So I am primarily a route shopper and have been working for an MSP for about 7 months (and several other MSPs). Each quarter this particular MSP releases a ton of shops are released and we “apply” and the scheduled assigns. Well, the list just came out and I applied for 60 and only got 25 - and had to reject 8 because they were spread out across 2 states and the gas expense was more. Scheduler said he gave away all of the remaining shops I wanted (45). I am devastated!! I called the president today to discuss and he said it was a mistake bc I am one of their best shoppers. I have no idea what the heck is going on. The schedule knows me and we’ve emailed several times. I have travelled 15,000 miles for this company in the last 6 months and it is hard work but the money is pretty good. I want to cancel the 15 shops I got for this quarter and tell them I quit! Any thoughts?? All of this happened in the last few days.

A few things:

1. You are a contractor in this business so just because you used to always get the shops you applied for does not in any way mean you always will. Even agreements that you will always get shops eventually end.
2. You are a contractor and not an employee so you can't really "quit", you can only stop applying for shops.
3. It sounds like almost all of your income came from 1 primary MSC. That's generally a bad idea. At best you need to have other MSC's that you can pick up large amounts of work for in the case of an emergency.
4. In the future when you apply for shops I would suggest making sure the scheduler knows you want all or none. Just be prepared for none. See point 3.
5. Just because you and the scheduler "have emailed a few times" doesn't mean they know you. The schedulers I consider "knowing me" I've either met several times or have talked to on the phone so many times it feels like I have.
6. Maybe it's not a bad thing. I used to have a dedicated route of about 400 gas stations. The MSC renegotiated the contract and negotiated out the required dedicated shoppers. So that route ended. At the time they were about 1/3 of my income. I reached out to some other companies that I had done some work for but not huge amounts in order to take up the slack. I replaced those routes with better income.

Thanks for the supportive email. I feel worse now.

My dad used to say that when one door closes another one opens, or something like that. Look at griff's last sentence: "I replaced those routes with better income." Chin up, this might be a positive thing for you in the long run.

@CAGB33
If you have not done so already, consider keeping the shops that are further away. Let them serve as the starting spot for a route - and search out opportunities with other companies in those areas. There are certainly other shops to be done near them - it's just a matter of finding them. Doing so will also help to keep you in the good graces of the other MSC.

@bgriffin is spot on with the advice. No shopper should rely on a single company, nor should any company rely too heavily on a single shopper. We all become stronger shoppers by diversifying. These shops were for May, yes? You have plenty of time to find replacement work.

I work for many other MSPs - like I said in my first post. This company supplies about 50% of my income and I use it as the base and fill in other shops around when I go on a route. I guess I’m just tired of the struggle. Just when things finally seem to break through and become easier, this happens for no reason. Feels like such betrayal. They DO know me and have told me I am one of their best shoppers. Everyone wants to feel that satisfaction and reward for their work. There isn’t anything wrong with that.

Being told you’re one of their best shoppers is a far cry from being their best shopper. What would you expect them, or any MSC to tell you? That you’re mediocre?
Also, 7 months is not an long time. This would be what, your third quarter? They likely have shoppers who have worked with them on this project for years. You don’t feel they are showing loyalty? Think about what probably happened. Another shopper who’s been with them for years said they wanted more shops and got them. Should they have shown more loyalty to a shopper with far less tenure?
Yes, it’s frustrating to not get all the shops you wanted. How you chose to respond is going to determine your future relationship, if any, with this MSC.

I mean... maybe another shopper has shopped for them for 2 years and traveled 3x as many miles as you, and they requested some of the shops. Your numbers are off a little, but it sounds like they assigned you 25 shops, so nearly half of what you asked for.

Personally, I wouldn’t have called the president to complain. I wouldn’t want them to view me in a negative light.

What’s done is done. I guess your options are A) complete the shops you do have and pick up bonused orphan shops at the end of the quarter. Or cancel the shops assigned to you because you’re upset, knowing you will then likely never work with them again.

Whenever I apply for a bunch of shops with one particular MSC, I always send a polite email to the scheduler with a list of the locations and a brief and polite explanation that I must get all of the shops applied for in order to be able to complete them since I make mini-routes to optimize time and fuel efficiency. And this is with companies I have been with for over a decade. I might travel 50ish miles (round trip) for a short day route, but not across state lines like many others. Even when picking up post offices that are within 20 miles of my house I like to bundle and I will send an email to the scheduler with a list of locations and dates I want to do them. The schedulers have a lot to keep up with and don't always remember what city I live in, much less which state. Sheesh, I was visiting family in Texas last year and did a shop there, and I had a scheduler contact me the following month and ask me if I would be interested in completing that location again...but I was back home in the NE US by then. And if she would have looked at the rest of my shop history she would have noticed that there were 100s of shops completed in my city and only 1 across the country in Texas, LOL. Anyway, something to think about for the future.

I feel your pain. It sounds like you bent over backward to help this scheduler in the past, and he discounted that relationship. I'm finding this to be more and more the case, unfortunately, especially with those schedulers who send out "begging" emails every month.

@ishop123
Thank you! That’s what I wanted to hear.

I did a significant amount for one MSC. They would call me when they were in a bind and needed a nearby shop done. I would do it, bonus or not. A few months ago, I self assigned one shop and applied for another. The shop I self assigned was in my log. I received an email from the scheduler, whom I did a lot of work for. She told me that the shop went to a different shopper who had asked for it the previous month.

My previous work for her meant nothing, or so I thought. I simply replied "Okay."

She assigned the shop I applied for, which was more money and actually fun.

I hear you! I think some of these MSCs need to value us more and realize with us none of them would have a job. I don’t like being taken advantage of.

Who took advantage of you?

@CAGB33 wrote:

I hear you! I think some of these MSCs need to value us more and realize with us none of them would have a job. I don’t like being taken advantage of.

I get what you are saying and I'm sympathetic, but basically what bgriffin said is the reality. He didn't say it to make you feel worse, but the value of the forum is that other shoppers help us keep it real rather than just blindly agreeing with each other to make us feel better.

As for "some of these MSCs need to value us more and realize with us none of them would have a job," keep in mind that without them none of us would have assignments. As one shopper to another, I tell you, shoppers are a dime a dozen. If you and I both quit shopping tomorrow, there will be new shoppers doing the shops that you and I have been doing. The MSC employees will still have jobs and other shoppers will do their shops. There are a few shoppers who mystery shop for years, but the majority are short-term. It's nice that there are some schedulers that value shoppers and build relationships, but 7 months with a company is not really a long time. I would understand you feeling taken advantage of if you were telling us you worked with them for 5 years rather than 7 months.

Whenever I need my feelings validated, I talk to my dog. He’s very sympathetic and always agrees with me.

No comment. I don’t need another laundry list of what I need to change.

But there are a lot of factors that I didn’t mention and many of the critical responders made many assumptions that just weren’t true. I just wanted validation (thank you To those who gave it) - that’s all. I am not a novice in this industry and don’t need a long laundry list of what I need to change.

A lot of people you don’t know really do want you to be a successful and happy shopper. If you wanted validation, then you should have asked for it. If you choose to withhold relevant information, don’t be surprised if the advice given isn’t applicable.

@CAGB33
* You titled your message "Fed up."
* You talked about quitting in your post.
* You asked for thoughts.

So.... You presented yourself as a shopper who was about to give up on the industry because you were fed up and asked opinions. You got several suggestions for how to expand your shopping and make lemonade from lemons. There is no reason to be upset at these responses - you asked for them, whether you meant to or not.

You wanted validation... Sorry. This industry is pure capitalism. Nothing is guaranteed from month to month. We all deal with having new competition and not getting preferred shops. MSC's do not owe us shops each month. They assign them to us when it fits their needs. Yes, it can be frustrating when another shopper picks up shops that we want, but we've all almost certainly picked up shops that other shoppers wanted, too. That route you didn't get? Somebody was doing those shops before you picked them up - it's not like they started to exist when you began to shop.

And, if you look again at the comments, there was nothing but sound wisdom being shared.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2018 11:42PM by MFJohnston.

Before you cancel any shops, take a moment to chill. You're angry and upset now so don't make a business decision in that frame of mind. Consider letting the scheduler know your availability if there are cancellations and by all means remind your scheduler about the route shops you are interested in for the next round.

I decided to do the shops. Thanks

Ah, do not feel bad about losing the shops. Shops come, and shops go. As my dad used to say no one owes you anything so get used to disappointment.

@CAGB33 wrote:

I work for many other MSPs - like I said in my first post. This company supplies about 50% of my income and I use it as the base and fill in other shops around when I go on a route. I guess I’m just tired of the struggle. Just when things finally seem to break through and become easier, this happens for no reason. Feels like such betrayal. They DO know me and have told me I am one of their best shoppers. Everyone wants to feel that satisfaction and reward for their work. There isn’t anything wrong with that.

The fact that you did the route for such a long time is an indication that you were trusted to do it. Is that some validation? The fact that contracts were re-negotiated is a factor that is beyond your control. Obviously, it is time for change. But you have to grieve this loss. This is okay. We understand.

In an esoteric sense, you might be being pushed out of the nest, like a baby bird who has to learn to fly. You have some experience. By default, you are required to get some more experience. You can do this.

*edit* never mind. you are doing some shops.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/2018 01:04AM by Shop-et-al.

It's feels absolutely awful and is abhorrent when that happens. Ipsos schedulers are now splitting shops between me and whoever the other new shopper is in my area. I feel the same way.when this happens; betrayed. Sure, you have to diversify etc. Nevertheless, it's a pretty sh!tty deal. Yes, it's a fact that we have to diversify and ultimately these companies and their reps could give a rat's arse about us if their shops are filled. Pretty sh!tty deal though when you go through this, especially without notice. You can't just replace 50% of your income overnight, there's just not that many cash deals going around.

Thank you. Like them, we want some sort of consistency. These were all video shops and they are very picky about perfection in what I say and do, etc. They want videos edited as instructed before I upload them, they want them turned in on time and the reports written well, with specific examples. I am excellent at this and have gotten all 9’s and 10’s on all 356 evaluations. Yes, I have gone to the SAME 356 stores in the last 7 months for this company. Mostly in the last 4 months. It is a lot of putting on the camera, going into the SAME store, doing the same thing, and then all of the post work. It is hours and hours of planning the route, applying for other shops around the route, analyzing the miles and roads so to make the best profit, figuring out where to spend the night (cheapest) for the 10-15 days I am gone, and so forth. My days are spent driving all day with 6-8 stops for shops, then sleeping in my camper in a Walmart parking lot, bc it’s free and gas prices have gone up too much for me to pay for lodging. It is a lot of work but I really liked the (somewhat) dependability of this income. About 60-80 shops awarded each quarter. I am not asking for all of the shops I apply for - just enough to make a decent dent in my monthly bills.

The president has called me back twice, and emailed me once since this has happened. I think he really cares and is afraid I will leave. He said they had 3 route shoppers last quarter who dropped their routes and they lost a lot of revenue. I know it’s a small company and it is only him and the scheduler who work there, and the scheduler goes to school full time. So it may have been a mistake but I am on a route right now (mostly for another MSC) and I am really dragging through it. I am trying my best to snap out of it but so disappointed in this overall industry and the disrespect we shoppers get from those who should value us. Where did we get this reputation, that we can be treated like low-life’s? I have seen it over and over and over and over, with countless MSCs and many other shoppers. I just want to go home and crawl into bed and stay there until I figure all this out. Lol!

But really, why try? It’s such a struggle - they want SO much from us and I give it to them happily - but then they won’t give us ANY kind of reliability or consistency in return. I’m not asking for anwers (or scoldings) - this is just a retorical question of frustration. This is just the 10th round of this kind of thing happenening and maybe I need to consider another line of work.

@CAGB33 wrote:

Yes, I have gone to the SAME 356 stores in the last 7 months for this company. Mostly in the last 4 months. It is a lot of putting on the camera, going into the SAME store, doing the same thing, and then all of the post work.

If this hasn’t been a problem for you yet, I would imagine it will be soon. They need to recycle shoppers because you can’t just visit the same stores over and over again without being recognized as the shopper. So that’s one thing I would keep in mind.

That's not true, Megs. You can go to the same 400 stores, once every quarter, and not be recognized as the shopper. I can.

@CAGB33
I know you don't want suggestions, but.... something does not add up.

You are describing video shops where you are expected to also do a write up and edit your own video. You should be getting, at the very minimum, $60 per shop for that - if you are not being given any sort of extra money for the travel required. You also should not have any problem adding as many gas stations as you want along your route - unrevealed shops typically take all of ten minutes. You should be able to get at least $10/shop plus $5 gas for each.

Let's say you are doing four video shops a day plus five gas stations. (I would consider this a pretty light load for a full day of work.) $60 x 4 + $10 x 6 = $300. Plus, you will be reimbursed for $30 in gas. If you are driving something new and small, this should cover nearly all your gas, You should be able to eat and sleep at less than $150/day. This puts you at $150 profit per day of you trip..... A step further. You should be able to get $80 for the video shops you are describing and $15 for the gas stations (if not more!) This brings the daily income to $410.

What sort of gas mileage are you getting with your camper? If you have a larger vehicle and are pulling a camper, you could be getting as little as 7 mpg. If this is the case, it might be worth your while to rent a vehicle that gets 35-40 mpg and using some of the extra money to stay in an inexpensive hotel with wi-fi. (at $3.50 per gallon and 500 miles of driving, the difference between 7 mpg and 35 mpg is $200.)

I'm not trying to be overly-critical of you, but something is not right with the money you are making for the work you are describing. If I spend a full day shopping, I make sure I profit $300. On my recent overnight trip, my profit averaged better than $500/day - and I didn't do any gas stations. Are your shops spaced so far apart that they do not make for a good route? Perhaps you should be breaking it up into two or three day routes? Should you be asking for more per shop? Are you spending too much on gas? Are you finding other shops along your routes that would make these routes more profitable?

MFJ expressed my thoughts regarding the profit margins. I have never gone on a video route, with or without filler work, where there was not enough built in to cover my expenses which always includes nice hotels. I budget the $150 MFJ suggests and more often than not I come in under budget. If you are filling out a long report and editing your own video the base pay should be at least $80 to $100. For a multi-day route I have only accepted base rate when the MSC was covering the lion's share of my expenses, hotel, fuel or mileage and sometimes a per diem.

I also question the time spent routing yourself when it is the same stores each month. After the first month, routing should only have been tweaking it a bit based on your experience and popping in filler shops. With the main route providing a strong foundation there isn't need to go far afield for those fillers.

I am curious as to what type of shops these were and what type of editing was necessary? It seems the shops would have to be either fast food or some type of retail to allow the same shopper back month after month. The only shops I've felt comfortable completing with that frequency were fast food. I have had the option to complete another retailer that often, but it gets dicey with the same scenario and little employee turnover. I have also never had shop requiring editing. A couple MSCs seem to either refuse to edit or are incapable of doing so while demanding minimal time prior to and after the interaction. I solve that problem by starting my recorder as near as possible to the entrance while still being out of sight and stopping it right after I walk out the door.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/2018 05:30PM by LisaSTL.