This is where you had previously been able to grab a bunch of these (often in a route) and suddenly for whatever reason they seem taken by someone else. You know they are still shopped, b/c you can either see someone else has taken them first (consistently) or you suspect as much.
Just curious...feeling like I'm in that phase. Not sure what to do.
i.) Do you just wait it out - if so, how long?
ii.) Do you ask the scheduler what's happening and/or if you can get the shops "first" or be put on a rotation?
iii.) Do you just move on and stop "sitting around" waiting for them on release dates (since it feels like you're always getting scooped by someone else) and look for other shops and new opportunities?
I feel this has happened to me with three different types of shops I used to do. Two categories were bread and butter types for me, while I don't miss the third as much. I know it just saves a ton of time to take familiar shops and route them, b/c you don't have to learn new guidelines.
So, yeah, pretty annoying.
edited to add: I know we've discussed this topic numerous times on the forum and many do feel it's okay to ask schedulers for shops in advance of them posting. That's a known way that some shoppers can secure shops. I've previously stated that I have only done this when I've been invited to do so. Some schedulers will send out mass emails asking people to feel free to "pre-schedule." I just haven't done it when there's not been an explicit invitation to do so***, b/c I still feel a little weird about it. It's like I'm getting an unfair advantage or something. Without debating that topic, I will say that I currently don't pre-schedule.
***I've done it maybe four or five times total the past two years and each time felt bad about it. So, it's not that I've literally never done it. But, I didn't like the feeling and have stopped and only resorted to signign up on shop release dates.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2020 04:45AM by shoptastic.