@LisaSTL wrote:

I don't understand the problem with this at all. As long as things like client imposed rotations are not be subverted, why should a scheduler consider anything except getting the shop done? When you hire plumbers do you call a different one every time to spread the wealth around or do you choose the one you know will do a good job?

@redvettemama wrote:

There are also schedulers who "favor" and schedule the same people over and over with no regard to the "other" shopper who may want to do that shop every other week.

I can't "LIKE" Lisa's post enough. So many shoppers (and some schedulers, too) seem to think the shops should be "spread around" to "give all the shoppers a chance," I think this viewpoint makes us look like school children or pets rather than professional ICs. Over the years, I've hired ICs to work on my house and yard - a LOT, because I live in a falling-down potting shed in an area of very nice, large, expensive houses. I tend to use the same contractors over and over. I like them, I trust them, I'm happy with their work. That's the point of selecting the right contractor to do the job, right? Why should I care if there are other contractors hanging around my area who would like a chance?

I negotiate for bonuses all the time. Usually by phone because they have called me but then I get the bonus offer in writing with a follow-up email. It has not failed me yet.[/quote]

Getting the bonus arrangement in writing is critical. I have been shafted more than once when either the scheduler was not authorized to offer a bonus or the company's internal communication was lacking. Trying to make this right after the shop is done is a losing proposition.

For me, I have lived in a metropolitan area, and now a more rural area. Prior to moving to this rural area, I could get an abundance of shops within a 15 mile radius of my home. Now I have to travel up to 50 miles or more to complete shops. I have completed, and will complete some of those shops that are out in the middle of no where, but I have to put a route together to make it worth my time. If the shops are lower paying, I definitely have to try to bundle as many shops as close to that area as possible. I have will wait until some shops have been bonused prior to completing them, before traveling many miles away. So I have seen both scenarios, and understand. I think it depends on personal preference on what shops each individual wants to complete. Definitely a challenging experience sometimes.

I dislike the way they "play" the shoppers they know will be there to schedule shops. I've seen shopper fees slide down constantly, but when I was shopping another state, and came back, the fees were at max.

I don't get high shopper fees when I do their work all the time; they just hold out and hold on, and it makes me sick that they want to nickel and dime the shoppers every single chance they can get, and then plaster on a ridiculous report that goes over the same information redundantly.

I can almost hear them bargaining their clients, making all kinds of promises that are going to be fulfilled by the mystery shoppers, while undercutting other MSCs.

Every experienced scheduler will tell you that they look for "go to" shoppers and will give them priority. Your goal is to become a "go to" shopper. You do this by being persistant in applying, even when you have yet to get the first shop, and doing outstanding work and maintaining a positive attitude when contacted for report updates. Add a sig line to all of your emails to schedulers and editors, reminding them of where you are and that you love last minute shops, for instance. Sign your correspondence with editors and schedulers by thanking them for their help and support (unless they have been truely nasty!). Stand up for your self in a positive manner, not by bashing someone else. (Ask to have a report reviewed for possible editor error, siting a firm basis for your request, instead of cursing out the editor.)Reach out to schedulers to let them know that you plan to travel along a particular route and ask if you can help them out with any assignments along the way that they are having trouble filling.

In other words, market yourself if you want to be a scheduler's first choice. Groveling is not required!

Some fine points often overlooked about city shoppers. Yes I live in a large city and yes there are many, many shops to choose from. Also yes, in my city my rent or mortgage for a modest living space is most likely higher than a similar space in your small town so if I did this full time, and I feel fortunate that I do not have to, I would have to do many more of the mostly non bonused shops available just to pay the rent.. Also yes I often have to pay for a meter if I shop an area I do not know and these are not reimbursed. Also yes I will have to drive from shop to shop to get them done. A one mile drive in the city with time to find parking sometimes blocks away, can take as much time as a 10-15 mile drive elsewhere and will also include people trying to bully you while driving. I am not saying that rural shopping is less difficult but looking at the number of shops available does not tell the entire picture.

@LisaSTL wrote:

I don't understand the problem with this at all. As long as things like client imposed rotations are not be subverted, why should a scheduler consider anything except getting the shop done? When you hire plumbers do you call a different one every time to spread the wealth around or do you choose the one you know will do a good job?

@redvettemama wrote:

There are also schedulers who "favor" and schedule the same people over and over with no regard to the "other" shopper who may want to do that shop every other week.

FEEL THE BEEEERN!

@sandyf wrote:

Also yes I often have to pay for a meter if I shop an area I do not know and these are not reimbursed.

I get my meters and parking lots reimbursed. If the meter is not the kind where you can pay by credit card and get a receipt, I take a picture of the meter after I put my money in so I have proof by the amount of time on the meter. Most parking lots give you receipts so I submit those with my report. Ideally, I pick up a parking lot or valet parking shop but that is not always possible.

Good idea about a picture of the meter.

I live in a small town in Kentucky and am spending the month of January in Gulf Shores Alabama. I was anxious to see if the opportunities were greater here. I have done several jobs and have12 to go but it appears to be about the same as in Kentucky for me as I only travel 30 miles unless I am going to do several or if I am going to be near my kids when visiting them.

I never thought about taking a photo of a cash-only parking meter. Great suggestion, Sybil!

I do not know beforehand what I will run into regarding parking meters and have often seen companies that say parking is not reimbursed. There is one msc in particular that specifically says it will not be reimbursed. I try to park away from meters and walk a block or two if that is feasible as they can be quite costly. Since I do not do this full time I just stay away from places that I know or suspect do not have free parking. It can be up to $10-15 an hour to park here in some locations. And because the jobs are sometimes snatched up quickly there is no time to make that query and still get the job. If I did this on a more regular basis I suppose I could check each company ahead of time for their policy. I suspect, like many airport shops, they hope they can find a shopper in walking distance or one who has parking in the local area and does not need to be reimbursed for it. The trend here seems to be that even some large shopping malls charge to park now and do not validate. And for one famous one I know that does validate, if you go during a busy time the validation time runs out by the time you circle up to the 10th floor of the lot, take an elevator and escalator down and make the return trip. No time at all to shop with those validations. I found that out one November when I did a restaurant shop in that mall. It took a half hour to get from ticket pull to mall. Then I had to wait for a table for a half hour or more and then the walk thru the crush of people back to the lot and upstairs and around and around behind all the cars getting out. I think the regular validation was for 90 minutes. I convinced the staff at the lot to give me the movie theater validation of 4 hours and never parked or ate there again. I certainly did not want to find out that my $2.50 for every 15 minutes over would not be reimbursed.

@sandyf wrote:

I do not know beforehand what I will run into regarding parking meters and have often seen companies that say parking is not reimbursed. There is one msc in particular that specifically says it will not be reimbursed.

Sounds like you are just looking for excuses. Where there is a will, there is a way. I travel a lot so I do not know what the parking situation will be unless I do the research ahead of time (which I do) or until I get there. There are ways around the no parking reimbursed "rule," You negotiate with the scheduler for a higher base fee to cover the parking expenses. I do it all the time. I'm sure other experienced shoppers do also. I have even called the scheduler from my car to inform them of the parking situation and ask for the expenses to be covered before starting the shop. They know I am already at the location and they want to get the shop performed so pay up they will.

You may have missed part of her post. Shops at the base rate are taken quickly in her area. Many shoppers in and around the area have reported the same thing over the years.

@LisaSTL, I am not sure if your last post was directed at me or not. If yes, I was only addressing the "no reimbursement rule." I have had my base fee adjusted even after the shop was already assigned to me. I have had my base fee adjusted even after the shop was already completed. The adjustments are usually related to unexpected tolls or parking fees. I was denied parking fees one time so I refused to ever take that shop again no matter how much the scheduler pleaded. I think they have since lost that client.

Yes it was directed at you. Accusing her of looking for excuses was harsh and unwarranted.

I don't need to look for excuses. I do not shop because I have to so there are no excuses necessary. If I do not want to chance a parking fee that will cut into my reimbursement or totally obliterate it and more I would not take the shop. As I said, if I did this more full time I would most likely check with each company about their blanket willingness to pay for parking ahead of time. Since I am able to just choose not to do a shop with an unknown that is what I would do. Asking for parking fees after accepting the shop and then cancelling the shop if not given to me would probably not sit well with the schedulers here where they have little problem finding shoppers willing to do everything.

@LisaSTL wrote:

Yes it was directed at you. Accusing her of looking for excuses was harsh and unwarranted.

Well, that is how I interpreted her post that went on for quite a while complaining about paid parking and the no reimbursement "rule." Several people made suggestions but she chose to continue complaining about the paid parking. To me, she was making excuses. That is my opinion. Just like you saying that my post was "harsh and unwarranted" is your opinion. This forum is full of opinions. Peace out.

Of course it is made up of opinions. My point was you tend to go harsh quickly and it isn't always necessary or deserved. There are exceptions and you won't hear (read) a peep out of me then.

I live in a rural area and I have not found it to be true that I am found more valuable when I tell them I won't drive 60 miles round trip to do a 15 dollar shop. I get told this is all I can offer at the moment, we will call you if things change, it is very frustrating, I have lost most of my income because of the golden arches and there are only so many jobs available here and there is some competition.

How many MSCs are you registered with right now? Did you actually tell the scheduler you just won't drive that far for the fee or did you try to negotiate including telling the scheduler you would look around to see if a route was possible?

@LisaSTL wrote:

Of course it is made up of opinions. My point was you tend to go harsh quickly and it isn't always necessary or deserved. There are exceptions and you won't hear (read) a peep out of me then.

Thank you for coming to my defense on this LisaSTL. In my opinion quickly responding with a negative post is not at all a peaceful response. So Peace out does seem to an oxymoron at the end of any sentence like that.

I love a good brouhaha and won't hesitate to call a troll a troll or a rant a rant. I am also guilty of being overly harsh at times when it was not deserved. It doesn't mean I can't strive to be better

Sybil,
I do think that your response about "looking for excuses," was hasty and unneccesarily harsh. You have made so many valuable contributions to the forums that I hope that you will reconsider both that comment and your reply to Lisa. Under the circumsatnaces even "Peace out," reads as harsh and appears to mean, "Get lost."

The are so many positive and neutral ways to encourage someone to rethink their concerns (like those about parking) and your command of the subleties of the language is such that I am sure that you can find a way to be constructive.

Rural shopper here. I ms on a part-time basis and am satisfied with my small ms income.

For me, some shops are so easy and quick that they are like paid breaks from other jobs. Other shoppers might argue on principal, parking & toll, or paucity that these "paid breaks" are underpaid shops and that I should charge more for them.

However, some other shops must be bonused and/or bundled.

It's all good.
For ant who struggle: Good luck! You will find your flow. Can you get to the job boards or job emails a little sooner or more often than you have been in the past? This may give you a chance to apply for unbonused shops and become known for your great work. This could lead to more of what you seek. Sometimes, jobs come back to the boards with bonuses. This may be a chance to get a previously unvailable shop.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2016 12:22PM by Shop-et-al.

@Kristie6923 wrote:

I would like to do more shops but basically accept everything available in my area that pays decent. I'm wondering how far others drive? I do watch shops available in cities nearby to see if I can make it worth my while to drive out of town but have yet to do so. I have been shopping since October and regularly sign up with new MSCs.

Without knowing your availability your question would be difficult to answer. Perhaps you have children and need to meet the school bus and are prevented from going to where the action is.

I did a 100 mile route skipping from shop to shop like one would cross a brook by skipping from stone to stone. without getting their feet wet. Sometimes you would bid for a shop and not be accepted and fall in the water. If you asked each scheduler for expenses you may get it.

The scheduler does not know what other shops you have. Treat (negotiate) each shop individually. Ask for mileage expenses.from each long distant shop. All they can say is "no", in which case you ask, "how much will you pay for me to go to the boondocks with no other shops around to help me get there?".

If they are desperate or reasonable they may pay. If they are looking for you to a take money out of your pocket to pay expenses a client should pay shame on them. If you take the shop and loose money, shame on you! You are not an entrepreneur. You must know your value to the client. Local shops can be done by anyone. When you get out in the boondocks where wealthy people go to live it is not likely those wealthy people will mystery shop. We have many counties like that in our state.Banks want shoppers but their clients are wealthy and will not shop, bad for the banks, good for the shoppers.

I see that the Sensitivity Police are knocking once again. Some forum members seem to have way too much free time on their hands. Or maybe they like to psychoanalyze others to make themselves feel better about things missing in their lives. Frankly, I do not have the time. So you can take "Peace Out" any which way you like. I guess it gives you something to talk about. I also have no desire to be subtle. I say it like I see it. Yes, it is my opinion. Do we still have Freedom of Speech in this country? War In.

@Piled Hip Deep wrote:

When you get out in the boondocks where wealthy people go to live it is not likely those wealthy people will mystery shop. We have many counties like that in our state.Banks want shoppers but their clients are wealthy and will not shop, bad for the banks, good for the shoppers.

The boondocks are where wealthy people go to live? Wow, that's news to me. I did not know that Manhattan, Star Island or Beverly Hills were considered the boondocks. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Yup, freedom of speech is still valid as is the freedom to be a jackass and the freedom to tell someone when they are being a jackass.