Cheapo companies that refuse to raise fees despite no one taking the shops!
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It's possible that they don't need all of them filled as long as they hit a minimum quota overall. That's how I rationalize it.
Those due dates are just the due dates for that $$amount. When that date comes, they will get extended and most times they get bonuses too.
Exactly. People take shops for different reasons.
@sestrahelena wrote:
Somebody will do them.
"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
Just saw all shops pulled no longer exist- very strange
Every mystery shopping contract is different. Some contracts require that every location gets done. Some contracts require that a certain percentage of locations get done. Some contracts pay the mystery shopping companies a scale based on the percentage of shops they are able to get done. Believe me, if a mystery shopping company really needs to get a shop done they will pay what it takes. If they're not paying, it means that they don't have to get the shops done. When shots get pulled, it's generally because whatever percentage they were required to meet had been met. For example, there is a large national convenience store chain that is chopped by a major mystery shopping company. The mystery shopping company is required to get 98.5% of the locations done each cycle. If they get less than that done, the amount that they get paid by the client goes down. Also, every location has to get done eventually. So if a location has not been done in several cycles, the company will eventually pay whatever it takes to get that particular location done. That's just one example. Every contract is different. However, if a mystery shopping company is required to get every location done, and they never up the pay and multiple locations never get done, they're not going to keep that contract.
i have no doubt there are companies that dont provide additional fees for a bonus. or if a company does then the subcontractor decides not to use it. everyone does business differently
shopping north west PA and south west ny
I look at it this way. Shoppers shop for whatever reason motivates them, generally speaking, it is money, but each gets to evaluate the offer presented to them - you can accept, reject, or (in limited cases) negotiate. The scheduler's job is to get shops scheduled, generally speaking for the least amount of shopper pay possible (and guidelines met). MSC's job is to find clients and then fulfill contracts with them by providing shoppers. Yeah, it's ridiculous to me the low value some shoppers place on their time, but they get to make their choices. It seems to me the most difficult link in the food chain is being a MSC out fighting to sign clients and offering low, low prices would mean that they have less margin in the contract to pay for shoppers. I'm lucky enough to have a job and do this as a side hustle but I don't begrudge anyone taking shops for less than I would.
My solution was to not do such shops. Now I am not tired of them.
HAHA, like the emails I get begging me to do a gas station shop for $7 plus I have to buy something that costs at least a dollar but there is no reimbursement? NOPE!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/2023 06:57PM by callinectes.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/2023 06:57PM by callinectes.
UPS, Writer's/Actors, UAW, Kaiser, and others gone on strike. Guess we're next????
Any comment I could/would add would be repetitious, as thunder, wolfie and jevan have "hit the nail on the head."
The longer I do this and the older I get, the more careful I am about the value of my time vs. the ROI of a shop. Every year, it seems, my threshold for the minimum fee I'll accept goes up. I do find myself doing more reimbursement shops for things I want or need (restaurant meals, clothing, etc.) It's not all about the cash in hand, as it used to be. So if an MSC won't raise the fee, I just roll my eyes and scroll on by. I don't get worked up anymore. But I used to! A lot.
I'm too old and too busy to net minimum wage or less on a job. Fortunately I have other self-employment income plus Social Security, and am thankful I have the option to pick and choose. I understand that not everybody can do that. I still can use the extra $$, though!
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/2023 02:30PM by BirdyC.
I'm too old and too busy to net minimum wage or less on a job. Fortunately I have other self-employment income plus Social Security, and am thankful I have the option to pick and choose. I understand that not everybody can do that. I still can use the extra $$, though!
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/2023 02:30PM by BirdyC.
If people accept mystery shops for $15, then companies will continue to pay that much. When I started mystery shopping for extra money in 2000, cell phone shops paid $15. I see them listed for $12-$15 now…it’s 23 years later. It’s an insult, so I only shop banks and restaurants, unless there is a decent bonus on others.
If we all refuse low paying shops, the pay will go up. The overwhelming majority of mystery shopping and other companies pay the least they can get away with, instead of paying fairly.
We need to collectively stop taking low paying shops or nothing will change.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/2023 11:21PM by Mailesmama.
If we all refuse low paying shops, the pay will go up. The overwhelming majority of mystery shopping and other companies pay the least they can get away with, instead of paying fairly.
We need to collectively stop taking low paying shops or nothing will change.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/2023 11:21PM by Mailesmama.
The problem with that is not all ICs are on this forum. We aren't employees, so there is no mechanism for collective bargaining. And there are always going to be new to mystery shopping folks that don't understand that the date that shows on the board is NOT the end date, and they aren't going to miss out on the job if they let it go so it will get bonused.
Wow I learned a lot just reading through this topic. Thanks to all of you.
Shopping within about 75 miles of Albany NY
Respectfully, I disagree.
Working in this industry and staying up on the competition, I believe the MS companies mostly pay what they can afford to based on the rates they can charge their clients - this is why you will see variation within different shop types.
If the MS companies can't afford the shopper fees, they are forced to increase client fees which leads to clients either taking their business to another provider or determining the cost is too high and stopping their program.
Unfortunately we're all in a no-win situation. With the way the economy is going with minimum wages and the like, we'll eventually all be replaced by video cameras in-store with AI providing the narrative. It's a sad state of affairs and I can only hope that my worst case conclusion is incorrect.
Working in this industry and staying up on the competition, I believe the MS companies mostly pay what they can afford to based on the rates they can charge their clients - this is why you will see variation within different shop types.
If the MS companies can't afford the shopper fees, they are forced to increase client fees which leads to clients either taking their business to another provider or determining the cost is too high and stopping their program.
Unfortunately we're all in a no-win situation. With the way the economy is going with minimum wages and the like, we'll eventually all be replaced by video cameras in-store with AI providing the narrative. It's a sad state of affairs and I can only hope that my worst case conclusion is incorrect.
@Mailesmama wrote:
If people accept mystery shops for $15, then companies will continue to pay that much. When I started mystery shopping for extra money in 2000, cell phone shops paid $15. I see them listed for $12-$15 now…it’s 23 years later. It’s an insult, so I only shop banks and restaurants, unless there is a decent bonus on others.
If we all refuse low paying shops, the pay will go up. The overwhelming majority of mystery shopping and other companies pay the least they can get away with, instead of paying fairly.
We need to collectively stop taking low paying shops or nothing will change.
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