Yesterday was my first run of TRYING to do 4 jobs that consisted of setting up MODS WITH the manager for the department.
Out of 4 stores - I was able to do ZERO MOD's.
there were 2 main issues.
#1 - the mod was not even suppose to drop until next week (so I was sent there to early)
#2 - the last 3 stores did not have a single employee working the department I needed. I verified this with the store manager each time and got signatures.
I truly wonder if I will be paid for these?

I spent 3 hours driving around and waiting on store managers to assist me.

I do not think I will be taking any more MOD set ups, the store employees do NOT like to be told you are there to "help" them with there job and they certainly do NOT want to stop what they are doing to start a MOD with me/anyone.

The only place I know that calls them mods instead pogs I wouldn't go near with a 10' pole. Having done other vendor work in the "mods" store I know better. Nothing ever seems to go according to plan in those stores.

Walmart calls them modulars instead of planograms. All stores are short of help right now, but some individual employees are helpful. I have been successful calling/meeting with the DM ahead of time to "ask" when they want me to do it. (Sometimes I couldn't possibly know when I could be someplace because I have so much to do.) Once, my reset partner and I could get together only on one day and that was too late for the DM so she said she'd do it early. It was supposed to be an eight-hour assignment. I heard that it took several employees three nights to do it. Anyway, that's not my point. Usually, a DM will be grateful if they know you are coming and will tell you where everything is. I almost never get employee "help" in doing a modular or a planogram. That is something the merchandiser(s) is/are supposed to do to help the store. I have one store, a Dollar General, that likes to do most of the work before I get there. Sometimes their paperwork has an earlier deadline than mine. When I'm in a hurry, I don't mind, but it does mean that I lose money. Maybe calling ahead will help you. Maybe asking (during the call) who is on duty in that department at your expected arrival time will help. One Walmart DM, though, told me not to call because she wouldn't get the word. I usually try to find her and tell her that soon I'll be doing thus-and-such modular, etc.

I had a merchandising assignment which took me to three of mod stores once a week and two of the three got a second visit later in the week. So I spent quite a bit of time in those store over a few weeks. My job was to insure that certain sections were set to plan and were properly priced. My job was not to actually stock the mod's. All the stocking of the mod and the pricing was to be done by the mod employees and I was there to basically audit the results. This of course turned out to be nearly a complete farce. Only one employee in one store actually worked hard to keep these sections organized. In the other stores the section were in a mess and often there was no employee or manager available to help at all.
Initially I just reported the results but then I started started critical reports from the company that employed me saying things like "Your stores aren't performing up to par" And "You're going to have get a better response from the employees in your stores"
So basically I figured out that when the employees did not do their job you were expected to do it for then. I was not willing to do their job for them because I was getting paid a flat rate and was not willing to work free for a couple of hours at each store. I finished the days assignments and informed the company that the next visit would be my last. They got pretty huffy about it and told me I'd never work for them again. I said thank you.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2010 09:41PM by ces1948.

Ok, so the responses here really helped me. I guess I am naive and like to think I am going to walk in to a store. Find exactly what my paper work wants me to and every one can smile and go on with there sunshine filled day, HA!

When I sign up for a job I am very careful to look at the time frame on the deadline. I work full time and am not available during the afternoon. So when a job says ANY or business hours, I would expect there to be someone there.
Its funny because when I saw this store come up in my area I jumped on it like it was a pile of money BUT after that I no longer want to step foot in there for ANY jobs

So can anyone tell me how long it takes to KNOW if they will pay for this or any other job for that matter?

Thanks all, you were very helpful.

When you are talking MODS you are talking merchandising. When you say, "So can anyone tell me how long it takes to KNOW if they will pay for this or any other job for that matter?" are you still asking merchandising or both that and shopping?

For shops it is anywhere between 2 weeks and 3 months, depending on what company you are working for, with most companies paying within 4-6 weeks. You generally know if you are NOT being paid because you get a shop rejection notice.

Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When you are talking MODS you are talking
> merchandising. When you say, "So can anyone tell
> me how long it takes to KNOW if they will pay for
> this or any other job for that matter?" are you
> still asking merchandising or both that and
> shopping?
>
> For shops it is anywhere between 2 weeks and 3
> months, depending on what company you are working
> for, with most companies paying within 4-6 weeks.
> You generally know if you are NOT being paid
> because you get a shop rejection notice.


Thats what I was wondering, how long does a rejection notice normally take?

For shops it usually is within about 72 hours, but this is not a hard and fast rule by any means. I have seen shops submitted on the SASSIE system sit there for weeks before anybody bothers to review them and take them from "Completed" to "Received" status (which seems to be the status once accepted).