The first of this year Kroger reduced the reimbursement on the shops when they removed the Boar's Head requirements. The shop is now $9 reimbursement and $5 shop fee. Since the first of the year they have added on to the shop requirements not once, not twice but three different times. First, they added bathroom checks. Second, they change some questions to add narratives. Now they have added three more questions to the produce department. All of this for a measly $5 shop fee. I wanted to know how you felt about this. I usually take two for each window here in my town. Starting this next period I've reduced it to one. I'm seriously considering not doing local ones anymore.
What do you think about this?

It's been a light month for me and I was just looking at these jobs. Thanks for the info on them, I'll pass.

They were bad enough before.

I'd have to pass, too.

I did three a weekend and praised them, but now, I'm over it...no more and believe me, I was as good a customer as a shopper, having bought way over 9$ worth. I shop on my own Wed. thru Sun and am fine buying less than I did before.

I completed my first Kroger shop in July of 2006. Since that date, the report is longer and the pay, adjusted for inflation, is considerably less. As I recall, Kroger terminated their shopping program in 2011, just a guess, and when it was reinstated I began requiring a PAD of either $10 or $20, depending upon the size of the store. In 2016, I completed my final job until last month. Reading Irene's comment that both the time in store and the report had been reduced, I accepted two shops; neither were correct for Ohio, which is certainly not uncommon for national corporations. My PAD amounts have now been increased to $20 or $30.

I am a bit annoyed at the add-ons this year, but since most of the stores in my area are larger, answering the additional questions/making the additional observations take less time than walking through the store once and recording people in the departments and what they were doing and if the acknowledged me. However, I think the $5 pay is ridiculously low and if they keep adding questions, I'll probably stop doing them.

I noticed the add ons but since I only do one unbonused it doesn't bother me that much. It adds practically no time to the shop or the report.

I despise it like you and others. When they added the bathroom check I was annoyed, especially because half of them are in weird locations and I spend forever trying to find them. It's bad enough that we have to ask stupid questions that are common sense or easily googled but things keep being added...for no additional money. The only reason I still do them is because 2 locations are very close to my house and work and I need groceries, I would rather be reimbursed than pay myself for them. Like you, I do take less shops and I'm ok with paying for some of my groceries where before I would always pick up a shop to get the ingredients I needed. There must be new shoppers in my area because they text me a lot less to get them done, which is fine. Just got an email about ones that didn't get picked up over the weekend, I might try for PAD but if they won't give it to me I'm not doing them.

Someone in my area has either moved or is quite peeved. Usually the board runs like a top with shops getting taken in fairly short order. Lately they have a lot of holdovers. It makes no difference to me. I won't do any of them without bonus money and I wouldn't before (except for the one 2 miles away.)
Given the nature of the posts in this thread I'm leaning towards peeved. Hahahaha

Afterthought: I have never ever gotten Pad, there are 6 stores within 3 miles of me, but others say they get pad, so I'm double pissed.

I’m also annoyed about having to retake the certification test for each round of shops.

Yes! They keep sneaking in more requirements. Makes me irritated on principle

Yeah, I've over those shops. Between the idiotic questions you have to ask the employees and the additional tasks, it just isn't worth it.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2019 07:13PM by callinectes.

Funny thing is I actually liked them the "way they were". I think for 14 bucks, only 5 being shop fee that there should NOT be any questions requiring arbitrary commentary. I make ridiculous comments like, " I saw no expired or disorganized products" and it gets accepted. I am disappointed because I like being reimbursed for normal household expenses. But I don't like being made to feel like you're taking advantage of me. To be honest I am also disappointed about the other grocery store by the other MSP as well. They upped the reimbursement to 15 dollars but ordering a sub and buying lunch meat takes up about 10 of the 15 and they've added additional departments. But again if we don't do it some other newb will. Oh well. I think I'll start only doing the far-out ones with Pad/incentives added.

I only do locations with PAD. Minimum $10-$20 each location.

I haven't done any in months because of the low pay and the fact that one of the stores was always understaffed. I did my best walking around trying to find a person in each department. I use to see a lot of PAD offered but all the schedulers I worked with are no longer at the company.

Msbarefoot. I actually like it when there is no one in the department. This can often happen in Produce. I just check twice and report it as such. Don’t have to ask a silly question like best way to keep corn fresh. I’ve never had a shop rejected.

I was the same way many times. But I don't do all that walking I use the wheelchair cart. The only downfall to that is deli, who like to act like they can't see you if they are not right there. I may have to stand up for deli, but for the 15 reimbursement shop, it's perfect to answer the question at the end about whether they offer to take a wheelchair cart outside. If I'm rushing, which nowadays I usually am, I check twice and again love it. The report was faster until they added the stupid commentaries about dirty, expired or disorganized products. I don't think you should have to type for yes answers, only no. For example, Were the products well maintained. Did you see any dirty or expired merchandise? Now we have to type a sentence that says: I saw no dirty or expired merchandise. Wouldn't it better to just answer, "yes" everything was good. and if it wasn',t then type: The products on aisle 4 in the paper towel section were disorganized and the prices were incorrect, and a customer had knocked a bunch of rolls on the floor and just left them. To me, that's much more efficient.
And I don't like the questions either. Usually, there is one good question in the bunch that I can use. Right now there's a question: How do I prepare corn on the cob besides on the grill? It implies that I don't know how to cook corn on the cob, which I do. So I ask instead what fruit are in season right now. Or What locally grown produce do you have. I can rationalize that question to say I want locally grown produce so it can be "sweeter"/riper when picked.

Not worth my time and I shop at Kroger. .

I did a Kroger Friday with no one in Produce or Grocery. There was a girl at UScan but she left before I checked out and did not return until after I checked out. She was completely gone the entire check out window. I did not stand around and wait for her to return and just documented as such. Then on the comment section at the bottom, I confirmed that the UScan attendant was indeed gone during the check out window. Guess what the shop was still returned to me today asking why I only evaluated one employee, deli. I tried calling the MSP and no one answered my call. Now I'm wondering if they will try to reject it or will make a new rule that you have to stand around and wait for a Uscan attendant to return. This is the first time I've ever checked out without a UScan attendant present.

I've stopped doing them and shop all over, Kroger's, Trader Joe's and Sprouts, so, not missing these tedious reports for 14.00..I can get savings through their rewards program....had a problem with them on the HP printer shops, not my fault believe they kept my report and not paying.

I have done several with no Uscan and I have also had a couple of shops with only one person to evaluate. These are typically in the smaller stores but I think they are just confirming. I have never had them rejected for me following the rules. I never call them just send back confirming there was no one here or there and I walked through the store this amount of times and around the perimeter with my eyes always scanning for the employees, etc

Liz

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/2019 08:53PM by Traveliz.

I told my schedulers last week that I will not be doing these shops any longer without a PAD. There are just too many questions for a $5 fee. Free food is nice, but I refuse to do much for $5.

I'm not sure how to speak into the commentary boxes, but I know for a fact I can't type the comments on my phone.

@F and L TeleComm wrote:

I'm not sure how to speak into the commentary boxes, but I know for a fact I can't type the comments on my phone.

do you have an iPhone or Android phone?

@SoCalMama wrote:

do you have an iPhone or Android phone?

I have an android, but it's old. It's an LG Fortune. I need to upgrade to a Samsung Note or 9 but I don't have the money right now.

I just got the Note 9. I love it. With my old phone when I did Meritz audits using their app it wouldn't submit until I had wifi. This one submits before I leave the station.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2019 01:25AM by pegleg2000.

@F and L TeleComm wrote:

I'm not sure how to speak into the commentary boxes, but I know for a fact I can't type the comments on my phone.

On your phone's keyboard somewhere there should be a microphone icon. Just tap that and talk all you want. It will write out what you say. Just proofread before submitting, sometimes it misunderstands.

@F and L TeleComm wrote:

@SoCalMama wrote:

do you have an iPhone or Android phone?

I have an android, but it's old. It's an LG Fortune. I need to upgrade to a Samsung Note or 9 but I don't have the money right now.

I understand. I'm no help on Android anyway. I try to upgrade at Target when I need a newer phone. They usually give a nice big gift card when you get a phone there. I got a $300 gift card for each phone that I bought. You just have to watch their ads every week until you find exactly what you need.