There is one company that only gives me the cheaper shops. My apps for the better ones just get dropped. I keep applying though until eventually the better shops are apparently fulfilled and disappear.
What do you think?

Yes, they have their favourites. Just as we have our favourite shops/companies.

Keep applying, but I would only do the "cheap" shops if they suited me.

Schedulers are going to schedule their favorites based on reliability, shops that don't need to be returned for corrections, perfect pictures and all Guidelines followed.

We all need to remember that schedulers' pay and their jobs depend on monthly and/or quarterly completion rates. Even if your average score on their shops is 9, they may have enough shoppers applying for the jobs that you apply for with averages of 9.1 or above so that they feel the need to give preference based on average scores. In addition, total number of shops completed is a big factor. Even with a somewhat lower average shops score, the shopper who has been 98 % reliable in submitting acceptable shops may win out over one with a somewhat higher score, but based on fewer shops. Finally, with MANY MSCs, the scheduler would have to get special permission to give certain shops to any shopper with fewer that X number of completed shops.

Those three factors make up the objective roots of much of what may be perceived by shoppers as "favoritism." But, remember, a scheduler would have to have a professional death wish to "favor" shoppers who do not make the scheduler good at meeting their goals in a timely manner. So, being a "buddy" will only get you very little in the way of "free shots" at that scheduler's shops. That said, among all of the otherwise good-to-excellent shoppers on a scheduler's prospects list, being one of the few that always says "please and thank you." for things like changing a shop date or a deadline, and who sometimes shares good news as well as disappointing news about a shop outcome, WILL stand out.

Finally, shoppers ALL make mistakes, and some of them totally compromise a shop. I the shopper lets the scheduler know, ASAP that they must cancel, ask for a chance to retry, or has "blown" a scenario IMMEDIATELY, and apologizes like a pro, will get extra credit for giving the scheduler a chance to get another shopper onto that job ASAP and may just save the scheduler's bacon. It should come as no surprise that helping the scheduler will help the shopper. Groveling and butt kissing is unnecessary.

@sonny44 wrote:

There is one company that only gives me the cheaper shops. My apps for the better ones just get dropped. I keep applying though until eventually the better shops are apparently fulfilled and disappear.
What do you think?

Are you a relatively new shopper, sonny? If so, then that might be a cause of it.

I tended to notice this as well when I first started.

I feel like I get a "fair shot" nowadays, though, after a few years. Do good work and you will likely get noticed!

Two years, 200 shops and 15 MSCs.

just an observation but if you were signed up with 150 companies instead of 15 companies one not giving you shops woukd be much less concerning

150 Yikes!!!
I'm signed up with 25 and my inbox is always full. 75% of the mails aren't relevant to my location. How do you handle that?
But 90% of my jobs come from 10 MSCs.

@sonny44 wrote:

150 Yikes!!!
I'm signed up with 25 and my inbox is always full. 75% of the mails aren't relevant to my location. How do you handle that?
But 90% of my jobs come from 10 MSCs.

I'm with 150 too. I think that's the norm here with forum members, sonny. I only shop 10 regularly too.

I agree that the emails are annoying/hard to handle. Especially the ones that have low fees.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2019 10:10PM by shoptastic.

Why are you bothering to open the emails?

Perfect, Wales, except for one thing: groveling is a skill well learned.

We all screw up. When I screw up, I apologize -- and if it's egregious, I apologize profusely. I ask if there's any way I can make it right.

In my eyes, that's groveling. Your definition may differ.

@bgriffin wrote:

Why are you bothering to open the emails?

I delete them (don't open), but I still receive a good number (rather than block them all - although, I do block a bunch too).

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2019 04:25AM by shoptastic.

ceasesmith,
You are quite right; there are times when what you correctly call groveling is good for the soul, lol. But I was referring to currying favor to "skip ahead " of other shoppers without otherwise meriting such favors. That sort of groveling is just this side of evil, IMHO.

Profuse apology and pledges of better future behavior ARE the right thing when apologizing for a really dumb screw up on my part. And, when I screw up, by golly, it tends to be dumb and monumental.

If a shopper does a shop for me in the middle of nowhere that nobody else will do, that shopper will get first pick when it comes to the well sought after shops that I have. I'll contact them before I post out those shops to everyone else. That's about as far as I play favorites. Other than that, like walesmaven said, it has a lot to do with rating, number of shops completed, etc.

Timing for me rules into this, seeing a shop immediately and assigning plays into it, however I have a couple companies that do like me, I am polite and do the job, they know I won't flake, while a new shopper has to prove themselves. I don't get everything, but I won't drive to the end of the earth or actually 20 miles for it and as I've said, bonus's here are nill., someone will do it. Many times the client wants a new shopper, not the same one,
so many reasons which have nothing to do with you...we've all been there. I'm no longer getting the Source's restaurants, go figure. Hi Pete.....

@sonny44 wrote:

Two years, 200 shops and 15 MSCs.

Assuming your shops are evenly apportioned by msc this figure means for each of your 15 companies you are doing one shop every two months. You probably do more for some of them but lets just use this figure. So in two years you have not done that many shops per msc compared to other shoppers. If you have a good track record with them...did not flake, got a great grade on the shops you did already, were not late etc they may possibly consider giving you a chance if you take several of the shops available to you each month to prove yourself with them....even the ones you do not like much. After a certain number of successful shops many companies will be willing to give you a better shop. That magic number varies from company to company.

Hi Irene! It's not my restaurants that you aren't getting, is it? If so, that is certainly not on purpose.

@KSSPete wrote:

Hi Irene! It's not my restaurants that you aren't getting, is it? If so, that is certainly not on purpose.

No, it's for another company....post just ran together.....