Have there been any gas station mystery shops lately? Where it is only a mystery shop with no announced audit? I've seen the "mystery shop followed by an audit" on the job board for a major MSC, but I haven't seen "pure" mystery shop only assignments for maybe over a year now...?

I've seen them, but I won't do them because the pay is horrid.

Shoppers Corner, I think it was, had some.

They are still around. You have to look at a different MSC (I won't name it). I do them a few times a month.

I haven't seen the Market Force mystery only in a long time. Just audits recently.

New Image Marketing, Alta360, and Strategic Reflections all have mystery shop only jobs in my area. They pay isn't huge but if I am passing by it is worth a 10 minute stop for a few dollars of gas, a drink, and a 5 minute report.

@callinectes wrote:

New Image Marketing, Alta360, and Strategic Reflections all have mystery shop only jobs in my area. They pay isn't huge but if I am passing by it is worth a 10 minute stop for a few dollars of gas, a drink, and a 5 minute report.

I'm getting tired of throwing out all of the corn dogs though.

You get corn dogs?!! Nothing in my area covers corn dogs! Dang!

So buy something else. With my $5 reimbursement limit, I can get a quart of oil, t-paper, kleenex, paper towels -- all kind of goodies for my pantry.

Also, Shopper's Corner is Sinclair Customer Metrics.

@sestrahelena wrote:

You get corn dogs?!! Nothing in my area covers corn dogs! Dang!

A corn dog that has been under a heat lamp for 4 hours is not something I'd eat.

@SoCalMama None of the shops I do require the shopper buy the hot food. Yuck! I get nuts or a drink. I'm in Georgia, we definitely are not shopping the same chains. LOL

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2021 06:11PM by callinectes.

@callinectes wrote:

New Image Marketing, Alta360, and Strategic Reflections all have mystery shop only jobs in my area.

Late last year I was doing convenience shops for these three companies. However, since the new year started I have only seen shops from Strategic Reflections. I'm in New England.

Oh, ok. Buying hot food and reimbursement for it. I did that a couple of times far from home so I know that one. Just forgot because the MSC has nothing near me so I never check.

There are some for that major MSC that has a bunch. They are called Customer First shops. The same station have Audits. Pay is decent with bonuses. I think I saw some on the board for $100 today. You cannot have done an Audit shop for the same station brand (blue and red with those cute talking cars)

@eclark3 wrote:

]
New Image Marketing, Alta360, and Strategic Reflections all have mystery shop only jobs in my area.

Late last year I was doing convenience shops for these three companies. However, since the new year started I have only seen shops from Strategic Reflections. I'm in New England.

All of them posted shops both in February, March, and now started for April.

You eat corn dogs?
You would eat corn dogs if they were not under a heat lamp?
I'm confused.

@SoCalMama wrote:

I'm getting tired of throwing out all of the corn dogs though.

Would anyone do a gas station audit after a mystery shop for $6?

You decide what a shop is worth for you, and the reasons are always fluid. Mobil was a better choice for me the last 2 yrs due to app points. Now that the gas is creeping up and in many places is $3.5+ per gallon, Shell shops are a better choice, as reimbursement goes. The fee that you are willing to accept, again depends on your needs and opportunities available. On a regular day, $6 is a no starter. Everyone has different needs. I do have more than 50 gas stations in a 10 miles range or less, so I can afford to wait timewise for fess to go up. Driving takes time but the miles driven are low. I rarely buy gas out of pocket, but the points accrued during shops helps.

If you are sick of gas stations and live in CA or NY, Informa has some easy bank shops for $30 I think it's half that for the phone bank shops.

Also note for those of you who do the blue tiger gas shops, there are new changes for Q2. Some of you will be happy and some will not. But there are some clarifications on things that happened last quarter to make things more clear.

@2stepps wrote:

Would anyone do a gas station audit after a mystery shop for $6?

Yeah, probably the same shoppers who regularly do shops for free would do a mystery+audit shop for $6.

Some of you getting corn dogs, if you can get the tuna kits or try one of the canned spaghetti o’s I pass these out to homeless in my area. I have found canned chili, tuna, and cereal
Under $1 or $2 depending on shop requirements.

@callinectes wrote:

New Image Marketing, Alta360, and Strategic Reflections all have mystery shop only jobs in my area. They pay isn't huge but if I am passing by it is worth a 10 minute stop for a few dollars of gas, a drink, and a 5 minute report.

Late to the party here but yes, Alta360 in particular offers mystery-only shops here on Long Island. However, the beginning of month/end of month dichotomy with them in terms of fees is even larger than normal so you're nuts if you take one before the 20th of the month, and usually you should wait even longer.

The shops are easy in the sense that there's almost no narrative, but they can be photo-intensive if the location is poorly maintained, and I ain't taking that risk for a $7 start-of-month fee, no thankee.

At the end of the month when they're really looking to get it done, I've found their schedulers are very reasonable about adding proper travel reimbursement to the bonused fee.

As to MarketForce and their client, yeah, not taking. I dislike the "mystery shop followed by an announced audit" format, it sucks. Has an implied element of "GOTCHA!" I don't like.

Plus, this is Long Island. In my experience most of the clerks in the attached "stores" around here (which, if you live in another part of the country and make more than $50K, you probably have a walk-in closet that's larger than these "stores" ) are middle-aged men, and they're ANGRY. Angry at life, angry they're working a register at a gas station at their age, angry about whatever is going on in their personal lives, angry at you for showing up in the middle of their sad, angry day.

"HI! I know I just bought a mini-bag of popcorn here and bought $3 worth of gas but I'm an authorized representative of MarketForce, here to do an audit of your store!"

No. Not on a bet.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2021 07:18AM by KokoBWare.

I don't do Alta360 unless there is a bonus. The two companies start at $12 and reimburse a little gas and in-store purchase. The only photo New Image wants is one exterior and a bathroom pic only if there is a problem. Strategic Reflections doesn't require a photo at all. There is no way I will do one where I have to take pics of the pumps, security stickers, signed, etc.

Lucky you. Alta360's gas stations here pay $7 for a myriad of photos and a required purchase which they do NOT reimburse. I take a lot of shops at base pay but no way will I do these.

I used to do Marketforce mystery gas shops, but haven't seen them for months.

In the period from 2008 until 2010, Ritter was paying me $12+$4+$1 to visit two different stations near me. The photo requirement, as I recall, was an angled full property, a store front, the islands and any problems. I ALWAYS completed the work when I was driving by the locations. As long as shoppers continue to toil for a pittance, the MSCs will line up to accommodate them.

Ipsos has some that you only have to reveal if the cashier is not in uniform. Happens about 1 in every 5 or so times. They are easy-peasy with no daily limits. You can do easily 3 per hour (depending on density) including filing the reports on your phone before moving on to the next location.