Marathon Returns! Underwhelming

They're back with the new MSC. Higher starting pay: $10. No reimbursement. While they generally have fewer pictures, the fee was not worth it. They were my first gas station shop. Where I was located, there were two at each interstate exchange. But stopped doing them until they were bonused. Wait to see if that happens.

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

can you give a hint on who is the new MSC?

It's the MSC who has the vast majority of the other gas brands.

I've seen these popping up by me, but I agree, wait for that rate to go up! Not worth it for $10 especially now that gas is high again.

I found the shops,but the requirements are a bit extensive for the fee offered. After travel time to get to the station I would be working at a loss not worth it unfortunately.

@whosear wrote:

They're back with the new MSC. Higher starting pay: $10. No reimbursement. While they generally have fewer pictures, the fee was not worth it. They were my first gas station shop. Where I was located, there were two at each interstate exchange. But stopped doing them until they were bonused. Wait to see if that happens.

They are higher at $10?! I did a handful of these shops for the old company that were negotiated to over $50 each (once the shops became urgent). I could not justify picking one of these shops up [even if I was passing by the location] for the rates that were offered on the job portal. I thought the old MSC started them at $10 - were they less? No wonder MSC's keep rates low until shops become urgent! They are getting most of their legwork done by paying practically nothing.

Old Msc had them at 8.00 for a long time. Then during the last 2 to 3 months they had raised the fee to 14.00-18.00 here in FL. New MSC is listing at 10.00. I agree its just not worth the effort. After gas,travel and time spent there is no upside.

I only did these shops for $20 or more. A few weeks with no takers and there will be a bonus. My guess $3-$5.

Ok, so I haven't done Marathon in a long time because they don't pay anything back. As far as the requirements how much do they want you to purchase in gas or is there no minimum?

I think it is a little funny with nearly $4 gas prices everywhere (or more) that someone would take these at that rate, pay even for a gallon of gas and instore purchase. You would be making either about $2 or even working for a loss. And that $10 will be reported as a fee and you will be taxed for it...even though most of it was your own money.

At least the other oil companies pay something back, even if it isn't too much.

@hotrod22 wrote:

Ok, so I haven't done Marathon in a long time because they don't pay anything back. As far as the requirements how much do they want you to purchase in gas or is there no minimum?

The shops that I completed (with the previous MSC) had no minimum purchase requirement as long as a receipt was obtained. The purchase was to be made inside the store so that the interaction with a cashier could be scored. I figured in $5 for each purchase (i.e., if I wanted to make $50 on a shop, I asked for $55).

No purchase is required.

You have to buy gas now?

No. You don't buy anything.

Cool. It was always a dead giveaway when I asked for a receipt for a single Jolly Rancher or peppermint puff from the bucket near the register.

Also, it seems like they are staggering the release of these shops. The ones I see are in far-off places that were usually the last to get done before but there are many, many around me that have not yet been on the job board.

Are these able to be done with MobiAudit?

I did thousands with the former MSC. I did them for 12-15 in my area as doing 2.5 jobs per hour made it worth my while. When I went on the road for a route that needed hotels I would get about twice that.

I am not seeing anything about a purchase.

I quit the new MSC years ago but might look back into them for these.

Anyone have a copy of the actual guidelines?

@87Supra wrote:

Are these able to be done with MobiAudit?

No. Sassie platform - no app.

I wish they could be done on MobiAudit.

@Belle wrote:

I wish they could be done on MobiAudit.

You can fill out the survey onsite in Sassie if you have a signal - just be cautious. I had to enter a couple of shops for another brand twice because the screen automatically refreshed when I scrolled to the top too quickly (and of course I lost everything except the pictures). I wait until I get home to Wi-Fi to upload pictures but other forum users have stated that they complete the entire shop onsite in Sassie. Good luck with whatever you choose

I tried that and the pictures wouldn't upload. Maybe I will just put in the report and upload the pictures on wifi when I get home. Thanks.

I think it was a Sassie problem today. Different project. Uploads took FOREVER. I finally gave up.

They aresuper easy and take only about 5 - 10 minutes for all the pictures to be taken,

An interesting side to this shop is the LOA: On the day the site is inspected, the LOA advises, "Your mystery shop results will be posted on Marathon's .......portal within 72 hours of the mystery shop evaluation".

Given that the MSC for these shops is having difficulties with their editor's timely reviews, I wonder if they are keeping this pledge.

$7 and you needed a purchase.

In my area all the Marathon's seem to be gone and at just $10. Can that be true? There were a lot of them around here and then nothing. All of the other brands in this area take weeks or more than a month to schedule and the pay is way higher than these shops. Unless someone was really desperate for the money?

Does anyone have info on how these shops are being released? Is it by state, are they staggered? It's been months since it began and not a single one in my state has been on the job board at all. And there are plenty. Have I been blacklisted from the program, before I even start?

In my area, they come and go on the job board. I don't know what they are doing. I thought they were gone in my state which is West Ky and they popped up again. Some in West Tennessee were posted again. It's hard to know if they have been done or not. I don't watch the board all the time.

I see the Marathon shops back for my area. Some here have said no purchase and others have said there is a purchase required. This time around it reads "short mystery shop and revealed audit". The fee is $10 and $0 reimbursement. I thought if there is a mystery shop component, then a purchase is required.

Apparently they don't take long since another poster here said he can average 2 1/2 per hour. I am a little cautious because earlier in the month I did a Sunoco mystery shop and it took much longer than I expected.

No purchase here. No bathroom picture.

Are the new Marathon shop and reveals the same as what is being discussed in this thread? For this Marathon assignment they want you to go in the store, visit the bathroom no pics, make observations in the C-store no small item purchase, and then go back to your car to get the letter, put on your safety vest, go inside and present the letter and take pics outside and make more observations for $10.00.

No gas purchase, no small item purchase, no reimbursement.

Has anyone done these and how long do they take? If this is the same as the ones discussed in this thread, how long did it take before they were bumped in pay?

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Marathon Returns! Underwhelming

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine