I've had a day get away from me like that. It sucks because I will have a schedule of activities timed out. A wrench gets thrown in the cog and everything is off.

I do lunch and dinner shops on Saturdays. I order a salad and don't eat the fries. I order a cheeseburger once a month.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

That's fine. I wasn't passing judgement...just not understanding how you couldn't make it by 3:45.

Were you planning on eating at both places or you were just doing the 5g for the pure $$$ and save the food or give to a homeless person? I don't like to pick up both lunch and dinner shops on the same day unless i plan on not eating one of them or feeding one person at the first place and feeding the other person at the 2nd place.

That's one thing I like about Panda and Sonic...no real time constraints for a specific meal period.

@MisterBill wrote:

@HonnyBrown wrote:

I didn't get a single shop for this weekend.

I finally got my local FG (online order) on a $25 MAO. It was posted at $22. The other one in my area got taken before i could put in an offer. So strange, since that one always used to be hard to fill. I had not done either since January, combination of vacation and others getting it before they got to my price.

Months ago I wondered if the increased reimbursement will bring the "I'm not doin Five Guys the reimbursement isn't enough" folks. I theorized that the extra 2 bucks in reimbursement - will save MSC money on bonuses because more shoppers would be available. Not sure if I can confirm that yet - but there's anecdotal evidence.

The location near me just raised prices again. A little hamburger + little fries + small drink is now just above $17.25.

Here too -- still within 75 cents but I thought I would have a little more variety a little longer - I guess I am going back to hot dogs sooner than I thought.

@BabyBooey19 wrote:

Months ago I wondered if the increased reimbursement will bring the "I'm not doin Five Guys the reimbursement isn't enough" folks. I theorized that the extra 2 bucks in reimbursement - will save MSC money on bonuses because more shoppers would be available. Not sure if I can confirm that yet - but there's anecdotal evidence.

I think it may be a combination of that and better marketing of the shops. Maybe raising prices earlier in the week gets more people to take them instead of waiting until the prices get higher.

Got a surprise phone call from the scheduler today, offering my closest FG location for a $30 lunch this week. I didn't even know that I was back in rotation. I checked online before accepting it, but she did not try to low-ball me this time and it was the same price online.

We'd finally used all the leftover fries that I had in the fridge from my barrage of shops a couple of weeks ago.

BTW, there is a separate thread here reporting that the MS company is no longer paying parking or tolls on shops. So I won't be redoing the new (to me) location that I did for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Not sure if it will affect other locations that people here do.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2023 05:55PM by MisterBill.

@MisterBill wrote:

BTW, there is a separate thread here reporting that the MS company is no longer paying parking or tolls on shops. So I won't be redoing the new (to me) location that I did for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Not sure if it will affect other locations that people here do.

It sure does. No more Bronx and Westchester for me.

@KokoBWare wrote:

It sure does. No more Bronx and Westchester for me.

No more Rockland for me .

I got $35 for a shop the other day, almost 25 miles one way, but I picked up another one about three minutes from it--so I made the trip worth it. And I stopped at an antique mall we shop at frequently and found a couple of great resale items! Win-win!

It doesn't seem like raising pay helps at all. The prices just keep going up and up. I still can't believe people come here on their own dime to spend $20 on a burger and fries.

@dafizisblue wrote:

It doesn't seem like raising pay helps at all. The prices just keep going up and up. I still can't believe people come here on their own dime to spend $20 on a burger and fries.

I'm not sure, but I think prices here are either holding steady here or have gone down a bit. Last week I had a little burger, regular soda, and little fry, and was in under reimbursement. Not by much, but lately that same meal has put me over reimbursement by a little. Yesterday I had a hot dog and the rest of the usual stuff, and was under $16. I rarely can get away there for less than $16--no matter what I have.

One observation. Five Guys was never my favorite - I didn't get the hype. And I know it's nutty but I love BurgerKing and McD way more. DD likes FG so sometimes I'd go. Anyhow, (2) stores in my area - always dry burgers. For a year. The one opened by my home - PERFECT burgers. Anyways 6 months ago I started shopping and naturally the close-by one got perfect ratings - because it was true and the other (2) I was very specific in my food critique. Probably sent in 3 bad reports in the last 6 months I've been doing mystery shopping.

This month - both the bad stores- the food was 10x times better. So I dont know what the MSCs deal wit hFG is, I dont know what FG's budget is, and I hardly think me, or any of us is the only shopper pool around - BUT - I will say that if FG expects people to pay $18 for a burger meal - eventually over $20.....then it better be right and who knows, maybe some of us shoppers, sending in honest reports on both these stores - helped. Or it's a heckuva coincidence I saw totally new cooks this time.

Point - as a business owner - I had mixed reaction with shoppers. One shopper we felt was unfair - lol - we took care of that one real good never saw her again (I was on the other side, forgive me).....but in FGs case - I think its money well spent....I feel its a good thing for their business because I've seen 2 stores noticeably up their game.

@BabyBooey19 wrote:

One observation. Five Guys was never my favorite - I didn't get the hype. And I know it's nutty but I love BurgerKing and McD way more. DD likes FG so sometimes I'd go. Anyhow, (2) stores in my area - always dry burgers. For a year. The one opened by my home - PERFECT burgers. Anyways 6 months ago I started shopping and naturally the close-by one got perfect ratings - because it was true and the other (2) I was very specific in my food critique. Probably sent in 3 bad reports in the last 6 months I've been doing mystery shopping.

This month - both the bad stores- the food was 10x times better. So I dont know what the MSCs deal wit hFG is, I dont know what FG's budget is, and I hardly think me, or any of us is the only shopper pool around - BUT - I will say that if FG expects people to pay $18 for a burger meal - eventually over $20.....then it better be right and who knows, maybe some of us shoppers, sending in honest reports on both these stores - helped. Or it's a heckuva coincidence I saw totally new cooks this time.

Point - as a business owner - I had mixed reaction with shoppers. One shopper we felt was unfair - lol - we took care of that one real good never saw her again (I was on the other side, forgive me).....but in FGs case - I think its money well spent....I feel its a good thing for their business because I've seen 2 stores noticeably up their game.

It's likely the new staff / cooks -- which may or may not have resulted from the shops. Staff turnover is high at most fast-food restaurants.

Also, the cooking and food prep is all manual at FG, so it is often different from day to day or person to person, and store to store.

The other brands you mentioned use factory-prepared foods and have very precise cooking means and methods with limited human involvement -- so that everything should, and generally does, taste the same every day at every location.

FG buns (and fountain beverages) are generally consistent -- and they can be over or under toasted at any given location.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/22/2023 09:10PM by gukka.

"It's likely the new staff / cooks -- which may or may not have resulted from the shops. Staff turnover is high at most fast-food restaurants. '

true - but the one store - those guys were there for 2 years - big reason I used to drive past and go BK.

On the cooking - whatever BK is - man I love it more than FG - and I love the $8 left in my pocket for the next days pizza slices and coke

But - and I fully understand what you say about it's not 100% the same each time - I will say that the one by may house - has been perfect every single time. The other 2 - bad - every single time.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2023 03:54PM by BabyBooey19.

BabyBooey19,

I believe you've stated on another post you've only been mystery shopping recently for six months.

I believe your sample of shops is not the end all be all even though you have a high opinion of your opinion.

HAHA- I recently saw a family of 5 sharing one drink.

Did I say my sample of shops is the end all be all? (No) Simple hypothesized maybe the reports had something to do with the changes - the positive changes. Never said anything remotely close to end all be all, never made an absolutist statement.

Only have low opinions of inaccuracies and reactionaries - too many of them and their mindset mucking up every aspect of human life. Oh well, the blogs and cable news stations win - plenty of meat for them

@wrosie wrote:

BabyBooey19,

I believe you've stated on another post you've only been mystery shopping recently for six months.

I believe your sample of shops is not the end all be all even though you have a high opinion of your opinion.

This week's single anytime shop is now on MAO. I got $30 approved for a location that I haven't done in a few months (since January), since other people keep taking it before the price gets to what I want (or MAO). It took a while for me to find the email from my last shop, so I could verify what I last received before I put in my offer. This location used to always be available into the weekend.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2023 12:14AM by MisterBill.

@BirdyC wrote:

@dafizisblue wrote:

It doesn't seem like raising pay helps at all. The prices just keep going up and up. I still can't believe people come here on their own dime to spend $20 on a burger and fries.

I'm not sure, but I think prices here are either holding steady here or have gone down a bit. Last week I had a little burger, regular soda, and little fry, and was in under reimbursement. Not by much, but lately that same meal has put me over reimbursement by a little. Yesterday I had a hot dog and the rest of the usual stuff, and was under $16. I rarely can get away there for less than $16--no matter what I have.

You are lucky. Here, the little burger/fries/soda costs about 7 cents less than the reimbursement. If I want cheese on the burger, I go over reimbursement!

Monday is a holiday. Why do the shops this weekend have time constraints?

Bring your own cheese

@hotsauce1 wrote:

You are lucky. Here, the little burger/fries/soda costs about 7 cents less than the reimbursement. If I want cheese on the burger, I go over reimbursement!

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Monday is a holiday. Why do the shops this weekend have time constraints?

They didn't. Maybe you're seeing a leftover shop from last week.

Mr. Bill, I think you may be right.

I am seriously considering doing shops for $18. By the time the fees get to $25-30, there is only one left. At least the $18 shops will give me the volume I want.

The MSC must be trying a new strategy lately. I have already gotten Samantha offers for next weekend's shops, and the fees are up to $15 on the website.

Their inconsistency on scheduling amazes me. They still have not put this weekend's shops on MAO. Nor have I heard from a scheduler. And I'm not taking a shop that's still left in my area until they do one of the two.

Still no MAO or scheduler call. Maybe I'll get a $30 Samantha offer for the shop I'm hoping to get. It's currently $25 on the site.

MisterBill,

I had a MAO I completed today. It was at $22. I started at $36 and ended up taking it for tonight at $30, the same as I usually do it.

@wrosie wrote:

MisterBill,

I had a MAO I completed today. It was at $22. I started at $36 and ended up taking it for tonight at $30, the same as I usually do it.

Odd. I just checked other areas, and found another $25 shop that also isn't MAO. Maybe they're even more screwed up than we thought.

Final update. Still no MAO or scheduler call today, but the fee was up to $30, so I took it. 20 minutes later, I got a Samantha offer for $35. Cant win.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2023 05:16PM by MisterBill.

Quite a few $25 and $30 5g on the board in Southern California this morning. It seemed like a slew of shoppers flaked or did them incorrectly in the last couple of days. I have not seen this many 5g at that price in my radius at one time before. It was like a buffet of bonuses!!! I've been waiting for a few weeks. Not really interested in $15 fees.