Hi -
There seem to be many posters here who have a lot of experience and are willing to share their knowledge....so I am asking for some help and advice.

How do you all feel about apartment shops? The "untargeted" ones seem to be a lot of work for $15, but the competition is fierce in my area so I am considering taking some to see how it works out. If I have the time, $15 seems better than nothing...

But here's the problem...how do you reach your "target" since many of these are targeted shops...where you have to shop a specific person. Honestly, I can't think of anyway to do that except keep calling until you reach them. Is that what you do? Calling and hanging up seems so rude, but calling and talking to several people seems like a risk of being discovered as a shopper.

If I could get some expert opinions on this I'd really appreciate it....even just how you feel about apartment shops would be appreciated. I'd love to do some new home shops but I haven't found any yet.

Thanks in advamce and have a lovely weekend,
lauralaura

Reaching the target is precisely the reason why these shops are avoided by many shoppers, including me. There are a different companies that do them, but generally you have just spun your wheels for nothing if you are unable to reach the target or, having reached them and set up an appointment, they are a no show. Some folks are bigger gamblers than others, but the risk of an unsuccessful shop compared to the reward seems stacked against shoppers.

Because the associates know they are shopped frequently, any attempt to contact a specific associate is going to be a giveaway that you are a shopper. Several shoppers have experienced situations where they set up an appointment with the target only to find another associate there when they arrive because the target 'needed to ____'.

If you are going to attempt these, use *67 on your phone before dialing the number to keep you off of caller ID. Ask someone else in the house to ask if the target is there (preferably different gender). If they are, do a handoff of the phone if you need to observe phone courtesy and responses. "Here, let me let you talk with my wife." Unless you are not allowed to do so, set up the appointment as a couple--that isn't used a lot, I gather--and show up as a single, "My husband couldn't make it, but I would like to see what you have available."

You are going to have to get creative about why you asked for a specific person. Pulling names out of thin air rarely works well. Try something like "My husband works over at _____ and one of the guys there told him his wife had talked to you." Of course ____ is any large employer in the area and you have three layers of separation: 1) your husband, 2) his friend (who your husband may have named but you 'just know him as Jason, never heard his last name', 3) the friend's wife (who you never heard a name for at all).

Take only jobs that are near enough to you that you could return 2 or 3 times easily to meet with the target in case they don't show up for an appointment.

The general complaint I have heard about with the companies that offer these is that they are very accessible when they are trying to get you to take the shop, very helpful over the phone before the shop and impossible to find if/when you have any kind of issue or problem. So ask your 'what if's before you take the job and make sure you have d direct phone number in case you have issues or problems later.

$15 would be way too low for me to take an apartment shop. I highly recommended figuring out what your minimum rate per hour that you want to make and apply it to this (and every other shop) that you are trying to decide to take.

If it is untargeted, figure on at least 30-45 minutes on-site, plus prep time, telephone time, drive time, and reporting time. I cannot see how you could get away with anything less than 2 hours total (and perhaps more if you are a slower typer, newer to this, or if you have a chatty apartment leasing agent or a complicated reporting form). If it is targeted, then you have to add on at least 30 minutes or so to the total time (possibly more, depending on how things go).

As far as enjoyment factor, personally I do not mind apartments. I think it is kind of cool to see them - that said, I still apply my minimum per hour standards and only take one if it will provide me with the 'profit' I expect to make.

There are some firms that are really sticklers about "targets" - in that they won't allow you to make appointments, but then won't pay you if you show up and your target is not there as expected. No thanks. There are other MSPs that allow you to make an appointment, and some even allow you to proceed with the shop if you show up for your appointed time and the target does not (and you get someone else instead). I agree with the previous advice, if you are considering taking one, ask your "what-ifs" up front.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/04/2010 08:03PM by MickeyB.

$15 is way too low, even for an untargeted apartment shop!!!

The best MSCs will allow you to ask for the target after a certain number of trys. Some very good MSCs will have their staff call the office and "tie up" the other associate to improve the chances that the target will answer the phone. (This takes coordination, a virtue lacking in may MSCs!)

The worst MSCs don't even know that you will NEVER get the target because all of your calls are routed to a call center on the far side of the moon.

I've done a few apartment shops for $20 - UNtargeted only. I haven't been willing to do the targeted shops .... I'm just not willing to keep calling back until I get the right person. As long as I can walk in and be assisted by whichever rep is there, fine. But no way I want to stalk some target .... and certainly not for $15.

I have done a few apartment shops. Don't like the targeted ones though and try to avoid them. It is too time consuming and may take a few days to connect. I think they are fun though and wish MSC would offer more where you could just shop the person on duty at the time.

Doing $15 apartment shops is a way to gain experience and determine if you'll enjoy doing this type of shop.

I like them and making phone calls to reach the target is not a deal breaker. I have not had the target ask me who referred them to me, rather I've been asked how I heard about the apartment complex - newspaper, just driving by, apartments.com, etc. When calling, if the target doesn't answer, I apologize for getting the wrong number. Some guidelines tell you to wait 3 hours between calls, call no more than 4 times daily or some such. Following the guidelines, I'll call until I reach the target, and then proceed with getting info (pleasant, polite, info provided. . .) and setting the appointment. If I'm unable to reach the target in xx amount of calls, the MSP generally has a contingency in place. An example of this would be when Simon answers but I want Garfunkel - I'm now allowed to ask when would be a good time for me to reach Garfunkel, and I'm provided a time. More than likely, Garfunkel won't know I've tried numerous times to reach him.

Some shoppers have posted their target will take a powder when it's show time. This hasn't happened to me. Most guidelines have a contingency for this also. It's referred to as a hand-off, and can happen for numerous and acceptable reasons. I show up at 11:00 and Garfunkel is on the bridge over troubled waters, and couldn't make it in. Guidelines allow me to continue the shop with Simon. Do make sure in advance of this.

I use my own phone and *67 tp call and find out when "Julie" is going to be available (if she's not answering the phone". Then on the day she's supposed to be there, I use the recording line to begin calling. That way I don't have to keep calling and hanging up or making excuses on a recorded line. I keep the MSC informed as to when the person is due in. I haven't been handed off yet. I was successful at getting four done in a week at $30 each. Reports were extensive, but I like shops with no outlay of cash. I still try to get the ones that say the target is "anyone". That way, if anyone answers the phone, I can go the same day and get 'er done.

I will do an untargeted for $20 and a targeted for $25.

For me, a targeted shop would require upwards of $60. I will do an un-targeted apt. with date flexibility included for $20. Of course, there are only two place on island that are shopped (when not including the military housing facilities to which I have no access.)

Flash, mickeyb, walesmaven, austinmom, danabnnc, mert, iblessyah, jaytee and deeshops - Thank You All So Much!

It really helps to get advice and information from shoppers who have already done certain types of shops. I wanted to say thanks to all of you...I will pick my first shop carefully with a scheduler who is available to help in case something goes wrong...

This is a very nice board and I've learned a lot just by reading your posts. Thanks again & have a great week all~
LauraLaura

OMG, Why didn't I think of that. I've got my friend started with these and we were talking about the dislike of the Target shops. I will start doing this as well.


iblessyah@yahoo.com Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I use my own phone and *67 tp call and find out
> when "Julie" is going to be available (if she's
> not answering the phone". Then on the day she's
> supposed to be there, I use the recording line to
> begin calling. That way I don't have to keep
> calling and hanging up or making excuses on a
> recorded line. I keep the MSC informed as to when
> the person is due in. I haven't been handed off
> yet. I was successful at getting four done in a
> week at $30 each. Reports were extensive, but I
> like shops with no outlay of cash. I still try to
> get the ones that say the target is "anyone".
> That way, if anyone answers the phone, I can go
> the same day and get 'er done.

Sometimes, when I call, I would say I stopped by the other day and asked for so and so, is she/he there now? That is if the person does not answer.

AVOID AVOID AVOID. $15 for an apartment shop?? That is WAY low. If competition in your area is that fierce for these shops, you may want to reconsider doing mystery shopping. Apartment shops usually take at least 1/2 hour on-site and at least another 1/2 hour reporting. That's not counting the time of making the phone calls and trying to reach the right target and the drive there. There are companies out there that have apartment shops regularly at $40 each. Don't mean to sound so cynical but the fact that anyone would do an apartment shop for $15 is the reason fees for shops keep going down, down, down.

I like doing apartment shops, I wont take one less then $20.00 but most of the ones I take is about $30.00 -$40.00. Sometimes I will take two or three in one day if they are close to each other. Usually if I cant get the target after 3 calls then the msc will let me talk to the person that answered. If I am lucky it takes me one hour on the tour and the report. But I have also been shopping for over 10 years and I retired so I enjoy it

I'll do the targeted shops around here for $45-$60 each, and have not yet had issues with finding the appropriate person to talk with, although there are some
good suggestions above. I don't live close enough to most of the shops which
pay $25, for them to be worth my time, so if I can, I'll schedule 2-3 $45+ shops in a day, knowing I'll have to travel.

Some of the companies give you the schedules of the employees, which makes it
easier. Also, there are usually 2-4 people in the offices at any given time,
and if they announce themselves (as most are supposed to do), and you use #67,
you can always hang up if you reach the wrong person, then call at a different
time of day. I've only had an issue once, with the manager of a new unit
who seemed to answer all the calls. I did have to ask for the target for that
shop, and wondered if she knew!

Some mystery shopping companies will tell you when the target is expected to be working.

Apartment shops, both targeted and nontargeted, in this area (Hartford/Springfield) are paying $25.00 to $55.00.

First of all, $15 seems a bit low for me. As a newbie to apartment assignment, it's good to get some experience by picking some. I am lucky to get my first apartment assignment completed at a much higher rate than $15. After successflly completing a few shops for the same company, I occasionally picked up some untarget shops from other companies at a lower rate since I enjoy doing it.

Secondly, I prefer untarget shops better since I don't like calling the same property over and over again, not to mention that I had to make up all the excuses if my target was not reached. For me, I would say that I might call back to schedule an appointment (after checking my friend's schedule or something like that) if I didn't reach the target at my frist attempt. I would use that excuse over and over if I didn't reach my target but a different person.

Try Ellis Partners Mystery Shopping Company. They start pay at $25-55.
The company is easy to work with & payment with a check is paid in a reasonable time.
www.epmsonline.com