I honestly think it's a new scheduler trying to assign the fast-fired pizza place. Does she not understand that we have to take and submit photos and a report of this "free" pizza? There is no fee associated with the report, as this MSC is famous for. Don't get me wrong, I like the MSC in question, but they usually offer no fee for their shops. The majority are reimbursement only.

But I really dislike "Free Pizza" email subjects when it's anything but free. My time is worth more than a pizza.

The last e-mail I received was with the other scheduler which was about two days ago and it didn't have Free Pizza in the subject. I wonder if they changed schedulers?


Why are theses shops reimbursement only?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2016 02:38AM by Isaiah4031a.

Client choice. Some are willing to pay us more than others.

@Isaiah4031a wrote:

Why are theses shops reimbursement only?

Because shoppers are willing to do the job for a pizza and a side salad. Or two small pizzas (separate receipts).

Personally, I'll make a sandwich at home if I'm not getting paid. I wish that they would just put $5 on each of these and quit all of the nonsense. If they get 25% done with no fee, 50% done for $5 and 25% done for $10, why not make them all $5. Sheesh. So dumb.

They're having a REALLY tough time filling these in my area, even with a $5 or $10 bonus.

I won't do the botox pizza place without at least $8+ bonus. Not worth it to work for free. The picture taking and report itself says I need some money for my time.

They fill up pretty quickly in my area as reimbursement only. I did my first one, in a nearby city I just happened to be in, last night and it had a $5 bonus. It wasn't too bad, but I like the pizza. I would do it as reimbursement only if it was the delivery one and near my house. They fill up in minutes in my area though. It's one of the hardest shops to get here.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2016 02:26PM by hous.

SunnyDays, I don't think it's the botox pizza place as he said it is the fast fired one. This is the one that has lots of toppings to choose from and is put in the oven in front of you and is done in about 4 minutes. It is typically reimbursement only but will add bonuses when they get short on time toward the end of the month.

Technically it is a FREE pizza. You initially pay for the pizza but if you do your job properly, you will be reimbursed for the pizza. If you pay for said pizza with a credit card, you can earn reward points which eventually can become actual cash. So technically you are earning something for your effort.

Sounds like it's A Closer Look. I've seen these stagnate on the boards and I refuse to do them for reimbursement-only.

I just did one last month. I had refused to complete one up to that point, but it was finally bonused, a whole 5 dollars! But that was the very first bonus I have seen. There is only 1 location around here. It is shopped weekly, it seems. Lunch, Dinner and Web/Pick-Up Shops. No delivery shops for this one. They go pretty quickly around here. Now I know why --- Great Pizza!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2016 04:01PM by Lady Marius.

The one in my area sits for a while and after a while it's bonus. My sons loves it. However I have only done two of them

I did one of them with the pizza and the sides. I liked the pizza mostly but there were things about it that were not mentioned on the website (spicy sausage) and the side salad was a personal salad size for way too much money. First time I ever had their pizza, that was why I tried it.

I've done a few for A Closer Look. I'm happy to do so when the reimbursement is over $100.00 and I have time. The scheduler, Sandra Stanley, is a pleasure to work with - professional yet personable, and very responsive and flexible with scheduling dates. Significantly easier than doing a Bar/Dinner evaluation for Coyle, but, then again, it ain't the Four Seasons.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2016 10:09AM by Professional Guest.

So, using your rationale, I get FREE MONEY at my day job because I perform my assigned duties correctly. Is that correct?

@Sybil2 wrote:

Technically it is a FREE pizza. You initially pay for the pizza but if you do your job properly, you will be reimbursed for the pizza. If you pay for said pizza with a credit card, you can earn reward points which eventually can become actual cash. So technically you are earning something for your effort.

I have four teenage grandchildren. Three of them are boys. They love it when I have a pizza shop. Its worth it to me even without a bonus which I usually get.

I thought it was just my area that had a hard time filling these shops. I live in Pizza Heaven here and there is really no reason for any national chain to exist because we have such good pizza places. It just sounds like a hassle to me and I've been getting emails, and today even a text!

For those of you not responding about the fast fired pizza job with lots of topping choices, just know this job requires narrative. It is more like a regular restaurant report than the usual fast food report requiring no narrative or a statement of a few words. I do these frequently because I love the pizza. This report takes me almost as much time as a Chipotle report if you are familiar with those. Lately I have been holding out for the small bonus. My two locations both seem to not have enough shoppers as they do them multiple times a month but other locations in my city get snapped up.
I would not mind doing them without the bonus if they allowed 2 pizzas when I go alone and upped the reimbursement to cover that. I got the big salad last time and It was so not worth it but I wanted to spend the limit since the report takes a long time. If I could spend the rest of my reimbursement on a 2nd pizza I would be much happier.

@Joytron wrote:

So, using your rationale, I get FREE MONEY at my day job because I perform my assigned duties correctly. Is that correct?

You can not compare a full-time job with a guaranteed paycheck, health benefits, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid personal days and paid holidays with an independent contractor single shop where your payment is a free pizza. I would recommend that you do not quit your day job!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2016 03:49AM by Sybil2.

See below

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2016 03:48AM by Sybil2.

Free means without cost or payment. Barter is an exchange of good or services. What the scheduler is offering is not a "free" pizza.

The difficulty I've found with the fast fired pizza shops is the timing along with the names. I've had the weirdest experiences happen.

I run a voice recorder from the moment I step in line until the moment I hear my name called. Then I just listen for the cues for each step to get the timings. Easy as (pizza) pie.

In general, I do not understand why shoppers get so annoyed, angry, etc. with reimbursement only shops. Since we are ICs, we have the right to just say no. If you do not want to do a reimbursement only shop, do not accept the job and just delete the email. Problem solved.

In general, I do not understand why some forum members are so disagreeable.

@Sybil2 wrote:

In general, I do not understand why shoppers get so annoyed, angry, etc. with reimbursement only shops. Since we are ICs, we have the right to just say no. If you do not want to do a reimbursement only shop, do not accept the job and just delete the email. Problem solved.

Agreed, Joytron. Agreed.

@Joytron wrote:

In general, I do not understand why some forum members are so disagreeable.

@Sybil2 wrote:

In general, I do not understand why shoppers get so annoyed, angry, etc. with reimbursement only shops. Since we are ICs, we have the right to just say no. If you do not want to do a reimbursement only shop, do not accept the job and just delete the email. Problem solved.

I personally enjoy it when they advertise the food as something like HOT AND FRESH. I don't know if I have seen that on this one but I have seen it on food and coffee ones. I always want to add... I HOPE! OR I WILL HAVE TO EXPLAIN ALL MY "NO" ANSWERS!

The point of this thread is not annoyance with the concept of a reimbursement only shop. It is the misconception the MSC is somehow giving us something or doing us a favor. We are supposed to be excited to have them pay for a meal, often with restrictive ordering requirements, and take an hour or more to write a detailed report. I'm sure devaluing the shopper feedback works well for them. It doesn't for me.

@Sybil2 wrote:

In general, I do not understand why shoppers get so annoyed, angry, etc. with reimbursement only shops.

As both a shopper and a scheduler I would like to share:

As a shopper I have done this "fired pizza" many times. Last year my husband shattered his ankle, had to have 2 surgeries and on top of that he was "down-sized"(75-95% of the people he worked with were "down-sized". At the time one of our daughters and 2 grandsons lived with us. The "fired pizza" shop was a welcomed shop in our home. It meant my husband and I could go on a monthly date(when rotation was 1 month). To most shoppers, a 23 mile, 35 minute trip(if the traffic wasn't too bad) to a shop with a Max. reimbursement of $18 may not seem "worth it" but for us, it meant we could have our date and not "break the bank". After 32+ years of marriage we still enjoy our dates. This was time that we could spend together, just the 2 of us. Many might complain about "it's only a reimbursement" to us it was/is a "date" we look forward to. I knew/know when I was/am eligible to shop here again. This is how I began thinking of becoming a scheduler.(My scheduler Charlotte Cawthon,(who is absolutely AWESOME!!!) suggested I check into scheduling, as I knew when my rotation was). Are the reports long? Yes, but then again, I have some shops that are super easy to input. In the end it seems to balance out AND I am free to choose OR refuse ANY shop!

This brings me to the scheduler side:

As a fairly new scheduler(Sept. 2015) I am still learning. What I can tell you about being a scheduler is:

For me it is a chance for to help my shoppers to find, understand and do the best shop/report that they can. Whether it is an $18 reimbursement or an $100 reimbursement shop I treat ALL of my shoppers the way I would want to be treated. To me and the other schedulers, ALL of our shops are highly important and the reports our shoppers submit are valuable. I work just as hard to fill an $100 shop as I do to fill an $18 shop. Each shop I have as a scheduler is important to me. Are some shops harder to fill than others? Yes, but what "job" doesn't have it's challenges? As a scheduler, I want to do my best and I can not do that without my wonderful shoppers! I appreciate each of my shoppers, I have made friends with some. I am friendly and outgoing and I care about my shoppers and what is going on in their lives. I would like to think my shoppers look forward to hearing from me and do not think "I dang, "another email about shop XYZ". I take time to listen to my shoppers whether thru text, email or a phone call and they know when I ask about their day I am sincere.

So, that is a little bit about me as a shopper and a scheduler.

I do have a parting example I would like to share:

My husband and I were just discussing this the other day. It pertains to reimbursement vs being paid a "fee" for a shop.

We have done shops for 123 company for a "wings chain" and have seen company XXX offer another "wings chain"

A brief comparison:

Company 123 pays a shoppers fee of $5 plus max reimbursement of $20 for dinner.
Company XXX has a max reimbursement of $25 for dinner.

Please explain to me why one would be preferred over the other....They both pay the same! The only difference is in the wording and how it is presented.

Thank you for allowing me to share.
littless2

@littless2 wrote:

Company 123 pays a shoppers fee of $5 plus max reimbursement of $20 for dinner.
Company XXX has a max reimbursement of $25 for dinner.

Please explain to me why one would be preferred over the other....They both pay the same! The only difference is in the wording and how it is presented.

If you have to bring a second guest, and you both have to order food/beverages, then both are equal, since you are going to be spending at least $25 to satisfy the ordering requirements.

However, if you dine alone (which I think I have seen usually allowed for a company that sells lots of poultry parts), and the ordering requirements allow you to select items which total up under $20, then you are guaranteed a $5 fee plus a reimbursed meal with Company 123. But with Company XXX, you only get a reimbursed meal, with no additional fee.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2016 06:34PM by STL_shopper.