Rtst, even though you are my DIRECT competition, I truly admire your attitude and your apology to us. It was spot on. So I will help you.
Stop taking jobs off the job board! Stop right this minute!
If you are not signed up with the "15 most discussed", you are missing literally thousands of dollars worth of shops within 70 miles of you.
Most jobs have schedulers associated with them. Read all the posts on "asking for bonuses" (some here, some in New Shoppers), and start asking for those bonuses.
When the scheduler objects to your bonus (basically because you've done the job 8 times already, at base pay), just tell them "I was new. I did my taxes, and realized I didn't make any money. I'm in this to earn money, and will not work for less than minimum wage. I also felt I had to do the jobs at base pay to learn them, but now I know how to do them; I'm more confident, and able to do a better job."
If a scheduler tells you no bonus, tell her "Well, do be sure to keep me in mind. I'd love to do the shop, I just can't afford to do it at a loss, so when the bonus is there, feel free to reach out to me".
Will you drive to Valentine for $300? It's there. My friend in Gothenburg did it last week. I referred her to the shop, because I could not do it. I was offered $100 for the shop, and told her to ask for more, and she just flat-out told them, I can't drive that far for $100, I need more. And they gave it to her.
Will you drive to McCook for $150? And another 32 miles to Oberlin, KS, for two gas stations, one that pays $45 and the other $50? For a $245 day? Add a fast food and another couple shops that are ALWAYS available in McCook, make it a $400 day.
Those are my REGULAR routes. I have received $200 for shops in North Platte, and made profitable days by adding a few shops to the $200 one.
There is a casual (sit at a table and order your food) restaurant in North Platte shopped by an MSC that NEVER, EVER bonuses. They bonus this shop $40 to try to get a shopper You can take your hubby for a very nice meal, get fully reimbursed, and make $40. That would make a nice treat for the two of you! Lots of photos, lots of detail, horrendous report (takes me an hour to do the report -- but then, even a simple report takes me half an hour).
I do not personally believe that anyone can make a living doing this by taking the jobs off job boards at base pay. I know there are shoppers who do a dozen or more shops a day and make a living, but I (and you) are incapable of that type of work load. I rarely do more than 4 or 5 a day, and I prefer 2 or 3.
If you PM me, I will give you more info. I will tell you 2 or 3 shops that my friend in Gothenburg and I HATE, HATE, HATE, but we get $125 for them. The schedulers are desperate for a shopper in North Platte. Due to rotation, some you can only do once or twice a year.
Just a hint: I don't do ANY jobs for less than $25. NONE. Even those fast foods that are on the job boards at $4.50, or $7, or $8.
(Edited to add: I taught my friend in Gothenburg. She said the hardest thing to learn was asking schedulers for bonuses. Now, she is FEARLESS. And she gets what she asks for!)
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2019 11:11PM by ceasesmith.