I do very few retail shops.... But, when I do, I decide what I am going to purchase first.... There is always something I can use or give away..... Bottled water and/or soda are useful on long routes.... Baby clothes for my future granddaughter... memory cards from my PV500... notebooks, pens, pencils... Etc. If I need to make a very specific purchase and am not reimbursed, I'll return the item - or donate it. (If super-expensive, I likely won't do the shop as I would have to deal with selling it.)

If I'm not interested in purchasing an item at a store I do a shop for, then I don't do the shop. There are several stores that I do as fillers on routes. They're places I like to shop anyway and I ensure that the fee and reimbursement if there is one will be more than what I purchase. I don't consider those money maker shops though, they're just ways of offsetting costs of items I would like to buy anyway.

@bgriffin wrote:

If I'm not interested in purchasing an item at a store I do a shop for, then I don't do the shop.

Yeah; the only way I do a purchase shop for something I really don't want or need is if the fee is high enough to pay for my time plus or if it's a purchase and return (and the fee is high enough). I'll take a lower fee (or no fee, in some cases) to get something I need or want anyway.

I did a Goodwill shop recently and went slightly over the reimbursement, but the fee portion more than covered the extra. I got a new-with-tags top that I needed and a vintage dress to re-sell in my business. I got stuff I needed plus a fee. And I donated a bunch of stuff I was going to donate anyway. Score!

@BirdyC wrote:

Yeah; the only way I do a purchase shop for something I really don't want or need is if the fee is high enough to pay for my time plus or if it's a purchase and return (and the fee is high enough). I'll take a lower fee (or no fee, in some cases) to get something I need or want anyway.

I don't do shops with a required return. My routes are not normally bunched in a way that I can hang out for 30-60 minutes to wait on a return. I've never seen a P/R shop that paid enough for me to sit and wait.

For the shop I am referring to that reimburses $5, the purchase is required and I am not allowed to return it.
That is not taxable income if it's a required part of the shop to evaluate the cashier. It's not the item purchase that is getting evaluated, it's the cashier, but I can't evaluate her/him without making the purchase.

@Rousseau wrote:

Remember, if the item is reimbursed and you keep the item for personal use or sale (as opposed to discarding or donating it) the reimbursement is taxable income.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

For the shop I am referring to that reimburses $5, the purchase is required and I am not allowed to return it.
That is not taxable income if it's a required part of the shop to evaluate the cashier. It's not the item purchase that is getting evaluated, it's the cashier, but I can't evaluate her/him without making the purchase.

@Rousseau wrote:

Remember, if the item is reimbursed and you keep the item for personal use or sale (as opposed to discarding or donating it) the reimbursement is taxable income.

The item purchased, even if required, is taxable income if it benefits you after it has been purchased. The safe thing to do is to immediately dispose of the trinket. Not that anyone other than your conscious will know.

This is simply untrue.

Well, last time I checked, a plunger is not quite a trinket, nor would anything purchased at a hardware store likely be classified as a trinket. And I "consciously" know that my "conscience" will be just fine with it, LOL.

@Rousseau wrote:

The safe thing to do is to immediately dispose of the trinket. Not that anyone other than your conscious will know.

Oh, and that burger I ate at Five Guys was definitely disposed of immediately. But are you saying because my belly benefited from that burger that the money spent on it is taxable income?

Rousseau just won't listen -- or, if listening, won't hear.

Disposing of the "trinket" has no point. It is a purchase REQUIRED to complete the assignment. Ergo, reimbursement for it is NOT taxable income -- whether you eat it, throw it away, wear it, or let your children inherit it.

Reimbursements are merely a repayment for an out-of-pocket expense one incurs on behalf of another person, an employer, or a client. They are not fees. A fee is taxable income (if there's a profit after expenses). A reimbursement is not, assuming of course, that the reimbursement doesn't exceed the amount spent. Then the overage isn't a reimbursement; it becomes income. That's the case when you do a flat-fee shop, and the thing you have to purchase is less than the fee. But with a shop structured as fee + reimbursement, the reimbursement isn't taxable, as everyone is explaining. Apparently to no avail.

I had to purchase a total of 4 paint wipes (2 each shop), AND I had to open both each time to try them, I will say they work very well but I have $40 (awaiting reimbursement) of wipes, and we don't paint anything!

As many others do, I only do reimbursement shops where I want the item for personal reasons. I do not find mystery shop fees ever high enough that I will do a shop with a reimbursement just for the tiny fee. And I do not do purchase return shops also because the fees are too small for a double visit...Of course if I lived in an area with bonuses that count for something I might consider giving my reimbursable items away. When I have a group of friends over for a party I put out a box of things I do not want. Many of my friends have small incomes and all of my friends love to get free trinkets at my parties.

I don't understand where you come up with the final disposition of the item having any bearing. The IRS wouldn't ask, nor would they care.

The money you take out of your pocket to make a required purchase has already been taxed as income. You are insisting the same money will be taxed as income a second time. That's not how it works.

@Rousseau wrote:

The item purchased, even if required, is taxable income if it benefits you after it has been purchased. The safe thing to do is to immediately dispose of the trinket. Not that anyone other than your conscious will know.

Hey, I bet those paint wipes can be used for other things. Try cleaning car rims, mailbox, outdoor furniture, stove, etc.

@bgriffin wrote:

I don't do shops with a required return. My routes are not normally bunched in a way that I can hang out for 30-60 minutes to wait on a return. I've never seen a P/R shop that paid enough for me to sit and wait.

I do them when there are other errands I need to run in the same plaza or a neighboring one. Or if I have a meal shop nearby, I'll do the purchase, go do my meal shop, then do the return. I'm not gonna sit in my car for half an hour to an hour and twiddle my thumbs!

The one I do most often takes me a total of about 30 to 45 minutes (prep, shopping, and report time, and I don't drive to one just to do that shop) and pays $15, and sometimes are bonused. And I love shopping in this store. So, it's worth it to me....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2018 03:05PM by BirdyC.

Don't you hate it when the one thing that works perfectly for a purchase/return shop is something that you want to keep? It throws me off big time. Then, I have to purchase something else that I don't like for the return part, which just complicates my brain, LOL. I haven't done a purchase/return shop in a long time because of that.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Don't you hate it when the one thing that works perfectly for a purchase/return shop is something that you want to keep? It throws me off big time. Then, I have to purchase something else that I don't like for the return part, which just complicates my brain, LOL. I haven't done a purchase/return shop in a long time because of that.

That happens to me at Ross. I see all this stuff that I really want and/or need, but don't want to return. So I usually buy a polo shirt, ostensibly for one of my kids, then return it.

I've started taking things into the dressing room that I DO NOT like. Then, when I purchase it I have no problem returning it :-)

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Don't you hate it when the one thing that works perfectly for a purchase/return shop is something that you want to keep? It throws me off big time. Then, I have to purchase something else that I don't like for the return part, which just complicates my brain, LOL. I haven't done a purchase/return shop in a long time because of that.

I mostly do children's clothing shops or toy shops. Always a wise idea to stock up for Christmas.

Most of the companies does not permit returning the item, so either keep it for your self or give away as a gift

I wore my beautiful designer boots, I wore the jacket (marked down 80% plus my reimbursement of $10). I wear my expensive scarf on a regular basis, I gave one scarf away as a gift from a high end store, I painted my home, I used the garbage disposal cleaner, I gave away the BBQ sauce, foil, & chips and injector. I purchased a flower pot, I purchased a bag of soil, I made a summer gift basket for a friend, I drank the wine, I put the mums on my patio, I have away garbage disposal cleaner to a friend, I purchased grill cleaner, I purchased cake flour, I gave away the cleaner to my daughter and used some myself, I stocked myself up with my favorite BBQ sauce, I drank the coffee and I drove with the gas. I used the lotions and those are just the things that I remember.

I save them and put them in my adult kids’ Christmas stocking. They get a hoot out of the sparkly shoes laces and kitten deck of playing cards. Has sprung a new tradition in my family.

My mo/preference in order
1. Return for refund
2. Buy something useful
3. Buy a good gift
4. put in my goodie closet for visiting fam/friends
5. Donate

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/14/2018 05:18PM by MysteryMaven.

I have not done one that allows a return when they are reimbursing me. If it’s a return shop I simply return the items.

@Rousseau wrote:

Remember, if the item is reimbursed and you keep the item for personal use or sale (as opposed to discarding or donating it) the reimbursement is taxable income.

@Rousseau wrote:

The item purchased, even if required, is taxable income if it benefits you after it has been purchased. The safe thing to do is to immediately dispose of the trinket. Not that anyone other than your conscious will know.

The IRS tax man told me that if the shop could not have been done without the purchase, it was not taxable. However, if I then sold that purchased item, it was. If he was wrong, could you please point me to the applicable tax law? (Serious question.)

I tuck away those required purchases in a "gift closet." Everyone in the household is free to lift from it for whatever purpose they want.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/14/2018 05:29PM by iShop123.

I usually sell them at garage sales 2-3 times a year. I have not returned anything. I am well supplied in socks and underwear as both usually met purchase requirements. My wardrope and accessories has improved markedly. I'm a cheap skate and never pay over $10 for pants, and shirts, never over $40 for coats.

Like succeeding2,
I "shopped" for and kept the rubber mat on the floor in my kitchen and one for my son's kitchen,
I took a large bonus and kept the paper and stapler from an office supply
I am waiting for the next baby shower I get invited to in order to give the baby gifts I was told by the store not to return
I simply LOVE the lotion I had to purchase and keep, Now I buy it all the time!
I love my knife sharpener that I had to buy,
I love the gas I have to buy that takes me from shop to shop
I love the personalized gifts that I gave my grandchildren
I love the legos I keep giving my grandson
I love taking my mom out to a nice dinner, frequently, and bringing home enough leftovers for another meal
I love taking my god-mother and sister to a nice lunches and bringin home enough leftovers for another meal
I loved (and wish I could find more!) the eyeglasses and fancy sandals that I got for my mom. All reimbursed!
I love getting my car maintained and my husbands car maintained. Has saved us bookoo money!
I like keeping my car clean by getting it washed with interior cleaning. Getting harder to grab these.
I like the purchase returns, where I always find something I want to keep and purchase it along with something to return. I have filled out my closet with cruising clothes.
I love hotel shops that are 100% reimbursable, even those with no fee. These allow me to rack up the points for free nights to use on vacation.
And I like new home and apartment shops. These no-purchase shops allow me to put money in my savings account for those things that are not on the list.

The list could go on. But mainly, I like shopping for what I want, when I want

@iShop123 wrote:

@Rousseau wrote:

Remember, if the item is reimbursed and you keep the item for personal use or sale (as opposed to discarding or donating it) the reimbursement is taxable income.

@Rousseau wrote:

The item purchased, even if required, is taxable income if it benefits you after it has been purchased. The safe thing to do is to immediately dispose of the trinket. Not that anyone other than your conscious will know.

The IRS tax man told me that if the shop could not have been done without the purchase, it was not taxable. However, if I then sold that purchased item, it was. If he was wrong, could you please point me to the applicable tax law? (Serious question.)

I tuck away those required purchases in a "gift closet." Everyone in the household is free to lift from it for whatever purpose they want.

As I said earlier, you are correct. However, in this case, there's more than one way to be "correct".

On the Coach wallet, the reimbursement was not taxable.

But when I sold it on e-Bay, my COST BASIS was ZERO (acquiring the goods for resale cost me nothing), so the full amount of the sale became taxable income.

You arrive at exactly the same figure by counting the reimbursement as taxable income, but deducting the taxable income amount from the sales price on e-Bay.

In the first instance, taxable income with a Zero Cost basis = $112.

In the 2nd instance, the reimbursement was $112, which I count as taxable income.

Both methods are accepted by IRS.

IF and ONLY IF your recordkeeping is exquistely detailed, with receipts and so on.

This may sound a bit off, but I do between 70 and 80 Jack in the box shops a month. If I can't find some homeless person to give the food to, I save the burger patty and my wife chops them up and has made beef stroganoff, sloppy joes, shepherd's pie and a dozen other recipes.