There are credit cards with return protection coverage. If the store won't take it back, the credit card will refund the money.@retrodaddy wrote:
OP mentioned option-to-return shops. Unless I know there's a competitively-priced item at the shop I want or need, I want no part of those shops. I'm paranoid about something stupid happening which will render item unreturnable.
@roxy1 wrote:
Troy hit the nail on the head. People like to say how much their time is worth and how much they average per hour. But they never average in the hours sitting at home doing nothing because they feel $10 shops are beneath them. If you make $60 in two hours then sit at home for three hours watching tv, then you made $12/hr not $30/hr.
@MisterBill wrote:
There are credit cards with return protection coverage. If the store won't take it back, the credit card will refund the money.
You're making a presumption about the motivations of other shoppers. "Ego" as you are using the word probably does not enter into the decision for many (most?) shoppers. It would be comparable to writing, "Shoppers who take low paying jobs because of their lack of self-confidence in their value as a person are certainly free to do so."@roxy1 wrote:
Shoppers who don't take low paying jobs because of their egos are certainly free to do so
@Shop-et-al wrote:
Picture it: you are on the way to your next shop and you notice 'easy shop'. It's right there. Riiiight Theeeeere. Like, one hundred feet away from where you are standing after you exit your vehicle. You can see the front door and other customers entering and exiting the place. You know it is open for business. This is a self-assign job.
So will pick up the shop? Or, will you let the $5 go?
@MFJohnston wrote:
...That's just not my gig...
@guysmom wrote:
All of these varied responses only show us that each answer and each individual is unique. I will never do the types of shops that MFJ does, and I doubt that MFJ would do the jobs I like. That is why we will always see varied answers. What works for one doesn't for another and vice versa. It is all good.
Is it $5 PLUS something of value (like gas or postage)? Maybe then. Otherwise, if there's any sort of report at all, $5 is not worth walking in the door.@Shop-et-al wrote:
Picture it: you are on the way to your next shop and you notice 'easy shop'. It's right there. Riiiight Theeeeere. Like, one hundred feet away from where you are standing after you exit your vehicle. You can see the front door and other customers entering and exiting the place. You know it is open for business. This is a self-assign job.
So will you pick up the shop? Or, will you let the $5 go?
Thanks Irene..@Irene_L.A. wrote:
$5.00 is a bit low, I have done these shops for 8.00 not going out of my way, there anyway....5.00, probably not.
Usually I'll leave my house for 17.00, but if I'm in the mall anyway, depends on the day for 8.00.
Im in Monterey, California. A bit expensive here, so $5 does not sound like a lot of money here either.@MFJohnston wrote:
What is your time worth? This is going to have such a different answer for everybody, depending on their shopping goals, where they live, and their expected standard of living. I live in Seattle, where the minimum wage is $15/hr and the average home is purchased for $600,000. $20 is rather unexciting to me. However, if I were to live in a location where the minimum wage is $8 an the average home price $200,000, that $20 might mean a bit more. Etc.
I do have a set hourly amount I expect to make when I go out shopping ($40/hr) and I do include the time required on site, for travel and to write reports. I also include any "dead" time - where I am stuck on my route and unable to start a shop due to time restrictions. (Though I generally can mediate this by writing reports with this time).
If I am not able to come close to my expected hourly amount, I have a decision to make:
* I could shop anyhow. $20/hr is better than nothing, after all.
* I could decide that it's a good time to relax. We all need down time and a great time to take it is when I can't earn any money.
* I could decide to invest in my business. If I am not finding enough work, It might be worth while to apply to a few more companies - there are at least 150 more listed on this forum to which I have not yet applied. I could also do some planning. For instance, right now there are four $60 shops in a small area - eight hours away from me. I'm interested, but that is certainly not enough money for me to make the trip. So... I should: a) contact the scheduler and see if a bonus might be available, b) look for other shops that would be along the drive, c) look for other shops in the area, d) contact other schedulers I know to see what they might be able to assign me, and e) join social media groups about shopping where I can pick up jobs.