@BirdyC wrote:
@Rousseau wrote:
IMO, reimbursement shops are not for professional shoppers.
I totally disagree with you there. Many professional shoppers do reimbursement-only or reimbursement-plus-small-fee shops. People's reasons are different, but that doesn't diminish their professionalism or their competence. There are some shoppers on this forum who are consummate professionals (far more experienced than many of us and whose skills are evident) and who do reimbursement shops. (I am not placing myself in that company, but I do consider myself a professional, if not full-time, shopper, and I do restaurant reimbursement shops, but those with an accompanying small fee.) Your opinion seems somewhat condescending.
@AZwolfman wrote:
He/she was not condescending at all. By definition, a professional is someone who gets paid for his/her services. A professional shopper would not work for free.
Professional: (of a person) engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.
condescending: having or showing a feeling of patronizing superiority.
@AZwolfman wrote:
He/she was not condescending at all. By definition, a professional is someone who gets paid for his/her services. A professional shopper would not work for free.
@AZwolfman wrote:
Working for free as a course of habit or on a regular basis is not a professional or profitable way to run a business, unless of course you are donating your time, labor, and money to drum up new business (such as a salesman gives away free product).
@Tarantado wrote:
@bgriffin wrote:
I do not consider it unethical at all and don't understand why someone would.
Do you report your the double-dipped reimbursements as taxable income?
@tlin wrote:
Actually yes because it is no longer reimbursement for something I spent. Per diem however, is not taxable and is paid regardless of how I spend it. I'm not submitting two receipts, one to the client and one for mystery shopping as I have only ever been on per diem that does not have receipts. I don't consider it unethical, just like the client didn't view it as unethical to lower the reimbursement by over a third of the IRS guidelines for that area. I was stretching what they gave me and they were lowering what they wanted to pay. I could have packed food to eat and had the same outcome, but since I worked an 80 hour week that week for no extra pay since I'm an exempt FTE, I was not feeling super motivated.
@oteixeira wrote:
With hard items (non food) you are welcome to turn around and sell them, and recoup 70-80% of your money. No company would complain if you did.