With all the wisecracks I've made about Jack in the Box shops, I am debating actually doing some... I am running a route tomorrow and not having a lot of luck filling it out.... However, there are (literally) 14 JIB at $9-$12 (all the drive-through variety) along my route.

Other than the minor hassle of giving the food away, they look super fast and simple... Is it worth it?

I did my first a couple weeks ago when they got up to $15. I didn't think it was too bad. There are several photos to take in a short period of time, but it would be easy to get into a routine with them after a few shops.

I did NOT care for that burger though. Ick. Spoiled by Five Guys I guess haha



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2019 07:31PM by RedRose22.

Even if you cannot give away all of the burgers, plain ones can be taken home and the meat added to chili. Just take a cooler and some ziplock bags along.

My understanding is they do not reimburse your purchase of a burger and fries, so you have to consider that.

MJF...I think it is worth it for 12$ or over and I think the burgers have improved, I don't eat more than a few fries, but their combo is a bit over 6.00 and hey it's lunch on a busy day. I hated the thought, but am used to it,,, FF at it's finest.....

Okay... I just did my own "research." I did not have lunch plans and there was one right nearby, so I did the shop..... Total time on shop (assuming no snafus): 10 minutes. Amounts spent: $5.99+ tax (Jumbo Jack, small fries, water). I am completely unfamiliar with their menu and did not find a cheaper burger in time... Is there one? Concern: It was not possible to get a full picture of one of the menu boards: it was too large to photograph from my car. The form only allows one picture. Will my shop get rejected? Snafu: There were no parking spots in the JIB lot. I spent 10 minutes looking for a spot to stop and submit the report. This took ten minutes.

Summary: I spent 20 minutes on a shop where the profit is Shop Price minutes $6.50. Plus, there is a chance it gets rejected. If the shop gets rejected, I will not do any more of these - the size of the menu board is out of my control and my only option was to get out of the car in the drive-through to take a better photo. I think that would out me...... I'll assume that I don't usually have the parking issue. I'll call it 15 minutes per shop, if I am driving by anyhow.... I don't want the food... So, in order to make my "expected" $40/hr, I'd need to profit $10.00 shop, putting the offer at $16.00 before it's worthwhile - unless I can get the price of the meal down..

One question/suggestion. Do you have a panoramic feature on your camera? If so, could be used for the menu board.

They are not very picky about the pictures. Jumbo jack plus value fries (cheaper than small fries) is cheapest option. Just over $4 in Texas.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2019 09:52PM by boridi.

I do... I could try that... Though the directions suggest that the format of the picture is particular. I do not know if a panoramic photo would be acceptable.

I see the "value" fries on an online menu... Down to $4+tax would help - making the shop acceptable at around $14.00... Glad they are not picky on the pictures.

Even though I said I would not do anymore of the shops I buckled. I received $25 for one in the city where I live. I was hesitant to do any due to the picture at the take out window. The only one I had any difficulty with was one in the next town where the young fellow asked me what I was doing when I took the picture. Then he slammed the window on me. I don't do them for less than $15. Even with a Jumbo Jack, small fries and water I am still spending on average $7.50 so those that can get them cheaper count your blessings. I figure in the $15 to $18 range I can net around $8 - $10 after reimbursement for the cost of the food. I have eaten a few, given a few to street people and had to toss the rest. I'm not a fan of the burger. There is one question on the report that I always answer yes to. And that is the one about is the inside clean. Well, on some of the locations I have been at I can see partially into the restaurant. Some locations I can't. So since I don't have to get out of my car I don't know for sure if they are clean or not and I am not going to make assumptions so I just say yes. None of my shops have been rejected.

wales, that is a great idea! I can do that with 5 Guys burgers.

@walesmaven wrote:

Even if you cannot give away all of the burgers, plain ones can be taken home and the meat added to chili. Just take a cooler and some ziplock bags along.

Aren't you limited to doing 1 JIB per day, or did they change that?

you could hand out the bags to the homeless. they're at nearly every intersection where I'm at - always at WM's w/signage.

personally, three states later, they still are hard and flavorless, and I SWEAR they are JUST dipped into grease then onto the bun. I always taste the meat alone before a bite. yeck.

You can do as many JIB shops in a day as you want. The only limitation is that you can't do the same restaurant more than once in a day. You can do the same store once a day, every day, forever. If the fees go up, I just might try the 40+ shops in a day....

@Eric in Tampa wrote:

Aren't you limited to doing 1 JIB per day, or did they change that?

@Eric in Tampa

From his OP, looks like @MFJohnston is debating doing 14 tomorrow.

I believe its one per day per location. You could eat Jack in the Box for all three meals if you wanted!

Did you rotate your camera like they instructed? Should have no problem getting the billboard in the photo that way. Also, even though they talk like you have take the photos a certain way, I did them the wrong way (I took them in portrait mode versus landscape), emailed the scheduler, and she said they'd still take them. Just don't freak out and go redo the shop like I did if you forget! Jack in the Box twice in a day..........no thanks!

You are out the money you spend for 4-6 weeks. I would not do them if you aren't eating the food.

You aren't going to be profitable doing these IMO.

The panoramic photo looks like a standard photo. Practice using it. There is a learning curve.

@MFJohnston wrote:

I do... I could try that... Though the directions suggest that the format of the picture is particular. I do not know if a panoramic photo would be acceptable.

I have found that if I pull in as close to the left side of the drive thru lane I can get the whole board. Of course I have to talk loud to make up for the space between the car and the speaker.

I don't think they're too particular on getting the entire menu board. Even the example photos they've sent don't show the entire board. They just want to make sure the board is in good condition, with no paper pealing or graffit sprayed. I've done a few and haven't had any rejected. I usually wait until they're up to $14-15. A Jumbo Jack with no cheese, small fry, and water is $5.68-$5.72 for the shops I've done. I usually don't eat the burger. They make for a nice after-school snack for my kids to share or I'll give them away if I'm in an area with a high homeless population.

The thing is, the guides are super-extra clear that I must use the landscape feature of the phone, held with the button on the right. I can use the panoramic setting fine... However, doing so is clearly contrary to the guidelines.

I am actually using them as fillers on a route today. I have not had the picture issue again (smaller menu boards). However, the panhandlers to whom I have tried to give the food have informed me that they don't "eat that crap." I have tossed food so far.

I've also found out that the cheapest purchase I can make here is $5.20 as the value-sized fries are $1.79....

@HonnyBrown wrote:

The panoramic photo looks like a standard photo. Practice using it. There is a learning curve.

@MFJohnston wrote:

I do... I could try that... Though the directions suggest that the format of the picture is particular. I do not know if a panoramic photo would be acceptable.

Okay... I've done six and am now in a two hour window when they cannot be completed. I'm taking them as a "If I see it, I shop it" approach. I keep the MSC page open on m phone pull over, self-assign, and do the shop. I'm averaging 11 minutes per shop at an average profit of just over $6.... Two of my shops - including the longest one - were done during some "dead time" when I needed to pass thirty minutes between post offices, so they cost me no time. So, I've added about 40 minutes to my day and made an additional $36. Not bad, but I sure would not go out of my way for these unless they were closer to $15 each. I'm trying to decide if I should pick up a few more on my way home. I'll think about it as I input my last couple of USPS shops.

The downside: The areas where I am shopping don't have many homeless folks and the two I found rejected the offer, so I have thrown away a lot of grease. Also, I am desperately trying to air my car out...... Yuck!

Yeah, these make fine last-minute filler shops, especially if you have a little bit of dead time...They'll need to be $15 before I'll plan them.... Put them at $18, and I'll do a really greasy route.

@MFJohnston wrote:

The downside: The areas where I am shopping don't have many homeless folks and the two I found rejected the offer, so I have thrown away a lot of grease.

Here, too. They don't want the food; they only want money. Guess you can't trade hamburgers for heroin.

@iShop123 wrote:

@MFJohnston wrote:

The downside: The areas where I am shopping don't have many homeless folks and the two I found rejected the offer, so I have thrown away a lot of grease.

Here, too. They don't want the food; they only want money. Guess you can't trade hamburgers for heroin.

In my city, there is a large population of panhandlers. I don't call them homeless because I don't know if they are. I do know many of them are "regulars" who have their own special intersection and I see them there often. Most here will not accept food or drinks unless they are canned food and canned or bottled drinks or items in otherwise sealed packages. They prefer cash. Several have told me they never accept anything that might possibly have been tampered with or contaminated.

The folks I offered the food were not strung out and did not show any of they physical attributes typical of somebody with serious heroine issues. They were sober. It is very possible that they simply don't want to take unwrapped food. I think it's more likely that they manage to keep themselves fed with healthier food and simply don't eat fast food.

I don't mind these shops, although I do wait until they are between 12 to 20 dollars. I actually do eat the meal..I dont mind the food that much. I never give money to panhandlers. I never know which ones are fake. If the mood strikes and they seem genuine I have literally stopped at a grocery store. Bought a loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly and and a soda and brought that back and was accepted. I have also bought a fast food meal and that was accepted. I never thought of the tampering thing. That is an interesting take.

The panoramic setting allows you to squeeze more into your landscape photo.

I have a Samsung Galaxy. I tried blindly using the feature to get a picture of a rainbow. You have to move your phone along different points of the area you want to capture.

@MFJohnston wrote:

The thing is, the guides are super-extra clear that I must use the landscape feature of the phone, held with the button on the right. I can use the panoramic setting fine... However, doing so is clearly contrary to the guidelines.

I am actually using them as fillers on a route today. I have not had the picture issue again (smaller menu boards). However, the panhandlers to whom I have tried to give the food have informed me that they don't "eat that crap." I have tossed food so far.

I've also found out that the cheapest purchase I can make here is $5.20 as the value-sized fries are $1.79....

@HonnyBrown wrote:

The panoramic photo looks like a standard photo. Practice using it. There is a learning curve.

@MFJohnston wrote:

I do... I could try that... Though the directions suggest that the format of the picture is particular. I do not know if a panoramic photo would be acceptable.