@jshoppermont wrote:

I am doing a late night shop for them tonight for $30. They said, make an offer, so I did, and they assigned it to me. I was inspired after reading this thread, but seriously, I love their food. I'll only nibble, because it's so late at night, I have church in the morning, and I'm trying to lose weight.

Just grab a little burger bowl with lots of veggies. That’s less than 400 calories. Eating about 1/4 of the Little Fries is about 130 calories.

530 calories isn’t a killer from a caloric standpoint. And the quality of the ingredients are rather high, though not the healthiest.

I've gotten a $20 for a 5G, But the same issue happens around here, if I don't take them past normal pay they get taken pretty quick by other shoppers.
The cell phone shops though, I once did three in a day all for $50 bonus pay. And the male-themed restaurant I never take for lower than a $25 bonus. If someone else takes it, that's fine, but it usually sits there until they need it bad.

Is that $50 for each phone shop?

@Goneshopping wrote:

Is that $50 for each phone shop?

Yes it was.
Haven't gotten nearly anything like that since. Heck lately I ask for an extra $10 on a shop and get denied.

I feel ya. BIG bonuses are hard to come by these days.

Seriously?

@ceasesmith wrote:

Nevertheless, after they "check with the manager", I always get the $80 I'm asking for....

I do these for $25 and if it is a late night shop or a very last minute shop, I get $30. Sometimes they say no at first, but then will call back and wind up giving me what I ask for. I usually get one or two each month.

Yea, I wouldn't do the late night for less than $80. I have to wake up when even the roosters are sleeping. I've only gotten a late night 5 times in two years though.

@MSF wrote:

Seriously?

@ceasesmith wrote:

Nevertheless, after they "check with the manager", I always get the $80 I'm asking for....

Yes. $80 is what I've done it for before, and I'm not doing it for less.

jerseygirlshopper, the country code for the Philipines is not 925- the country code is 62 or 63. I looked it up on google.The 925 area code is in the Bay Area in California. How do I know? I made many phone calls in the Walnut Creek/Concord area. You may not get a native english speaking scheduler who just happens to have a foreign accent. The Walnut Creek/Concord area is not some back county area if you are not familiar with the area. A typical home like a 2/3 bedroom, 2 bath home starts at $850,000 and up.

Well, then. After all this time. And to think. Just imagine. I guess it's true then. There are no overseas schedulers. Just three people living in a million dollar house that run the calls for market force.
Some people really do earn $100 an hour, and still do the $12 post office shops after all too.

@catgrannyof5 wrote:

jerseygirlshopper, the country code for the Philipines is not 925- the country code is 62 or 63. I looked it up on google.The 925 area code is in the Bay Area in California. How do I know? I made many phone calls in the Walnut Creek/Concord area. You may not get a native english speaking scheduler who just happens to have a foreign accent. The Walnut Creek/Concord area is not some back county area if you are not familiar with the area. A typical home like a 2/3 bedroom, 2 bath home starts at $850,000 and up.

Those calls from the Phillipines are routed through Martinez, CA. They really ARE calling from the Phillipines (and sometimes somewhere in Latin America -- Belize, Costa Rica, someplace like that), but the calls definitely show up as 925 area code.

Remind them you have to pay federal taxes on the meal reimbursement at about 30%, as it is a payment-in-kind, so it eats into your profit. You can tell them you just found out, so you require a larger fee now. Some people on this board will argue the technically of this point, but a scheduler working in another country won't. I'm not looking to start an argument on taxes, but always looking for a way to raise fees.

@thecrwth wrote:

Remind them you have to pay federal taxes on the meal reimbursement at about 30%, as it is a payment-in-kind, so it eats into your profit. You can tell them you just found out, so you require a larger fee now. Some people on this board will argue the technically of this point, but a scheduler working in another country won't. I'm not looking to start an argument on taxes, but always looking for a way to raise fees.

Not trying to start a tax conversation, but can't you deduct the cost of food as an expense and are left with only paying tax on the "profit" which would be the fee?

You're reimbursed for it, so my understanding is no, but a scheduler in another country doesn't know the answer. Or just remind them you pay taxes in the first place.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2018 06:00PM by thecrwth.

In my area, the bonuses don't go over $8. Catlassy, I used your method and got a $12 bonus.
I got bacon. The meal was close to $15.

@catlassy wrote:

"Will you take it for $6." Then I chuckle and say, "Sorry no."
Then I say, "I will do it for $18.00."
They say, "How about $12.00?"
"No, I really need $18 to make it cost effective. (Ie. "its hot, that's a long drive, I have family visiting, the traffic is bad, gas is expensive "...... blah blah blah."

That usually works.

@thecrwth wrote:

You're reimbursed for it, so my understanding is no, but a scheduler in another country doesn't know the answer. Or just remind them you pay taxes in the first place.

But the reimbursement is NOT taxable income. As the previous poster asked, you really only pay tax on the "profit" for the shop. It's not taxed because it's a REQUIRED purchase in order to complete your assignment.

Detailed record keeping is a must in this job.

I NEVER get called for bonuses. I wonder if it's because something weird happened during the last time a scheduler called me. I was doing a different shop that day when the scheduler asked if I could do a FG the following day. I said I wasn't sure yet, but would know by the late afternoon. I said they could call me back. They were really polite.

Here's the problem. When they called the first time, they offered the shop at $8.00. I knew in the back of my mind that I would not do that shop, given how far it was for less than $18.00. But, the more pressing concern was whether I could do it at all, since we had a family dinner the next night. I had to ask my parents if it would be okay to skip it and wouldn't know until late afternoon. I didn't tell them that I would do it for $18.00 only when they first called.

Then, when they called late afternnnonn, I told them I could do it, but wanted $18.00. The very nice young lady on the phone almost blew a gasket in shock. She said: "$18.00??????????????????????!" It was the most shocked sounding tone. Then she politely said: "Okay, let me ask my manager."

It was kind of funny actually. She went from super shocked to super calm instantly. Like total 180. She came back and said yes. I did the shop successfully and never got a call back from any scheduler again I don't believe. That was over 8 months ago. I only get bonuses once a blue moon from the green button.

The highest I've gotten is $14.00 on the green button. I've gotten $50+ bonuses in the past, but not in 2018.

Shoptastic, don't you do a lot of those shops? I do one per month. I wait for them to call me and I ask for a bonus.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Shoptastic, don't you do a lot of those shops? I do one per month. I wait for them to call me and I ask for a bonus.

I think it is because Shoptastic does a lot that they do not call/bonus.

I usually only do these WHEN they call and I happen to have it convenient to me and take a bonus.

Once in a while I'll do it along the way to something and take an $8-9 fee but other than that, bonus only!

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Shoptastic, don't you do a lot of those shops? I do one per month. I wait for them to call me and I ask for a bonus.

I did a lot when I first started. Like 2 to 4 a month. Then, I stopped for a long time, due to medical problems. I came back and I still do a lot, but it's not very predictable. I do the one a few miles from our house once a month. I still profit off of it at $6.00.

The ones farther than that, I do very randomly - all based on bonus amount or route convenience. I might have one month where I do four. Then the next two months, I might do zero (even the one closest to my house I won't do literally every month, due to avoiding over exposure).

But, yeah, the scheduler NEVER calls anymore (been close to a year I think). I solely rely on the green button for my bonuses.

@macrophage wrote:

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Shoptastic, don't you do a lot of those shops? I do one per month. I wait for them to call me and I ask for a bonus.

I think it is because Shoptastic does a lot that they do not call/bonus.

I usually only do these WHEN they call and I happen to have it convenient to me and take a bonus.

Hmmm...

You think they think I'm a gullible/desperate/convenience shopper who will take their shops at base rate and that's why they won't call me? Interesting. It's possible. But, I only do the $6.00 shops now (I used to do them a lot a long time ago) when it is the one 2.5 miles or so from my home. I don't mind that one at base. All others, I skip and hit the "decline for reimbursement" reason. Often, they never reappear on the board. When they do with a bonus that is high enough, then I'll take it. Or, if the green button appears, I'll bid. This year has been terrible for my bids. I got really good bonuses last year.

The weird thing is that I never got a call again from a scheduler after that incident I described above. It could be a coincidence. Not sure. I also didn't check my cell phone for like two months during a stressful medical problem period of my life. It's possible they called and the messages they left got deleted over time and they jotted down that I never answer my phone/return calls. Who knows.

I really hope it's not because of that incident though. I didn't mean to mislead that representative.

We are on vacation and I saw a bid option. The fee was originally $10 so I bid $15 and they took it. We went and for a burger, regular fries, and two drinks, it was over $18. And, you needed to pay $10 to park. I did not know about the parking fee until we got there. My husband likes their food, so I will go with him and eat a few fries.

re: bidding on green button shops

I know Five Guys corporate's mystery shopping program dictates that each store gets shopped 2x/week. I love that, since it gives us shoppers lots of chances a month to take on a shop. My question is what happens if they don't fill that shop? I mean with the MSC. That's just lost opportunity to make money right? And can't be really made up later?

Does that differ from programs like bank shops, where they sit on the board forever? I'm assuming (am I wrong?) that the bank programs don't have weekly/monthly fixed must-do shops? So the MSCs can wait and wait for the shop to be picked up at base?

With FG, given the structure, wouldn't they have to pay higher bonuses if everyone just waited and bid high on the green button offers (or when schedulers call)? If the bids are too high for a locale, would the MSC just rather not have it performed at all?

@Niner wrote:

We are on vacation and I saw a bid option. The fee was originally $10 so I bid $15 and they took it. We went and for a burger, regular fries, and two drinks, it was over $18. And, you needed to pay $10 to park. I did not know about the parking fee until we got there. My husband likes their food, so I will go with him and eat a few fries.

You do know this MSC reimburses for parking, right?

I didn't know they pay for parking. I thought it was for tolls only ?

Depends on where you live. In my area they are taken very quickly, so no bonus.

There is a correlation to your work history, but location can matter a lot. I have done the location nearest me, and I won’t do it for less than $18. It’s 15 miles away, traffic can be a factor. I don’t think I’ve gotten more than that, but it’s a busy, central location. I have gotten more for other retail and dining locations for this MSC, due to the locations being rural and out of the way, of the location just not moving on the board. There are a couple of burgers I like better, and are shopped, right in my town, so I don’t often choose 5G.

@7star wrote:

I didn't know they pay for parking. I thought it was for tolls only ?

I've never asked them for tolls/parking, but they do. In fact, you have several days after the shop is completed to submit your parking expense. If it's the same MSC I've shopped 5G for, it's right there at the top of the page you have to go to in order to report your shops. You MUST have a receipt!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2018 05:33PM by ceasesmith.

I once had a scheduler call me at the last minute and ask if I could do a 5G the next day for $40 plus reimbursement. Why of COURSE I can! And then I contacted two other companies and picked up two more bonused shops virtually in the same shopping center. It was a good day!