Okay, so spreadsheet is under construction. Trip totals are at the bottom this time. We didn't spend as many nights in the van last trip due to not having our platform bed built yet which meant we couldn't keep it set up for sleeping with things stored out of the way. Tie that along with all of the @#$%& weather we ran into due to the hurricanes and we just didn't sleep in the van as much

This trip we'll have the platform bed made so this will not be an issue. For budgeting sake though, we're going to assume we're paying for a hotel 2 out of every 3 days which I think is incredibly generous. We're also allocating enough gas for 7,000 miles at $45 a fill-up even though it will certainly be less.

We plan on doing some meal prep again, but not as much as last time. We ended up not even eating everything we had made due to the times we wanted to eat out combined with pretty solid success at scooping up food assignments. We also plan on bringing more dehydrated foods since those store easier and are more compact than a meal that's been premade. One thing that was kind of annoying was having to carry round two dozen food storage containers for weeks after we ate the food. Part of that will be alleviated with all the extra storage room we'll have on this trip though so we'll see.

We're still bringing the big igloo cooler and will only bring one other smaller cooler for the days food or things we pick up on shop. (by having the cooler we can do more food than we can eat in a day. Usually you just need a bite to test the food. Then we can store the rest. We try to pick up shops where it wont be food that sucks if reheated or eaten the next day. That, or we'll eat the stuff that reheats terribly and save the other stuff.

We are bringing a stove this time so we can do some cooking when we stop for the night. We're not sure yet, but considering getting some dehydrated Patriot meals. Then we can just buy and cook meat for those meals to complement the dehydrated meals that are meatless. We may even save a list of one pot instant pot meals we can make and do that.

We aren't sure we'll have solar panels or batteries set up on this route yet. Likely not.

Now this route? One person can easily do in 4-5 weeks. This is NOT a required two person route. So if any of ya'll interested in doing something similar in Q1 let me know. I may be able to hook you up :p i'll hit up the MSP to give me a buck or two each shop for helping them haha. At the very least, I can connect you with the various schedulers and you can send me a tasty craft beer if things work out

We have it in writing for every shop that regardless of what state it is or local requirements, that we can ask the associate we have to interact with to wear a mask. If they dont when we ask politely, we have it in writing we can leave and will be paid in full for the shop. I dont actually expect this to happen and neither does the MSP, but it's nice having that guarantee. Especially considering we're going to known hotspots like Florida.

We have currently set things up so we have zero shops after 6pm on any day of the week, no shops Saturday after 5pm, and no shops on Sunday at all. We might give on this for a hotel or food shop, or if perhaps i get frisky and wanna do a few extra jobs to give myself some spending cash for some online games i play...but otherwise that's going to be our rest and relaxation dates. We'll be trying to find oceanside campgrounds or hotels for our days off.

We're planning a 2 to 4 day mini vacation somewhere in Florida and again by Houston. We have some planned visits with some guild members I have in the carolinas again as well as Louisiana.

"Tentatively" our goal is to take home 9,000 or more after all expenses on the trip itself. We're not going to include things like the platform bed, solar panels, or other things we buy for the van itself. This way people have a better idea what things would look like for them instead of having to deduct a bunch of @#$%& they wont be buying.

If anyone has questions, comments, or wants links to anything I've mentioned feel free to drop a note!

[docs.google.com]

Batch Geo with all ze locations. [batchgeo.com]


Dont forget, we also sell the video shopping equipment we use as we are authorized resellers of Lawmate gear. If anyone is looking to get into video shops, lets chat!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2020 01:44AM by jrossetti.

That's pretty awesome, Joe. Regarding the hotels, I sure hope you have a branded hotel credit card and are status members with them. Can save you quite a bit of money. The Points Guy has a decent post on this: [thepointsguy.com]

Personally, even though they aren't listed as the best, IHG has worked out well for us. Getting their card automatically bumps you to Platinum.

Yes indeed! Hilton Aspire, IHG travelers, and eyeballing that 250k marriot bonvoy atm, though i kinda want the southwest too.

Currently max status with Hilton, IHG, wyndham, choice, 2nd highest for Hyatt. We are also IHG Ambassadors so we get guaranteed room upgrades which is sweet considering kimptons are shopped.

Lol. Have you checked out www.reddit.com/r/churning

They take credit cards to the extreme, and routing shoppers can hit minimum spend easssssyyyyy. Then use the points for free vacations!


IHG is honestly the most consistent and best "value" if you dont need super high speed internet and a fancy breakfast. Especially if youre buying points when it makes sense and doing the use 3 nights get one free when using points thing . Earning points with them is a lot easier too. I was so sad when they got rid of their point breaks hotel deals. We were making out like bandits with those.

Point Breaks were the best!! I miss hotel shops in my area.
I'm looking forward to a scaled down version of what you are doing. My longest route was nine years ago on spring break. Didn't make all that much but it paid for the trip and happened to be locations that we wanted to be. Good training for my now teenage daughter. She has some great observational skills and "shops" places whether or not we actually are.

Forgive me if I missed this I information but how do you schedule shops 3 to 4 weeks out? I would love to do a long route.

So, you are doing 219 apartment video shops in 4 weeks @ $60 each?
8-10 apartment shops a day, considering no shopping on Sundays and minimal shopping on Saturdays?

@SoCalMama wrote:

So, you are doing 219 apartment video shops in 4 weeks @ $60 each?
8-10 apartment shops a day, considering no shopping on Sundays and minimal shopping on Saturdays?

You're a little bit off, but more or less yes.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2020 04:06PM by jrossetti.

@Lstockwell wrote:

Forgive me if I missed this I information but how do you schedule shops 3 to 4 weeks out? I would love to do a long route.

There are clients who book jobs with MSP's quarterly. If you get a good reputation with those MSP's you can be one of the first people offered jobs because the scheduler gets big bang for their buck. I have a few MSP's that I have to pick routes in January for the entire year. Part of why I get offered jobs is a willingness to do a massive amount of shops. Go big or go home. Lol. Last year in january I commit to about 750 shops in advance for various routes. They all died due to covid, but still.

They can go to you who will eat up entire states worth of work with one email or phone call, vs them putting things up on a job board and waiting for people to apply. That's why people willing to route will often get first pick of assignments.

I dont have months like this all the time, maybe once or twice a year. I got lucky that there were like 5 clients and they were all clustered in the same areas.

Are you interested in a route similar to what we are doing here? I could connect you with people to scoop up several states of work. Youre gonna need to have a nice bankroll to fund everything but the payout is woooorth it

8 apartment shops a day? Holy crap, that’s a lot of agents to interact with.

Please be careful and maybe double-mask; that’s a lot of time inside elevators, offices, etc. with someone who may be a carrier. So many of those leasing agents are 25-30, out partying at night.

I’m refusing any interactions longer than 5 minutes. Had a terrible run with new home sales consultants not masking correctly and a MSP who blew off my concerns.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2020 08:35PM by ColoKate63.

@ColoKate63 wrote:

8 apartment shops a day? Holy crap, that’s a lot of agents to interact with.

Please be careful and maybe double-mask; that’s a lot of time inside elevators, offices, etc. with someone who may be a carrier. So many of those leasing agents are 25-30, out partying at night.

I’m refusing any interactions longer than 5 minutes. Had a terrible run with new home sales consultants not masking correctly and a MSP who blew off my concerns.

We'll be masked, they will be masked, and we'll be several feet apart. We also have it in writing that we can request agents to wear a mask, even in states where it's not required (looking at you florida) and if they refuse, we can leave and will be paid in full. We had same deal last month and i think we had to ask six agents out of all of them? One was a bit miffed but wore it anyway. Rest had no problem. If not for that stipulation wed have skipped florida, ga, ms, bama, texas, and la. Obviously dont touch much and we have sanitzer too. Hotels we never get close to anyone for more than a minute or two and with the van and the raised bed made we wont even be in hotels nearly as much as normal.

The barbers who wore a mask and had covid worked on over 100 customers, who were also masked. None of them got covid. The risk isn't high for us on the tours. They rarely even last 15 minutes in the first place much less 15 minutes close together or unmasked in any capacity.

We're able to do the drive in covid tests anyway. we did 125 agents last month and no issues. We dont really spend time by anyone. We're at risk more going into a grocery store than what we do for the apartments.

Joe, my sister is on the west coast of FL, south of Tampa. She says that in that area, unlike the eastern areas, people are wearing masks and, she can see from her balcony, keeping their "pods" well separated on the beach.

@walesmaven wrote:

Joe, my sister is on the west coast of FL, south of Tampa. She says that in that area, unlike the eastern areas, people are wearing masks and, she can see from her balcony, keeping their "pods" well separated on the beach.

Thankfully there is plenty of beach in florida. We can just go to a spot away from other people. Myrtle Beach wasn't jam packed but people were spread way apart and were not using masks, but were also not going by other people so I felt pretty good.

Really, in the areas where masks are mandated/enforced and used properly you can go about your business though much more reduced capacity.

The problem is having places enforce things since it's been politicized.

I agree with you 100%. And the numbers are on the rise in many of the states which were not initially hit hard in the spring and summer. Karma is a bytch!

@ColoKate63 wrote:

8 apartment shops a day? Holy crap, that’s a lot of agents to interact with.

Please be careful and maybe double-mask; that’s a lot of time inside elevators, offices, etc. with someone who may be a carrier. So many of those leasing agents are 25-30, out partying at night.

I’m refusing any interactions longer than 5 minutes. Had a terrible run with new home sales consultants not masking correctly and a MSP who blew off my concerns.

Thank you! I would love that information.

LStockwell,
From several presentations by different serious route shoppers, including Joe and his partner, I can tell you this.

First, you need an impeccable record of reliably completed apartment and/or new homer video shops. Next, you need to establish yourself as someone who can reliably complete several such shops per day, either on the road or just working from home. Third, you need to market yourself to schedulers who regularly have such shops. Third, you need experience uploading video from hotels and/or other remote locations. You need back-up plans if you cannot find fast upload locations at hotels. You almost certainly need at least two PV-500 video rigs with large battery capacity. You probably will need a bunch of email addresses and phone numbers that you can use when the agent asks for your contact info. And, of course, you need to be able to forward any phone or email follow-up from agents to the editor. You need to be able to recharge your video equipment in your vehicle as you travel (Joe probably sells the equipment needed for this and, if he does not, will be able to give you specs.

Well, that's just a starter list. And, do not expect any serious route shopper to share the names of MSCs or schedulers that could be sources of 50-60 shops per month, or more. It takes years of hard work to build the relationships and experience that produce serious, big money routes of video shops.

Of course, some folks make serious $$$ doing lower pay, non-video convenience store or other shops that may take 15 minutes each and pay a big bonus for completing, say, 100+ shops in a few days. YMMV

Thank you for the tips. I don’t do video shops but I just offered to do whole state of convenience shops. I am reliable can do them in 15 or less. Let’s see how this rolls. Fingers crossed.

Thank you everyone all comments have been so helpful.

Lstockwell,
Sounds like you are moving in a good direction. good luck.

@walesmaven wrote:

LStockwell,
From several presentations by different serious route shoppers, including Joe and his partner, I can tell you this.

First, you need an impeccable record of reliably completed apartment and/or new homer video shops. Next, you need to establish yourself as someone who can reliably complete several such shops per day, either on the road or just working from home. Third, you need to market yourself to schedulers who regularly have such shops. Third, you need experience uploading video from hotels and/or other remote locations. You need back-up plans if you cannot find fast upload locations at hotels. You almost certainly need at least two PV-500 video rigs with large battery capacity. You probably will need a bunch of email addresses and phone numbers that you can use when the agent asks for your contact info. And, of course, you need to be able to forward any phone or email follow-up from agents to the editor. You need to be able to recharge your video equipment in your vehicle as you travel (Joe probably sells the equipment needed for this and, if he does not, will be able to give you specs.

Well, that's just a starter list. And, do not expect any serious route shopper to share the names of MSCs or schedulers that could be sources of 50-60 shops per month, or more. It takes years of hard work to build the relationships and experience that produce serious, big money routes of video shops.

Of course, some folks make serious $$$ doing lower pay, non-video convenience store or other shops that may take 15 minutes each and pay a big bonus for completing, say, 100+ shops in a few days. YMMV

I share details like this I'm not a shopper who hides what he does due to being afraid someone else might swoop in. I find that a little silly personally.

If I do good work, im not worried about losing out to someone else Ive actually offered to connect the schedulers for this exact route to someone who's willing to get the gear, practice, get a test video, and then do a few shops THIS year.

Ive never been big on that "protecting" my sources nonsense.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2020 11:16PM by jrossetti.

Joe,
I know you and my "general" comment was not specific to you, I assure you. Just as my other points in that post were generic.

There is nothing generic about you. That's why so many shoppers admire your work. I also am not "territorial." Good, reliable shoppers are much more secure and unafraid to share.

Hope you both staying well and having a blast on the road.

@jrossetti Happy hunting.

@Eric in Tampa wrote:

@jrossetti Happy hunting.

Will be in Houston and San Antonio area if you're nearby and wanna do some socially distant beers!