Price Checks

I am curious about the price check assignments that are completed by using an app. I like that everything is done with the app; no written report needed. Can anyone tell me, are they really as easy as the MSCs claim? Suppose you don't find all the items to be price checked? Are these assignments worth the time and effort? I would appreciate any insights. Thanks.

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More About Price Check Audits

Is this the one for looking at 50 items for $10? It looked like too much work for the pay they were offering.

Can anyone clarify if these audits are announced or must be done secretly?

The price audits need to be done secretly. They are often for competitors.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

@johnb974 wrote:

Is this the one for looking at 50 items for $10? It looked like too much work for the pay they were offering.

I've seen as few as 10 items, and as many as 50 items. Off hand, I don't recall what the pay is for each.

I did one of these as a mystery shop for a liquor store. It was as very small store. when they saw what I was doing, I was asked to leave.

That's what I would be afraid of, trying to do that in a small store. I think if you're doing that in a big box store, it's much easier to blend in. Thanks for your feedback.

Thank you. It must be difficult to avoid being noticed unless a huge store.

Actually the hardest thing about the price checks in a store like Walmart is you can't get cell service inside. I attempted to do one and the pages wouldn't load on the app while I was inside the store. The MSC told me to walk to the Department do what I could then walk back out side, load the next page then walk back in do the next set, walk back out load the page walk back in etc etc. The job was for about 700 items for $125. I did not end up doing it.

But Walmart has wifi, no?

Will the app work over WIFI? Most Walmarts I've been to have WIFI available.

@tstewart3 wrote:

Actually the hardest thing about the price checks in a store like Walmart is you can't get cell service inside. I attempted to do one and the pages wouldn't load on the app while I was inside the store. The MSC told me to walk to the Department do what I could then walk back out side, load the next page then walk back in do the next set, walk back out load the page walk back in etc etc. The job was for about 700 items for $125. I did not end up doing it.

OMG, That sounds like more trouble than it's worth. I would definitely pass on that one. Thank you for sharing.

@wrosie wrote:

Will the app work over WIFI? Most Walmarts I've been to have WIFI available.

No public wifi in that store.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2019 12:26PM by tstewart3.

I did one of them a few months ago, it was 270 items for 150.00. Now the same jobs are like 25 ????

@LAAgent wrote:

I did one of them a few months ago, it was 270 items for 150.00. Now the same jobs are like 25 ????

Right now there's one for a sporting goods shop for 690 items for $125, 397 items at a discount department store for $72, and another Sporting Goods for 1020 items for $185.

I did one once for $25. Never again; way too much work for the pay and time spent. The hardest part was finding the specific items.

@tstewart3 wrote:

@LAAgent wrote:

I did one of them a few months ago, it was 270 items for 150.00. Now the same jobs are like 25 ????

Right now there's one for a sporting goods shop for 690 items for $125, 397 items at a discount department store for $72, and another Sporting Goods for 1020 items for $185.

Yikes!!! I would be afraid of not getting it all done within a day. I think I would pass on such shops/audits. Thank you for sharing.

@AZwolfman wrote:

I did one once for $25. Never again; way too much work for the pay and time spent. The hardest part was finding the specific items.

Thank you for sharing.

@Artee917 wrote:

@tstewart3 wrote:

@LAAgent wrote:

I did one of them a few months ago, it was 270 items for 150.00. Now the same jobs are like 25 ????

Right now there's one for a sporting goods shop for 690 items for $125, 397 items at a discount department store for $72, and another Sporting Goods for 1020 items for $185.

Good grief! I think I would pass on these. Thank you for sharing.

I did a Costco one and had to do something like 30-40ish and it paid something like $10-$15. I did it ONCE. NEVER AGAIN.
Something to keep in mind: Whenever you see the words "Simple and Easy" for a shop - RUN! Run faster than Usain Bolt - in the other direction.
ANY shop that has words like: (Super) Easy, Simple.............and similar: IS NOT! The ones that are "Super Easy" have already been gobbled up by shoppers who know it is Super Easy - and is. "Super Easy" on a shop is the scheduler's way of saying the shop is hard, their experienced shoppers know it, and they are trying to con NEW shoppers into doing it before they find out how hard and NOT "Super Easy" it really is.
These price check visits are a rip off for the shopper. You almost always spend at least 50% more time than they say it will take and usually 100% more. Let someone else pick them up. Someone always will which is why the pay looks appealing but isn't.

@SoCalDude wrote:

I did a Costco one and had to do something like 30-40ish and it paid something like $10-$15. I did it ONCE. NEVER AGAIN.
Something to keep in mind: Whenever you see the words "Simple and Easy" for a shop - RUN! Run faster than Usain Bolt - in the other direction.
ANY shop that has words like: (Super) Easy, Simple.............and similar: IS NOT! The ones that are "Super Easy" have already been gobbled up by shoppers who know it is Super Easy - and is. "Super Easy" on a shop is the scheduler's way of saying the shop is hard, their experienced shoppers know it, and they are trying to con NEW shoppers into doing it before they find out how hard and NOT "Super Easy" it really is.
These price check visits are a rip off for the shopper. You almost always spend at least 50% more time than they say it will take and usually 100% more. Let someone else pick them up. Someone always will which is why the pay looks appealing but isn't.

Thank you for your informative post. You've answered all my questions regarding price checks. I will pass on the price check shops.

To each their own.

I do the "14 for $5, 50 for $10" every month. They're generally pretty easy. The only issue is the occasional gas station has thrown me out of the store, but that's really rare and you can sub another location in so long as you tell the MSC what happened.

As for those bigger lists Stewart posted, I can't think those are a good idea. Those sound like they would take way too long. The ones I do take maybe 10 min at most, aside from one grocery store check. That take about 90 min, but pays about 70 and is usually 250 items.

@Artee917 wrote:

Yikes!!! I would be afraid of not getting it all done within a day. I think I would pass on such shops/audits. Thank you for sharing.

The larger list can done over a period of days.

A Dad shopping the Ark-LA-Tex and beyond.

Thank you ShoppingDad

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