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What is the largest fee you've ever received for a single shop?

December 30, 2023 09:44AM
I'm curious - I know a lot of y'all do routes with some heavily bonused gas shops, and it got me wondering - what is the largest fee (not including any reimbursements or gas purchases) you've ever received for a single shop?

My biggest was $240 to evaluate Christmas trees at Lowe's in Eagle Pass, TX (a 600-mile round-trip drive.) Runner up was $200 to try on Rolex watches at a high-end jewelry store here locally. {No, they did not turn me into a customer! grinning smiley)

Edited to add: I just did a bank account opening shop for $210. I must have blocked that out because the report was a nightmare.

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


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/2023 11:14AM by drdoggie00.
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December 30, 2023 10:13AM
@drdoggie00 wrote:

I'm curious - I know a lot of y'all do routes with some heavily bonused gas shops, and it got me wondering - what is the largest fee (not including any reimbursements or gas purchases) you've ever received for a single shop?

My biggest was $240 to evaluate Christmas trees at Lowe's in Eagle Pass, TX (a 600-mile round-trip drive.) Runner up was $200 to try on Rolex watches at a high-end jewelry store here locally. {No, they did not turn me into a customer! grinning smiley)

The Big I did me the Rolex Solid once upon a time for $310. I've had some $150's out in the boonies on USPS before.
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December 30, 2023 12:14PM
My highest was $200, which I did back in the spring. It was a gas station audit for $14 plus $186 bonus (not counting reimbursement). I didn't own a safety vest at that point, but after I was assigned the shop, I ran out and bought one.

.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/2023 12:14PM by shopnyc.
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December 30, 2023 01:30PM
I got a new credit card this past fall as part of a shop. I made $300 from the shop, but also another $200 from the cc company as a sign up bonus. This was all from the comfort of my home. smiling smiley
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December 30, 2023 01:44PM
The biggest route I received was 4 gas stations 80 miles away in a cluster in a rural area for $720 ($180 per location) and the locations were all 30 miles or less apart.
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December 30, 2023 02:51PM
Mine was $250 for an online student loan process evaluation involving multiple lenders. As far as a single onsite shop involving just one client, I don't think I've ever gotten more than $60. The wild stratospheric numbers I see thrown around here all the time make me think either a) I'm living in the wrong part of the country, b) I'm a lousy negotiator or c) some people have great imaginations.
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December 30, 2023 03:17PM
@KokoBWare wrote:

Mine was $250 for an online student loan process evaluation involving multiple lenders. As far as a single onsite shop involving just one client, I don't think I've ever gotten more than $60. The wild stratospheric numbers I see thrown around here all the time make me think either a) I'm living in the wrong part of the country, b) I'm a lousy negotiator or c) some people have great imaginations.
-laughs- It's probably a combination of A and C, Koko. A lot of times, living in the sticks is a negative, but sometimes the MSCs get desperate, and I reap the benefits. It's rare, though. You have my word, I wasn't using my imagination in my post. smiling smiley

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown
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December 30, 2023 03:37PM
About two months ago I got $345 to do a video shop of a dental cleaning right here in my own city. That included a $20 bonus for using my own equipment which conveniently was on loan from another MSC (who had given me permission to use the camera for other shops). I think I’ve gotten over $100 to do a local non-video dentist shop in the past. I wish there were more of these — I don’t love going to the dentist, but at least it’s something I have to do, unlike apartment tours or opening bank accounts.
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December 30, 2023 05:35PM
My largest was $300 for a heavily bonused bank. There was a post on this earlier this year.

For your reading pleasure... smiling smiley
[www.mysteryshopforum.com]
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December 30, 2023 05:54PM
$300 for a bonused home improvement store.
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December 30, 2023 05:56PM
My highest pay was for those finance shops at base pay. I got $550 for checking student loan rates from 5 various lenders.
I think i live in KoKo's wrong area of the country. Aside from that shop most shops near me are at base in a city with one of the highest costs of living in this country or even this world.
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December 30, 2023 07:12PM
Highest pay I can recall is $300 for single casino resort shops. Of course that does not include required shop purchase reimbursements or travel bonuses.
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December 30, 2023 07:17PM
My best was $500 for time share shop. But I had to use my own points to book the stay. I was willing to cuz I was going there anywyas. So it was like I was staying for free. I went to the timeshare presentation a little less than 2 hours. I got to keep the gift and filled out a report as well. I also got IRS mileage reimbursement up to 200 miles for $113.

I can only do these so often. This is not something that can be done monthly, but when i get one (maybe 2-3 per year), they are nice.
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December 30, 2023 09:41PM
$1500 to purchase and return a car.
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December 30, 2023 10:26PM
Bank acct. opening for $170; Home Improvement stores for $100.
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December 30, 2023 10:31PM
One shop. From home. $1000. Super easy.
Distant second is a daily rate of $250 plus per diem. That covers 5-10 shops but all expenses paid.
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December 31, 2023 09:14PM
I completed Porsche shops for $160 to $250 for a MSC I never heard of. It was the only work I did for them and I haven't seen them list anything since.

The craziest was when they had these $50 phone shops that took 5 minutes and I did so many I made like $4000 in three days. I drove around all day for three days, a few hundred miles per day, like 200 miles, maybe a little more.
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January 01, 2024 02:50AM
$130 for a car shop. It was about 25 miles from my house, and I managed to add on a bonused gas station shop on the way home. I really don't want to travel more than that distance for a shop. I did once do a resort stay about an hour and a half from home, but it was 2 nights/3 days, and EVERYTHING (food, activities, room, etc) was reimubursed, and I could NEVER have afforded it on my own.
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January 01, 2024 02:44PM
I got a bonused gas station once that was for $100. It was less than an hour from my home. Im sure I bundled it with other shops along the way.
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January 01, 2024 10:05PM
Consultants for Long Term Care "CLTC" paid me $500 to shop some senior living communities. I just saw they have more shops available paying $375 (fewer locations involved than the assignment did). Sadly for me, they are in the northeast and I live in the south.
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January 01, 2024 10:23PM
Mine was only $150. You guys are rocking it!

Shopping Arkansas, Louisiana, & Mississippi.
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January 01, 2024 11:30PM
I got $150 for a Kia shop, but those were pretty common. I could have done several of those but just didn't want to.

Last December I got $100 for a local Lowes shop, but that was the only big bonus I have ever scored, and I live in a rural-ish area. Apparently there are plenty of shoppers in this area.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2024 11:31PM by bradkcrew.
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January 01, 2024 11:50PM
@drdoggie00 wrote:

I'm curious - I know a lot of y'all do routes with some heavily bonused gas shops, and it got me wondering - what is the largest fee (not including any reimbursements or gas purchases) you've ever received for a single shop?

My biggest was $240 to evaluate Christmas trees at Lowe's in Eagle Pass, TX (a 600-mile round-trip drive.) Runner up was $200 to try on Rolex watches at a high-end jewelry store here locally. {No, they did not turn me into a customer! grinning smiley)

Edited to add: I just did a bank account opening shop for $210. I must have blocked that out because the report was a nightmare.

So you drove 600 miles for $240? Or did you add other shops to make a route? I generally try to make any route pay $1 a mile, minimum…$2 is preferable. So 40 cents a mile seems like you would lose money on that one shop?
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January 02, 2024 12:06AM
I think $200 is the most.
One was for a PO where the scheduler called and asked what it would take to do it. It was a pretty long time ago and I wanted to be reasonable for the driving time and mileage involved.
The next was at a truck stop setting up the jewelry display. It wouldn't have been bad but at this truck stop, the employees don't wait for a merchandiser, they just throw up the mdse without even reading the directions or following tbe mod. Undoing their work was exhausting.
The last was a gas station, two in the same town one for $200 and the other for $150.
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January 02, 2024 12:37AM
@Mousegal wrote:

@drdoggie00 wrote:

I'm curious - I know a lot of y'all do routes with some heavily bonused gas shops, and it got me wondering - what is the largest fee (not including any reimbursements or gas purchases) you've ever received for a single shop?

My biggest was $240 to evaluate Christmas trees at Lowe's in Eagle Pass, TX (a 600-mile round-trip drive.) Runner up was $200 to try on Rolex watches at a high-end jewelry store here locally. {No, they did not turn me into a customer! grinning smiley)

Edited to add: I just did a bank account opening shop for $210. I must have blocked that out because the report was a nightmare.

So you drove 600 miles for $240? Or did you add other shops to make a route? I generally try to make any route pay $1 a mile, minimum…$2 is preferable. So 40 cents a mile seems like you would lose money on that one shop?
No, I had other stuff that padded it. Eagle Pass is ripe for the picking, at least it was back then.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown
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January 02, 2024 12:54AM
My highest payment was $250 PLUS reimbursement charges for a tire rotation at a local dealership. It required a specific brand of car, so they were paying top dollar to find shoppers with these cars.

The best part is that it was 3 miles from my house.
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January 02, 2024 04:46AM
$125 fee for a gas station audit 20 miles from me.
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January 03, 2024 11:27PM
I did a McDonalds breakfast shop once for $200. It was 60 miles away, and it was freezing rain and sleet that day. Had to stop every 15 miles or so to de-ice!

One day when I came home for lunch the phone was ringing, and it was a scheduler who offered me $100 for an easy Taco Johns lunch shop. It was a nice profitable lunch break.

The best one that I have ever done is a bit of a "cheat," as it includes credit card rewards. Got paid $210 to sign up for a Cap One card, but the first charge on the card is the $95 annual fee, so that's a $115 net. Then after running $3K through the card they award you 50k in points. At $0.01/point, that's $500. Then after running $20K through the card they award another 50k in points. So that's $115 to sign up for the card and another $1000 in reward points. Greatest thing ever!
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January 05, 2024 01:57AM
Commerce Casino for $400
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January 05, 2024 03:18AM
Last year, near the end of a month, I saw 2 Sonic for $150 each. It was late in the day and I was sick, but very tempted to make a 140-mile round trip to 2 small towns.
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