Drive 350 miles RT and do an onsite business inspection?

What I want to ask for in distance pay seems ridiculous, but I don't think I'm out of line. My time is worth something. My mileage is worth something. $400 is what I'm thinking is reasonable. What would YOU ask for?

I will add that this is in rural Kansas and I don't think they'll ever in a million years pay that much. But, really, I won't do it for less and who's going to do it?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2019 07:54PM by ej822.

That amt sounds reasonable to me if you expect to earn minimum wage but I am not a rural route shopper. The route shoppers will chime in but if you search using search on the top of this page you can find many threads about route shopping and how and what to determine and ask for your fee, how to schedule other shops on your route etc.

I'm familiar with doing routes, but the fact is there just isn't much around here to make a route, not that I'd want to do much else with a 6 hours of drive time in a day. I have 2 weekly grocery store shops I do consistently and then maybe 2-3 others in a month. I certainly don't make much doing mystery shopping out here, but on rare occasion, I get some nice bonuses.

$0.55 / mile is $192.50 for mileage.

Plus whatever it takes to do the inspection, $17?

@SoCalMama you would charge nothing for the time it takes to drive? Only for the mileage?

Hmm, the government amt per mile turns out to be either not enough or very generous depending on how expensive your particular mode of transport costs per mile. If your true cost per mile is low you can think of some of the overage on your mileage write off as paying for your time.

At a certain point it does not matter what others think is reasonable, it is what YOU would require to not feel abused. I could think of worse things than driving 350 miles through the varied and populated areas of So Cal. I would be delighted by 35 miles of flat Kansas cornfields and pastured cattle, but not at all delighted by 350 miles of them. I'm in Florida and by 175 miles of small towns and citrus groves I have had more than enough. It is not unusual for me to request a bonus of $40 to do a shop that adds 35 miles to my normal radius so don't see $400 in your scenario as any sort of obscenity. The only downside is losing the shop entirely and if you don't feel you are ripping them off at $400, who cares? You are not responsible for them having or not having a shopper closer who is willing to do the shop for less. You are only responsible for protecting your own business.

Someone will come along and do it for much less on a route.....just my thinking knowing this company...good luck.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2019 09:42PM by Irene_L.A..

I told them I'd have to get $350 to do it. They won't pay that I know. I don't feel the least bit bad about not getting the shop and spending an entire day on the road. I was just curious if I was completely out of line with the $ amount, but, honestly, that's a miserable assignment IMO. If they can get someone else to do it, I'll be happy. If the past is any predictor of the future, they'll call me in 2 to 3 weeks and tell me they want me to do it, but can only pay $200 and I'll say no.

That sounds miserable. I wouldn't do it for less than $350 I can assure you.

Ask fo it and see if they counter. You seem to be asking for about $60 per hour which I think is rather steep. However, as was already said, ask for what you think you and your time is worth.

I think $400 is fair and reasonable and is what I would need. And I consider the Govt mileage rate of $.55, $.56 or $.58 or whatever it is, the expense for the use of my car. I need profit on top of that. If the MSC thinks the offer is unreasonable or can find someone to do it for less, that's fine. I would not be offended.

I have said many times on this forum I believe there are too many variables to try to determine an hourly rate so I base my routes on a profit/expense ratio. And 2 to 1 is where I start.

$350 seems about right to me. My car costs about $.25 per mile to operate (that's total cost of ownership). That's about $90 for mileage. I'm good with making $250 a day for "local" work. By local I mean I don't have to have dinner and a hotel.

You have to factor in wear and tear on your car. I would ask for $1 a mile plus the shop fee.

@SoCalMama wrote:

$0.55 / mile is $192.50 for mileage.

Plus whatever it takes to do the inspection, $17?

Yikes. Your car must be much more expensive to operate than mine. Here's how I figured mine:

$.10 - $16000 vehicle and expect 160,000 miles out of it
$..07 - 35mpg and average cost of $2.50 (I live in a cheap state right now it's under that)
$.02 - Scheduled maintenance at average $200 per every 10,000 miles (also high, I had a medium service done earlier this week at $150)
$.03 - Expendable parts (tires, brakes, etc based on average cost and average replacement times)
$.03 - Unexpected repairs (that would be $4800 over the expected 160,000 mile life of the vehicle)

$.25 per mile total.

Insurance and tag are minor expenses compared to the above and I expect them to be within the margin of error.

No, it's probably not more expensive to operate. I just don't like traveling far and I am spoiled.

ETA that maybe the OP is driving a car that would require $1 per mile...but again, I was basing my cost on the fact that I really don't want to go further than 25 miles from home.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2019 12:30AM by JASFLALMT.

@ej822 wrote:

Drive 350 miles RT and do an onsite business inspection?

What I want to ask for in distance pay seems ridiculous, but I don't think I'm out of line. My time is worth something. My mileage is worth something. $400 is what I'm thinking is reasonable. What would YOU ask for?

I will add that this is in rural Kansas and I don't think they'll ever in a million years pay that much. But, really, I won't do it for less and who's going to do it?

Gas would be $100, this would be 700 miles, so driving all day, or staying over, depending on traffic, so say $100 for a hotel, so $200 in expenses, then you need to eat out for some of your meals too. I would ask for $500 to do something like this. That's a lot of miles to put on your car.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2019 12:35AM by Niner.

I think the 350 miles was round trip, not each way.
But I could be wrong.

I do product retrievals and merchandising, and if I ever have to go anywhere that's more than 150 miles, I am granted a hotel room and food per diem (usually capped at around $100 and $30 respectively). And these companies also pay me mileage. But, MS is different, since you are your own boss. I guess if you could find a hotel shop enroute that would make it worthwhile.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

You have to factor in wear and tear on your car. I would ask for $1 a mile plus the shop fee.

@SoCalMama wrote:

$0.55 / mile is $192.50 for mileage.

Plus whatever it takes to do the inspection, $17?

I would pay to rent a car. I don't put those kind of miles on my cars.

I assume that a 350 miles round trip is going to take all day. So, it has to represent that pay that you want for an entire day's work, plus mileage and at least one meal. 350 miles at $0.58 per mile = $203. Call it $200. Then add an hourly rate for your travel time, including lunch and rest stops. By the time you are done, this sounds like an 8 hour day. What should the hourly rate be? Lets assume $20 per hour, then 8 x $20 per hour = $160. So, $200 + $160 = $360 which is about what you asked for,

When I do business verifications, I price them assuming that it will be an isolated trip, not part of a route. Scheduling is largely at the convenience of the client and is targeted for the next 1 or 2 days. If I happen to find something to add, that is great, but I can't count on it. Plus, with a 350-mile round trip, there won't be much left-over time anyway.

If you do get this assignment, take lots of extra photos. The worst case would be to miss something and then have to go back. I suggest going to the nearest Wifi spot with a laptop and entering the report, but even that does not guarantee that the MSC will not find something they are not happy with days later.

I would really consider renting a car with unlimited mileage. 350 miles is a lot to put on your car and even though the IRS rate is supposed to cover repairs, etc., renting a car for $100 (high estimate) for one day takes the "break-down" risk-off your shoulders.

Last week, an MSC that I do a lot of work for asked me to do a last-minute rush job. It was 5 minutes inside a bank, but 48 miles away. I considered how much of an inducement I needed and gave them a discount for being a valuable client, and did it for $75. Using the rationale that I provided above, it should have been about $100.

I'm cheaper for long drives on Saturdays when there is something good on the radio. Your rate sounds like the "stop calling me" rate I give some MSPs when I get asked to make a day's journey into Western Nebraska or Eastern Iowa. Sometimes an MSP will call my bluff and I get a nice, long drive with a single shop.

Heartland, plenty of opportunities in western Nebraska right now! LOL!!!

Just ask for it. The worst they can do is decline or counter.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2019 01:44AM by ShoppingDad.

Depending on how much you enjoy driving there is also wear and tear on your body and your psyche to consider. I find driving stressful but perhaps in Nebraska I would just tend to try to stay awake rather than try to stay constantly alert to the entitled drivers I encounter in Los Angeles.

I agree about not putting miles on cars (I am still driving a 2013 in excellent condition with less than 45,000 miles on it, so that shows you I don't drive far from home). But I would not pay for the car rental. I had one company that I do product retrievals for fly me across the country and pay for my hotel and car so I could do a large batch of visits at stores in a region where they didn't have a rep. But, we know that most MSCs wouldn't pay for a car.

@SoCalMama wrote:

@JASFLALMT wrote:

You have to factor in wear and tear on your car. I would ask for $1 a mile plus the shop fee.

@SoCalMama wrote:

$0.55 / mile is $192.50 for mileage.

Plus whatever it takes to do the inspection, $17?

I would pay to rent a car. I don't put those kind of miles on my cars.

Renting a car significantly decreases your overall profit though. Consider the above route with the following scenarios:

Rent a car: $350 fee - $40 rental - $25 in gas = $285 profit
Drive your own: $350 fee - $90 in vehicle costs = $255 in profit

However, when you include the tax implications:

Rent a car - You pay taxes on $285. If you're in a 22% bracket you're gonna pay a total of 37.3% when you include self employment tax so you're actual net profit after tax of $106 is $179.

Drive your own: You pay taxes on a mere $56 in profit after you take the $199 tax write off for mileage. Even if you earn enough to stay in the 22% bracket that's still only $21 in tax. So your after tax profit is $234. So renting that car just cost you $55.

I know most people wouldn't drive 350 miles a day. But some of us drive those distances constantly. So on a 5 day route like that we are losing $250 a week in profit by renting a car instead of driving our own. In addition to the above numbers, by constantly driving your own car you can easily eliminate paying any taxes in the 22% bracket (at least I can).

You missed the part where I stated I would not pay for the car rental.

@SoCalMama wrote:

I would pay to rent a car. I don't put those kind of miles on my cars.

@myst4au wrote:

I would really consider renting a car with unlimited mileage. 350 miles is a lot to put on your car and even though the IRS rate is supposed to cover repairs, etc., renting a car for $100 (high estimate) for one day takes the "break-down" risk-off your shoulders.

There you go (cyber pat on the back, LOL).