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Lot of work low pay

October 27, 2023 05:01PM
When I get assigned a shop that is way more involved than I expect, and the guidelines were not provided, I simply email back (quickly) that I would like the shop removed because it isn't what I expected. I have never received a citation, and the only push back I have ever gotten was from one MSC that responded, "I would have sent you the guidelines if you had asked."
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October 27, 2023 07:46PM
Two points:

1-Unless the definition of flake has changed over the yrs., which is certainly possible, it does not define a shopper who requests removal.

2-I give my best in business. therefore when it is not good enough, I move on with life. That, though, does not mean a relationship ending is irrelevant to me. I very much miss Maritz, Quest 4 Best and especially Strategic Reflections.
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October 27, 2023 09:32PM
I understand your wariness. You have obviously been exposed to bad schedulers. Asking to be removed because you can't do the job according to their guidelines is not, and should never be a cause for a citation. But rest assured, there are schedulers that are more than happy to make sure you get a citation whether you deserve it or not, and then lie about why.
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October 28, 2023 01:46AM
Thankfully it hasn't happened very often, but whenever a scheduler seems unhappy because of some issue (whatever issue), I quickly point out that I have an otherwise spotless or nearly spotless record with that MSC. I am hoping he/she realizes that citing me or banning me could mean losing someone they might want reach out to for help in the future on another shop....

Life was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on
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October 28, 2023 01:24PM
I've asked to be removed from shops before. One was totally my fault because I misread the address and it was much further than I thought (we have roads and towns with very similar names here....think "Main street" and "main road". I haven't seen a "ding" on my profile because of it (I also emailed pretty quickly asking to be removed once I realized my error). Another I asked to be removed from a hotel shop after I realized the guidelines required me to order and drink potentially four (!) alcoholic beverages in under ninety minutes at a hotel's nightly reception (I would have been required to order a MINIMUM of three, and I don't know how I would have surreptitiously gotten rid of them without spilling them on the floor since the shopper is required to stay the entire ninety minutes, and I was also concerned about being able to accurately do the rest of the shop that evening with that much alcohol in me - I know my limits. It also seemed weird to me that a hotel guest would hang out the whole time at the "reception"). In the second case, it's now "on my record", but, shrug

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2023 01:25PM by mysterioso412.
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November 01, 2023 12:06AM
What is worse to me isn't the passing over of a job that is obviously too little pay for the work involved, but instead the job that you accept and then find out it's too little pay for the work involved.

I signed up for a bunch of the $9 cream cheese sticker project last summer. I should have known right away when I read the guidelines where it said that I would get 200 stickers per store. After completing my first store I emailed the scheduler and told her that once again her company was seriously underpaying and I would not be completing the rest of the stores that I had signed up to do. I used a USPS shop to send back the stickers, so that worked out well.

The strange thing is that the scheduler didn't even blink when I bailed. She said "no worries" and removed them from my list of visits. Eventually the visits got to $30 per location before someone took them.
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November 01, 2023 03:20PM
Customer Insight:

I receive a flake citation from a scheduler after emailing her a request to be removed from a $5.00 phone shop because there were too many requirements that I felt should've been stated up front. I've only done two shops with this MSC and it appears I'm ineligible for future shops because of my low shopper score. I need to terminate my account with this MSC.

Bare International:

I received a citation from scheduler Veronica after notifying her of my inability to complete a scheduled shop on a particular day. She unscheduled me and issued a citation. I cancelled my account months later after realizing I'd have to deal with her for future shops that I'd be interested in.
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November 01, 2023 06:24PM
I automatically delete all job offers offering only single-digit payment.
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November 03, 2023 08:07PM
Yes
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November 04, 2023 04:34AM
As an update to this discussion - I just noticed they still have not had anyone accept this shop - so they added a $3 bonus LOL. So for a huge fee of $21, you can audit 625 items!!!!
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November 04, 2023 08:50PM
I saw someone on another thread say the only time it was bad was when you got the shoe department. I'm thinking, "How can 500 items not be bad?" Also, the description says "count and size," which makes me think I'd be doing the store clerk's job for them.

This gives me flashbacks of counting fishing lures at Academy. Hard pass.

@HowardJuice23 wrote:

As an update to this discussion - I just noticed they still have not had anyone accept this shop - so they added a $3 bonus LOL. So for a huge fee of $21, you can audit 625 items!!!!

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/2023 08:55PM by drdoggie00.
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November 05, 2023 09:01PM
Only if you itemize your deductions. Otherwise, you are losing money on gas.
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November 07, 2023 06:11AM
@DoubleDFoodie wrote:

Only if you itemize your deductions. Otherwise, you are losing money on gas.

You have to report mystery shop income on a Schedule C, so gas (technically the mileage) is an expense, not an itemized deduction.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2023 06:15AM by HowardJuice23.
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November 07, 2023 06:13AM
@drdoggie00 wrote:

I saw someone on another thread say the only time it was bad was when you got the shoe department. I'm thinking, "How can 500 items not be bad?" Also, the description says "count and size," which makes me think I'd be doing the store clerk's job for them.

This gives me flashbacks of counting fishing lures at Academy. Hard pass.

@HowardJuice23 wrote:

As an update to this discussion - I just noticed they still have not had anyone accept this shop - so they added a $3 bonus LOL. So for a huge fee of $21, you can audit 625 items!!!!

I was thinking that too. It sounds like this company basically wants someone to come and do inventory for them, for almost nothing. Even if it is easy, the amount of time that it would take to count 625 items would not be worth the time, money and gas/parking.
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November 07, 2023 06:32AM
The only thing it has going for it is it's revealed. Those covert convenience store 125-item price scan shops are more than I can take.

@HowardJuice23 wrote:

@drdoggie00 wrote:

I saw someone on another thread say the only time it was bad was when you got the shoe department. I'm thinking, "How can 500 items not be bad?" Also, the description says "count and size," which makes me think I'd be doing the store clerk's job for them.

This gives me flashbacks of counting fishing lures at Academy. Hard pass.

@HowardJuice23 wrote:

As an update to this discussion - I just noticed they still have not had anyone accept this shop - so they added a $3 bonus LOL. So for a huge fee of $21, you can audit 625 items!!!!

I was thinking that too. It sounds like this company basically wants someone to come and do inventory for them, for almost nothing. Even if it is easy, the amount of time that it would take to count 625 items would not be worth the time, money and gas/parking.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown
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