Not unless they really fouled up or she really fouled up. Keep in mind that shoppers are supposed to look like your average customer.

I did 4 of the shipping place shops yesterday. Three of the four packages were sent to relatives out of state. I couldn't think of anything else I needed to send so I put some food in a box to mail back home (fortunately for us, we don't have a post office in our town, so any post office nearby is at least a Zone 1). Since it was addressed to us, I didn't think putting our own info for the return would make sense, so I just left it off. Maybe you can't send anything "anonymously" these days because the clerk said, "You need to write your name and address on there for the return." Doing that right in front of him when he would look at it would really seem suspicious, and I couldn't think of any other address to use. The only thing I could think of was the house down the street that we used to live in but sold, so I put their name and address on it! That took me completely off guard. I don't have a work address to use. I'm just wondering what any of you have done if you've mailed something home. Next time I'll put my sister's address, as she lives in a neighboring town, but I don't have it memorized.

I didn't notice the new guideline about having at least 30 minutes between shipping centers until I was filling in my reports at midnight last night. There was only one that was about 20 minutes apart, so I'm hoping they'll still pay me. What's with that anyway? Who cares if you go to one place, ship your box, and then head to another one and ship? It's not like banking where they can see your transactions on a computer screen (which I know they're on to me because of that)! The shipping places I went to are about 3 miles apart and it seems silly to just twiddle my thumbs to let 30 minutes pass. We'll see what happens on that.

It seems to me that the 30 minutes between shops was part of the requirements with the previous MSP. They obviously hoped you would take that time filling out the report prior to going to your next location so that you would not confuse observations from one visit with observations from the next one. If it is showing up again it may be a client requirement.

That may be true, but when I did them in the fall, I don't recall that being a requirement (and it wasn't in the training materials we tested on), so it surprised me. I brought the guidelines with me but didn't see that part until I was on the computer doing the reports. :-( I've learned that sometimes what they give you as guidelines to print out aren't always the same as the actual report form (not just Bare, but many places), so I'm learning that I need to be more careful to look at the actual report itself before I go.


Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It seems to me that the 30 minutes between shops
> was part of the requirements with the previous
> MSP. They obviously hoped you would take that
> time filling out the report prior to going to your
> next location so that you would not confuse
> observations from one visit with observations from
> the next one. If it is showing up again it may be
> a client requirement.

Hopefully your shop will be accepted. And yes, unfortunately you do need to look at the instructions with each shop. I certainly appreciate those companies that put a highlighted note on things that have recently changed or been added. It lets me see at a quick glance the latest changes. I also appreciate when they have at the very top of the instructions the date of the most recent change.

Doesn't the Dim Wit mailing tie up about 40 to 50 bucks per shop?

There could technically be two shoppers on the same day. I was doing regular box shops and dim weight shops were being done on the same days. You just can't do them both yourself on the same day.

I chose NOT to do the dim weight shops because of the expense layout.

My "zone" problem is still out there. There are small towns that are now "suburbs" of my city. Even though they have different town names than Louisville, they were still zone 0. Still holding my breath to see if I get paid. I sent an email to my scheduler but didn't hear back. I did my last three yesterday and shipped stuff to people in other states. Hoping there is another round of something besides the dim weights. I like the regular box shops because I can pack everything up in advance and take with me the ones I'm going to ship that day. I built routes around these shops and they really increased my take home when all was said and done.

I've done 37 regular and Ready Post shops since November. Wheeeeeeee!

richraynor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Doesn't the Dim Wit mailing tie up about 40 to 50
> bucks per shop?

Not only that, you also risk losing this same amount if you make the tiniest of mistakes in your shop.

iblessyah@yahoo.com Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>I've done 37 regular and Ready Post shops since
> November. Wheeeeeeee!


Don't brag. Unless those 37 shops were bonused. You also put out at least $300 to get $370. Ther shops are good, if U have to mail something. To get $10 for spending $8 doesn't look to richly in the long run. Reimbursement is good, but.......just saying.



SpyGirl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did 4 of the shipping place shops yesterday.
> > > I didn't notice the new guideline about having at
> least 30 minutes between shipping centers.......
>The
> shipping places I went to are about 3 miles apart
> and it seems silly to just twiddle my thumbs to
> let 30 minutes pass.


SPYGIRL: it is up to you to space your shops apart. If in doubt linger in yor vehicle for l5 minutes. Also the package is supposed to be addressed to/from b4 U present Ur package to the Clerk. To be stumped at the window can draw suspicion. Apparently your neighbors have no address either.? What about a physical work address?

The clerk did not ask you Ur name and address, so what did he care about the to and from. Clearly to do four shops in a day was not a well thought out plan of yours, b/c now you worry. Just saying

Sojo, "just saying" that you are bit arrogant.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2011 03:59PM by lisams901.

sojo917 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> iblessyah@yahoo.com Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >I've done 37 regular and Ready Post shops since
> > November. Wheeeeeeee!
>
>
> Don't brag. Unless those 37 shops were bonused.

Sojo, it seems I can remember someone else "bragging" about completing a lot of these shops last Fall. Just sayin'.

> SPYGIRL: it is up to you to space your shops
> apart. If in doubt linger in yor vehicle for l5
> minutes.



Of course it is. My point was simply that I did not realize the guidelines had been changed and that there needed to be 30 min. between visits. I believe I said something to the effect that I needed to be more careful about making sure I was updated. I don't recall trying to put the blame elsewhere.



Also the package is supposed to be
> addressed to/from b4 U present Ur package to the
> Clerk. To be stumped at the window can draw
> suspicion.




Yep, you're right again. It WAS addressed, but I did not know that it would be required that I have a return address, that's all. I've received things in the mail without a return address, even as recently as last month, so that DID take me by surprise, but it doesn't mean I acted surprised because I did not. I simply took a pen and wrote it on while he was printing the receipt. Nothing suspicious about it.




Apparently your neighbors have no
> address either.? What about a physical work
> address?



What about being nice? I don't recall my neighbors' house numbers, to tell you the truth. And I work from home, so a physical work address would be the same. Did you notice that I said, "I don't have a work address to use"??




>
> The clerk did not ask you Ur name and address, so
> what did he care about the to and from. Clearly
> to do four shops in a day was not a well thought
> out plan of yours, b/c now you worry. Just > saying




I think it WAS a well thought out plan and I would do it again. I simply will be more prepared. Somehow I had the mistaken idea that this forum was for help and support, not knocking someone around because they make mistakes and admit them. I very much appreciate the useful responses that help me improve and encourage me to keep at it rather than the snotty remarks.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2011 06:22PM by SpyGirl.

This type of response is why you will RARELY see me on this forum. It is unfriendly, unkind and borderline rude with a dash of know-it-allism.
Just because you've been tagged (who is the authority that does the tagging?) as EXPERT or SUPER STAR does not give you the right to be rude to the rest of us.

Can't we be helpful in a nice way so that we all achieve the same goal - to be successful in the mystery shopping business!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2011 06:37PM by juricekl.

Amen and amen!


juricekl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This type of response is why you will RARELY see
> me on this forum. It is unfriendly, unkind and
> borderline rude with a dash of know-it-allism.
> Just because you've been tagged (who is the
> authority that does the tagging?) as EXPERT or
> SUPER STAR does not give you the right to be rude
> to the rest of us.
>
> Can't we be helpful in a nice way so that we all
> achieve the same goal - to be successful in the
> mystery shopping business!

Let's be a little realistic, please. This is a public forum. There is not censorship here until/unless it really gets ugly and contentious. If you took 100 people who you know, how many of them would you be delighted to invite to your house for dinner? To expect that any population of people doing similar work will include only folks who see things the same way you do, have tact, grace and style, is a Disney 3 fingered world unreality. It does not give me joy to see others put people down, but it is a part of the real world. It also does not give me joy to see whole lots of sympathy for unprofessionalism. Life . . . live it.

I'm feeling good right now...one brawl I wasn't in!!

It doesn't mean they shouldn't be called on it once in awhile, though.


Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Let's be a little realistic, please. This is a
> public forum. There is not censorship here
> until/unless it really gets ugly and contentious.
> If you took 100 people who you know, how many of
> them would you be delighted to invite to your
> house for dinner? To expect that any population
> of people doing similar work will include only
> folks who see things the same way you do, have
> tact, grace and style, is a Disney 3 fingered
> world unreality. It does not give me joy to see
> others put people down, but it is a part of the
> real world. It also does not give me joy to see
> whole lots of sympathy for unprofessionalism.
> Life . . . live it.

Since I was sitting here going through papers to take to accountant for taxes I thought I would note that I can find the 30 minute "client enforced" rule as early as April 2010 with the other company.

Also I will say, I did not thoroughly read about the Zone 0 with new company as it did not apply to me.

My point, we all make mistakes and while I wish I never did I had one FF shop invalidated for honestly missing a new rule. Most MSC instruct us to "give the benefit of the doubt to the person being shopped" and most of the companies/schedulers I work with do the same for me.

swvaboy, it has been a few years since I did the shops for the previous company and that 30 minute rule was with the shops back then. It may be that the current company did not list it in their instructions at first. Reading through the new company's instructions there seemed to be a few things missing and certainly the changes about package destination. Of course the client's requirements may have been precisely the same, but since we were told where the package was to be sent before, that eliminated the need to be concerned about same zip code or zone etc.

Yes, you are correct.

Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> swvaboy, it has been a few years since I did the
> shops for the previous company and that 30 minute
> rule was with the shops back then. It may be that
> the current company did not list it in their
> instructions at first. Reading through the new
> company's instructions there seemed to be a few
> things missing and certainly the changes about
> package destination. Of course the client's
> requirements may have been precisely the same, but
> since we were told where the package was to be
> sent before, that eliminated the need to be
> concerned about same zip code or zone etc.

These shops of current have been avaialble since October.

For the past four monthsm including January, 20ll. New guidelindes have been printed. Each month included new guidelines that were not included in the previous month. To go forth with a shop with out reading the guideleines is not a "Woo is me moment." By the fact that you did not accurately do your scenerio, means February shops will have more new guiddelines b/c someone could not follow simple instructions. Let's hope You get paid for the shops. Don't blame me. for putting it out their. I don't like change either.

As for 37 shops. Nope not me. I did post----->in a radius of 10 miles were 20 shops available, but I wasn't doing them. Since Ocober, I have done 10 shops for these people and they still have a problem with including my bonuses.

Forum are just that. FORUMs. If they help, then thank you, if they support, thank you, if then call you out, thank you. We get better with critcism cause if we don't then a public forum is not needed.

The same person whom gave you your member status gave me mine. So what's that saying????

As you can see from this post and from others, MSCs do read this board. If they react and post it's up to them. Changes are made to guidelines when they read a situtaion, that needs to be changed.

Undeterred and unapologetic, Sojo returns. LOL

This forum is a minute sampling of the real world. On most days, the malcontents are fewer than the contents.

sojo917 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
To go forth with a shop with
> out reading the guideleines is not a "Woo is me
> moment." By the fact that you did not accurately
> do your scenerio, means February shops will have
> more new guiddelines b/c someone could not follow
> simple instructions. Let's hope You get paid for
> the shops. Don't blame me. for putting it out
> their. I don't like change either.
>

Really, Sojo! Where you come up with these things is beyond me. I printed the guidelines, read over them, and took them with me. I made a small mistake, and now you're trying to say that because I mentioned that I hadn't realized they'd made that change that now everything is going to be harder, blah, blah, blah. I seriously doubt my remark on here is going to create such hardship for you. And was I in any way "blaming" you for anything? I think not. I do, however, think that it wouldn't cost you one thin dime to be nice. Since when does typing something helpful and kind take more time or effort than being snide and rude? If one were to take your words at face value, it would appear that you believe you are quite the perfect shopper who never errs. That is rather doubtful as I'm certain everyone on here has made mistakes and will likely continue to do so now and again.

Methinks that the Sojo has exceeded his 15 minutes of fame.

If you have on a nice dress or a outstanding blue suit, I will compliment you.

Guidelines in the January shops have changed. Not only the dim weight shops but the A and B scenarios. One does not have to do the shops to read the guidelines, It is a seperate download.

Once the shipping company gets what they want, this type of shops will not be available. The Internet, Brown and Air express will see to that.

I suspect that some of you, like me, read the V-God forums on occasion. It is notable how active this topic has been both here and there. Also notable are the comments on how many shoppers have been beat out of their compensation for various "technical" errors. I have so far avoided these shops entirely because of the unnecessarily complicated rules as well as the additional time and/or expense versus the old MSC and system. If BARE can get it's act together I might reconsider.

Good news for me, they gave me a 10 on all 4 shops. I've done 10 of them so far and thankfully haven't had anything rejected. I will just be more careful to read the updated guidelines straight off the internet form itself before going. And if I don't have something I need to mail to someone, I'll just use the same packages I've already prepared by ripping off any old stuff and taping a new big label over it. That will make it really simple because it's already the right weight and is ready to go.


ShopUntilYouDrop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I suspect that some of you, like me, read the
> V-God forums on occasion. It is notable how active
> this topic has been both here and there. Also
> notable are the comments on how many shoppers have
> been beat out of their compensation for various
> "technical" errors. I have so far avoided these
> shops entirely because of the unnecessarily
> complicated rules as well as the additional time
> and/or expense versus the old MSC and system. If
> BARE can get it's act together I might reconsider.

How long does it normally take to get a *grade* on a Senario A (regular box) shop? I did mine 1/6 and still have not heard. You would think that 8 days would be enough time.....or maybe it had some problems..your thoughts?