@shopkins wrote:
Thank you for the great advice and suggestions I will keep swimming and try to keep my head above the water. First thing on my list today is to check out jobslinger.com
Hey, shopkins
Any improvement with shop selection yet? Have you joined the multi-company job board websites yet (some of whom I listed on the previous page)?
I'm going to start adding more companies to my own list (I am registered with 78 right now) after a slow 10 days or so. Not really seeing enough work that I can batch together and route and don't feel like driving out for just one low-wage shop (I'd possibly LOSE money doing those!!).
One "tip" I'll throw out there that I've been looking into in regards to my own shopping is mileage and wear & tear on your car. The U.S. government gives a rate of $.54 (2016 - although, I think I've seen $.58 for another year...but very similar ballpark) for every mile that you drive that you should be "earning" if you drive for a living.
That number figures in:
i.) gas
ii.) car depreciation & replacement (having to buy a new one in the future at some point)
iii.) cost of auto insurance per year
iv.) cost of maintenance and wear & tear (car tire replacement, oil changes, car fluid replacement, brake pads, windshield wipers, tire rotations, random stuff breaking down, and so on)
The government recommended rate, however, doesn't distinguish between cars that get better mileage, nor regional differences in cost of gas. I think (I'd have to check) they just use some average/generic assumptions in their formula of a "regular" car that most people would drive and an average gas price rate.
Using that figure, though and looking at the cost of gas too, I've found that I may have lost money on some early shops I did in the past.
They were low-wage food shops that I had to drive decently far for. Although, I can honestly say that I also saw those as an "investment" or learning experience and don't mind too much. I was too much of a newbie to do 2, 3, or more shops in a single day. I was scared (rightfully) that I might mess up a shop and not get paid and/or lower my shopper rating. Therefore, I only did one shop per outing for a while. I invested a bit of time to just learn the ropes and probably lost money or broke even on some earlier shops by not factoring in gas costs, mileage, and wear & tear.
It's just a good newbie thing to keep in mind!!
You can actually lose money on shops if you don't plan them correctly! And if you don't have a lot of shops you can route, then it's probably harder to plan "good" outings.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/2017 10:36AM by shoptastic.