OMG NEVER again ALDI shop....sooooo NOT worth it !!

@stormraven73 wrote:

@Shop-et-al wrote:

One shopper's pita is another shopper's fry bread. Or not. Bad puns aside, I wonder about us. Do some of us define hard work, or much work, differently than others do? Do some people experience activity, including work, in unique ways?

Definitely! I consider frustrating instructions & reports to be much more work, even at spectacular pay rates, than an all-day retail reset for average pay, for example. I know others who would rather write a long report than move dozens of 25# bags of dog food. It's all subjective.

Shop-et-al's reminder is a good one. One man's treasure is another man's junk.

Having said that, I think there are probably some shops that are universally disliked:

In a hypothetical example:

Email title: "Great opportunity for some fun & shopping! $7 pay"
Details: Visit your local hardware store and go to each department to interact with any associates currently on the floor. Get their names and look. Ask them one of five pre-selected questions and note their response. Then, for two of the associates you interact with, raise an objection to how they answered your question. See if you can complicate the matter and see how they respond. Forcing them to get a manager/supervisor involved is preferred and note how the supervisor responds and whether it was satisfactorily handled or not. After your sales floor interactions, scan each aisle for any out of stock products and take photos of them (upload to your report). Make sure to get the item's precise name and store item item, as this is important. Check for proper signage in the store in each aisle (are there correct and easy to read signs to pointing to store items?). Check the restrooms for cleanliness, maintenance, and stocked supplies. Buy an up to $2.00 reimbursed item and test check-out lane employees for proper check-out etiquette (be sure to get names and details of appearance) and whether they offer you the store's rewards card or not. As you exit, check the store's exterior for cleanliness (parking areas, trash cans, and front entrance).

This is a great way to make money as you shop. These fun and easy shops won't last, so get them while you can! $7.00 fee and $2.00 reimbursed small purchase. Reports are due 6 hours after the completion of the shop. No exceptions. We reserve the right to withold payment for any late reports.

Enjoy!

Would that be a universally disliked shop? I sometimes wonder if schedulers send these sorts of emails with a straight face (given the work and fee). Or, do they feel bad?

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JAS, cease's nightmare shop was not Aldi.

I did a weekly audit at two of their stores. The reimbursement was $1. The grocery store shop guidelines said to buy 5 items for $5 minimum. I knew every item in the store that was $1 or less.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Oh that sucks, cease. In my area they do not have a customer service desk...no drycleaning, no bus tickets, no money orders.

My stores here are so small it doesn't take much time to do the shop at all. It's check for expired or OS items (most of the time there are none), visit the restroom, select some groceries, checkout and leave. I do them for a small bonus because yeah, I buy groceries there anyway, so like Honny wrote, I look at it as a coupon. Takes me about 20-25 minutes to do the shop, y'all.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

I was wondering what brainchild thought it would be a good idea for people to bring their dirty laundry into a grocery store. What a relief to hear that was a separate incident.

Thank you for the warning! The first Aldi store in this area is about ready to open. However, with a $50 bonus....maybe. Love to all fellow Shoppers, from Night Owl at 11:53 PM. This is the time of the 24 hours when I just feel better and better, and get more and more accomplished!

@shoptastic wrote:

@ceasesmith wrote:

Shoptastic wrote: "I have see posted several times that "old people" like to do shops for free or low fees, because it gives them something to do. Otherwise, it is said, they get lonely and don't have much human interaction.

When discussing why fees are so low and why people still do these shops, this reason is often mentioned in previous older threads.

I wonder if this is one where a senior, who is just looking for something to do, is taking them?"

I'm 73. Is that "old"? I don't think a $25 fee and $19 reimbursement is "free or low fees". And I sure as hell don't do this for a social life.

Sorry, cease, I was writing very quickly and realize I should have said "elderly" or a less potentially offensive sounding word.

a.) Age is just a number and in reality means having more experience in life. If not for physical changes, which no one can control, we're all human beings inside.

b.) Even the world "old" is all relative.

If it came off as offensive, I wanted to apologize. I do honestly wonder about that theory sometimes, though. When I see very low fee jobs that require a lot of work and seemingly get taken all the time, I think one of four things:

1.) maybe someone is desperate
2.) maybe it's a "convenience" shop for them
3.) maybe to them it's actually an easy shop
4.) the lonely or bored senior theory that has often been brought up in threads

For $25/$19, I would probably do Aldi too! I never see bonuses, nor get them when I ask for grocery shops though.

No offense taken.

I live in a state with $10 minimum wage, and very low cost of living. I was shocked in Salt Lake City to find shops flying off the board at base rate. Besides grocery store shops, I probably only averaged one shop a month. I did one in Jackson Hole, WY (six hour drive each way), for a $450+ bonus. I considered doing some $100 apartment shops for Cirrus, but didn't want to wait 4 months to get paid. I did some great dining shops with fair payments and full reimbursement, and some really great meals I otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to have.

Then I got a job. Holy Cow! I think you'd have to work 120 hours a week at minimum wage in Salt Lake City to make a living. My manager was working 60+ hours a week, and the 20 hours of overtime is the only thing that made it worthwhile, as his base pay was considerably under my state's minimum wage.

If you're working some stultifying minimum wage job, that gas station for $6 and $5 reimbursement looks pretty darned good for basically 25 minutes of work, as opposed to two hours standing on your feet or physical labor for the same amount of money. Doing 5 gas stations and saving $25 a week on gas doing it might make the difference between being able to make this month's rent. Not being out-of-pocket for an oil change or tire rotation might rescue this week's budget.

And I think, seriously, that some people don't consider this a "profession", but a "side-gig", to put a couple hundred dollars extra a month in their pocket. They, too, take them at base pay. And I'm perfectly happy to see that, as it leaves more money in the bonus pool!

I'm in the minority, I suppose. I find these shops extremely easy. If you think the Aldi shops are difficult, avoid the Trendsource grocery shops! Aldi stores are generally quite smaller than the larger grocery stores, so it's not very difficult to check the bread, milk, meat, produce, etc. I shop at Aldi's a few times a month, so this shop is great for me.

@Phoebe70 wrote:

I'm in the minority, I suppose. I find these shops extremely easy.

Well, I guess I'm in the minority with you, as I, too, find these easy. HOWEVER, I will not take them at their base fee, even though I shop there weekly....too low. I'll ONLY do them if they're bonused.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/2018 09:27PM by guysmom.

@ceasesmith wrote:

I think you'd have to work 120 hours a week at minimum wage in Salt Lake City to make a living. My manager was working 60+ hours a week, and the 20 hours of overtime is the only thing that made it worthwhile, as his base pay was considerably under my state's minimum wage.

If you're working some stultifying minimum wage job, that gas station for $6 and $5 reimbursement looks pretty darned good for basically 25 minutes of work, as opposed to two hours standing on your feet or physical labor for the same amount of money. Doing 5 gas stations and saving $25 a week on gas doing it might make the difference between being able to make this month's rent. Not being out-of-pocket for an oil change or tire rotation might rescue this week's budget.

And I think, seriously, that some people don't consider this a "profession", but a "side-gig", to put a couple hundred dollars extra a month in their pocket. They, too, take them at base pay. And I'm perfectly happy to see that, as it leaves more money in the bonus pool!

I totally understand. I have relatives in NY who are going through a tough time for which any money looks good. We just came back from visiting them. I am fortunate to have family help myself, as I am finishing up my studies, living with them and working part-time. I save a lot on rent and sometimes food. Since I do so many food shops and grocery shops, I help them back sometimes too in that area. lol.

Also, you're not crazy to think you'd have to work 120 hours. According to the Washington Post this year (June 2016), there is not a single city in the ENTIRE U.S. where a minimum wage worker can afford an apartment. You need 2.5 jobs at that rate to do so:
[www.washingtonpost.com]

Lots of people are living with roommates or family to reduce housing costs. I am one of them. Might I suggest America vote Bernie Sanders in 2020!! *don't get me started on politics - it gets me so mad lol*

@Phoebe70 wrote:

I'm in the minority, I suppose. I find these shops extremely easy. If you think the Aldi shops are difficult, avoid the Trendsource grocery shops! Aldi stores are generally quite smaller than the larger grocery stores, so it's not very difficult to check the bread, milk, meat, produce, etc. I shop at Aldi's a few times a month, so this shop is great for me.

I used to think Trend Source had hard grocery shops, until I did a bunch of them, P70. With practice, they became much easier. Nowadays, I also treat them as exercise too. Pushing that cart around and walking around the store gives me a workout. I've actually come to like their shops. Just saying that makes me want to try and Aldi's just once to give it a try. Maybe with lots of reps they might become second nature and easy. But I'd only do them if no other familiar or better shops are around. It's always a big time investment to learn a new shop. I am super careful on new ones, so as to not mess them up and maybe never get placed on one again.

I love all day resets and am quite happy with getting the exercise, and I don't mind moving a few dozen 25 lbs or even 50 lbs bags of dog food. I do a healthy balance of merchandising and shopping. I'd much rather do a reset than go to the gym. But I don't and wouldn't do that every day.

@stormraven73 wrote:

@Shop-et-al wrote:

One shopper's pita is another shopper's fry bread. Or not. Bad puns aside, I wonder about us. Do some of us define hard work, or much work, differently than others do? Do some people experience activity, including work, in unique ways?

Definitely! I consider frustrating instructions & reports to be much more work, even at spectacular pay rates, than an all-day retail reset for average pay, for example. I know others who would rather write a long report than move dozens of 25# bags of dog food. It's all subjective.

I do these shops and they are not as hard at the Trendsource grocery shops, which I also do.

You don't have to scan ALL the meat, bread and milk items for expiration date, but about 5 in each category. For missing items, that takes longer. Just look for the gaps in the shelves and write down what is gone (or snap a pic). You don't have to do the seasonal or "Finds" section because they only want the regular items. The produce section takes a little bit for the "rotten/moldy" items. The produce sections in my area always look like kids have played with the fruit and just tossed them back into random bins. LOL!

Remember that restroom and to look for flyers and trash cans.
I like these shops because I can buy seasonal items that I can't get at my regular grocery store...and they have good gardening stuff in season.

If you do a bunch, it's not bad. Some with Trendsource. Those are VERY involved, but I have a routine with them, too.

The ALDI shops in my area are BIG. Smaller than Walmart but still a regular grocery size store, or near to it.
For instance if they want you to check the bread section for freshness (this was the most common out of date item that I saw.) You would be looking at well over 150 loaves of bread. That is just for the bread, there is also all the milk and all the meat...... and dont forget to write down any items they are out of.............Yikes, NO thanks.

@Schoolmarm wrote:

If you do a bunch, it's not bad. Some with Trendsource. Those are VERY involved, but I have a routine with them, too.

One technique I've used when doing "harder" shops is a key word association on them. I try to sit back and conceive of the shop and ask what is it really all about at its core? There may be a zillion things to remember to do and look for, but at it's core, what's it generally focused on?

I have down "interactions" for Trend Source. Yes, there is a counting of workers section, but the meat of the shop so to speak for me is the interactions part. Even during the counting part, you have to see if the employee engages you verbally, non-verbally, or not at all. And even during check-out, you have to see if they engage you.

That one word: "INTERACTIONS" sort of organizes my thoughts going into the shop and helps me remember what to look for and how to perform it. I've done the key word association method with other shops too. It sort of takes all these seemingly separate details and focuses them for me and it's helped me.

In the past, I'd have a hard time doing multiple shops of different types and then doing a Trend Source shop. They are SO different from any other shop I've done usually and my mind would get all cluttered leading up to the TS grocery shop. But then using my key words technique, I'd instantly remind myself what the focus of this shop was and start the fit the pieces of the puzzle together again really quickly.

I hated TS shops in the past, but now I love them. lol Seriously, it's like a 180 turnaround! I think I'm willing to give Aldi a single try after this. If it's a nightmare, then I'll never do it again.

One of the biggest problems I have at Aldi is finding an associate to ask for a location of an item. Our Aldi's are pretty small so checking items is not too bad. The last Aldi I did I had to keep walking around and up and down the 4 aisles until an associate came out from the back area.

If you don't encounter an associate within 20-25 minutes after entering the store, you don't have to hang out and wait for one to appear. My stores here are small, too, and sometimes they get busy up front and all associates are working the registers, so there are no associates on the floor during my entire visit. I just make a note of that in the report.

@Aquiest wrote:

I was wondering what brainchild thought it would be a good idea for people to bring their dirty laundry into a grocery store. What a relief to hear that was a separate incident.

HyVee and some Kroger affiliate stores have cleaners services at the CS desk or front of the store. Don't some Publix, too? I don't think I'd ever make use of that. But it's a thing!

@JASFLALMT wrote:

If you don't encounter an associate within 20-25 minutes after entering the store, you don't have to hang out and wait for one to appear. My stores here are small, too, and sometimes they get busy up front and all associates are working the registers, so there are no associates on the floor during my entire visit. I just make a note of that in the report.

I wasn't there longer than the 25 minutes. The store was so small I had to walk it a few times during that time. There was only 1 cashier so I couldn't figure out why there weren't any employees in the store. There was a pallet of fruit waiting to be moved to the produce area and someone finally came out and moved it so I got to ask her.

I did an Aldi a few months ago and the guidelines called for spot checks, not checking the date on every gallon of milk or loaf of bread. What made it difficult was the timing- after 4 pm. Plus I did it on a Friday. It wasn't that difficult otherwise, but it doesn't pay anything either.

The Trend Source shop is difficult for me because the employees in my local store are useless. There's also an awful lot of work for the money- interactions in every department, names, descriptions, how many chickens are in the deli case, etc.

One time, never again.

Yeah, that wasn't directly posted at you, that was just general FYI since lots of people have never shopped them and just wanted to let everyone know that they don't have to hang and browse until they run into someone. My stores are that small, too. I read a lot of labels and meander slowly, LOL. But, even so there are times I never see an associate.

@pegleg909 wrote:

@JASFLALMT wrote:

If you don't encounter an associate within 20-25 minutes after entering the store, you don't have to hang out and wait for one to appear. My stores here are small, too, and sometimes they get busy up front and all associates are working the registers, so there are no associates on the floor during my entire visit. I just make a note of that in the report.

I wasn't there longer than the 25 minutes. The store was so small I had to walk it a few times during that time. There was only 1 cashier so I couldn't figure out why there weren't any employees in the store. There was a pallet of fruit waiting to be moved to the produce area and someone finally came out and moved it so I got to ask her.

Whoever wrote about the old folks, my feeling is I don't complain as much. I am very savvy about pay, not taking anything because I'm bored, I'm there anyway.. I won't drive the freeway for less than 25/50 and am doing a lecture Wed. eve for 100.00, not bad for an hour. Experience works in senior's favor, as does wisdom, and not judging others as we all have our reasons for shopping, so grow up,and omit the word old, this industry for the most part is about good work, not age. and who the F___ would do a job for free, again grow up!!!!

Live consciously....

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/2018 02:33AM by Irene_L.A..

@pegleg909 wrote:

I wasn't there longer than the 25 minutes. The store was so small I had to walk it a few times during that time. There was only 1 cashier so I couldn't figure out why there weren't any employees in the store. There was a pallet of fruit waiting to be moved to the produce area and someone finally came out and moved it so I got to ask her.

Are you new to Aldi? The reason I'm asking is because the majority of the Aldi locations I shop are smaller than your average Krogers, Albertsons, Publix, etc. It's common to see only the cashier and no other employees in the aisles.

@DareWright wrote:

@pegleg909 wrote:

I wasn't there longer than the 25 minutes. The store was so small I had to walk it a few times during that time. There was only 1 cashier so I couldn't figure out why there weren't any employees in the store. There was a pallet of fruit waiting to be moved to the produce area and someone finally came out and moved it so I got to ask her.

Are you new to Aldi? The reason I'm asking is because the majority of the Aldi locations I shop are smaller than your average Krogers, Albertsons, Publix, etc. It's common to see only the cashier and no other employees in the aisles.

No I'm not new to Aldis. my problem was what you are saying it was so small the only employee was a cashier for quite a while.

Where in the world is there an Aldi in SLC? I've never heard of this place and don't see one their website.

Where is there an Aldi in SLC??

@ceasesmith wrote:

Sounds like the one I tried out in Salt Lake City. I tried 3 different times, never got it right, never got paid for any of the shops. And boy, did I try! First time, customer service wasn't open, and i was required to complete a transaction at customer service. Couldn't reach the scheduler, guidelines didn't address what to do if it was closed. So I asked someone for the hours for customer service, and put the response in my report. Rejected. Second attempt, I could not find a single one of the items I was required to buy -- the store was in the process of changing store brands, and the "old" brand, that I was required to buy, was no longer available. I bought the "new" brand. Nope. Not allowed. And customer service was closed AGAIN.

The third try, customer service was open Yippee! Pretty comprehensive customer service desk. Unfortunately, I didn't need or want a bus ticket; I didn't take any dry cleaning with me; they didn't have newspapers or stamps. So I spent a dollar and bought a money order.
Report kicked back, with the question "Why did you buy a money order?" Well, because that was the only thing I COULD buy; I listed all the options of what you could get at the customer service desk. They kicked the report back to me yet again, with more questions.

I really, really wanted to do this shop. It was literally one block out of the way for me, reimbursement was a generous $19, with $25 fee. The 3 required purchases were things I considered staples, and would buy anyway. I wanted to do this shop every week, if they'd let me.

The third time they kicked the report back, I gave up. I politely told them I was sorry, but I wasn't willing to put any more time in on the report, and they should just get another shopper for that store.

Each of my three separate tries, I took the guidelines in with me, and went over them in the restroom so I was sure I didn't miss anything. I was in the store more than an hour for each attempt. I spent hours on the reports.

I never tried it again. I consider myself a competent shopper, but this mess literally left me in tears.

I feel your pain!!!

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OMG NEVER again ALDI shop....sooooo NOT worth it !!

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