That's an interesting one.@willarosen wrote:
6. Finance all or most of vacations with hotel stays, meals, and shopping, plus gas station shops for road trips.
I think a possible misunderstanding of or failure to see what was implicated (not saying this is by you, Shopetal, but just in general) in that thread was the issue of offensive low-ball rates MSCs throw out there at us.@Shop-et-al wrote:
... Shoppers!
In another, earlier thread, we explored a lengthy diss of people who make choices for their own reasons.
@Shop-et-al wrote:
If I were hungry and needed food today, I would take a no-fee grocery store. I would end up with a few groceries, if nothing else.
I never call them idiots, but I do think MSCs can be predatory - much of the gig work industry is that way.@Shop-et-al wrote:
There is nothing inherently wrong or idiotic about no-fee shops. Some people will fare well without fees if fees were sufficient to put them over some threshold for benefits. I realize that many people who post here are comfortable financially or can wait for bonuses to appear. But not all mystery shoppers are so comfortable financially. Some are hungry! Why call them idiotic if they can have groceries and keep other benefits? Why, why, why?????????????????????????????????????
Interesting. So, the depreciation goes back that far!@shopperbob wrote:
Bob adds--As I was in the business then, it was lower in that decade than what was previously paid. One of the first posts I recall from the Volition forum, after I joined, discussed the lowering of fees; that was in the summer of 2003. If one adjusts for inflation, the matter is even worse. Unfortunately for those in need, that IS business and until the needy no longer exist, the situation will continue to fester.
@pambam57 wrote:
Genius shoppers are proficient at doing reports on their phones so their job is done when they get home!
@2stepps wrote:
That or they carry a Tablet or Laptop with them along with the requisite chargers.
@pambam57 wrote:
Genius shoppers are proficient at doing reports on their phones so their job is done when they get home!
@Shop-et-al wrote:
Good point. Presumably, an ideal candidate for a no-fee grocery is just a little needy... they have enough money for a few groceries, perhaps a little gas to drive to the store if they cannot walk, bike, or access public transport (all three of which necessarily limit the amount of stuff they can reasonable bring home from the store). This person can buy a few groceries and get by for awhile, or just until the next no or low pay grocery assignment. Eventually, they will be reimbursed for their grocery expenditures. The most important point is that they do not receive so much money in fees that they lose other benefits. The exact formula will look a little different for each individual and family, but there is a common theme.
A lot of people don't believe this, but there is a level of poverty in America so deep that people live on "$2.00 a Day." That is the title of a book by Princeton Sociology Professor, Kathryn Edin: [www.amazon.com]@HonnyBrown wrote:
I volunteer at a food bank every month. I see people who have no hope in their futures.
@Shop-et-al wrote:
an ideal candidate for a no-fee grocery is just a little needy... they have enough money for a few groceries, perhaps a little gas to drive to the store if they cannot walk, bike, or access public transport (all three of which necessarily limit the amount of stuff they can reasonable bring home from the store). This person can buy a few groceries and get by for awhile, or just until the next no or low pay grocery assignment. Eventually, they will be reimbursed for their grocery expenditures. The most important point is that they do not receive so much money in fees that they lose other benefits. The exact formula will look a little different for each individual and family, but there is a common theme.
@HonnyBrown wrote:
I volunteer at a food bank every month. I see people who have no hope in their futures.