A few days ago I saw some Arby's shops on the job board. Even though they no longer have a fee (as of earlier this year), I decided to sign up for one because things are pretty quiet around here (in terms of mystery shopping jobs). The reimbursement for the required sandwich, small drink, and small curly fries was listed as $8.75 as usual. The small combo almost always costs more than the $8.75 reimbursement where I live, but I know in the past the MSC would cover the cost as long as the shop was performed correctly and accepted. This used to be stated in the shop guidelines/paperwork, but when I went to review the paperwork and see what sandwich was required for this shop, I no longer saw the statement where they would reimburse over the $8.75 if the small combo ended up costing more than that.

I emailed the MSC helpdesk to ask about this...whether shoppers would be fully reimbursed for these shops. Unfortunately, I received a rather short and curt reply that simply said: "Hi, the reimbursement is as it states: up to $8.75."

So, I guess these shops will no longer be fully covered? I'm considering whether to cancel the shop given that there isn't any fee either, so I'd end up spending out of pocket for this shop. I suppose there might be a "bonus" later on if no one has signed up/completed them...but at least in my area, all the available shops have been claimed so I guess it's doubtful.

Sorry this post was a bit long. Just wanted to let others know that the shops are probably no longer fully covered, which is disappointing given that fees keep decreasing/disappearing and jobs seems scarce right now (understandably).

Thanks for the heads up. I would personally cancel it. The last few Arby’s shops I did were bad. The food was cold and inedible, and I had to wait 10 minutes before the cashier decided to stop helping drive-thru and ring me up. I might do Raising Canes or Panda Express since I typically enjoy their food. But Arby’s? No way.

The last time I did Arby's it was pretty good. I believe I was $ 2 over the small combo in my area

A few decades back, a friend gave me a coupon for a free small Arby's shake; I chose jamocha which I quite enjoyed. When, though, it was time to lift, I was so lethargic it was not possible. I accessed a nutritional page and learned I had consumed 16+ teaspoons of sugar. Before I typed this post, I checked and that amount still applies to those shakes.

I did two of them in my area and for each of them, the cost was $7.09. I do live in a highly populated area and I guess the dollar goes farther here than in other parts of the country.

$7.81 after tax in my area. They have put bonuses on for certain areas (not mine). I have one next week and the week after.

Agreed. Disappointed to see this big change this last round or two. In my area, the out of pocket cost for the meals have been ~$9.20. This round will probably be the same, so I passed. I do like Arby's though.

I have only ever shopped arbys maybe 4 times at most. I have enjoyed arbys on my own dime for years but the last 6 months the quality has gone way down and the price through the roof. I also don't receive coupons in the mail as I used to as the nearest location to me closed. Good thing we got great roast beef sandwich places in Buffalo. I pay more for a great sandwich from a local place and just do it less often.

I do feel like Arby's prices are on the higher side, especially for their LTO sandwiches that are most often the required purchase for these shops. But I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality several times while doing shops (stores in my area have generally been good), so I've always felt okay signing up for them, especially when there was a small fee and/or the promise of full reimbursement. The sandwich for this coming month is the Pecan Chicken Salad sandwich, which I do enjoy. But from what I recall, the price will definitely be over $8.75 in my area, although maybe not by too much (perhaps a dollar or so). I guess I could treat the shop as a "discount" for a meal, especially since I don't have much going on right now.

@Phoebe70 I've done a couple Raising Cane's since the pandemic/shutdown began, but I haven't seen any Panda since early March. This is the first time I've seen Arby's since maybe February, so I jumped at the opportunity before realizing they wouldn't be fully reimbursed anymore. I'm sorry to hear your Arby's restaurants aren't very good...I used to live in an area where stores were bad and I avoided the brand because of that. But in my current location, most stores serve pretty good food (the service is sometimes not great). Because prices are rather high (for fast food at least), I usually wait for shop assignments to visit them, although I have gone a few times on my own when there is a promotion or discount available. Thanks for your recommendation to cancel the shop...I'm still debating whether it will be worth it or not.

@sstsau wrote:

I do feel like Arby's prices are on the higher side, especially for their LTO sandwiches that are most often the required purchase for these shops. But I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality several times while doing shops (stores in my area have generally been good), so I've always felt okay signing up for them, especially when there was a small fee and/or the promise of full reimbursement. The sandwich for this coming month is the Pecan Chicken Salad sandwich, which I do enjoy. But from what I recall, the price will definitely be over $8.75 in my area, although maybe not by too much (perhaps a dollar or so). I guess I could treat the shop as a "discount" for a meal, especially since I don't have much going on right now.

While the prices for their regular menu prices are rather high to me, Arby's has been killing it with their promo's last month. The 5 for $10 deal for the roast beef sandwiches was GREAT. Plus add on coupons in the mail, they have decent meals for some decent food. This of course, varies between locations, but the locations in my area are reasonably good and consistent.

Talk about ridiculous. First they take away the miniscule fee, and now they won't even fully reimburse the required purchase?
I mystery shop to earn money, not to get discounts on mediocre food.

@dmm316 wrote:

Talk about ridiculous. First they take away the miniscule fee, and now they won't even fully reimburse the required purchase?
I mystery shop to earn money, not to get discounts on mediocre food.

Amen. When they were offering $7.50 plus full reimburse I did several shops for them, what the heck. But now no fee and I've got to cover the overage for a gristle sandwich? Smell ya later Arby's.

I love Arby's and the coupon deals are great. 2 Beef and Cheddars, 4 sliders, 4 fries, one order of 6 mozzarella sticks, 12 bucks.

I've only shopped it once as they're almost never on the board, but it had reimbursement and a small fee.