Chrome times out, too. I'm taking that as a sign I need to step away from the computer.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

hmmm...try Google Chrome? Firefox isn't working WELL for me but I am having some progress, by clicking on apply, getting an error message, clicking on home, then clicking on open opportunities, rinse and repeat. It's not ideal but oh well. I hope they get the bugs ironed out quickly.

I am also a little nervous about not being able to self-assign. I really liked the other MSCs that allowed that, since I could make sure my shops were grouped together by location. I would hate it if they assign one in the South part of town, then another over on the West side, etc. instead of giving me 4 in each section of town...it's easy to find stuff to do in the 35 minutes in between two locations that aren't far from each other and save on gas.

This is the actual message....leave it be for a while because the more people "hitting it" will just further slow it down. These assignments aren't going anywhere....chill out!!!!

Application Failure

An application error occurred. A detailed error log is currently being sent to our support team for diagnostics. Please, verify your data entry and retry in a few moments.

We apologize for this inconvenience.

Yes, Brian, the assignments are not going anywhere...for right now. But with most MSCs it's a matter of first shopper applied is the first chosen. I have to get up and go to class all day tomorrow and won't have time to apply for the shops until tomorrow late afternoon, so I need to get my apps in now if I want to get any of the shops. And I've got 8 applications in so far so I will do a few more and go to bed.

82 questions.....don't know which scenario I am applying for....hope it's not "C". A leap of faith here!

I would bet it's probably Ready Post. I believe that they will be sending boxes for the other scenarios, so that would be the only scenario where they could launch it this fast and get shops done this month, since we will be purchasing the Ready Post package ourselves...but just a guess, I could be wrong.

@Summit Scheduling wrote:

Just to clarify, this isn't a "new" MSC, it is the same company that has had the contract all along, they just subcontracted it before and now are not. There were always dimensional weight shops where the boxes were sent ahead of time, but they are a small percentage of the shops and none will be done this quarter.

@myst4au wrote:

Actually, this includes a significant piece of new information. Apparently, the "new" MSC will be reverting to the practice of sending boxes to shoppers in advance (I am thinking this refers to Scenario C) rather than having us buy boxes and then fill them with food for the food banks the way the "current" MSC has required. I was not doing these with the old MSC (meaning prior to the current MSC) which I understand also shipped boxes in advance, so I don't know if that practice will make it harder or easier for me.

@Summit Scheduling wrote:

This is all of the information I have about the scenarios at this point: I know that we have the whole project. I know that the shops for the coming quarter are NOT the ones where we will send boxes to shoppers ahead of time. And I know that for the scenario this quarter, the form is supposed to be reduced by 20% in length but the shopper pay should not be impacted. Not very concrete details but that's all I have right now.

What Scenario is this for? There is no info on it.
Also, there no specific location just the zip code. (There are 3 post offices located in the zip code I applied for -- how can I know which one it is?)
I also dislike that we cannot self-assign (as per the previous MSC). It makes things SO much easier and straightforward.
Can these things be changed?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2015 05:36AM by pmpst8.

I received an e-mail from the scheduler for my state saying that the site was having technical difficulty due to the high activity level, as suspected. Another part of the e-mail says, "No need to worry about missing out on a shop! We're pre-recruiting right now, to see where we need additional shoppers. You'll also notice that the guidelines aren't attached to the survey yet. These things will be happening over the next few days, and as we get closer to our launch date of the 19th." Hope this helps! I only got in two applications before mine crashed. :-/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2015 03:15AM by RedRose22.

And I wholeheartedly agree about the lack of self-assign. I hope that changes in future rounds.

I was not able to self-assign with the former-MSC until they started to get worried at the end of a month or quarter. Even then, I found that they ability to self-assign varied from one postal district to another (different schedulers). For those of you who seem concerned that the current offering might be only Scenario B (I have no idea how you could tell because I couldn't see anything that told me anything about the scenario), the now former MSC generally had only a single scenario each month. They rotated from month to month. Sometimes some odd-balls or left-overs would creep in.

I managed to request 14 in locations I have done before, figuring that they could not be much different than previously.

All the shops seem to be seeing where they have shoppers with interest and where they don't. As only the city was listed and no sited details including address. I think they will reappear with details including address and scenario when we get closer or maybe seperate lists to those who applied what ones do you want.

Hi all, yes this is correct. We have been asked to put something out there to gauge where we have holes in coverage. Also in regard to self assign, we really can't effectively use that until shoppers have some history on the site. Self assign is usually set up with filters so that shoppers can only self assign if they have X and X in their history, and we can't do that yet. But this is absolutely not true from above: But with most MSCs it's a matter of first shopper applied is the first chosen.

But when you say holes, can you clarify? I am applying for New York, NY shops and Long Island City, NY shops.

I might be willing to do shops in Bronx, NY or Brooklyn, NY with the right route (i.e. along the same subway line or with a late-night post office - i.e. GPO in the Bronx), but I won't know that until I see the hours of the post office and the train line to which they're proximate.

Also, I would be able to do less Bronx and Brooklyn shops per day than I would New York, NY shops, since I have to pick up a child at 3:15 on weekdays, and getting from a Brooklyn, NY or Bronx, NY post office is a longer distance than a New York, NY post office in relation to her school.

Should I still sign up for the other two boroughs to help you know what's covered, or not assign knowing that I could get four shops for post offices that can't start until 10:35AM/are 30 minutes apart/are in the outer regions of the train system, but which are due on the same day?

The reason I said scenario B is that scenario C would require a greater reimbursement than $8.55 for priority - the Scenario C boxes usually go for $20-$30 per box - whereas Priority envelopes of the same weight are usually ~$7.55 for me. It could be a Scenario A, too, but it is not a Scenario C.

I'll know more after a call we are having this afternoon. We are not worried about having coverage in major cities, it's more the middle of nowhere places.

I applied for two that I used to do in OH. Want to see how that works before I expand. I have to do my shopping before work so I do my reports right after the shop.

@Summit Scheduling wrote:

I'll know more after a call we are having this afternoon. We are not worried about having coverage in major cities, it's more the middle of nowhere places.

With a self-assign option, some of us that travel will pick those locations in BFE for you. I routinely do around 20 locations (within 12 miles of my house) but I have done this shop in 15 states (or more) during my travels. Just because I'm in CA, it doesn't mean I won't pick up a job in NY, FL, WA, OH

Well, I'm one of your "out in the middle of nowhere" shoppers. The closest PO to me is 60 miles one way. Next is 88 -- in a different direction, so no route possible. I haven't applied, because the thought of being assigned at the $12 base rate terrifies me. And I didn't find my state (Nebraska) listed under any of the schedulers!

Like SoCalMama, I also do routes and pick up different locations in different months/rounds, depending on what is still available or what is on my way that day, although of course I do the ones closest to me pretty much every round unless someone beats me to them. So far, I have only picked the locations closest to me so that I can test out any new requirements in the new guidelines before I pick up the ones that are farther out or that I don't visit as often. And self-assign is definitely more convenient, especially for routes.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2015 07:14PM by RedRose22.

Yes, I need to have all 4 shops for a day to be in the same area and not spread across a span of 20 or 30 miles, that way I can pick up other shops in between that are in the same area and not have to drive very far for that day.

Just a thought, a lot of the posts on this thread are getting pretty far off topic, and probably burying the actual updates I am trying to put on here. Should I move updates to another thread?

Here is today's update.
- We just got off our call and improvements will be made to the posted shops, more info on them and all that.

- In addition to the 7720 regular shops we will be doing, I was just alerted that we WILL be doing the dimensional weight and another called hazmat scenarios this quarter, but only at 1100 locations. These will be additional shops at 1100 of the 7720 locations and the same shopper CAN do both as long as there are 5 days in between. The 21 day in between the same shops at the location still stands, this is only 5 days because they are different scenarios. I do not have the location list yet for the 1100.

- As far as applying for shops when you can't do them at the posted rate, please do not. It's our responsibility to fill them at the normal rate if we can, and if we can't then we will look at offering additional funds, but it only makes things more difficult for the schedulers if you apply but aren't applying for what is posted.

- We still won't be assigning these until closer to time, the "back end" isn't ready for shopper eyes yet - the form, guidelines, etc. It's going through final tweaking and rest assured we are chomping at the bit to get in there and start assigning.

Hope this helps.

Why do I see no shops within 90 miles of Washington DC?

They show up for me, I clicked on "Open Opportunities" in the upper left, then searched around zip code 20004 and they show up for me. Look for the line that looks like this to put in your zip code, although it should auto populate your current one. You may have to scroll down on the page you get when you log in to see this.
[imgur.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2015 09:05PM by Summit Scheduling.

I commend Summit Scheduling for keeping up with this thread and posting updates. I agree that the updates are getting buried in all the "which scheduler is covering so-and-so area" questions.

Is it true that these shops are only paying $12.00 for a report with 83 questions on it? If so, you shoppers can battle it out for locations. I need quite a bit more money to stand in line at the post office. Never mind trying to avoid being hit by a car as old people confuse backing out of a parking space and crash through the front entrance.

Would be nice to know what type of scenario we are applying..... that "C" one is a lot of money.... ahead of time

Well, it looks to me like they are paying MORE than the 'other' company....even if we do not yet know which scenario they are using (excluding DIM) (and excluding bonuses). I'm quite happy about it, and really impressed with how Summit is keeping in such awesome contact with us, their shoppers!

I'm trying to keep up with this thread, but it's a little overwhelming! Do I understand that I should check off the locations that I can shop, but that these are not actual assignments yet? This is a way of judging shopper availability within these areas?

I am in a small metro area, and there are a lot of post offices that I can, in theory, shop. Probably close to a dozen, but I always try to do the ones closest to me, or the ones for which I know I'll be in their general area. I don't want to check off 10 locations for this October round, and be assigned to all of them! LOL. I do like them, but I don't want to do a lot of them in any one month.

@Sybil2 wrote:

I commend Summit Scheduling for keeping up with this thread and posting updates. I agree that the updates are getting buried in all the "which scheduler is covering so-and-so area" questions.

Is it true that these shops are only paying $12.00 for a report with 83 questions on it? If so, you shoppers can battle it out for locations. I need quite a bit more money to stand in line at the post office. Never mind trying to avoid being hit by a car as old people confuse backing out of a parking space and crash through the front entrance.

I double-dip with eBay sales. I charge a flat rate to ship, then use a shop to ship to the buyer. It's pretty lucrative.

I dunno, the old msc had over 30 "questions" but well over 80 things to input. I'll withhold judgement on the report till I see it.

@Sybil2 wrote:

Is it true that these shops are only paying $12.00 for a report with 83 questions on it? If so, you shoppers can battle it out for locations. I need quite a bit more money to stand in line at the post office. Never mind trying to avoid being hit by a car as old people confuse backing out of a parking space and crash through the front entrance.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2015 11:57PM by onepotatotwo.