Someone took all the Five Guys shops in my area for a whopping changed fee of $12. Taking shops for low fees ruins it for everyone! Wish people would learn to not jump on things. I have gotten up to $30 for a 5 guys- but when shoppers jump on $12 shops it ruins things for everyone

This topic is discussed a lot. While I agree with you, most are not thinking about the collective and are doing it because it suits them at the moment.

As it applies to not only 5 Guys but also other leisure time jobs, shoppers willingness to work for a pittance is their decision. When a shop is for cash, though, the needy do what is necessary to provide for their family and/or themselves. As for me, I either receive my fees or I sit. I NEVER budge from my minimum. In addition, I NEVER accept a drop in fees and, if a period of time has elapsed since my last completion, I adjust for inflation.

In business, companies desire from their ICs as much work as possible, for the least amount of money. The onus, then, is upon the IC to decide to either accept or pass. I have stated in past yrs., that I was a complete failure as a full time shopper, but a resounding success as one who only accepts work that meets one or more of my criteria. I NEVER budge from my plan. After all, this IS still business!

Hi Sue!

Curious how you know they took all the shops at $12? Maybe a scheduler called and people negotiated a higher rate?

@SueW70 wrote:

Someone took all the Five Guys shops in my area for a whopping changed fee of $12. Taking shops for low fees ruins it for everyone! Wish people would learn to not jump on things. I have gotten up to $30 for a 5 guys- but when shoppers jump on $12 shops it ruins things for everyone

Depending on the job, I will take some for the base pay. Some I will not do for base. Another factor is proximity to my house, and whether I have anything else scheduled. I run an online business, too, and right now I am devoting about 70% of my work time to that because we are headed into the heart of shopping season. I have a handful of mystery shopping and audit jobs left to do Tuesday, then that will be it for me for the month as far as those jobs go.

I did a delivery job and saw all shops for that location go off the job board.

I did a delivery shop for a different location and none of the other shops went off the job board.

It seems like they needed the location shopped.

I actually got a call from an overseas scheduler using a GA phone number who first verified my address and then tried to negotiate on the distance from my home.

There are 3 grocery stores near me that are shopped. I've gotten $30 to shop them. But since August they are gone at $12.

New shopper who apparently shops at the store anyways and figured it's a discount.

There is no way to tell other shoppers to wait for higher pay.

Shopperbob observes - "In business, companies desire from their ICs as much work as possible, for the least amount of money."

It's not just ICs. I've noticed lately that it applies to employees now more than ever. Dollar stores, fast food, groceries, gas stations, everywhere I go it seems like there are now 1 or 2 employees doing the work of 5 or 6 because corporate won't allow enough payroll to efficiently run their outlets.

Something's got to break. They can't keep up the greedflation and still continue to stay in business. Or can they?

@sestrahelena wrote:

Dollar stores, fast food, groceries, gas stations, everywhere I go it seems like there are now 1 or 2 employees doing the work of 5 or 6 because corporate won't allow enough payroll to efficiently run their outlets.

Every manager I know, including the ones I've gotten to know through audits, have all told me the same thing: The issue isn't they don't want to hire people, it is that nobody wants to work consistently. Someone told me he needs 7 people to adequately staff his store full time. Almost everybody who applies wants to work 3 or 4 hours a day at most, then they have a list a mile long of days and reasons why that can't work. This is on top of people who regularly call out (or more than likely just don't show up). The manager told me what he could efficiently do with 7 people, he has to keep nearly double that on the payroll due to the general attitude younger people have about work. The result is he spends way too much time trying to hire people, and he ends up with people who don't really want to work. The definition of work has been watered down to mean posting nonsensical videos on social media to gain followers and make money through sponsors, ads, etc. Then, the people who are holding down a traditional job spend their time watching such nonsensical videos, adding even more inefficiency to the work force. It is no wonder more often than not people experience at best mediocre customer service. The one good thing, I suppose, is that poor customer service and employees not following procedure will (hopefully) keep the IC business going for decades to come.

Edit to add that I have a friend who is in his late 30s. He went to college, but did not pursue a career with his degree. Instead, he took on entry retail jobs, either quitting or getting figured by several. Eventually, a mutual friend of ours was promoted to the store manager at one of the Walmart's in the area. She hired him, and he assured her he would do right. Well, he didn't, and she ended up having to fire him. The man would go out to get shopping carts, then just leave, among other things. Even more awful, he thinks stuff like this is funny. He's my friend and I love him, but I wouldn't hire him to pull weeds out of my garden. I also would not recommend him for a job because I would not want my name attached to his work ethic.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/2023 01:19AM by ServiceAward.

I have a few shops I wait on- no one takes them and bonus goes up incrementally all month. I wait and get them at the end if I can, last month I got a $27 bonus. They're at 7 now, we'll see what I can get!

The offers for Five Guys shops in my area have dwindled. If they are, it's usually $13 or less.

5 Guys had a MAO when the shop pay was $12 in my area. Normally they would get to $20 at least before the MAO showed up.

We never know what other people are going through and dealing with in their lives. There have been times in my life where getting $12-$18 in between my regular job's paychecks bought enough food or gas to make it to payday.

@sestrahelena wrote:

Shopperbob observes - "In business, companies desire from their ICs as much work as possible, for the least amount of money."

It's not just ICs. I've noticed lately that it applies to employees now more than ever. Dollar stores, fast food, groceries, gas stations, everywhere I go it seems like there are now 1 or 2 employees doing the work of 5 or 6 because corporate won't allow enough payroll to efficiently run their outlets.

Something's got to break. They can't keep up the greedflation and still continue to stay in business. Or can they?

In theory, the work we do is supposed to help corporate managers decide the right level of staffing. If we report long wait times, poor satisfaction, etc., this is supposed to tell them they need to increase staffing, or perhaps increase wages to improve retention. This assumes well run companies with smart people in charge, which is a big assumption, I admit.

But the reality, of course, is that the super low interest rates before Covid made it easy for the money vultures to come in and buy up a lot of companies and consolidate them. The standard practice in these cases is to cut labor costs to the bone to squeeze out as much value from a company as possible in a short period to repay the loans and bbring a quick return on the investment, before it is eventually resold as only a shell of its former self.

I remember after the lockdown some on this board said they often give higher than deserved ratings to take into account a place was understaffed. I didn't say anything then, because I did the same. But now I am realizing it is not just the employees we are rating, but more often the management practices. So I am less forgiving now when I have to wait longer because there is only one register open or the trash hasn't been emptied because so-and-so didn;t show up and the employee is by theirself.

@SueW70 wrote:

Someone took all the Five Guys shops in my area for a whopping changed fee of $12. Taking shops for low fees ruins it for everyone! Wish people would learn to not jump on things. I have gotten up to $30 for a 5 guys- but when shoppers jump on $12 shops it ruins things for everyone

Sorry but I don't really consider $12 a low fee for Five Guys when you get a meal with it. So you are basically getting $30 to do an (easy) job that takes about 15-30 minutes with another 15-30 minutes for the report. A lot of restaurants offer NO fee just the reimbursement for the meal. Five Guys I have found to be more generous than most of the restaurant shops. If you are trying to make a career out of mystery shopping it is probably not the career for you.

So, again, sorry. If I am hungry and there is a Five Guys close to me I am taking it, even for $12.

@HowardJuice23 wrote:

Sorry but I don't really consider $12 a low fee for Five Guys when you get a meal with it. So you are basically getting $30 to do an (easy) job that takes about 15-30 minutes with another 15-30 minutes for the report. A lot of restaurants offer NO fee just the reimbursement for the meal. Five Guys I have found to be more generous than most of the restaurant shops. If you are trying to make a career out of mystery shopping it is probably not the career for you.

So, again, sorry. If I am hungry and there is a Five Guys close to me I am taking it, even for $12.

What you don't seem to understand is if you would wait, you could do the same shop for $20-30 instead of $12.

That's what people here are saying.

Regarding Five Guys, I always picture in my mind a single mother with three kids on Hard Times taking all three shops in her area so that the kids can eat. At the first shop one gets the burger the other two share the fries and then they rotate the Burger on the next two shops so each of the kids gets a burger. She just picks at the fries all along. And they keep refilling the sodas and sharing them.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/2023 01:19PM by sestrahelena.

Sestehelena

Once you take a shop at a 5 Guys location, all the other shóps for that location are no longer available to you for about a month due to rotation.

However, that's not always true as I just found out if they need the location shopped.

@wrosie wrote:

Sestehelena

Once you take a shop at a 5 Guys location, all the other shóps for that location are no longer available to you for about a month due to rotation.

However, that's not always true as I just found out if they need the location shopped.

For that particular location. But if you live in an area that has three Five Guys you can take all three and do Sestrahelena's scenario that way.

Only one per meal time

@wrosie wrote:

There are 3 grocery stores near me that are shopped. I've gotten $30 to shop them. But since August they are gone at $12.

New shopper who apparently shops at the store anyways and figured it's a discount.

There is no way to tell other shoppers to wait for higher pay.

I did a grocery for $10 plus $30 bonus 4 months in a row but not since September 2023. It's in a less populated (less that 3,000) town and usually no other jobs to do. It takes 30 to 45 minutes drive time each way depending on the ongoing road construction. I am not sure if it gets done or not but the company doesn't offer more than a $9 bonus and so financially its not a viable option.

@sestrahelena wrote:

Regarding Five Guys, I always picture in my mind a single mother with three kids on Hard Times taking all three shops in her area so that the kids can eat. At the first shop one gets the burger the other two share the fries and then they rotate the Burger on the next two shops so each of the kids gets a burger. She just picks at the fries all along. And they keep refilling the sodas and sharing them.

Wow, that just reminded me of a memory from my childhood. After my dad left, momma and I had it hard financially. I know there were many times when mom did not eat so that I could, and I'm sure there are were more times than I know about. There used to be a community event where local businesses would gather to promote their services. They would give away samples, promotional materials, etc. (Side note: I never had a shortage of free pencils to use at school!) One of the local factories was a company that made pizza kits that you put together at home. At the community event, which lasted 3-days, they would give away pizzas. One year, I think I was about 11 or so, there was no money and no food. Mom took me to the pizza booth at the event at every meal period over those three days. Those free pizzas kept us fed for a few days. Today, I take care of mom, who is now 82. Financially, it is still tough. A lot of the free food I get for mystery shopping I share with mom so she has an easy meal.

@Gingercide wrote:

We never know what other people are going through and dealing with in their lives. There have been times in my life where getting $12-$18 in between my regular job's paychecks bought enough food or gas to make it to payday.

Heck, I made 12.10/hr as a teacher with a master's degree. Grabbing a shop for $12 AND getting a meal out of it meant I was essentially making double overtime. And I could use that $12 on something else. I also took "no pay" jobs for the experience it offered that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford (hotel stays with my kid, MLB games, etc.)

@wrosie wrote:

@HowardJuice23 wrote:

Sorry but I don't really consider $12 a low fee for Five Guys when you get a meal with it. So you are basically getting $30 to do an (easy) job that takes about 15-30 minutes with another 15-30 minutes for the report. A lot of restaurants offer NO fee just the reimbursement for the meal. Five Guys I have found to be more generous than most of the restaurant shops. If you are trying to make a career out of mystery shopping it is probably not the career for you.

So, again, sorry. If I am hungry and there is a Five Guys close to me I am taking it, even for $12.

What you don't seem to understand is if you would wait, you could do the same shop for $20-30 instead of $12.

That's what people here are saying.

What you don't seem to understand is that other people can (and do) pick these shops up. So if I don't take it, likely someone else will. Yes, sometimes they raise the fee, but it is usually in undesirable locations. So again, I am not going to pass up an easy and free meal so I can get $20 instead of $12. We are rating a burger, not curing cancer. Sorry.

@sestrahelena wrote:

Regarding Five Guys, I always picture in my mind a single mother with three kids on Hard Times taking all three shops in her area so that the kids can eat. At the first shop one gets the burger the other two share the fries and then they rotate the Burger on the next two shops so each of the kids gets a burger. She just picks at the fries all along. And they keep refilling the sodas and sharing them.

What you are describing is not what 5 guys or the MSCs are looking for. This is supposed to be a job, not a social service. Sorry for being so blunt, but if a family is hungry there are WIC cards and food banks. There is no reason to pass up a shop for this reason, so you shouldn't be making people feel guilty.

it doesn't ruin them for the hungry shopper that thinks it's ok to earn $12 to eat a free lunch. Sometimes I am that person. Sometimes I am the person that waits for them to go up, and then sometimes it's snatched out from under me! It's all a waiting game. now a particular gas station that needs a lot of photos--I definitely wait for those to go up.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2023 05:57PM by nellybean212.

Seasoned shopper of over 20 years here....I pick up $30 Five Guys shops and I also pick up $12 ones if my husband and I are in the area and want to grab a burger. We share the entire meal and I get paid $12 for the report. No shame here! I also pick up the $5 RC shops from time to time if we are out traveling and one is nearby.

ROFL. The shops in my area seldom go over $9.

I picked up a $20 and $22. You’re welcome!

But if I get see a $12 shop last minute to add my route and it’s location is perfect. I’m taking that too!

A-I will probably tell the MSP the best fee to offer upfront, so they won't have to give steep bonuses later.