Chipotle Shops

I applied with the MSC a year ago, and received the invite this week. As I don't normally do food shops, I'm looking forward to this! What are they like?

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2016 10:10AM by HonnyBrown.

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I like them. The schedulers are nice, payments come on time, the shops are scheduled consistently with flexibility, and the shops pay relatively well for the work done. Plus I like the food... it's not my favorite, but I have been known to buy it on my own dime.
They updated the report so that it's quicker now, but it can still be daunting when you first start. My advice would be to give it about 3 months doing one or two shops a month. If it's not an easy enough report that you feel it's worth your time at that point, it probably never will be.

Shopper in California's Bay Area
They can be fun, though don't count on getting a lot of work. The MSC had a lot of turnover a few months a go on the backend and they seem to be putting shoppers on a limit now. At least they put me on one without telling me about the change. Communication can be a little hit or miss to. I think they may be overloading some of their schedulers.
Thanks Cali! I don' plan on doing more than one shop every month or two. Can you order what you want?

Is California Tortilla out there? If you like Chipotle, you will love hem.

@CaliGirl925 wrote:

I like them. The schedulers are nice, payments come on time, the shops are scheduled consistently with flexibility, and the shops pay relatively well for the work done. Plus I like the food... it's not my favorite, but I have been known to buy it on my own dime.
They updated the report so that it's quicker now, but it can still be daunting when you first start. My advice would be to give it about 3 months doing one or two shops a month. If it's not an easy enough report that you feel it's worth your time at that point, it probably never will be.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
I heard he MSC had a shake up. I've never worked with them. What do you mean by "limits?"

@weatherman2111 wrote:

They can be fun, though don't count on getting a lot of work. The MSC had a lot of turnover a few months a go on the backend and they seem to be putting shoppers on a limit now. At least they put me on one without telling me about the change. Communication can be a little hit or miss to. I think they may be overloading some of their schedulers.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
@HonnyBrown wrote:

I heard he MSC had a shake up. I've never worked with them. What do you mean by "limits?"

@weatherman2111 wrote:

They can be fun, though don't count on getting a lot of work. The MSC had a lot of turnover a few months a go on the backend and they seem to be putting shoppers on a limit now. At least they put me on one without telling me about the change. Communication can be a little hit or miss to. I think they may be overloading some of their schedulers.

I've been told I have a hard limit of 2 shops per month. I used to do 20-25. They won't even give me any orphan shops anymore.
I'm just blown away that anybody could stand to eat Chipotle 20-25 times a month. I like Chipotle, but, OMG, that's almost every day!
@roflwofl wrote:

I'm just blown away that anybody could stand to eat Chipotle 20-25 times a month. I like Chipotle, but, OMG, that's almost every day!

A meal there is approaching 1000 calories. The thought of that much Chipotle makes me nauseated.
Easy solution to the calorie issue... Decline the rice, order a bowl or a salad, and take half home for tomorrow's lunch. End of problem.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
@honnybrown, I'm with you on CaliTort! Hate the decor, but the food is really good, especially the sauces. The Korean BBQ sauce and onion-cilantro sauce on the Street Tacos are so good. Each taco is ~300 calories with everything on it. That's not too bad. One taco would be enough for lunch. Two is always better, but I could get by with just one.

I only do the shops when the LTO is the Tacos because any other LTO exceeds their reimbursement.
I enjoy the Chipotle shops. The msc is great. I like that they have a FB page. The old reports took me 1.5 hours. Now I can do them in about 45 minutes. You have to order a bag of chips. You do not have to order a drink. I usually just get the free cup of water. Usually you can order tacos, salad, burrito or bowl. Sometimes you cannot order the tacos due to the monthly scenario.

Weatherman2111, I'm not sure why you were given a limit of 2 shops per month. I usually do 2-4 a month. For December I have 3 assigned to me.
@DareWright wrote:

I enjoy the Chipotle shops. The msc is great. I like that they have a FB page. The old reports took me 1.5 hours. Now I can do them in about 45 minutes. You have to order a bag of chips. You do not have to order a drink. I usually just get the free cup of water. Usually you can order tacos, salad, burrito or bowl. Sometimes you cannot order the tacos due to the monthly scenario.

Weatherman2111, I'm not sure why you were given a limit of 2 shops per month. I usually do 2-4 a month. For December I have 3 assigned to me.

Weatherman2111 might be in an area where there may not be enough Chipotle locations to distribute more than 2 per shopper.

This has been the case for me in Colorado since reducing the number of overall shops to Chipotle.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
@walesmaven wrote:

Easy solution to the calorie issue... Decline the rice, order a bowl or a salad, and take half home for tomorrow's lunch. End of problem.

And only eat a couple of those chips.

Carbs are typically what kills most people's diets in the first place.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
There's no California Tortilla out here that I'm aware of ... ironic that they don't have any locations in CA. smiling smiley
Too bad, because the food sounds good!

To answer a few questions above, you can usually order any entree you want, though there are occasionally monthly requirements that take one or two items off the list. You do have to order chips, but don't have to eat them all. My usual order in California's pricey Bay Area is about $9, which leave some room for profit, but if you don't like the food or are annoyed by the report, then it's probably not worth it.

It's true that the food there is calorie-laden. But strangely, I've never been forced by any of the staff to order the biggest entree and clear my plate before leaving. They're even happy to give me a lid to take my leftovers home to have for lunch the next day. But my perfect number of Chiptole shops is 1.25 a month. One a month most months with an extra one every 4th or 5th month is perfect for me. That keeps me familiar enough with the report that I don't forget stuff, and keeps me looking forward to the meal without dreading the report. I can't imagine doing 20+ shops a month.

Shopper in California's Bay Area
20-25 Chipotle shops a month? Are you serious?

I need to step up my game. My hat goes off to you, weatherman!


@weatherman2111 wrote:

@HonnyBrown wrote:

I heard he MSC had a shake up. I've never worked with them. What do you mean by "limits?"

@weatherman2111 wrote:

They can be fun, though don't count on getting a lot of work. The MSC had a lot of turnover a few months a go on the backend and they seem to be putting shoppers on a limit now. At least they put me on one without telling me about the change. Communication can be a little hit or miss to. I think they may be overloading some of their schedulers.

I've been told I have a hard limit of 2 shops per month. I used to do 20-25. They won't even give me any orphan shops anymore.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
Chris, their food is addictive! When I go with hubby, I get the side salad and eat his chips and queso. Those Street Tacos were so darn good. I also like their bowls. Hubby likes their burritos.

That's smart that you do the shops that get covered by the reimbursement. I will have to keep that in mind. The shop that I did, I had to pay $0.53 out of pocket.

Their Wall of Flame is kind of wimpy. I like heat. When I get a scotch bonnet or habenero hot sauce, I want my eyebrows to burn off. No such luck there.

Did you download their app?

Geez, now I want some tacos. Or a bowl, I like their bowls.

@ChrisCooper wrote:

@honnybrown, I'm with you on CaliTort! Hate the decor, but the food is really good, especially the sauces. The Korean BBQ sauce and onion-cilantro sauce on the Street Tacos are so good. Each taco is ~300 calories with everything on it. That's not too bad. One taco would be enough for lunch. Two is always better, but I could get by with just one.

I only do the shops when the LTO is the Tacos because any other LTO exceeds their reimbursement.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
Another option is to order the kids meal because it has smaller portions.

@walesmaven wrote:

Easy solution to the calorie issue... Decline the rice, order a bowl or a salad, and take half home for tomorrow's lunch. End of problem.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
@HonnyBrown wrote:

Another option is to order the kids meal because it has smaller portions.

@walesmaven wrote:

Easy solution to the calorie issue... Decline the rice, order a bowl or a salad, and take half home for tomorrow's lunch. End of problem.

Not allowed on the shops...

Why not just split the food ordered as two meals, which really is a much better value than ordering a kid's meal.... Basically, take home leftovers, as walesmaven suggested? This is just coming from my cheapskate mindset, so don't mind me!

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
Cali, ironically, California Tortilla is headquartered in Maryland! I haven't been to Chipotles for a few years, but from what I remember, the menus are similar. CT has an amazing kick with different monthly specials.

People should not be judgemental about others' food choices. Like you said, no one is forced to eat a meal or dish; and we have enough resources to know what goes into our bodies. If a shopper enjoys doing a lot of food shops in a month, I am very happy for him! ...unless he lives in this area.

My goal is to do one per month or two, unless I get a California Tortilla shop.

@CaliGirl925 wrote:

There's no California Tortilla out here that I'm aware of ... ironic that they don't have any locations in CA. smiling smiley
Too bad, because the food sounds good!

To answer a few questions above, you can usually order any entree you want, though there are occasionally monthly requirements that take one or two items off the list. You do have to order chips, but don't have to eat them all. My usual order in California's pricey Bay Area is about $9, which leave some room for profit, but if you don't like the food or are annoyed by the report, then it's probably not worth it.

It's true that the food there is calorie-laden. But strangely, I've never been forced by any of the staff to order the biggest entree and clear my plate before leaving. They're even happy to give me a lid to take my leftovers home to have for lunch the next day. But my perfect number of Chiptole shops is 1.25 a month. One a month most months with an extra one every 4th or 5th month is perfect for me. That keeps me familiar enough with the report that I don't forget stuff, and keeps me looking forward to the meal without dreading the report. I can't imagine doing 20+ shops a month.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
Personally, if I like the food, I'm eating it. All of it. It doesn't need to come home with me because I have plenty here at home. If I order a kid's meal, there is less for me to eat.

That works for me.

When we go to Red Robin, I order the Red Robin fries as an appetizer for us to share, and a bottomless side salad. If I ordered the bottomless fries as a side, I would be kicked out of the restaurant.

I get your cheapskate mindset, I do, but I have to think about my waistline. That's where I'm a cheapskate!

@Tarantado wrote:

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Another option is to order the kids meal because it has smaller portions.

@walesmaven wrote:

Easy solution to the calorie issue... Decline the rice, order a bowl or a salad, and take half home for tomorrow's lunch. End of problem.

Not allowed on the shops...

Why not just split the food ordered as two meals, which really is a much better value than ordering a kid's meal.... Basically, take home leftovers, as walesmaven suggested? This is just coming from my cheapskate mindset, so don't mind me!

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
@Tarantado wrote:

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Another option is to order the kids meal because it has smaller portions.

@walesmaven wrote:

Easy solution to the calorie issue... Decline the rice, order a bowl or a salad, and take half home for tomorrow's lunch. End of problem.

Not allowed on the shops...

Why not just split the food ordered as two meals, which really is a much better value than ordering a kid's meal.... Basically, take home leftovers, as walesmaven suggested? This is just coming from my cheapskate mindset, so don't mind me!

If Honny dines with her husband and he orders a bowl, burrito, or whatever, then her meal could be a kid's meal or a single taco with no problems. The requirement is:

"Burrito AND Chips or THREE tacos AND Chips or Salad AND Chips or Burrito bowl AND Chips.
You must purchase a normal sized bag of chips- child chip purchases are NOT acceptable."

I frequently take a friend with me who doesn't eat near as much as me. I order a bowl and she orders a single taco on corn tortilla and I order a bag of chips.
@roflwofl wrote:

If Honny dines with her husband and he orders a bowl, burrito, or whatever, then her meal could be a kid's meal or a single taco with no problems. The requirement is:

"Burrito AND Chips or THREE tacos AND Chips or Salad AND Chips or Burrito bowl AND Chips.
You must purchase a normal sized bag of chips- child chip purchases are NOT acceptable."

I frequently take a friend with me who doesn't eat near as much as me. I order a bowl and she orders a single taco on corn tortilla and I order a bag of chips.

Right, but as long as Honny tastes the bowl and chips ordered, then I agree with that caveat you mentioned.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
The food is good and filling. It's like a Mexican Subway with better service and more intelligence displayed behind the counter. The report is not as bad as it used to be, but the after-visit phone call is an annoyance and easy to forget to perform. The knowledge questions sometimes cause me to avoid the Chipotle shops for that month. There are always more Chipotle shops available here than shoppers who want them. Even though the report has shrunken, there is still a lot to write and a lot to observe in the restaurant. Getting $20 to write the report and also reimbursed for the good food is an okay way to spend some time if you have time in your schedule.
I used to do a lot of Chipotle shops, but have cut back recently. The only way I've found that I feel as if I'm making enough money on them is to order the entree and chips, but get water (I do miss the iced tea, though). With a good visit, the report isn't anywhere near as bad as it used to be. But if you get a visit in which several things aren't up to snuff, that report can still be a killer--for the amount of profit you make.

If you like their food a lot, I think it's worth doing a couple a month or one a month. The more reports you do, the easier they get, so if you only do them sporadically, you may not develop a seamless routine.

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 12/03/2016 12:32AM by BirdyC.
to make 20-25 per month was possible a while ago when they did it lunch and dinner shops. But now You can doone location only one time. If you can travel you can get more than 2 per month.

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009
I get a fairly consistent 3 or 4 shops per month and I have had the same scheduler since I started. So I'm not sure what this "shake-up" is unless they lost a bunch of shoppers (food safety scares will do that, especially when the shoppers have to be trained per client guidelines). The new report does go faster; the ridiculous narrative is gone and a lot of the details are no longer required. The flip side is the pay went down from $27 to $25 but it's definitely more than $2 worth of work per shop that disappeared too so I think it's a net gain.

When I signed up for 5 shops in a month (picked up two orphans when I got only three assigned) a while back, I barely got them done in time. I'm surprised to read of someone doing 20 or more in a month; I'd want more variety, especially if I was a full-time route shopper.
@weatherman2111 wrote:

@HonnyBrown wrote:

I heard he MSC had a shake up. I've never worked with them. What do you mean by "limits?"

@weatherman2111 wrote:

They can be fun, though don't count on getting a lot of work. The MSC had a lot of turnover a few months a go on the backend and they seem to be putting shoppers on a limit now. At least they put me on one without telling me about the change. Communication can be a little hit or miss to. I think they may be overloading some of their schedulers.

I've been told I have a hard limit of 2 shops per month. I used to do 20-25. They won't even give me any orphan shops anymore.
That has not been my experience at all. I'm regularly assigned 3-5 chipotle shops per month from them (in addition to their other client in my area) and they've been amazingly grateful when I can pick up orphans.

Then again I'm in New York where there's a chipotle every other block so they still don't have enough shoppers to cover them all.
I am in Eastern PA and doing some NJ shops as well..there are plenty of NJ shops not filled each month

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009
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