Do you request bonuses from the schedulers?

There seems to be an abundance of shops in my area. I'm fairly new to this in the past six months, doing just high-end restaurants for a couple of different MSC's. Do you normally ask for a bonus for a shop or wait until the scheduler reaches out to you? Would appreciate any guidelines especially for companies that are just giving reimbursements. All of your information here is so helpful, thanks!

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There are several discussions on bonuses on this forum. Use the search option above to look for threads with the word bonus. Most bonuses are offered close to the client's deadline. This is usually the end of the month or quarter, but not all the time. There are many variables and each msc and client is different.

I rarely do a shop without a bonus. I'd rather stay home than spend time doing shops at the offered fee. I also live in an area with few shoppers and have the ability to travel for better fees.

If you live in say Dallas and refuse to drive outside the loop, you are not going to ever get a bonus on anything.

Location is even more important than company or client or scheduler when it comes to bonuses.

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

It's never wrong to ask for a bonus. The worst they can say is no!

On Tuesday I had a day trip to an outer island for a meeting for my day job. My company booked me a later return flight than I preferred to save $100 so I started looking for shop opportunities to fill a bit of time. I came across an email for a couple retail shops on that island that were regularly $30 but bonused to $60. Having seen this bonus progressively increase I decided to contact the scheduler, let them know I lived on another island but would be willing to do the shops for $120 each. One day later I was assigned both shops. I also contacted a scheduler at another MSC because I had been given $200+ bonuses to do their home improvement shops on that island on several occasions. When I requested a bonus to take on that shop I was given a quick "No", but I thanked them and was on my way. I also reached out to a third MSC about an airport shop but didn't hear back. So I was 1 for 3 in my requests for that day but it gave me $240 for a couple hours of work.

All that said, these were all companies I had a good relationship with. It helps to feel them out to get a sense for how willing each will be to give bonuses for certain jobs and locations.

Yes. There are multiple ways to negotiate this as well, whether it's justifying by breaking the shopper rotations for them, taking on multiple locations, etc. The worst they can say is no. The schedulers have some power to give out the extra money to the shoppers they like and can rely on.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

If they reach out to me personally, I do ask and most of the time I receive it. If it's something I've seen on the board awhile, not yet bonused, but far from me, I still will ask and the bonus given is usually larger than the usual starting bonus you would see. It's always worth a shot as long as you ask nicely and are willing to accept either answer. Good luck!

Doing what I can to enhance the life of my family! I LOVE what I do

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2015 02:14AM by ShopSouthTexas.

I ask for travel or bonus if outside of my area or if they have a lot of narrative or a bunch of pictures. I refuse to do shops for $5 pay that are long on either of these.

If there's a shop that I know is historically difficult to fill, I'll email the scheduler early in the month with the amount of bonus it will take for me to go (usually a large one.) They are sometimes able to find someone less expensive, but not always. There is one location about an hour from me that regularly sees large bonuses. I have three schedulers who keep me in reserve for the end of the month. For one of them, I'll pick up her shop with no extra pay if one of the others is paying me to go. She's one of the few schedulers who actually remembers that they owe you...

When I'm offered a bonus, I try to negotiate a better one. Sometimes it works, but I try not to be greedy and help them out as much as I can. Being reliable is my best defense.

I try to help them out also. If I get a bonus that is big enough to cover travel to a certain area then I try to take on the rest in that area for the normal pay. That is if it was a reasonable pay to begin with. I do not mind picking up a $5 shop, if it has virtually no narrative and 1 or 2 pictures. I get really aggravated when you sign up for a $7 shop and find out they want narratives in paragraphs for every no answer. For that price, you might get 1 sentence for every no answer. I have found a bank shop that I absolutely love. There is hardly any narrative unless it is a no answer and the pay is better than some I have seen with longer narrative requirements.

I always ask for a bonus and if they say no then come back to be a few days later offering me the shop with the original bonus i asked for, I say no and now request a higher bonus. Since they are coming back to me now I know they don't have anyone else and/or that person who said yes for less flaked.

= + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = +
There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots
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When you try to please everybody, you end up pleasing nobody

I have to say there are some shoppers that have never completed an assignment for me and ask for a bonus every.single.time they email me. It is a huge turn off, for me personally, when they do that EVERY time.
,
I get a set amount of $ a month for bonuses (some months, I am given no bonus money) so I have to delegate it out. I cannot give, most shoppers what they want, unless they are only requesting a small bonus. The shoppers that email me for bonuses every time they email, are asking for $20 and $30 bonuses each time. I just don't have the funds for that.

What I WILL do when trying to get a shop completed, if it's a shopper that is good to ME (helps me out in a bind), I have offered them a bonus "just because" (when I am able) even though it's not a hard to fill one. Or if I reach out to a shopper and they respond back asking for a bonus (small one) I can try to do that too. Scratching each others backs does help!

Deva Roberts
Director of Operations
shoppers@acemysteryshopping.com
ACE Mystery Shopping
[ace.shopmetrics.com]
[acemysteryshopping.com]

@SchedulerDeva wrote:

I have to say there are some shoppers that have never completed an assignment for me and ask for a bonus every.single.time they email me. It is a huge turn off, for me personally, when they do that EVERY time.
,
I get a set amount of $ a month for bonuses (some months, I am given no bonus money) so I have to delegate it out. I cannot give, most shoppers what they want, unless they are only requesting a small bonus. The shoppers that email me for bonuses every time they email, are asking for $20 and $30 bonuses each time. I just don't have the funds for that.

What I WILL do when trying to get a shop completed, if it's a shopper that is good to ME (helps me out in a bind), I have offered them a bonus "just because" (when I am able) even though it's not a hard to fill one. Or if I reach out to a shopper and they respond back asking for a bonus (small one) I can try to do that too. Scratching each others backs does help!

I appreciate hearing from a scheduler on this. And I completely understand what you are saying. For every bonus I get (which are mostly for traveling long distances) I have usually completed at least several, if not many, shops at base rate. I feel like an MSC or scheduler should have some idea what they are getting before they agree to pay me the big bucks.

Personally I don't see the problem with asking for a bonus every single time. At the same time, I'm not picking up retail shops at my local mall. I solve problems. Solving problems is expensive.

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

I ask for bonuses and usually I try to cover my gas expenses and enough to make $7 an hour at least, not including reimbursements. Because reimbursements do not pay my bills. A good example of a goof up on my part was that I asked a scheduler to bonus me $20 to complete two shops today. (I thought they were closer than what they were, in distance.) Anyways, I had to spend an hour at each shop for $18 regular pay. I drove 1 hour to the first one and another hour to the second one. lol. And then an hour and a half home for $56. Well, I used 3/4 of a tank of gas, which in my vehicle is about $40. So for six and half hours work. I got paid $16. lol. I will not be doing that again, unless it is a bigger bonus. Here is a few things that companies are forgetting to factor in: printer ink, gas, internet, phone, and time. By the time I factor all this in $7 pay and a $7 reimbursement for food, does not cover printer ink, gas (even for local jobs), and time. I do my work and try my best to do it well. But I also expect to be compensated enough to meet at least minimum wage hours.

i agree with bgriffin on this one. Nothing wrong with asking for a bonus every time. I think the difference between bgriffin, myself and some other shoppers is that both of us would just as easily stay home then do a shop for less money than we feel it's worth. With that said, more often than not I'm am turning down shop offers. When schedulers know you are reliable the smarter ones will pay a premium to ensure they make their deadline rather than worry if another shopper is going to flake.

@techman01 wrote:

I think the difference between bgriffin, myself and some other shoppers is that both of us would just as easily stay home then do a shop for less money than we feel it's worth.

Absolutely and yet I stay way busier than I would like most of the time.

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

I used to ask for bonuses more often than I do now. These days, my regular schedulers and MSCs call me with the bonus money already in hand. I have trained them well over the years.

But I have also helped them out in the past, built relationships with schedulers and editors and I have a solid track record with the MSCs. I find that when I am working with new schedulers but for a MSC that I have been working with for a long time, the new scheduler is already aware of my track record so they do not mess around with me.

I have to turn down work like bgriffin and techman; there are just not enough hours in the day. I can guarantee that I have a completely type of MS job schedule than they do. We do what works for us.

Knowing your market, competition, and undesirable (hard to fill) locations, help the shopper with perspective. Timing is everything. Watch the boards, and when all stars align, if I'm available, and the MSC hasn't called, I contact them.

@Sybil2 wrote:

I used to ask for bonuses more often than I do now. These days, my regular schedulers and MSCs call me with the bonus money already in hand. I have trained them well over the years.

But I have also helped them out in the past, built relationships with schedulers and editors and I have a solid track record with the MSCs. I find that when I am working with new schedulers but for a MSC that I have been working with for a long time, the new scheduler is already aware of my track record so they do not mess around with me.

I have to turn down work like bgriffin and techman; there are just not enough hours in the day. I can guarantee that I have a completely type of MS job schedule than they do. We do what works for us.

This is the currency I am building and I am already turning down work as well. But when the MSC's that give me big bonuses call and ask me to do a local shop for base pay, I do it with no argument. Their wish is my command LOL.

That's employee and not business owner mentality.

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

@bgriffin wrote:

That's employee and not business owner mentality.

Thats your opinion. I am a new shopper, not someone who knows all the ropes with relationships going back decades with schedulers and MSC's. I see nothing wrong with a little mutual back scratching. They occasionally jump when I say bonus, as well. But I am demonstrating that they can count on me. And they can.

It has nothing to do with being a new shopper or having relationships and it is not opinion anymore than the earth being round is an opinion. Shoppers who have an employee mentality tend to not do as well and not be as satisfied as shoppers who have a business owner mentality. Doing local shops at base pay if they fit your profit profile or it's a shop you find particularly fun is great. Doing it because you think you have to will get you a reputation of being a pushover who will work cheap. Sure there are some companies who might reward you with an occasional bonus shop, but there are more who will take advantage of you. The number of companies who will say OMG I won't let CQ do that super bonused FF shop 50 miles away because she won't do the base pay one 5 miles away and I'd rather just let it go overdue is equal to exactly 0.

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

@bgriffin wrote:

It has nothing to do with being a new shopper or having relationships and it is not opinion anymore than the earth being round is an opinion. Shoppers who have an employee mentality tend to not do as well and not be as satisfied as shoppers who have a business owner mentality. Doing local shops at base pay if they fit your profit profile or it's a shop you find particularly fun is great. Doing it because you think you have to will get you a reputation of being a pushover who will work cheap. Sure there are some companies who might reward you with an occasional bonus shop, but there are more who will take advantage of you. The number of companies who will say OMG I won't let CQ do that super bonused FF shop 50 miles away because she won't do the base pay one 5 miles away and I'd rather just let it go overdue is equal to exactly 0.

Your making a lot of assumptions about me that just aren't so. I don't have an employee mentality. I was always a terrible employee. These particular shops are the filler shops that I do most. Sometimes I ignore them in favor of better paying shops but if I'm called and asked to do one, I see nothing wrong with fitting it in. I can practically do them in my sleep. I don't get "rewarded" I get paid well for doing a great job of shops that are near the deadline and more than 50 miles away.
The way I see it, the MSC is my client. And as a small business, I like to keep my clients happy if I can do so with little trouble to me.
I don't think I have to, I do it because I want to. I say no enough to know that I'm no pushover.

Anyway, your a little cranky tonight.

@saacman5033 wrote:

It's never wrong to ask for a bonus. The worst they can say is no!

On Tuesday I had a day trip to an outer island for a meeting for my day job. My company booked me a later return flight than I preferred to save $100 so I started looking for shop opportunities to fill a bit of time. I came across an email for a couple retail shops on that island that were regularly $30 but bonused to $60. Having seen this bonus progressively increase I decided to contact the scheduler, let them know I lived on another island but would be willing to do the shops for $120 each. One day later I was assigned both shops. I also contacted a scheduler at another MSC because I had been given $200+ bonuses to do their home improvement shops on that island on several occasions. When I requested a bonus to take on that shop I was given a quick "No", but I thanked them and was on my way. I also reached out to a third MSC about an airport shop but didn't hear back. So I was 1 for 3 in my requests for that day but it gave me $240 for a couple hours of work.

All that said, these were all companies I had a good relationship with. It helps to feel them out to get a sense for how willing each will be to give bonuses for certain jobs and locations.

I live in Phoenix. We don't have any islands. Lol. Can I borrow some of yours?

Today I Will Choose Joy!

"Finally, whatever things are good, true, noble, lovely, of good report...if there be any virtue, if there be any praise...think on these things." ....It's a command, not a suggestion!

The phrase "Their wish is my command!" did not give the impression that your last post did. It gave the opposite impression.

Also I'm always cranky. SRH and all that.

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

@bgriffin wrote:

The phrase "Their wish is my command!" did not give the impression that your last post did. It gave the opposite impression.

Also I'm always cranky. SRH and all that.

Well yes, that may have been a bad choice of words. I was laughing as i typed it. My sense of humor doesn't usually translate onto print very well.

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