Chevron shops

Finally got access to the MSC who does these shops and even got a call from them asking me to pick-up the Chevron shops nearby. Well the shops are not exactly nearby, so I looked. The shops pay $6 as reimbursements?? Seriously? That too you go inside and buy that $1 thing and ask for a receipt, I bet right away they would know I am a shopper, who asks for a receipt for that amount? What am I missing here? I am new to this hence thought I would check with you fantastic people! Thanks so much.

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I've done lots of these gas station shops for multiple companies that require a $1 inside store purchase. Just be light and casual when you say "Could I get the receipt?" I have to ask almost everywhere and it's no problem. The inside purchase is always the last thing I do so it really wouldn't matter to me if they wondered why I wanted the receipt. But .... trust me. They'll barely notice. And almost certainly won't care.

As for the Chevron, these are worth doing IF they are close to you. They only take a couple of minutes for the shop and a couple of minutes to report. They are NOT worth it if they are far away from you unless you work them into a route or unless they are bonused. The MSC with Chevron does not like to bonus and they call constantly and they whine and beg to get the shops done, usually not offering a bonus. Maybe in other parts of the country they offer good-sized bonuses; in my area they think a $2 bonus is a huge fantastic give-a-way. Their standard answer used to be "Most of our shoppers will pick these up just to help us out." When I started replying "Then it doesn't sound like it will be hard for you to find someone to do them," they stopped saying that to me ...... but they still call incessantly.

Roflwofl - What a great response ! They must think we shoppers are pushovers.

The scheduling team is always super friendly to me but ya the $ isn't great. One thing to remember regarding the shop is that they are comparing your answers about site conditions to the shopper that does the audit version of it. While you may see a stain that is not sticky/ tacky oil on top of oil, if the other shopper reports it as such you will get a warning from the MSC. I now leave notes about anything that I think might be questionable.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/2019 09:33PM by wwin.

I do a ton of them if I'm literally driving right by them anyway. I always use my debit card which always automatically generates a receipt.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

I've done many of these. They are great shops - though their base pay is low unless you are right there. $6+$5 gas +$1 purchase for about 15 minutes of work (onsite plus report) is reasonable. I burn enough gas so it's really like an $11 shop plus a free bottle of water. I also like the MSC...

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

Thank you everyone. I missed the $6 fee, I thought it was just the $6 in reimbursements. :-) $11 and a route makes sense.

I used to do these all the time, could get 4 or 5 a day w/$10.00 bonus on each. Drive roughly 130 miles total, add a bonused lunch, super easy day. I moved and miss them.

My only beef with the shop is that air/water costs minimum $1 and at some locations $1.50, which is unreimbursed. And if I remember right the guidelines say to spend 10 minutes on site. There's a thread about that here somewhere from a few months ago.

If your tires need to be aired up that often you need to have them checked.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

Pretty sure air purchase is no longer required.

Purchasing air or water hasn't been a requirement in the almost 6 years I've been doing this and there has not been a 10 minute requirement either.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

I never had to purchase air, but the 10 minutes on site is/was required or expected.

Are you sure about the air /water and time? I just did a bunch of these last month here in So Cal and am almost certain the air and water question was still there. I also think there was an email or something in the guidelines reminding shoppers that the job has over x number of things to look at and should take a minimum of 10 min. Maybe different MSC's ?

I pulled up a copy of a report from a few weeks ago and the air/water question is still there. Air/water is free in Californa with gas purchase.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2019 03:44PM by wwin.

The air/water question is there, but no purchase required. (Customer First is the project name I am referencing.)

The question is (paraphrasing) "is air or water available." It does not say "get air or water out of the machine." Two entirely different things. I look for a machine. If the machine is there and appears in working condition they get a yes. If the machine is there and has an out of order sign on it or there is no machine they get a no.

The guidelines say it should take 10 minutes to complete the shop. It doesn't say 10 minutes are required. Some of mine take longer, especially if I actually need to use the restroom and/or there is a line at the register. I used to do 400 audits a quarter for another brand. I notice the infractions without thinking and don't need 10 minutes. I would say at least 2/3rds of mine take 7-8 minutes. I always get the flag to verify my times but I have never had a question about how long it takes.

I once has a very small, very pristine location that had 0 customers while I was there. It was a 5 minute shop. No questions.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

Interesting, I interpret the air/water guidelines differently. If the machine is not working then I see it as unavailable and the only way to know that is to give it a test. Having both not work without signage is rare but when it does I explain in the notes they were tested and what was wrong. Since air doesn't cost here it's not a big deal and helps me make the 10 min. I thought were mandatory.

The guidelines specifically say you don't have to use the air/water. It just says make a visual inspection.

Thanks, I didn't see that. One more task I don't have to do.

Loved the chevron shops. Quick easy often less than 10 minutes and good if nearby or for a route. I also only checked if there was air and/or water.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

Just got access to the guidelines again. Actually, "Once you have located the unit, you should determine whether the unit is in working order by USING the unit." And if there is an out of order sign, the answer is N/A.

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