 for the purchase of gas and coffee. I did a quick look around and took my required pictures.

They are very easy. Mind you, I do the reveal audits for them too, so I know the stations well around here.

They're at $9 now, but when I did them, they went up to $15 I believe. They sure are a lot LESS work than the reveal audits.

I'm going to wait until next month and see how high the fee gets. I am in no rush. There is not a lot of competition here fortunately.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2014 02:47PM by Canuck.

December 17, 2014 03:48AM

Do you mean competition? or are you saying that shoppers there don't complete there assignment?

December 17, 2014 05:52AM

All of them appear to be sitting on the boards for many hours now..

I guess I might take one and see if I like it..

Thanks!

December 17, 2014 02:48PM

Edited my post. Oops.

December 17, 2014 05:37PM

You were able to purchase the gas at the pump?

December 17, 2014 05:44PM

Yes.

December 17, 2014 06:00PM

I like these shops but they do not pay much. The 2 gallons is always over $5.00 but I need gas anyway. If the report was not so easy I might pass on these because of the reimbursement but the report is easy so I do jump on them when I see them posted - but only the ones that are close to my home.

December 17, 2014 06:00PM

I view these shops with mixed emotions. I generally do them only as a route. I'll arrive at the first station with the fuel light flashing. By the time I get to the last station, I'm struggling to get the last gallon of gas into the car. Once I had to explain to the MSC why I had only purchased 1 3/4 gallons of gas. I got paid, eventually, but they couldn't comprehend the distances involved and that my vehicle gets 32+ mpg on the highway.

.
Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)

"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor

"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei

December 17, 2014 08:34PM

Since neither the client nor the MSC has been named, how about letting bgriffin enjoy his evening, by naming the MSC.

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

December 17, 2014 08:46PM

HA! I already had found it still, but thanks.

Unfortunately there are few of these stations in my area.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

December 17, 2014 10:29PM

I've done this shop quite a few times. It;s a five-dollar reimbursement, total. If gas is $3/gallon you still have to buy at least two plus something inside, for a total of $5 reimbursed. With a decent bonus, and they usually get that around here, I look at it as a mid-route gas and coffee. With bonuses, I have filled my tank, got juice for the kids, ran everyone through the bathroom, and still came out ahead.

December 18, 2014 05:30AM

There is a boat-load of those still sitting on the boards...nobody is biting...

December 18, 2014 08:17PM

Gas here is around $3.60 a gallon (Sam's & Costco $2.94)....plus inside purchase. All still on the board.

December 19, 2014 03:08AM

They flew off the job board in S. Cali. Gas is down to 2.65 so you almost get the reimbursement. I always purchase the cheapest thing that I can find also and then asking for the receipt - I figure they know that I am the mystery shopper.

December 19, 2014 03:20AM

Not good for investments but I hope the gas is still low when gas shops come out in the coming months.. I haven't seen gas for 99 cents a litre in 10 years....

Silver Certified ~ Shopping all of Toronto and beyond

December 19, 2014 03:45AM

Gas was 1.99 here today. I hope it stays low until I can get these shops.

December 19, 2014 07:28PM

I do four or five of those shops in one day. It adds up and if you already have more than half a tank, you won't have anywhere to put it! I have bought more at times, but not that often because I do so many of them every week. I always get coffee for the $2 portion.

December 19, 2014 08:39PM

These are easy reports, but they fly off the boards here at the base fee. I'll take the ones I'm driving by anyway.

December 20, 2014 04:20AM

i would see how much it was per gallon..multiply by 2 and round up to the nearest dollar

for example...

i can get gas for about 2.40/gallon...2 gallons would be 4.80...so I would ask for $5 worth

December 20, 2014 05:52AM

They can't "give those away" here...

December 20, 2014 01:06PM

help me star mysery shopping how do i get on board?

December 20, 2014 01:58PM

Hi Man.
I would recommend following the advice that was given to you 8 months ago when you posted the same question, or that was given to you 12 months ago when you posted the same question twice.
It was good advice then, and would hold true now.

December 20, 2014 06:31PM

Man Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> help me star mysery shopping how do i get on
> board?

What exactly do you mean?

December 20, 2014 06:39PM

Man, I replied previously to your questions about how to get started mystery shopping. The answers have not changed. What is it that you don't understand?

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.

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