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Panda Express

March 22, 2016 06:58PM
Yeah, but my new mission in life is to remove the word "free" from the mystery shopping lexiconwinking smiley

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.
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March 22, 2016 07:27PM
In the case of a reimbursement-only, then yes, free isn't really correct. But if you're being paid a fee, in addition to receiving a meal, I do see it as a free meal.

We are the people our parents warned us about ~ Jimmy Buffett
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March 22, 2016 07:29PM
So, you would do the shop and report for four dollars? Don't let the MSC see that. They'll stop reimbursing.
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March 22, 2016 07:46PM
Even the mystery shopping companies do not completely consider it a free meal which is how they justify the low fees. When pricing the shops they consider the reimbursement part of the overall value of the shop.

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.
Reply
March 22, 2016 07:57PM
@TeriW wrote:

So, you would do the shop and report for four dollars? Don't let the MSC see that. They'll stop reimbursing.

Yes, I would, but only if it's convenient to me, as I said earlier in the thread. The $4 shop was snapped up, so I didn't even get the chance, but I would have taken it. I like the food and eat there anyway, why not get paid $4 for an easy report?

We are the people our parents warned us about ~ Jimmy Buffett
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March 22, 2016 08:07PM
If the MSC considers the reimbursement part of the fee, why are you so bound and determined not to? The argument is not whether you consider it to be enough for you, it is in how you think about it in relation to the business side of MS.

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.
Reply
March 22, 2016 08:57PM
I'm not "bound and determined" on anything. I just said I would be willing to do the shop for a $4 fee. That doesn't mean I don't consider the reimbursement to be part of the fee, just that I would take the lower fee.

We are the people our parents warned us about ~ Jimmy Buffett
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March 22, 2016 10:21PM
Would you do it for $3.00? For $2.00? I don't know what happens when you report on that website, but I can brush my teeth, trim my toenails, and shave my legs in between page changes. And, I'm not on dial up. It just feels like dial up.

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.
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March 23, 2016 12:22AM
I found the MSC for Panda Express! I'm so excited! Signed up, got accepted, have a shop soon!

Their teriyaki chicken is very similar to the one the ex would make on the grill on Maui.

I don't know what the meal requirement is yet, but I'm very excited!
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March 23, 2016 12:53AM
I'm also very disappointed that the shop fee decreased to $4.00. The food is fine and at $5.00 it felt okay to do. I agree with MDavis. The site loads slowly and each question although simple takes forever before you've finally completed the report.
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March 23, 2016 03:00AM
I will do low paying shops if they are close by my house, or near another shop I am doing in the area. I won't drive more than five miles for a fee less than $5 on its own. But I will "bundle" it.
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March 23, 2016 06:22AM
@MDavisnowell wrote:

I don't know what happens when you report on that website, but I can brush my teeth, trim my toenails, and shave my legs in between page changes. And, I'm not on dial up. It just feels like dial up.
Well, at least you are well groomed. I guess that's something.
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March 26, 2016 02:01AM
Which mystery shopping company does the Panda Express?

Mod note: It is against forum rules to link the client with the company. It is also an ICA violation. Please do not ask forum members to violate their ICAs.
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March 26, 2016 04:29AM
@ddixon222@msn.com wrote:

Which mystery shopping company does the Panda Express?

We are not allowed to say. It's part of the Independent Contractor Agreement that we all sign.
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March 26, 2016 06:12AM
Can you only do one location per month?

I signed up for one and the location does not show up anymore even though there was originally at least 10 shops available at that location. I was going to take them all.

ETA: I just read the thread over again and saw where Austinmom said she only does one per month. I had assumed that meant she chose to do one a month. Now I'm reading that you can only do one per month.
Thanks for the help anyway.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2016 01:09PM by spicy1.
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March 26, 2016 08:06AM
I just did one recently. It's the first time I have eaten at a Panda Express since it's new to the area and I thought it was pretty good.

Kim


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2016 08:07AM by kimmiemae.
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March 26, 2016 09:05AM
I have noticed that the HedgeHog shops have had the reimbursement raised by $2.00. but by the same token they have dropped the fee below $5.00. Will that mean you can now get something besides a hot dog and stay below the reimbursement? Or have the prices gone up that much? I know of at least two places where that would have just covered the hot dog combo. I wonder if they will still ask you if you spent more than $8.00 and why?
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March 26, 2016 01:58PM
I've done exactly two of these at different locations. One in NJ and one in GA. At both the food was horrible and I would not do another for $5 and certainly not for $4 considering the plate of greasy, non-edible junk I was served...and they were bonused nicely. You all can have 'em.

BTW, the sporting goods store where you Gotta Go also was reduced by $2.00. What's with this business? Prices and cost of living go up, fees go down. We have to be smarter shoppers and make routes to be profitable.

*****************************************************************************
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2016 10:45PM by MsJudi.
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March 26, 2016 08:36PM
For free it's okay to eat here, but would never pay for it. Amazes me they do not serve broccoli and chicken. The mushrooms and broccoli is decent. The egg rolls are the diameter of a cigar!! The low men is never, ever cooked thoroughly. How this place stays in business and can even expand further into NYC with another 6 locations is surprising.
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March 26, 2016 08:53PM
I think you can schedule 2 Panda shops before the rest disappear from the board. Sometimes another location will come back at a later time. They raised the price of egg rolls to 1.75 to 1.90 so you cannot get those without going over the reimbursement anymore. I don't even try to purchase a drink.
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March 26, 2016 08:57PM
@spicy1 wrote:

Can you only do one location per month?

I signed up for one and the location does not show up anymore even though there was originally at least 10 shops available at that location. I was going to take them all.

ETA: I just read the thread over again and saw where Austinmom said she only does one per month. I had assumed that meant she chose to do one a month. Now I'm reading that you can only do one per month.
Thanks for the help anyway.

It may vary from area to area, but in my area you can do one Dine In and one Drive Thru. Usually, each location is shopped twice each month, a dine in and a drive thru. After you accept one Dine In, all the other Dine Ins, and the drive thru at the location you selected, disappear, leaving only drive thrus. After you select the drive thru location, all of them disappear. So, no matter how many shops they post, I can get a maximum of two.
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March 26, 2016 09:50PM
Wow it must vary by location. I've only ever had bad Panda once, and that was in a highway oasis. Our local ones are always fresh and hot, always well cooked.
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March 27, 2016 12:33AM
My local Panda is really good. Also I've tried some in neighboring towns and they're really good, too. No problem here with the food.

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.
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March 28, 2016 06:49PM
Did a drive-thru one last week. OK food and the report was shorter than other food ones from this MSC.
I'd do them again.
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March 28, 2016 06:53PM
I have never seen a drive thru Panda. Admittedly, I haven't been to too many, though.
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April 07, 2016 09:46PM
And here is the reason, they will end up like ACL and stop paying anything. I am glad that you found it, and that you are happy to accept the lower fee. Good luck and everyone get ready for the rest of the bottom to fall out. They get paid, not a lot but if they can pay nothing, they will and if you are all happy to eat for free, enjoy your meals.
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April 08, 2016 05:59AM
I can't imagine only getting $4 and a reimbursement for a shop. I don't care how good the food is, my time and effort is worth much more than $4. I never do food shops for less than $10, rarely for less than $12, and usually for more than that. If a particular restaurant I like flies off the boards quickly at $4, oh well. There's no restaurant out there I like enough to waste my time and energy on. If I snatch it up I'm just contributing to the problem. I even had a scheduler tell me one day years ago to not let them cheat me out of what I'm worth. Besides, the Panda here is terrible. There's never any other customers there when I go. I don't expect them to be there much longer.
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April 17, 2016 11:03PM
To me, it's an opportunity to 'eat out' and the total is $13 for maybe 40 minutes.
Fortunately there is one right up the street and another very close as well.

It's not exactly fine dining with custom service and wine recommendations.
It's finer fast food, but the teriyaki is cooked fresh on the spot and I like vegetables barely cooked.
Oh, excuse me, I just burped some teriyaki sauce!
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April 23, 2016 04:13PM
They serve Chow Mein not lo mein (sp corrected) and it's supposed to be al dente, the veges also al dente. It's not American food, cooked until it's mushy, it's Chinese-American and the veges are supposed to be crunchy (alive) food. But you can get mushy veges at Golden Corral any day of the week.
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April 23, 2016 08:20PM
I have a Dine-In shop. I didn't find anywhere in the assignment that we cannot take our leftovers home.
Does anyone know if you can take your leftovers with you? Thank you.
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