I just saw a shop listing where they tell you that you have to count 625 items at a store. The pay? $18. Do people actually sign up to do these??

I saw one yesterday, $12 per hour. You need to be on site for 2 to 3 hours. Minimum wage is more than that!

I know when i first started, i took some lower pay jobs to learn. But i quickly saw the raised fees. And this group sure has taught me alot this past year.

I look at so many if these jobs and say NOPE!

I just saw a posting for a targeted recorded shop to a bank. You had to reach the target then pretend you were buying a business in the area. There were a total of 13 questions which would involve detailed answers-you had to ask EVERY question and get an answer to each- the pay??? $10???? Hard pass- I see them all sitting there- apparently no one wants to call and spend a lot of time on the phone followed by a detailed report. Sometimes I wonder if companies think shoppers are hard up or stupid or both. That said I foolishly signed up for one of the shops for this company a while back- targeted call to a golf course- you had to leave a message for a call back asking for tee time reservations. I called 4 days in a row and left a voice mail asking for a call back never got a call back- wrote the company and the scheduler was rather rude saying that I had to keep calling every day until I got the answers to the questions. When I said I had left messages 4 days in a row and got no call back her reply was well I have to unassign you as you are not interested in doing the shop. Yes that is right I am not interested. I received nothing for the 4 calls

Oh, what sneezy jerks! What company was this?

Along these lines....if a company emails me asking to see if I can "help them out" with this shop and the pay is $22.....does anyone respond to these type emails and say "for $30 I will do it". Or is that a no-no in the biz?

@chaser915 wrote:

Along these lines....if a company emails me asking to see if I can "help them out" with this shop and the pay is $22.....does anyone respond to these type emails and say "for $30 I will do it". Or is that a no-no in the biz?

usually when I get these types of shop offers they are for somewhere in CA. And I live in AL. So I send them back an offer that includes the cost of airfare and a rental car. They haven't taken me up on my offer yet..

Don't limit yourself, or undervalue yourself. Send them back the offer that makes sense to you. If you think the job is worth $40 or even $50, make that offer.

thank you very much for the great answer

I have done that before. They always so no though. I think they need approval from the company first.

And I just love it when schedulers email me with the subject line “Fun shop!”

Um, car dealer assignment that involves negotiating with a targeted employee and pays a whopping $16 is not my idea of fun. Neither is video recording a car wash for $6, nor taking photos (discreetly lol) of a menu board for $5.

@chaser915 wrote:

Along these lines....if a company emails me asking to see if I can "help them out" with this shop and the pay is $22.....does anyone respond to these type emails and say "for $30 I will do it". Or is that a no-no in the biz?

Absolutely. Sometimes i am sent the list before it is posted to the boards because they know i complete my shops. I email back with a list of stores i can do and ask for a higher fee. They usually don't hesitate so i could probably go higher. For locations farther away, i have named my fee and got it.

thank you data girl. Appreciate it.

@Phoebe70 wrote:

And I just love it when schedulers email me with the subject line “Fun shop!”

.

My favorite is "Have a meal on us!" for dining shops that have no pay. Why don't they just say, "Work for free and lose money on gas!"

Given that the everyday, average American could be described as somewhat moronic, I'm going to go with "Yes".

@MW wrote:

@Phoebe70 wrote:

And I just love it when schedulers email me with the subject line “Fun shop!”

.

My favorite is "Have a meal on us!" for dining shops that have no pay. Why don't they just say, "Work for free and lose money on gas!"

Ummm... you do write off your shopping mileage on your taxes, don't you?

Renders the "lose money on gas" argument moot...

I have to respectfully disagree. Just because I can pay for the mileage in untaxed dollars doesn't mean I'm not paying for the gas and other car costs.

@Phoebe70 wrote:

And I just love it when schedulers email me with the subject line “Fun shop!”

Um, car dealer assignment that involves negotiating with a targeted employee and pays a whopping $16 is not my idea of fun. Neither is video recording a car wash for $6, nor taking photos (discreetly lol) of a menu board for $5.

If it was really a fair-paying "Fun Shop," that would not need to be touted in the subject line.

@CoolMusic wrote:

@MW wrote:

@Phoebe70 wrote:

And I just love it when schedulers email me with the subject line “Fun shop!”

.

My favorite is "Have a meal on us!" for dining shops that have no pay. Why don't they just say, "Work for free and lose money on gas!"

Ummm... you do write off your shopping mileage on your taxes, don't you?

Renders the "lose money on gas" argument moot...

Yes, you lose money.

This reminds me of people that don't want to pay off their mortgage because then they won't have a write off on their tax return. Whether it is mileage or mortgage interest, the deduction only saves you a percentage of the expense--what ever your tax bracket is--not the full expense.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2023 02:22AM by bradkcrew.

What doesn't make sense to one person, might to someone else.

Personally I do as many restaurants as I can get, although they pay little to nothing, because I enjoy eating out, and a lot of the reports are simple.

$5 phone shops, no. But...I have done a bunch for $10 (although I am picky about them), because I figure if I am at home and not busy, why not? So I suppose others might feel the same way about the $5 ones.

If you haven't been around for a long time, a free lunch at 5 Guys plus $9 seems reasonable. If you are used to $30 bonuses though it's a hard sell.

@bradkcrew wrote:

What doesn't make sense to one person, might to someone else.

Personally I do as many restaurants as I can get, although they pay little to nothing, because I enjoy eating out, and a lot of the reports are simple.

$5 phone shops, no. But...I have done a bunch for $10 (although I am picky about them), because I figure if I am at home and not busy, why not? So I suppose others might feel the same way about the $5 ones.

If you haven't been around for a long time, a free lunch at 5 Guys plus $9 seems reasonable. If you are used to $30 bonuses though it's a hard sell.

I agree with you if it is a restaurant shop and you get a free meal that’s a different story. But if you read my example this was far from that. This was going to a store and accounting for 625 items for $18. I don’t think there is any scenario where that is worth it.

@HowardJuice23 wrote:

I agree with you if it is a restaurant shop and you get a free meal that’s a different story. But if you read my example this was far from that. This was going to a store and accounting for 625 items for $18. I don’t think there is any scenario where that is worth it.

Oh absolutely! I was referring to some of the other comments. Yes it is really surprising what some people will do-either they really need the money or they are really bored and want something to do!

It also depends what else I'm doing. There's one near me to check a mall (for cleanliness, etc). It literally says you can do your shopping, have lunch, etc., while doing it. So, I have thrown together a few $9-12 shops there (store card inquiry, regular shop, etc), and sort of "double up". I wouldn't do the single $9 shop, but, I did four store card inquiries one day while doing tthe mall check.

I've also done shops for no/little pay when they are expensive experiences I wouldn't otherwise be able to afford. When my daughter was young (four or so), we did a two night/three day shop at a expensive local resort. I don't think I got paid at all, but, I got to have a massage, we ate at the on-site restaurant a couple times, had to make multiple item purchases, engage in multiple resort experiences (she was so excited to go horseback riding!), etc. And I wrote up the report while she was sleeping or chilling (it *was* understandably long). It was over $1200 in reimbursement, which was more than a month's pay for me, going back 14 years (I'd done smaller reports for this company prior, and I knew what they expected, so, I wasn't as nervous as maybe I should have been about it being accepted and reimbursed).

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/2023 11:43AM by mysterioso412.

If a person has no other income, access, and free time, sure people will sign up. Why wouldn't they? There are many different reasons a person would take those jobs.
I'm fortunate enough to not be in that category.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2023 08:52PM by ShoppingDad.

For 9 years mystery shopping was my only income. But I did not do most base pay shops. I waited for bonus' or until I could work something like a lunch into a route of better paying jobs. And I survived, I never had a lot of money, but I ate 3 meals per day, I fed my dogs, I paid my bills, and had gas in the car, plus a few gas cans for "just in case" even when I still had a mortgage in CA.

Waiting for bonus' was definitely a learning curve, and I did a lot of extra work for nearly no money in the beginning. I remember driving out to 29 palms for a single shop, that was not bonused, and feeling sick from the hot dry air, even with the AC in my Fusion.

I have a little bit of independent income now, so I'm not working so much. But I'm still not going to do more than a few base pay shops. I'm also not going to be doing big$$$ 15 shop days that wipe me out and make me so sick I can't leave the house for 3 days either. I'll wait for the bonus' and I'll do the shops I enjoy doing, and grocery shops, of course.

Another factor is that the big bonuses don't show up in every market, so if you want to shop you usually will have to accept the opening offer or preliminary bonus or the job is gone.

The mega bonuses I read about here are like urban legends to me. I have to be really careful about getting greedy, because if I don't pounce another shopper will.

Help needed! I self assigned a huge, big box sporting goods shop that is "fast and easy". I had to confirm to see the guidelines. There is nothing fun or easy about the shop. It requires walking every isle in a huge store that has two floors/levels of merchandise. I have to look for financing signage. I also have to check fitting rooms for the signage. I also have to get $100+ dollars of clothing; speak with a floor associate and get them to eventually tell me about their self branded financing/credit card; then go to the cashier, stand in line, have them ring up my items and then I tell them I really didn't want to spend that much trying to get them to tell me about their financing/credit card. Then tell them I have to think about it and leave. None - seriously - none of this was in the email. I am recovering from surgery. This amount of walking and standing (for this long of a period is just not possible). I want to cancel - but really don't want a flake citation. I sent a message to the scheduler to change due date to tomorrow (today I was at MD's office, surgeon, and hospital lab - lots and lots of walking and I am soooo sore). Had this info been in the email, I would have never signed up for the shop. I like the MSC and I really don't want a flake, but I honestly do not think I can do this. How would you handle this?

Write to the scheduler and expain the surgery situation and how you didn't anticipate the amount of walking while recovering, etc., apologize and ask to be removed from the shop. That would be the humble way, since you like the company.

Or you could take the honest, non-humble approach and write something akin to, "Are flipping kidding with this fast & easy bullspit??? Hell NO, you liars! I look like an idiot to you? Ain't nobody got time for that!"

Warning: option #2, although appealing, might get you deactivated and blacklisted from many companies accross the board.

Helena,

Thank you for paragraph #2; loads of chuckles.

Helena,

You have a great sense of humor and I agree I would probably get deactivated and blacklisted, as I am sure schedulers from different MSC's do communicate with each other. And I agree with shopperbob - lots of chuckles. I did send the scheduler a second text and she got back with me and removed the shop. I just hope there isn't a flake on there. These schedulers or whomever writes the emails really should work harder at being upfront, forthcoming with truthful information about the shop. Just saying.

Soooooo - if you see an email for a shop at a grocery store or a sporting goods/clothing store for Credit/Financial shop - know this is the one.

@chaser915 wrote:

Along these lines....if a company emails me asking to see if I can "help them out" with this shop and the pay is $22.....does anyone respond to these type emails and say "for $30 I will do it". Or is that a no-no in the biz?

i don't know what is a no no or not, but i know that's what i would do. i've never done anything at base pay, because base pay is always a low ball. though i would probably add a hi, and a thanks in there as well lol.