My 'respect margin' for taking an assignment is a minimum of $12. I still need to go to the location, (probably) make a purchase (for which I'll be reimbursed) and complete a survey with accuracy. Reimbursement with shopper's pay means I worked for free. Thoughts?

Lainerz,
It depends. Let's say I am doing a whole bunch of garage shops in a busy downtown area that is a 45 minute drive from my home. I want to have lunch near one of those sites while my vehicle is parked. Rather than pay $12 for my lunch, I take a shop at a lunch place that I would have been willing to pay for, get reimbursed and write a report. I just got goods and services worth $12 to me, but for which I would have had to earn more than $12 before taxes, in order to buy.

I need an oil change. I can pay $43 or do it as a shop, write the report and get fully reimbursed. Again, a tax-free gain for a report. I have not paid for an oil change since 2005.

I do not feel that I worked for free. I got goods and services that I needed, all for writing a report.

YMMV

Thanks for putting it in this perspective..... Although my wife always disagrees when I explain it this way. She feels my reports are too time consuming. I like to think myself as a perfectionist, but not 100% of the time though.

@walesmaven wrote:

Lainerz,
It depends. Let's say I am doing a whole bunch of garage shops in a busy downtown area that is a 45 minute drive from my home. I want to have lunch near one of those sites while my vehicle is parked. Rather than pay $12 for my lunch, I take a shop at a lunch place that I would have been willing to pay for, get reimbursed and write a report. I just got goods and services worth $12 to me, but for which I would have had to earn more than $12 before taxes, in order to buy.

I need an oil change. I can pay $43 or do it as a shop, write the report and get fully reimbursed. Again, a tax-free gain for a report. I have not paid for an oil change since 2005.

I do not feel that I worked for free. I got goods and services that I needed, all for writing a report.

YMMV

I agree. The government takes something like 35-40% of my salary, so reimbursed meals and services are a bargain. I would have to spend after tax money for these things. For a $100 oil change, I would need to earn around $160 at work (160*.65). If the MSC reimburses $200 for dinner, that's about $320 before taxes that I need to earn. This is my first year doing mystery shopping, so I hope this works out during tax time.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/2018 03:20AM by Niner.

The lowest I will go for a phone call shop is $4, but I usually only take it for $5.

Restaurant reimbursement: my minimum is $50.

I don't do retail shops anymore. The pay was too low for all the effort.

I have those food shops that reimburses $30 with no pay, but a 5-10 minute report with delivery. If this was a lifelong project, I’d be working for free a lot.

Oh I would love a delivery shop! I've not seen them in my area for the company I use. I searched other zip codes out of curiosity and there are all these good ones in Cali. Maybe on my trip to SF...can I get it delivered to my hotel room?!

Yes for those of us living not only in high tax states but with an income putting us in one of the higher brackets we are saving a lot more than it looks like by doing reimbursement shops. In the 25% Fed bracket and then perhaps 5-10% state and city combined plus including social security, medicare, disability etc taken out of the check in addition those reimbursement shops look better all the time.

@Niner wrote:

I agree. The government takes something like 35-40% of my salary, so reimbursed meals and services are a bargain. I would have to spend after tax money for these things. For a $100 oil change, I would need to earn around $160 at work (160*.65). If the MSC reimburses $200 for dinner, that's about $320 before taxes that I need to earn. This is my first year doing mystery shopping, so I hope this works out during tax time.

@Niner wrote:

I agree. The government takes something like 35-40% of my salary, so reimbursed meals and services are a bargain. I would have to spend after tax money for these things. For a $100 oil change, I would need to earn around $160 at work (160*.65). If the MSC reimburses $200 for dinner, that's about $320 before taxes that I need to earn. This is my first year doing mystery shopping, so I hope this works out during tax time.

Geez. You must live in a state with very, very high taxes or you're a top 1%'er or both.

@Tarantado wrote:

@Niner wrote:

I agree. The government takes something like 35-40% of my salary, so reimbursed meals and services are a bargain. I would have to spend after tax money for these things. For a $100 oil change, I would need to earn around $160 at work (160*.65). If the MSC reimburses $200 for dinner, that's about $320 before taxes that I need to earn. This is my first year doing mystery shopping, so I hope this works out during tax time.

Geez. You must live in a state with very, very high taxes or you're a top 1%'er or both.

I am in NY and have a modest 1400 sq ft house. My property taxes are around 15k/yr. I probably do make enough to be considered top 5%, but there is nothing fancy about my life. We have a 2007 car with close to 500k miles and another Toyota. We are not driving around in Mercedes or the like, and mystery shopping has provided me with my first "fancy" dining experience. The one luxury we have is we bought another modest home out of state that we are at every week. I am not complaining, I feel that we are blessed, but life is not about first class and five star anything over here.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2018 02:03PM by Niner.

My view is basically I get a lunch/dinner for a report and a small fee, usually 8.00 or so. Definitely not working for the 8.00, so I get a meal that I enjoy for a report. Nothing is free, but reimbursement is money in your pocket and free food (if you will) for a report...it's a wash.

Looking at the 2017 tax brackets if you earn $76,000 a year for two earners you are in the 25% bracket. That is an average of $18.26 per hour for each of the two adults in a standard family. The minimum wage here will soon be $15 per hour and has already changed in many places, even here where the date has not come yet. So for a couple/family earning just $3 over minimum wage an hour these people are not in the top anything. They are closer to the bottom something in my city. On top of that there is state tax and as I said all those other things coming out of a paycheck..it could add up to the 35% rate that Tarantado is talking about pretty fast. And NYC also has a city tax on top of that. You would have a lot of trouble finding an apt for under $2000 a month and it would be very modest in a decent but not great neighborhood. If you had a family they would have to bunk the kids all in one room. In many big cities higher car insurance, property taxes and home insurance or rent etc all take away from the base salary. Even the cost of gas is higher here. Of course there are deductions but we have yet to see how the new tax codes will turn out. No, someone in this city in the 25% bracket just for IRS is not a top earner by any stretch of the imagination and certainly is not going out for even $100 dinners.
The state considers 4x the federal poverty level to be the poverty level here. NYC is similar but even higher rents from what I hear.

Rentals here are going up every second with a 2 bdr. in a nice location, being about 2200/2600 monthly.
Room rentals will also go up, and since the fire, many need housing while re-building. My cousin in San Francisco owns an Apt. building, and is getting 3,000 for a studio with one Bdr. going for 4,000. L.A. is and has
always been less than Northern CA. I get a decent price for my rental, and won't raise rent (at this time).
Gas is almost 4.00/gallon and will go up .60 per gallon due to a rise in taxes. My car Ins. went up 6.00, as Ins. in CA went up. Just got the bill and called hoping they made an error...nope!! So is the economy really better?

The more I read about what y'all pay the more I love rural NC. I left NJ 20+ years ago because I could not afford a nice home near where I worked without having a multi-thousand dollar mortgage.

I would rather pay the price and live in a sophisticated city with great Museums, theater, music and all the goodies I need to emotionally survive.....Macy's, Western bagel, all the MS work I want, beaches, mountains,
it's still better (for me) than being isolated. Let's not forget the best Dr.s..... I love California.

@oteixeira wrote:

The more I read about what y'all pay the more I love rural NC. I left NJ 20+ years ago because I could not afford a nice home near where I worked without having a multi-thousand dollar mortgage.

That's why the goal is to get in and own early in the time. In my neck of the woods out in Denver, the same price for my 15 year mortgage for a 3,100 sq. ft. modern home purchased back in 2013 is the same cost of rent for a mid-range 1,200 sq. ft. 2 bd, 2 bath apartment today.

That's the secret...don't waste $$ on rent, always save for a down pymt., you'll never regret owning. My daughter has a cute 2 Bdr/2 bath in a good location, as soon as she got her Masters, her Dad gave her a down pymt.
Today they built Google blocks from her and rents have skyrocketed, plus condo values risen, it's a win win.
Parking spaces in her condo cost 35,000, she has two and rents one out, easy money. Can't understand folks not buying. Many don' realize the way prices go up. My Mother bought her house in San Francisco for 11,000
and was there 50 years, when she passed, my sister and I sold it for over 600,00K, that was 12 years ago, wish we could have kept it, but sometimes your not in control.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

So is the economy really better?

Not in California. See where your taxes are going there: [www.ebudget.ca.gov] Note the 60% increase in government operations, with the largest expenditure ($64,319,000,000 for Health and Human Services) - funded by a 9% corporate tax increase, a 3.3% personal income tax increase (over 3 Billion dollars) along with a 5.1% sales and use tax.

For most of the rest of the country, oh yeah. We're on track for a household budget increase of about 60% over 2016. That's spread over a few of us, but everyone is in much better financial shape than a few years ago.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2018 09:51PM by iShop123.

@oteixeira wrote:

The more I read about what y'all pay the more I love rural NC. I left NJ 20+ years ago because I could not afford a nice home near where I worked without having a multi-thousand dollar mortgage.

My brother in law just left NY for NC and has a much nicer house, double the size for much less, with a third of the taxes. But, he is a retired cop, so salary is not an issue.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2018 02:40AM by Niner.

If you read shop instructions, transport yourself to the shop, complete the shop activity, return to your origin, write the report and proof the report, you are spending an enormous amount of time for a $12 to $50 shop. This is complicated by travel expense if the distance is not within five miles of origin. A complete analysis of hours worked, travel time and travel expense should be considered before accepting a shop if you are doing this for income. If you divide your shop fee by total hours spent you will find hourly rate. Compare this calculated rate to the minimum wage. Now, how are you doing?

Thanks for all the great responses, but I have to mention this.... North Carolina is a great place to live. I have major cities with great nightlife, museums, etc. within 30 minutes of my very rural (I live on 6 acres with no neighbors) home. I am also less then 2 hours from the ocean, and less then 3 hours from the mountains. We also have some of the best doctors/hospitals in the country in Duke and UNC respectively.

So, that being said, I am glad y'all love where you live as well, I just like being someplace in the country, but with all the things you have as well. Also, as to the "getting in on time", I left NJ when I was 24 and had just started in my field of industry, there was no chance to get in earlier for me. I do agree, I owned a home at 25 in NC (and my wife was 20 and a home owner).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2018 06:23PM by oteixeira.

@maryanncostello wrote:

If you read shop instructions, transport yourself to the shop, complete the shop activity, return to your origin, write the report and proof the report, you are spending an enormous amount of time for a $12 to $50 shop. This is complicated by travel expense if the distance is not within five miles of origin. A complete analysis of hours worked, travel time and travel expense should be considered before accepting a shop if you are doing this for income. If you divide your shop fee by total hours spent you will find hourly rate. Compare this calculated rate to the minimum wage. Now, how are you doing?

I'm fairly certain those of us who do this for income know how to figure out how much we are making. From your post it seems you think we don't. And it also seems you think we make less than we think. Just because you haven't figured out how to make it profitable doesn't mean others have not.

It also sounds like you're doing 1 shop at a time, which definitely is NOT the way to make money.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

I would rather pay the price and live in a sophisticated city with great Museums, theater, music and all the goodies I need to emotionally survive.....Macy's, Western bagel, all the MS work I want, beaches, mountains,
it's still better (for me) than being isolated. Let's not forget the best Dr.s..... I love California.

I agree LA has all of those things but I still don't understand living there. It takes you 3x as long to go anywhere as you'll spend once you get there. To me it's a lot easier to live in a rural area where everything is accessable and take trips to big cities for the few things you want to go there for.

BG, I'm a CA girl, born in San Francisco and moved to L.A. when married, thinking I'd only be here a year.
San Francisco out priced itself, and for what I have here for much less, I couldn't begin to get in SF. Aside from that, L.A. daily living as long as you don't have to drive rush hour (which we never did), office 20 minutes from home, we had the best. Things have gotten more hectic traffic wise, but since I can pick my driving time, it works.
I am 100% a citygirl, like diversity, remembering when raising my daughter, going to Mountain High for a day of skiing, then the beach for a day of sun.....Hollywood bowl, we drive 20 minutes, take the bus in, no parking problems.....just gotta know how to do it. We have problems along with any other major city, but the perks make us all stay....the fire is no fun, everyone will rebuild. My daughter was raised in the subs, and due to my raising her to know diversity and "city life", she is the same as her Mom...living in the heart of Chicago, opening the door and everything is there, Whole Foods, restaurants, theater, name it along with google...I love it.
Here my sub is so built up, their opening an Independent movie house (which I love). Everything is 2/3 miles away, and not a parking meter in the whole town. Where on earth would I go?????? Getting off my band wagon.
Rural, looking at squirrels all day, thanks anyway. we have squirrels.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2018 08:40PM by Irene_L.A..

I actually don't have an overall minimum that means there is no way in hell I will take the job. It would seem silly to turn down $9 rather than spend an extra five minutes inputting prices for five items in a store where I will be shopping anyway. Plus, the mileage then becomes deductible. I just evaluate each on their own merit or by how they fit into an existing route.

@Niner wrote:

I am in NY and have a modest 1400 sq ft house. My property taxes are around 15k/yr. I probably do make enough to be considered top 5%, but there is nothing fancy about my life. We have a 2007 car with close to 500k miles and another Toyota. We are not driving around in Mercedes or the like, and mystery shopping has provided me with my first "fancy" dining experience. The one luxury we have is we bought another modest home out of state that we are at every week. I am not complaining, I feel that we are blessed, but life is not about first class and five star anything over here.

I almost choked to read that your taxes on your 1400 square foot home are $15k/year!

I don't know how people afford to live in the places that they do!

@Tarantado

I wish I had purchased property in Vail or Summit County in my 20s!! Or even Denver a few years ago!!

You're right though, about buying early....

I was born and raised in Colorado. I bought two houses before I married my husb. I had one as a rental; and one to live in. But the one I lived in had 2 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. I rented each of those bedrooms out for $300/month. My mortgage was $602/month. I was working 3 jobs at the time (I was in my 20's and had lots of energy)....so I was able to put 5% down on the second house to have as a rental. I made a couple hundred bucks a month on that. In the mid 90s.

When I married and had kids and decided to stop working, we sold one of the houses to cover my salary for a while. This was in 2001. When we had our second child in 2002, she was so sick and there were so many medical bills that we sold the second house to help make ends meet. (Insurance has many loopholes so that they don't have to pay out, and we ended up paying much more than our "annual max oop" for the first 3 years of her life)

I wish I had both of those houses now. They would be paid off or close to it. And in Colorado, rent has sky rocketed. Buying a home has sky rocketed. Even renting a room has sky rocketed.

We do still have 4 rental properties. But I kick myself to think about the ones that we sold early on.

If the amount of time you get for a "lunch hour" gives you enough time to do several auto shops, I applaud you. Really! I was a top-selling salesperson in automotive sales - late 70's, so really a pioneer in auto sales.

A decent car salesperson should take at LEAST 30 minutes with a 'prospective buyer' . Also, selling cars is a @#$%& - remember I began in the late 70's when women selling cars was unheard of - actually 'wasting' a salesperson's time is just awful They are paid on commission. You're taking time from a salesperson who 'might' have the opportunity to use that time with a shopper, to playout a scenario they cannot win.

My thoughts from both sides of the aisle.

Shops without a test drive always took me an average of 20 minutes with some going as short as 15. It is a shame you consider shops a waste of time. Did you consider all your training opportunities to be a waste?

I live alone and work 12 hour days 7 days a week. I hate to cook so if I can get a decent meal for a 5 or 10 minute report I have no problem eith reimbursementonly shops. I do phone shops for as little as $1-2 if they are short and simple. I can do 50 or so an hour and don'thave to get dressed.

I usually wait for shops to be bonused. I enjoy road-trips for my car is my sanctuary. I also do merchandising and sometimes pick up mystery shops that pay less because I am in the area. I have many small towns within 30 minutes to an hour from me. These are often bonused and I can make as much in one day as I can doing four or five lower paying shops in town during the month. It all just depends on the situation. No hard and fast rules. Sometimes I just want to get out of house and may take a lower paying assignment.
.