How much to ask according to distance

Had one of my companies call me askimg me to do a shop for them that's round trip about 3 hours out of my way. How do you guys normally figure up what to ask for in terms of payment in a situation such as that? I want to help the company out (they've always been good to me) but I also can't afford not to make it worth my while!

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Whatever your hourly rate is times 3, plus the base pay, plus whatever reimbursement is offered. Plus gas.

Is the 3 hours round trip? $100 sounds about right to me, depending on the shop.
I calculate my vehicle expenses, and then add to that amount what I would need to make it worthwhile to me. Assuming 180 miles, I fugure about $60 in expenses. And then I decide how much it would be worth for me to go over the guidelines, drive for three hours, do the shop, and then do the report. This extra amount depends on how hard it is to do the shop and report, how busy I am at the time, and how likely it is I can pick up other good shops on the way.
Hey there, Shopper1013 - Don't be embarrassed to say "no" or ask for what you need. When my favorite scheduler wants to send me 3 hours away, my response might be, "Gee, that's 3 hours away. It would only make financial sense for me to do this shop if I got $ xxx to complete it.". Sometimes a they'll roll a plum job into the deal to make it more rewarding.
In general, a buck a mile. It does, of course, depend upon whether I can pick up another shop there, whether I like the scheduler and/or owe her a favor, and what the drive and neighborhood are like.

"Let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you - and why?” ~Walter Williams
The scheduler recently asked me to pull three shops tomorrow... She was willing to pay an extra $3 for driving to the store closest to me which is 2.5 miles. I didn't bother to take on the other ones. Is the extra $3 with it? And do schedulers get offended if you only take one of the few choices they need covered last minute?
If you're happy with the $3, go for it. I probably would have done all 3, if the bonus money was more for the ones further away.
The following are my published fees; doing so informs all schedulers they are paying an identical amount. As an example, I will use my standard pay for one senior community:

1-Base-$75, which includes one hour round trip and 40 miles.
2-If in excess of the base, drive time @ $20 an hour and $.35 a mile.

Naturally, jobs with a shorter on-site visit and/or report have a smaller base, but the extra fees remain the same. The total, however, would be reduced by a route with more than one piece of work sharing its portion of the cost.
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Hmmm when you calculate time it takes to drive there, how do you take into account traffic jams? I ask because the scheduler was desperate to get a grocery store that's 6 miles away and I was able to get a PAD of $20 because of traffic. Did I ask for too little?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2018 10:55PM by spunkd.
I think $20 for 6 miles, traffic or no traffic, is pretty darn good.

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The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain
Yeah, I've had them decline PAD requests of $25 for a 100+ mile RT.

@MsJudi wrote:

I think $20 for 6 miles, traffic or no traffic, is pretty darn good.
There is always traffic in Los Angeles. 6 miles can take me over 30 minutes to drive and park when there is no traffic. My average shop is probably 5-6 miles away and they would never consider giving me pad at all. They expect those of us in the constant traffic city to do jobs for their base pay..usually $10-12. So we here need to ask for pay for our time, not the miles. I would love to get a $20 pad for every job! or even $10.
I agree Sandy, 2.00 pad for ten miles maybe, unless they find another shopper, and they will. Jobs fly off the board. I'm always in wonder at the prices some get...that's why I stick to my town, will not get on the freeway
for 15.00....ask for more, your forgotten, even with years of experience.

Live consciously....
So have you found that some mystery shopping companies stopped asking you to take shops because you asked for too much PAD then?
@spunkd wrote:

So have you found that some mystery shopping companies stopped asking you to take shops because you asked for too much PAD then?
They definitely will get another shopper, so one tries again next month.

Live consciously....
I think what Irene means is they do not take into consideration that you are one of their great shoppers and for a few dollars extra they can get one of their reliable shoppers to do the job that is not filled. They call about the shop that is sitting there but would rather wait for an unknown and untested shopper to pick it up at the regular fee rather then agree to a small fee for travel time.
Correct me if I am wrong Irene.
They do NOT stop asking you to take available jobs, they won't give bonus/pad....if you want to do it for the low pay, be their guest.

Live consciously....
What is the max PAD anyone has gotten? I just got a last minute call for two shops and they weren't bargaining as much as before but expected it to be done today. $20 PAD for a shop 6 miles away and $25 for a shop 9.2 miles away
I got a text asking me to reconsider jobs with PAD, whch i have refused inthe past. I still said NO. They start offering PAD after 4 pm, when the shop time window is 4-8 pm, an hour from home. Sometimes, it just isnt about money.... the MSC needs to an more thsn a minute in advance.
I got a text asking me to reconsider jobs with PAD, whch i have refused inthe past. I still said NO. They start offering PAD after 4 pm, when the shop time window is 4-8 pm, an hour from home. Sometimes, it just isnt about money.... the MSC needs to an more than a minute in advance.
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