$4 MF Grocery Store Shop....

And you must purchase a minimum of $5 or your shop will be invalid. And the reimbursement is $5. And you must spend at least 20 minutes in the store, and use the restroom?

Double nope.

I knew MF was pretty cheap, from reading posts on here. But I've just recently signed up with them, and am amazed at the amount of work required for the fees. The only one I've scheduled so far is a fast-casual place that my family and I really like. So the fee plus reimbursement is a way for us to be able to eat there more often than we usually do.... I hate grocery shopping, so I'm not gonna do even one of their $10 ones!

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

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More About Grocery Store Mystery Shopping

Well, the grocery shops you are talking about don't pay well but I happen to like shopping there, and the shops are super easy (you only have to spend 20 minutes in the store and it takes 15 to do the report). So I pick the locations closest to my house. This particular grocery chain has some really good store brands of food, and I save a ton of money when I shop there, so why not get a $9 discount for doing the shop? There are a handful within 10 miles, so I can leave one store and go straight to the next. They never get bonused because all the shoppers in my area must feel the same way about them that I do.

I do like the store and used to shop it as my regular grocery store. But I now have another similar chain near me that has a much larger selection and is only a couple of minutes further. So, I haven't shopped at this chain for a couple of years. A higher fee would entice me to go back, though....

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2016 05:16PM by BirdyC.

I do them simply because they have the best produce in my area, and it's close to my job. I admit the pay isn't great, but the report is easy and doesn't take long.

actually its not bad..UNLESS there are a lot of out of stock items...and they want you to list EVERY item that is out of stock. Last time I did this, there were about 30 items...and there are only 4 aisles in this store!

I ended up taking out my phone and just taking a pic of all the labels of the out of stock items (this one doesn't tell you to not use your phone!).

They used to have a supermarket chain that paid $10...no cash..only reimbursement..and that was an overpriced store..so it was really only a $7 or $8 value...and they added more steps the last 2 months.

They also have one that pays 10.50 reimbursement...and takes longer/has more steps.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2016 07:03PM by jmitw.

I LOVE these and just grabbed a few.

Their produce is gorgeous!

Yes, the pay could only put 1 to 2 gallons of gas in your car (maybe 3 gallons) .... but I still enjoy this shop because the items are unique in that store and you can't beat the beautiful bell peppers!

Not much pay, but an easy shop and piece-of-cake report at a store where I shop anyway is okay in my book. I shop this one.

The reason I switched to the other similar store chain is because its produce selection is the best I've ever seen, even counting the "upscale" large grocery-store chains. We love our fruits and veggies here!

If they offered a $4 shop at that chain, I'd jump on it!

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

I would never waste my time doing a job that only paid $4.

You must not love your fruits and veggies the way the rest of us do

I love these shops because I shop there as a regular customer and can get my shopping done. I think of it as a $9 fee shop since I would buy the food anyway with the money I earn. There are five locations I do as often as the rotation allows. There are a few other locations in bad neighborhoods I do occasionally if I need the work. It is a pain if there are a number of items out of stock but I have gotten very good at doing this shop.

Yes, it is fairly easy to walk through and take some simple notes on the phone about OS items. And as another poster suggested, taking photos of the shelf tag is quite helpful (have done this many times). Because they are so convenient to me with several nearby, and I can do 4 of them quickly, I look at it as $36 worth of groceries with minimal work involved. And if one goes at the right time of month/day, it really does work out well--avoid the first few days of the month for sure!

I have taken as many of these as I can. They don't even have 30 questions on the report and doing them is soooooo easy. The store has very good deals and I have started shopping there quite a bit. As a matter of fact I just took 4!!!!

I grabbed 4

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2016 02:20PM by JASFLALMT.

I take any of these I can find. Last week I had to do grocery shopping and did not have any shops scheduled. I spent $30 there (a personal record high) and got some great deals. But it was weird going there and not doing a shop!

I buy water, t. paper, paper towels (they have basics for $.49 a roll!!!), lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, scallions, bread, english muffins, olive oil, salt,pepper, cereal, milk, half and half.

I am shocked people like their fruits and veggies. That report takes a long time by the time I count the number of rotten fruit, things out of stock, and the fruit flies. Meat drippings in the case, selections of meats missing. The produce is horrible at those stores. I do like some of the organic items they've introduced.

Evaluating and mailing packages since 1994

@JASFLALMT wrote:

You must not love your fruits and veggies the way the rest of us do

Wrong; I am basically vegetarian, but it's going to take more than $4 to get me to report on it.

@RobinMarie wrote:

I am shocked people like their fruits and veggies. That report takes a long time by the time I count the number of rotten fruit, things out of stock, and the fruit flies. Meat drippings in the case, selections of meats missing. The produce is horrible at those stores. I do like some of the organic items they've introduced.

They obviously do not have these shops or this particular grocery where I live. The grocery I shop has excellent fruits and veggies, and it is not shopped by MF.

@AZwolfman wrote:

@RobinMarie wrote:

I am shocked people like their fruits and veggies. That report takes a long time by the time I count the number of rotten fruit, things out of stock, and the fruit flies. Meat drippings in the case, selections of meats missing. The produce is horrible at those stores. I do like some of the organic items they've introduced.

They obviously do not have these shops or this particular grocery where I live. The grocery I shop has excellent fruits and veggies, and it is not shopped by MF.

Got it, I was talking about the MF 4 buck shop

Evaluating and mailing packages since 1994

Wow, our grocery stores for this client are generally clean and the food is not moldy or rotten. There are a few out of stocks here and there, but it's mainly if you go at the first of the month or on a weekend. Sad that your locations aren't nice like mine.

After reading here about the great produce I checked out my local store. Unfortunately, my experience was closer to Robin's and I have not been back. I also found it a pain reading all the labels because virtually everything contained HFCS and/or trans fats.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

Right, you pretty much have to stick with produce, but if your store has inferior product, I too would avoid it.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Right, you pretty much have to stick with produce, but if your store has inferior product, I too would avoid it.

My local one also does not have very good produce. What good things they do have are usually either gone or down to the bottom of the bin and moldy or mushy.

If any of you have a Price Rite near you, they have the BEST produce ever and the best selection of it. At least the local one here does. And they've recently started offering a couple of carts of highly discounted, supposedly "old" fruits and veggies by the entrance doors. Most of the time, those are as fresh as what I can find in the $4-shop store and at least one of my local traditional stores. I wish Price Rite was shopped!

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2016 03:21PM by BirdyC.

Isn't Price Rite the same as Shop Rite? They are shopped.

@lucky7s wrote:

Isn't Price Rite the same as Shop Rite? They are shopped.

No, I don't think they're the same, although I think they might be related. I know Shop Rite's shopped (that sounds odd, doesn't it?), but I've never seen or heard of a Price Rite shop. Although that sure doesn't mean it doesn't exist!

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

Price Rite is the discount brand. Both Price Rite and Shop Rite are associated with Wakefern Food Corporation. which is is the largest Retailers' co-operative group of supermarkets in the United States, and the largest employer in New Jersey (36,000 workers). Wakefern describes Price Rite as a limited-assortment chain. Neither of them is shopped by any company for which I am presently shopping, so I can't provide any guidance or hints.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

@AZwolfman wrote:

I would never waste my time doing a job that only paid $4.

How about a job that paid nothing, except the price of your sandwich?

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