Getting my first shot was quite an experience. It was scheduled for 2 pm at a nearby WalMart garden center. When I arrived at the location the line of people was out the door, around the corner of the building and half way back down the side of the building. I kind of panicked and before I parked I pulled along the curb and asked one of the ee's if all those people had appts. and he said they did. I am somewhat handicapped and cannot stand or walk a lot before getting back pain. So I asked him if I came back later if it would matter and he said as long as I was there by 4:30 or 5 I would be OK. So I went home, called my daughter who was getting her hair done, and made arrangements for her to come by for me when she her hair was done. She came by picked me up along w/my walker (w/a seat) and we arrived at the location about 3:45 and I finally got my shot at 5:15. Thank goodness for the walker as the line was probably a block long. Lots of old folks like me. The WM ee's were handing out water and chairs for those that needed them. And I will say that not one of us old folks made one complaint. I think we were just all relieved to be getting the vaccine.
I had posted on NextDoor regarding the appt. and one lady who seemed to know said it was probably a "clinic" day where they were trying for 1000 injections. I think they made their quota.

Part of me figures it's likely to be hectic and crowded everywhere with vaccinations, due to the over-demand. My family members have been trying to get an appt. and can't where I live. You have to constantly check/refresh the websites from friends who've gotten through. They have the patience to do it every 30 minutes all hours of the day and night.

It's a pain. CVS is offering shots in Virginia. Haven't heard of Walmart locations. I can only imagine the crowdedness. Glad to hear your day went okay all things considered. Bet it'll be a massive relief with that second shot!

I live in NM and early on the Gov. asked a local computer tech co. to set up a website for registration. So initially the website asked for very little info. and then was improved where they had your employment, underlying health issues, age, address, etc. Then when the vaccine became available we received a text/email telling us we were scheduled on a certain day. We could then access the website and choose the time slot. I had to complete paperwork which asked specific questions (much like when you do a new dr. appt.) and sign a waiver/consent form. My friend went to another location today which was held at a school and didn't have to do any of that. I had to provide my ins. cards and ID, where she did not. Our Gov. has a little bit of a health care background so I think she's, perhaps, better at figuring out what to do. What a PITA if you have to keep trying to get an appt. like that! I do wish you luck. And, BTW, the website automatically sends out an email/text with second appt. info. So this morning I got the message that second shot will be 3/12 at same WalMart location.

In Virginia, you can sign-up on the Virginia Department of Health website. However, that is only "pre-registration" and to be put on a wait-list. If an opening is available, they will email you and you have to respond pretty quickly to nab that slot. We had a family friend say she got an email to do a next day shot and she didn't see it and maybe 12 hours later or so it was taken already. It sucks.

She finally did get an opening though. ...Basically, we have more demand than supply and they can only schedule one week in advance at best and sometimes will do "flake" or "extra availability" openings...but you have to grab them ASAP.

CVS is the other method I know of. You can sign up for a vaccine there. However, there are only 28 CVS stores in the entire state of Virginia offering the shots and not every city has one. Even a big city will have only one CVS usually that does it. THIS is the one where you have to sit and refresh the page constantly to see if there is an opening. A family friend did this for hours and hours a day and finally got an appointment. Almost always, it'll say your city's CVS is booked. I check it for my dad several times a day. No luck so far.

Between CVS and VDH, hopefully we get one soon.

Moving up-has anybody done a shop recently?

I did a curbside on Monday and have a dine in tomorrow. Curbside they add in a 10% gratuity.

Funny how everyone gripes about the reimbursement only shops from other MSCs but I don't recall anyone gripping about these shops, I normally go over reimbursement on them. I don't mind, I love the food and the reports are reasonable.

nanabelle, I did a TXR curbside to go last month. There were 15 designated parking spots for pickup. As soon as one car left, another entered. Servers/runners hustled delivering orders. The ribs must be popular, as I saw more of the large rectangular aluminum containers than anything else.

Easy report, quickly scored.

RIP Wayne Kent Taylor (CEO of TXRH).

[finance.yahoo.com]

@ wrote:

LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Texas Roadhouse, Inc., today announced the passing of its founder and Chief Executive Officer, Kent Taylor.

Greg Moore, Lead Director, provided this statement on behalf of the Board of Directors: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Kent Taylor. He founded Texas Roadhouse and dedicated himself to building it into a legendary experience for “Roadies” and restaurant guests alike. During the pandemic, he gave up his entire compensation package to help support his frontline workers. This selfless act was no surprise to anyone who knew Kent and his strong belief in servant leadership. He was without a doubt, a people-first leader. His entrepreneurial spirit will live on in the company he built, the projects he supported and the lives he touched.”

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/2021 12:26AM by shoptastic.

@wrosie wrote:

I did a curbside on Monday and have a dine in tomorrow. Curbside they add in a 10% gratuity.

Funny how everyone gripes about the reimbursement only shops from other MSCs but I don't recall anyone gripping about these shops, I normally go over reimbursement on them. I don't mind, I love the food and the reports are reasonable.

So true. TXRH is the only reimbursement-only shop I do.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/2021 01:19AM by KokoBWare.

As with other posters, TXRH is the lone reimbursement only client for whom I complete work. The curbside is my favorite, followed closely by the bar shops. For me, the work:pay ratio is quite acceptable.

@wrosie wrote:

I did a curbside on Monday and have a dine in tomorrow. Curbside they add in a 10% gratuity.

Funny how everyone gripes about the reimbursement only shops from other MSCs but I don't recall anyone gripping about these shops, I normally go over reimbursement on them. I don't mind, I love the food and the reports are reasonable.

I did the carry out shop and saw the automatic tip. It showed the default tip of 10%. I could have changed it to 15%, 20%, Other, and None. I was afraid that if I tipped zero, they would spit in my food. To have to tip before service is received is not smart or fair. They didn't even bring it out to me. Plus, the order was late.

It's in the guidelines to tip 10% at least if it's curbside/carryout. I wouldn't want my shop to be rejected over something like that.

@CA senior wrote:

I did the carry out shop and saw the automatic tip. It showed the default tip of 10%. I could have changed it to 15%, 20%, Other, and None. I was afraid that if I tipped zero, they would spit in my food. To have to tip before service is received is not smart or fair. They didn't even bring it out to me. Plus, the order was late.

My order was also late. Communication was lacking. The weather was yucky. However, the servers were present and stationed outside at the takeout window, waiting for orders, having little to no control over the kitchen.

Servers’ hourly rate is typically a measly $2 plus change. I never tip less than 15% regardless of circumstances. I’ve never done a shop where this ran afoul of requirements.

@Mert wrote:

@CA senior wrote:

I did the carry out shop and saw the automatic tip. It showed the default tip of 10%. I could have changed it to 15%, 20%, Other, and None. I was afraid that if I tipped zero, they would spit in my food. To have to tip before service is received is not smart or fair. They didn't even bring it out to me. Plus, the order was late.

My order was also late. Communication was lacking. The weather was yucky. However, the servers were present and stationed outside at the takeout window, waiting for orders, having little to no control over the kitchen.

Servers’ hourly rate is typically a measly $2 plus change. I never tip less than 15% regardless of circumstances. I’ve never done a shop where this ran afoul of requirements.

In CA, the servers are getting $14-$15/hour plus tips.

I did a curbside shop earlier this month. They dd not come out automatically when I arrived and the signs saying that you needed to call were all turned around, so it took me ten minutes before I realized that (the text you get says they'll bring it out when you arrive and ask for your car info). They brought the food out after I called and verified what I ordered, but it wasn't until I got home (45 minutes away) that I discovered that they had forgotten my wife's salad (the container of chicken was included) and the sauce for the Cactus Blossom onion. Couldn't complain to the restaurant because it was a shop. I had gone over by around $5 and spoke to the scheduler asking her to cover the full amount I spent, since if I had complained to the restaurant I was sure they would have given me some sort of compensation. She agreed, but it hadn't changed when I last checked. I need to check again and follow up if it's still only $30.

If I hadn't been doing a shop I would have gone to the take-out window when they didn't show up and likely noticed the missing food, certainly the salad.

On the bright side, it was a fun shop to write up.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2021 07:20AM by MisterBill.

In Nevada, pre Covid I did the Roadhouse for one scheduling company. Post Covid, another scheduling company is doing them. Good luck, and I agree, fresh, made from scratch. Never had a bad meal here.

Check your reimbursements,,, not accurate.... and now some accounts are requiring far more extended profiles

Did my dine in shop last night. It was packed. I don't think they were only at 75% capacity like they were supposed to be.

When I called at 5:00 they said the earliest they could get a table for two, was at 7, two hours later. We arrived at 6:51 and didn't get the text that our table was ready until 7:27 after I texted a second time that we were there. I don't know if their system missed my first arrival text, which may have been possible.

I'll never do another Friday night shop again.

All the pick up spots were empty at 6:51. If I do a curbside again, I may do it after 6:30.

I did a take out/curb side shop this past Thursday. We have to go inside to pick up our food. They do not offer curb side. I have never have to leave a tip and my report has always been accepted

When I do the Applebee's shops, I have to leave a tip.

ETA: I did the supper take out shop on Thursday. Got home about 6 PM, eat and then put the report in. By 8 PM it was graded That is what I called FAST

I live in Kentucky and I just did one last week.

I did one last month and one tonight. The food is good and the report is easy. There is a third location not too far from me that I may take since rotation is 90 days.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2021 05:54AM by pegleg2000.

So I wrote back to the scheduler, and she said that they won't pay me more than the stated reimbursement, even though I did not get my entire meal and did not contact the restaurant to complain. Very disappointing. Maybe a topic for a separate more generic thread.

MisterBill.. Correct me if I am wrong, but if you order is wrong you are not allow to call back.

I know when I do my Applbee's shop, we are not allowed to call back.. We just need to make notes in the report.
I did a TRH take out shop the other night. They forget my side of Mash Potatoes. I did not call back, I just made a note in the report

It really is not fair with a restaurant NOT to be able to contact them for correct order.

FYI: The Texas Roadhouse CEO and founder, Kent Taylor, passed yesterday - complications of COVID pushing him to take his own life.

@MFJohnston wrote:

FYI: The Texas Roadhouse CEO and founder, Kent Taylor, passed yesterday - complications of COVID pushing him to take his own life.

I read that the other day; so sad. He must have been suffering terribly. This is a terrible disease. OT, but a woman is coming to buy a dresser I have for sale, and she mentioned that she lost her 21-year-old granddaughter to the virus recently. :'(

I did a TRX curb-side last month, and the directions for pick-up are indeed confusing. What they tell you to do in confirming your order and what is the actual procedure when you go to pick up are different--at least at my location. I had to spend some time figuring out what to do when I got there.

I won't do a dine-in or a bar shop. The location near me is always mobbed, and I don't trust that they're following COVID guidelines. When I was there for pick-up, the parking lot was just as mobbed as it was pre-COVID. And eating at a bar right now? Not for me.

@Isaiah4031a wrote:

MisterBill.. Correct me if I am wrong, but if you order is wrong you are not allow to call back.

I know when I do my Applbee's shop, we are not allowed to call back.. We just need to make notes in the report.
I did a TRH take out shop the other night. They forget my side of Mash Potatoes. I did not call back, I just made a note in the report

Right, you can't complain because it's a shop. In your case they forgot a side of mashed potatoes. In my case, they forgot the entire entrée salad, except for the chicken. And I had to pay almost $5 out of pocket. Had I been able to complain, at minimum I'm sure that I would have been compensated for the missing entrée, maybe for the entire meal since they also forgot the sauce for the onion. It's one thing to have a problem with a meal that the shop is paying for in full, another when you're paying for part of it out of pocket.

The scheduler got back to me and said they would not give me more than the $30. Next time, I'm not going to tip since that is much of what put me over, and it's been reported here that there was no issue getting the shop approved without one. The service didn't justify a tip in this case, anyway, but I had added it when ordering.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2021 03:59AM by MisterBill.

I read he had developed tinnitus from having COVID

@BirdyC wrote:

@MFJohnston wrote:

FYI: The Texas Roadhouse CEO and founder, Kent Taylor, passed yesterday - complications of COVID pushing him to take his own life.

I read that the other day; so sad. He must have been suffering terribly. This is a terrible disease. OT, but a woman is coming to buy a dresser I have for sale, and she mentioned that she lost her 21-year-old granddaughter to the virus recently. :'(

MisterBill shares--Next time, I'm not going to tip since that is much of what put me over, and it's been reported here that there was no issue getting the shop approved without one.

Bob replies--I have only completed one curb shop, so it could easily be different for other locations; a 10% tip was automatically added to my bill..