@melg wrote:
I remember the days of stupid questions, that's why I won't do Stater Brothers! These are sooo easy that it's really the only shop I do anymore.
The guidelines now explain the restrictions on pickups that we've had on the West Coast for a while. I guess they now apply everywhere. Lucky for me there are a lot of stores in this area and I can usually keep a daily route pretty tight.
I agree with the suspicion that competitor shops may be done. We were on a 3 month rotation AFAIK. They were due and we did not see them. Perhaps the client got what they needed (now that it's been about a year). Nice while it lasted.
@OldmanJames wrote:
I used to do Publix shops and the stupid questions made the questions miserable. Many produce workers were not native Americans and did not speak English so asking the questions was torture.
@olympia tennenbaum wrote:
@OldmanJames wrote:
I used to do Publix shops and the stupid questions made the questions miserable. Many produce workers were not native Americans and did not speak English so asking the questions was torture.
Native Americans, lol. I guess you could have tried to pick up a little Cherokee to complete the shops more easily.
@melg wrote:
In summary, I'm baffled by the whining, lol.
@olympia tennenbaum wrote:
Kroger question - had a problematic pick up today. Ended up with my order after going in. Did not end up getting the receipt. I keep checking online and it seems like the order hasn't been completed. For others who have experienced the same, do you fill out the form and say you don't have a receipt? Do you contact the store? This one is a little awkward. Thanks!
@Morledzep wrote:
what Hampton said. check under past purchases, see if your order is there, then if it's not, call the store. You can also do a screen shot of your order confirmation email, and explain that there was a problem and the purchase wasn't finalized, so there is no receipt. It might require a couple follow-up emails with the lady that questions everything, even when they don't need to be questioned.
@Morledzep wrote:
what Hampton said. check under past purchases, see if your order is there, then if it's not, call the store. You can also do a screen shot of your order confirmation email, and explain that there was a problem and the purchase wasn't finalized, so there is no receipt. It might require a couple follow-up emails with the lady that questions everything, even when they don't need to be questioned.
@hamptonroadsva wrote:
@olympia tennenbaum wrote:
Kroger question - had a problematic pick up today. Ended up with my order after going in. Did not end up getting the receipt. I keep checking online and it seems like the order hasn't been completed. For others who have experienced the same, do you fill out the form and say you don't have a receipt? Do you contact the store? This one is a little awkward. Thanks!
This has happened to me a few times, where they forgot to close out the order when the order was picked up. If an order doesn’t show as picked up toward the end of the afternoon, I have called the store and spoke to the pickup department. I just tell them I need to print out a receipt and am unable to since it wasn’t closed out. They close it out right then, and then you can then access the receipt.
@olympia tennenbaum wrote:
Thanks to you and @Morledzep. I did go ahead and submit the job and used a screemshot of the unfinished order. I'm sure there will be questions. I hate when things go wrong because it seems more likely that they'll remember you when you have to spend 10 minutes at the front of the store waiting for your order when people radio around and call your make across the store. Sigh. Oh well, I guess them's the breaks.
@hamptonroadsva wrote:
@olympia tennenbaum wrote:
Thanks to you and @Morledzep. I did go ahead and submit the job and used a screemshot of the unfinished order. I'm sure there will be questions. I hate when things go wrong because it seems more likely that they'll remember you when you have to spend 10 minutes at the front of the store waiting for your order when people radio around and call your make across the store. Sigh. Oh well, I guess them's the breaks.
Did you check the Kroger website again to see if it's been closed out? In one instance my order wasn't closed out, and when I called, the employee said they were having issues with their order system, and that my order would be closed out overnight when they reconcile the day's orders, and the next morning I saw that it was. So maybe it's been closed out and your receipt will be available. Also check to see if that shop has been accepted or is still in pending. Kroger shops usually get approved within a few minutes, and if it's still pending, then they may have to follow up with you. If it's been accepted then you are good to go
@melg wrote:
In summary, I'm baffled by the whining, lol. But it's fine to pass them up and leave more for those who want them.
@jgardn02 wrote:
The hour after these shops post is among my least favorite hours of the month.
@hamptonroadsva wrote:
@jgardn02 wrote:
The hour after these shops post is among my least favorite hours of the month.
My least favorite hours of the month are the ones waiting for the shops to post.
Seriously though, it is getting to be a pain to have to guess what time the shops will be released. There are 12 Krogers within a 20 mile radius of my home, and because of the amount of shoppers in this area, they all get scooped up within an hour. Because of that, you have to keep checking all morning and sometimes afternoon to be able to get in quick and grab. That's getting really old, and I'm getting more tuned into BayShopper's way of thinking, it's not worth it. I have other independent contractor work that isn't shopping related which I can pick up anytime. so I may have to increase that work to compensate for not doing as many grocery shops.
I am planning to relocate later this year to a more rural area in a different state, and I see those shops sit on the board for well over a week or two with little competition, not to mention they usually get bonused into the $20 range.
@olympia tennenbaum wrote:
Any chance you could share what other IC work you're pursuing? If not, no worries.
I'm also in a competitive, albeit bigger, area. I keep seeing too many fees go the wrong direction. I was looking over my spreadsheets for the past couple of years and seeing some shops paying much less or just not around at all this year. I know I'm definitely feeling the pinch.
@hamptonroadsva wrote:
@olympia tennenbaum wrote:
Any chance you could share what other IC work you're pursuing? If not, no worries.
I'm also in a competitive, albeit bigger, area. I keep seeing too many fees go the wrong direction. I was looking over my spreadsheets for the past couple of years and seeing some shops paying much less or just not around at all this year. I know I'm definitely feeling the pinch.
Oh I don't mind sharing what my other work is, for you or anyone else looking for IC work. I was always taught that everyone should have multiple streams of income, and that can usually be filled by working with many MSCs as well as non-shopping work.
I am an IC courier, and most of my work is either medical (blood and body parts for transplant) or tech (computer parts) which have to be delivered same day. I contract with two courier companies, and the pay is around 70 cents to $1 per loaded mile. So for a 100 mile trip (200 round trip), you are looking at $70 - $100. But where the good money comes in is when you get two or more deliveries going to the same area, then you make that full amount per stop. I've made as much as $300 for a 200 mile round trip by having three deliveries to the same area. You can choose to do just local deliveries or long distance, and since you are an IC, you can turn down work if you get called and you don't want a particular run. I cut back on the courier work last year because you can get burn out from driving so much, and I started colleting retirement. The only disadvantage is that this kind of work is not usually scheduled in advance, so you are basically on call. The huge advantage is the tax deductions for mileage, so your actual income is higher considering the big tax break.
If you live in a larger city, there are probably several local courier companies in your area, and trust me, they are always looking for drivers.