MtlShopper Wrote:
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>
> If this is a sign of things to come, MSCs better
> start upping the fees or lots of jobs will stay on
> the boards! I used to spit on $10 shops but now
> it's looking like even $15 are barely worth
> starting the car for
And the unfortunate thing, at least in my area, is that a whole lot of clients are no longer shopped (locations closed and/or client has stopped shops entirely). Thus it was becoming increasingly more difficult to perform the $12 to $15 shops profitably even before the gas prices zoomed.
I just got an email for a shop I used to do at $15 because within 2 miles of the destination I could usually pick up 3-5 shops. When I first started doing those shops the cost of gas to the destination using my vehicle was about $5.33, so the destination shop was no bargain and the other shops made it worthwhile. Today I have an email to do the destination shop for $20, but other nearby shops are not available and the cost of gas in my vehicle to get there would be $8.93. So the destination shop would be better than break even, but I am not convinced that it is worth $11.07 to spend about an hour in the car, 15 minutes on site and 25-30 minutes writing a report. Unfortunately I have no errands to be run there, so the sole purpose of the trip would be the shop.