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).