Amazon.....Walmart.....Office Depot/Max

I have been doing the box shops for about a year. I find it a bit hit or miss. In the beginning, I would apply for about ten to twelve locations, and three times running, was only assigned one location; the same each time. Then for the last round, I again applied for about a dozen shops and was assigned all of them! There were no issues with the shops. The new round was posted last week, and again I applied for a dozen; all of which are fairly close to my home. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed to be assigned only one. No surprise but it was the same location that I had been assigned each of the time I had only been assigned one. I wonder if no one else likes that particular post office. I will keep applying every time the shops are posted and will be crossing my fingers to get a few.

I live in an urban area and there are several locations I do that are not any more difficult to either get to or report on and for some reason those do not get taken quickly. I have no idea why that is. This is true for other retail shops too where I see no reason why they are not snapped up like the rest as they have easy parking , easy access and shortish lines most of the time.

For boxes, I reuse boxes I have around the house whenever possible. I cut open and use a paper bag for wrapping. When I'm out of those or need a different size then I buy boxes from Walmart. It's about the only thing I buy at that store but I find they have small sized boxes that cost around $.50 each. Walmart is the cheapest I've found that doesn't require buying multiples. Don't forget you can also use mailer bags. I picked up a bunch of poly mailers in eBay for pennies per bag and use those sometimes also.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/09/2018 01:42PM by wwin.

They reimburse for the box purchase

My husband was assigned 24 postal shops this round, and we were both delighted. He is so well-organized, methodical and careful. They get a great shopper in him, and he does such a good job making sure the shops are done properly. I’m very proud of him, and apparently, the MSC appreciates his attention to detail and how much he cares about doing the job right.

Sure they reimburse for the box but I'd prefer to not make the extra trip to purchase it or add the extra photo on the report. Purchasing cheaper boxes helps to ensure I don't go over the max reimbursement if I ship a heavier item. Also less out of pocket in case something goes wrong with the shop (not that it ever has). As I write this I realize I really am lazy, cheap and paranoid.

Hey guys, I am doing my first post office shop. I bought 8x6x6 boxes and now I am confused what should I fill it with. I have already told my friend to throw the box once he receives. But any suggestions on what garbage I can put in which should meet 1-2 lb weight requirements as well.

We have a friend down in Florida (zone 6 for us) who, due to a downturn in his financial situation, is in dire need of food. My husband and I, when awarded postal shops, send him canned goods, usually healthy soups. He’s very grateful and we are happy to help him. So, fellow shoppers, if you know anyone in a similar position, you can do the same.

My niece's husband is in the army, so I send them the $.50 1lb boxes of baking soda. She uses tons of that stuff for laundry. The checkout people at the store probably think I'm crazy for buying 6-10 of those at a single time instead of the larger boxes.

I send food to the food bank at the next small town North of us. I feel kinda bad because they send a beautiful thank you and marketing material that I am positive costs more than my package provides.

@wwin wrote:

When I get desperate sometimes for things to fill my packages I look out at my landscaping rocks in the front yard and consider shipping a few till I remember how expensive they are per bag. As it is, I'm constantly replacing the ones the little neighbor kids take when they are out on walks with their parents completely oblivious to the expense.

No! Don't do it! Free rocks are everywhere! Parking lots, country roads or just walking down the street. Even small pieces of broken asphalt or cement will do.

q

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2018 02:56PM by komalagarwal695.

I mail stones. I put them in a zip lock bag. I stuff the box with newspaper then. Works well

Komal, I assume the shop will be rejected. I always tell them I have a bet with my daughter and ask how much it weighs. If not a pound, I take it outside, rip open and have different sizes of rocks in my car. You can use a grocery store or walmart scale, they dont mind.

Recently my package was 1oz under and it was rejected. The editor was apologetic but it is the P.O.'s guideline. My scale said it was a pound, so I now make sure I am a few ounces over. I will put an extra piece or two of old cardboard in it. Person receiving may just think I am making sure I have enough padding in it. If I think I have a very light package, I always look at the weight before finishing the transaction and will say, "I forgot to put a note in here," and would leave and figure it out. So far that has not happened but it is better than losing the postage and having to do another package.

Wow, you were one ounce under and your shop was rejected? I had no idea they were that much of a stickler, but I always mail a 15+ ounce can of soup or vegetables stuffed with 3 crumpled pieces of newspapers in a 6x6x6 inch box. That, combined with the weight of the box itself, always makes the necessary weight. Hope this helps. I’m so sorry your shop was rejected. People don’t do these shops because they have to lay out $10.65 for each shop before reimbursement, and if they screw up, they don’t get reimbursed. You make $12 for each successful shop, too, but if you screw up, you lose that, of course. I had a few screw-ups when I did my first postal shops and lost money, but learned from those mistakes and didn’t repeat them.

[|quote] Recently my package was 1oz under and it was rejected. The editor was apologetic but it is the P.O.'s guideline. My scale said it was a pound, so I now make sure I am a few ounces over. I will put an extra piece or two of old cardboard in it. Person receiving may just think I am making sure I have enough padding in it. If I think I have a very light package, I always look at the weight before finishing the transaction and will say, "I forgot to put a note in here," and would leave and figure it out. So far that has not happened but it is better than losing the postage and having to do another package.[/quote]

At my end I see these shops at $15 .. At what pay do others do , do these further increase in bonus ?

Wow, great for you, komalagarwal. Most of the times these shops do not bonus and because of the fast time to do the shops, we (i) consider this a good shop for the payment.

@komalagarwal695 wrote:

At my end I see these shops at $15 .. At what pay do others do , do these further increase in bonus ?

Ive seen 2 remote locations at $15 rest at $12

I don't bother with a bonus on these. I prefer to get 100% of the shops that I apply for. $12 for 100 shops and $15 for 5 shops is not worth it. I don't need the extra 5 x $3 a quarter. I'd rather have everything at the base rate and not be left wondering if I am going to get the job when I apply.

Besides, if I am headed somewhere "remote" $3 extra is not going to get me there.

@SoCalMama wrote:

I don't bother with a bonus on these. I prefer to get 100% of the shops that I apply for. $12 for 100 shops and $15 for 5 shops is not worth it. I don't need the extra 5 x $3 a quarter. I'd rather have everything at the base rate and not be left wondering if I am going to get the job when I apply.

Besides, if I am headed somewhere "remote" $3 extra is not going to get me there.

Do you really do 100 shops a month?

I agree with SoCalMama. I am in the Northeast and the fee is $12.00 per shop. I love to send my family members small gifts (while staying over the one pound minimum). I apply for as many as I can and keep my fingers crossed that I will be assigned a bunch. I am still feeling a bit disheartened at only getting one of the twelve box shops that I had applied for during this recent round. Maybe next time!

@AnneAshley wrote:

@SoCalMama wrote:

I don't bother with a bonus on these. I prefer to get 100% of the shops that I apply for. $12 for 100 shops and $15 for 5 shops is not worth it. I don't need the extra 5 x $3 a quarter. I'd rather have everything at the base rate and not be left wondering if I am going to get the job when I apply.

Besides, if I am headed somewhere "remote" $3 extra is not going to get me there.

Do you really do 100 shops a month?

Probably 100 or more a quarter.

Your area must be packed with post offices. I've seen about 25-30 jobs this month in my 25 mile radius, applied for all but a few, and only got 9.

@ShopGuy9 wrote:

Your area must be packed with post offices. I've seen about 25-30 jobs this month in my 25 mile radius, applied for all but a few, and only got 9.

35 within 15 miles. If you include shipping stores, it's well over 100 in 15 miles.

@komalagarwal695 wrote:

Any suggestions on where I can buy cheap boxes. They ask for around 12 inch x 12 inch x12 inch or less.

Swing by your local Girl Scout council and ask for empty cartons. They're easy to turn inside out, retape, and voila. I have used them this year and have had no issues with the size requirements. Councils usually have a ton of boxes laying around.

@komalagarwal695 wrote:

At my end I see these shops at $15 .. At what pay do others do , do these further increase in bonus ?

I frequently see certain ones for $25. Right now there are some for $17 and $22 in my area. I usually snatch them up but have not able to do them lately.

@sestrahelena wrote:

@wwin wrote:

When I get desperate sometimes for things to fill my packages I look out at my landscaping rocks in the front yard and consider shipping a few till I remember how expensive they are per bag. As it is, I'm constantly replacing the ones the little neighbor kids take when they are out on walks with their parents completely oblivious to the expense.

No! Don't do it! Free rocks are everywhere! Parking lots, country roads or just walking down the street. Even small pieces of broken asphalt or cement will do.

I am getting rocks from Arizona a pound or a pound and a half at a time. The other day I noticed that the package on my front porch had been opened by someone. We have had a rash of package thieves in this part of the city.

This will be a hijack.

@sandyf wrote:

AnneAshley, my rules do not include waiting 3 months to reshop a location. In fact for my local post office I have done it two months in a row. I cannot remember but I think it is now 18 days (don't quote me) so I think you are doing post office shops through a different company than the rest of us.
As far as getting post offices in your neighborhood I doubt the schedulers really know where your neighborhood is. I live in Los Angeles and many schedulers, unless they have lived in LA which seems to happen, think somewhere 50 miles away is in my neighborhood just because it is in the same city or county of the same name. And if your neighborhood is in an urban area it is possible they have many shoppers for your location. You might email the scheduler and let him/her know which ones are close to home when you request them.

There is a company that is always wanting to send me over 100 miles pay me $7 to $17 plus a pad of $6 to $9. the bad thing is that they still owe me for a local shop that hasn't been paid since October. so the heck with em. They say I have to prove a negative.