I regularly shop about 12 MSCs. I feel like 65% post their jobs and then I only see emails days later (if at all).

I am on the "email alerts" list. But, for some MSCs, I never get emails even after jobs post. Is this pretty normal?

edit: I used to see emails. Not anymore. Wondering if I've been blackballed by multiple MSCs....*shrug*

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2019 04:10AM by shoptastic.

If you were blackballed, you shouldn't be seeing the jobs on job boards, either.

Schedulers/owners, other more experienced shoppers may chime in on this, but MY 2C worth is that jobs go on job boards first, in the hopes that shoppers will pick them up off the job board at base pay.

(This, of course, AFTER certain shoppers have already requested and been granted their shops.)

Then shops that are not picked up at base pay are put in mass e-mails.

Later still, when desperation looms, phone calls, texts, individual e-mails go out.

Check you spam filters, check to see if you "turned off" e-mail notifications, etc., etc., etc.

Of course, individual companies have differing policies; some companies rarely (if ever) send mass e-mails.

And this is only my opinion.

I know Reality Based Group always posts jobs and sends out emails concurrently.

Although, they aren't one of the MSCs I am having this issue with.

I actually thought most MSCs did this - at least, that was my recollection in the past (could be mistaken, though).

The bad thing about this is that it creates so much work that I just don't have time for. I have to constantly log into all these MSC sites now. The ONLY one I checked more than 5x a day was Market Force. Now, I'm checking a bunch constantly and it sucks.

Wondering if some new shoppers have showed up in my area. Maybe they are taking all the shops I do at base. Hopefully they go bankrupt or something and I get my normal shops back. *just kidding*

You have received the information before on how to cut down time on individual MSCs websites. If you choose to disregard the valuable info you have been given....well, that's your choice.

I know, because I was one of the contributors to that educational thread.

@ceasesmith wrote:

You have received the information before on how to cut down time on individual MSCs websites. If you choose to disregard the valuable info you have been given....well, that's your choice.

I know, because I was one of the contributors to that educational thread.

Don't lecture me, first. You could have cheerfully reminded me or said that in any number of ways. I had a feeling you'd come in and say precisely what you just said (it was on my mind when I wrote that) - although, not in the way you did it.

Second, I went to the Presto site or whatever it was and found it a mess and was unsure of how to use it (I don't care or shop enough to want to take the time right now to figure it out). And there are several other reasons, but don't want to engage with you right now.

And this isn't specific to you, but really no one needs to go around on this forum speaking to people in those ways.

Many of us are extremely successful in other areas of life, could teach you tons of things you don't know, and wouldn't feel the need to "lecture down" to someone or make assumptions about them, etc.

*sorry if I'm sounding a little annoyed....didn't like the way you spoke to me....maybe I'll see things differently when I'm more calm*

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2019 10:09AM by shoptastic.

The other thing about the Presto Map Site (again, whatever it was...I no longer remember the site name/link) is that it seemed all mobile phone shops.

Don't have data on my phone (don't need it), so I disregarded it when I looked at the site in the past.

@shoptastic wrote:

*sorry if I'm sounding a little annoyed....didn't like the way you spoke to me....maybe I'll see things differently when I'm more calm*

I hope by now you are feeling more calm and you see things differently so you can post an apology to ceasesmith. She deserves one. There was nothing wrong with her post.

There was no lecture; I am responsible for what I write, but I am not responsible for anyone's reaction to what I write.

When you tried Presto and thought it was a mess...well, that's what we're here for. You ask so many questions, didn't it occur to you to come on here and ask "Hey, guys, I tried Presto, and what's the big deal? I don't see anything on it useful or helpful."

I will reiterate: I have PrestoInstaMaps open on my computer 24/7. It shows EVERY SASSIE shop in any location I wish to travel. Right now, it's showing me highly bonused ATV shops, fast food, banking, UTV, and merchandising jobs. I do not know why you are not seeing the same array of jobs.

The "sticky" threads in the new shopper area are still there, and still contain the information on how to find jobs efficiently and effectively.

To send me PMs of the type you did is offensive, so I will take this opportunity to publicly remind you that I have defended you on this forum many times; I have reminded other posters to use compassion and understanding toward you.

Meanwhile, I will continue to go about my day while muttering to self a reminder that I, too, need to show compassion and understanding. Some days it's harder than others.

Wow. SMH.

You think that's WOW, you should read the PMs I got.

YIKES.

I dared the author to post them publicly. I don't think they (or she) will.

You might be a "tech dinosaur" (as you often say), but I'm sure you know how to copy and paste. I, for one, thknk you should post it here for everyone to see.

Cease is so nice. I agree with JAS. shoptastic has PM'd people in the past and been warned. No way will she PM me because I will post them in public forum and forward them to Jacob.

I am not 100% sure the nastiest one was from Shoptastic; it was a different name from a "new member".

And, ROTFLMAO, yes, I can cut & paste. It took me NINE YEARS to learn it, and someone was finally kind enough to print out the directions step by step, put it in an envelope, and snail mail it to me!

I have many other hilarious stories about my tech failures.



Truly, it's as though I have "tech dyslexia". I just. Can't. Do. It.

Maybe I'm getting better. This fall, it only took me 6 weeks to learn how to do a "screenshot". (Unfortunately, I had a 10 day deadline to learn it, and could not master it quickly enough to complete the on-line shops that required it.)



(And I think that's more complicated than cut & paste!)

Gee, i wonder who the "new member" (cough, spicy1) is?

Cease, do you have an extension called Page Saver WE? One click and your screenshot is made or the whole page is saved, depending on which option you choose. Then you just name it. Or get Awesome Screenshot Plus, another extension that makes it easy. Both free, and work with Firefox. Or you can hold the Windows key down and press the PrtSc key. That gets you everything, even outside the web page, useful for shops that require date and time to be visible in the screenshot.

@ceasesmith wrote:

Maybe I'm getting better. This fall, it only took me 6 weeks to learn how to do a "screenshot". (Unfortunately, I had a 10 day deadline to learn it, and could not master it quickly enough to complete the on-line shops that required it.)



(And I think that's more complicated than cut & paste!)

@ceasesmith wrote:

There was no lecture; I am responsible for what I write, but I am not responsible for anyone's reaction to what I write.

When you tried Presto and thought it was a mess...well, that's what we're here for. You ask so many questions, didn't it occur to you to come on here and ask "Hey, guys, I tried Presto, and what's the big deal? I don't see anything on it useful or helpful."

Hi, cease

This is going to be an imperfect response. Just wanted to say that upfront. I wish I had more time and a better frame of mind to respond with a more ideal, well-thought out, and thorough reply. I hope you'll understand it's the best I can do at the moment.

This is a very important week for me, as I have two important deadlines to meet (for "projects" unrelated to ms-ing). Both are literally life-changing and require a lot of focus and clarity of mind, so I have found it difficult to balance and also respond to this situation. If I don't express all that I'd like here (at the moment), I will be sure to come back at a later date/time to continue.

I organized some of my thoughts below as follows:

1.) I want to own up to anything I'm doing wrong (in all senses of the word) - in this particular situation of finding shops and also interpersonal relations. I'd like time to think about the situation more and return to this when I am better prepared (not literally staring down a couple of life-changing project deadlines and being mentally pulled in too many directions).

2.) Why I was offended/annoyed:
a.) I didn't like being criticized for something that I felt you did not understand (i.e., have full knowledge of the context for) and did not like the manner in which you did it.
b.) The way you did it felt like grandstanding to me.

Ideally, I'd prefer purely constructive criticism. No hints of being snide, abrasive, condescending, or things like grandstanding and/or trying to humiliate someone. I would have said thing like:

"Don't forget, shoptastic, that you can use apps that help you see multiple MSC shops all at once! Remember we talked about that previously? It can save you lots of time!"

I think the way you worded it made it seem like I was purposely, irrationally refusing to listen to previous advice (again, that had to do with my frustration of feeling like you were not understanding my personal reasons*** and the last sentence felt unnecessary). The entire way it was structured/worded felt a bit like grandstanding criticism (not sure if that's the best way to put it, but perhaps something along those lines). For me, that's disrespectful and unnecessary. It can also mess with a person's emotional well-being and health and I ideally (notwithstanding my own failures!) would never want to do that. That's not to say there isn't a time and place for quick, blunt, and even harsh criticism. There can be. But, I think it's usually as a last resort and/or if it's urgent in the face of some kind of serious danger (e.g., Yelling at children physically fighting. There is no time for tact, grace, and the like usually in those situations).

***And that may not be your fault if you did not know. I was simply voicing what my own frustration was there.

3.) Some quick context as to why I did not take the time to look more at the "Presto" app/website.

As I wrote to you in PM last night, I thought the way you spoke to me in the exchange in the other thread, where there was mention of the Presto app/site, was aggressive and upsetting. I felt you assumed things that were untrue and were aggressively speaking with what felt like histrionics and an unnecessarily critical tone. How offended was I? Enough that I wrote what I did in the PM. That's not to say it was a correct interpretation of your intentions or even a fair reaction. Just that I felt that way. I don't like being spoken to a certain way and when it's reasonable (for sure, if I deserve a harsh rebuke, I feel I deserve and will take it ultimately), I do guard my boundaries with people and let it be known or "block"/ignore them.

In fairness, you were not aware probably of my dislike of the way you spoke to me in that thread. When I dislike someone's tone and it hurts or is offensive, it takes me a long time to "recover." I can block out any substantive thing they say (even if well-intended). One of the reasons I did not use or go back to the Presto app/link/site and forgot about it after browsing it for 30 seconds or so is that I did not want to emotionally connect back to your tone.

I can't say that's adult-like. Perhaps "childish" in a sense (not childish as in a kind of frivolousness or silliness of youth, but as in not being emotionally strong or mature enough to handle those things). I believe I am emotionally sensitive. For better or worse, I care a lot about how things are worded, tone, etc. and those things affect me a lot. If I'm upset by something, I disassociate with the source and details sometimes. I did not want to think about the Presto app thing, because of how it was discussed/recommended partially. I jotted it down and told myself when I'm ready, I will revisit it. But, that would be on my own terms. I didn't care if I was potentially missing out on easier job searching opportunities. I cared, I guess, more about protecting my emotional equanimity, sense of self, and having "closure" of sorts.

The other part was that when I did briefly look at it, it was a mess and I didn't want to deal with it at the time. I have a lot of stressful things I constantly have to think about, solve, and handle and sometimes I will avoid taking on "new stresses" just to keep sane. I think everyone probably does this in life with various things. MS-ing wasn't a priority for me at that time enough to bother sorting through it and I probably procrastinated too.

I think what made me particularly upset was thinking in my mind: "Cease was rude in that whole Presto thing previously and is NOW judging/criticizing me for not wanting to read through that old thread and use the app??! Part of the REASON I haven't used it is BECAUSE OF YOU!"

I know you did not know these things, so I would not blame you there. But, that was my thought process and frustration.

Again, this is an imperfect reply. Probably some things don't make entire sense or could be explained better, but it's the best I can do under a pressure-cooked week. As for my anger. It's gone. Writing and thinking about this briefly has helped. So has putting things into perspective and praying for God's peace. I think that you've tirelessly helped so many posters on this forum that I know you want to do good when you teach others.

That's all I can muster for the moment. As I said at the top, I want to own anything I've done incorrectly or missed and when I have more time to reflect, I will respond back with anything of that nature. I wouldn't doubt that I may have overreacted or been responsible for some things that are deserving of criticism. And I'll deal with that as soon as I"m able to.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2019 10:16PM by shoptastic.

When that is the best you can do, it might be better not to post. You are spending energy that you clearly need for your other life projects.

Shoptastic, do you think no one else has other things going on their lives besides MSing? We all do. Everyone here has worries, projects, other jobs, families, etc. and oftentimes stressful events. Our lives do not revolve solely around mystery shopping.

I would forward that to Jacob.

@ceasesmith wrote:

I am not 100% sure the nastiest one was from Shoptastic; it was a different name from a "new member".

Anyway, I would think almost all companies work like that. Post jobs. Then send out emails. I wouldn't be surprised if Sassie's software has the capability to automatically generate an email once a scheduler posts a job.

@kimmiemae wrote:

I wouldn't be surprised if Sassie's software has the capability to automatically generate an email once a scheduler posts a job.

I can't speak for other platforms, but this is true of SASSIE. When a job is posted to the board, you have the option to automatically send out an email. There are several options to chose from to direct who in your database it is sent to (e.g., 30 miles from zip code listed on profile, shoppers who expressed interest in shops in a certain area code, to state, to country). However, like all mass emailing programs, the emails are sent out in "batches."

This means that it can take hours or days for emails to completely send (depending on how many recipients there are and how bogged down SASSIE's email system is). Unfortunately, we have no control the order the emails are sent or who gets the email first.

Though it isn't perfect, that must save schedulers HOURS of work.

@ShoppersViewChristine wrote:

@kimmiemae wrote:

I wouldn't be surprised if Sassie's software has the capability to automatically generate an email once a scheduler posts a job.

I can't speak for other platforms, but this is true of SASSIE. When a job is posted to the board, you have the option to automatically send out an email. There are several options to chose from to direct who in your database it is sent to (e.g., 30 miles from zip code listed on profile, shoppers who expressed interest in shops in a certain area code, to state, to country). However, like all mass emailing programs, the emails are sent out in "batches."

This means that it can take hours or days for emails to completely send (depending on how many recipients there are and how bogged down SASSIE's email system is). Unfortunately, we have no control the order the emails are sent or who gets the email first.

@walesmaven wrote:

When that is the best you can do, it might be better not to post. You are spending energy that you clearly need for your other life projects.

Very few, if any, people are reading the posts/essays.

I won't be.

Where do i find this informational thread?

Grampa, all the info I referred to is in the "New Mystery Shoppers" area on this forum. Specifically, in the "sticky" threads at the very top. Look there for how to find shops.

I'm not well versed in the search function on this site, and was unable to locate the specific thread Shop refers to. Maybe some more competent shopper will be kind enough to post a link, if it's not too much trouble.

Welcome to the forum! Despite the tone this thread took, we are generally a helpful bunch.