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Route out of the area...expenses?

June 18, 2015 08:13PM
If I do a route of 25 or so auto dealer shops, in another major city 300 miles away, and there are not many shoppers who can do these in the language they want it done....shouldn't there be some kind of extra incentive? The jobs pay $50 each. Or is this enough for most people? I don't have the money to front to get to the other city and rent a car, stay at a place etc. Any suggestions?
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June 18, 2015 09:01PM
25 x $50 = $1250 in fees.
2 days driving
5 days shopping
7 days total
$179 a day in fees
Subtract at least 150 miles in expenses per day plus hotel
If what's left over is enough income for you then it sounds like it would work, although if you cannot afford to make the trip to begin with it sounds like a moot point.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
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June 18, 2015 10:15PM
whats a 179 dollars a day in fees?

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June 18, 2015 10:41PM
If the OP does 25 shops @ $50 each that's $1250 in total fees. Assuming it takes them 5 days to do the shops (5 new car shops is about all I can do in a day) and 2 days of driving (1 day in each direction), that's 7 days of working.

$1250/7=$178.57

I rounded up to $179

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


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/18/2015 10:42PM by bgriffin.
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June 18, 2015 10:56PM
i see now. I thought that was some arbitrary number you pulled out of the air
using common core math.

= + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = +
There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots
==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==
When you try to please everybody, you end up pleasing nobody
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June 19, 2015 12:38AM
Would a person doing such a route usually get travel expenses? Or mileage? Or is $50 a shop what people would be taking to do such a route?
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June 19, 2015 01:46AM
That depends entirely on the shopper. Different people have different profit goals and different expense costs. There might be a shopper that could do it at $50 while another shopper wouldn't be interested at $150.

As for asking for travel expenses and mileage, I don't work that way. It is not the MSC's business how far I have to drive or what my sleeping arrangements are on a route. If I'm interested in a route I figure my costs, how much profit I need, and tell them what I can do it for. If that falls within their budget then great, if it doesn't no hard feelings.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
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June 19, 2015 01:50AM
I'm with bgriffin,
I tell the MSC what I need and do not break it down into fuel, lodging, meals, etc. The only item that I may state is high bridge and tunnel tolls. So, I might say $x per shop plus $Y for tolls. (A tunnel toll in some places is $16 each way, folks.)

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
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June 19, 2015 01:57AM
Also, honestly, a lot depends on how much I enjoy the shop. I used to love car shops but got tired of them quickly and rarely take them now. On the flip side I enjoy new home shops quite a bit. My profit goal on a week's worth of new home shops and a week's worth of new car shops would vary greatly.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
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June 19, 2015 01:58AM
Speaking of bridge tolls, I need to figure out how to pay my toll for going over the Golden Gate Bridge a few weeks ago.

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


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2015 01:58AM by bgriffin.
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June 19, 2015 05:36AM
If you didn'thave a transponder, you are going to be sent a bill for the toll based upon your license plate number (if it was rental car, the rental car company will track you down). Or you can pre-emptively pay them before they send you a bill. Here are the details (look at the last two options): [goldengate.org]

When I was out in California visiting friends 2 years ago, I stopped at Costco and bought a transponder. It was sold at a significant discount, and I still had it for later trips.
@bgriffin wrote:

Speaking of bridge tolls, I need to figure out how to pay my toll for going over the Golden Gate Bridge a few weeks ago.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
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June 19, 2015 05:51AM
Oh. Thanks for the info! Yeah, I have a transponder for most places I go (the windshield of my car is kind of hilarious looking). I don't know that I will need one again in CA for a very long time though so didn't buy one. I will before making another trip.

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