@Shop-et-al
That is a complete and total mischaracterization of how most of us ask for bonuses.
1. The MSC is not our boss. We are self-employed. Our ICA's, written by the MSC's, are super-clear that we are not employees.
2. I don't know of anybody who is going to ask for $100 for a shop half a block away - unless the shop is going to take close to a couple of hours.
3. It is not up to anybody on this forum or the MSC to determine how much my time is worth. I am my own boss. It is up to me.
4. If somebody is willing to do a visit for less than I am, that's fine. That person can have the job. We don't get every bonus we request. Rarely do I get a flat-out "no" as in your scenario. Generally, I get a counter-offer. I then decide if the counter is something I'm willing to accept. If not, I make another offer.
5. It's not "greedy" to expect to be paid for your time - at what you think is an appropriate value. Sure, some folks might over-value their time. However, market forces will "teach" that person the truth.
6. No MSC is going to continue to bargain with you once the shop is assigned to somebody else. If they do, I have no interest working for the MSC.
Beyond that, those of us willing to ask for bonuses work to understand our markets. I know that there are some areas an hour or two from my house where there are zero video shoppers - and very few shoppers overall. To bring in a video shopper is going to cost MSC's quite a bit of money - but they sometimes simply have to get the shops done. I'll try to put together a route where I ask for bonuses from multiple MSC's to do shops in those areas. If I ask for a bonus from each MSC that is less than what they would have to pay to get a different shopper to that area, each MSC feels really good about paying it to me. However, when I combine all the bonuses, I come up with a very profitable day - more so than if I were to just shop near my house. This becomes a win for all of us. I'm not being greedy. Rather, I am simply using my understanding of the markets to offer the MSC's a great shop at a lower price than they expected to pay while allowing me to work, at times, at $80+/hr. (after including travel time).
If this were unethical, my email would not be filled with MSC's offering me work. It's capitalism. Folks who which to make money doing this - especially if they are hoping to do this full time - do well to understand the capitalistic nature of this business and how they can find the right niche.
Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2019 07:26PM by MFJohnston.