Are there any shops you no longer do?

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i used to count pokémon cards at big box stores until the company with PAD abruptly ended the program a couple months ago.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2024 05:50AM by charleybuddy.
@tstewart3 wrote:

@BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz wrote:

There was more than one response.

The first response that I was aware of was in San Francisco.

[www.theguardian.com]

One thing that made it worse than just their non-compliance was their hypocrisy. They posted the necessary notices that gave customers a false sense of security, thinking In-N-Out was checking for proof of vaccination when it actually wasn't.

In-N-Out wasn't just not complying with rules and mandates in SF:

[www.theguardian.com]

Pleasant Hill was my regular In-N-Out.

Then, In-N-Out went from their we-don't-have-to-follow-government-rules-or-mandates to we-don't-want-to-let-our-employees-wear-masks-to-protect-themselves:

[mailchi.mp]

[calmatters.org]

I stopped doing In-N-Out shops or spending my own money there in 2021. I miss Double-Doubles and I am sure In-N-Out doesn't care about my business. I won't contribute to their success in any way.

@DRJ wrote:

We don't have In-N-Out here yet. What was their response to COVID?

@BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz wrote:

In-N-Out, because of their responses to Covid. I don't even go when it's not a shop and I used to go at least once a week.

.

Oh pleeze that is not the reason.

Yeah, I'm not buying this lame excuse either. Wanna make a stand? Go ahead. Do your quiet protest.
"Are there any shops you no longer do?"

Yes, where there are a chain of stores and I have a history on my computer, I don't do shops where I've had repeated issues / findings at a particular location. I'd rather do a shop at another location where I don't have to provide a lengthy explanation. Less work, more reward per unit of time.
I no longer do self storage location audits. i loved doing the work, but the MSC is the pits. I deactivated my account.

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230
@Rho* wrote:

Restaurant shops that require me to record almost non stop timings of when I was greeted, when the menu was handed over, when I placed a drink order, when the manager walked through the room, when the empty plate was removed etc etc.
When it comes to keeping timing, I just take some quick notes on my phone (server introduction at 4:12, drinks arrived at 4:18, appetizer arrived at 4:24, etc) and review it later. It's fairly easy once you get the hang of it. But then again, the shops I'm doing this for may not be nearly as demanding as some of the ones you had mentioned.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2024 10:01PM by jp43209.
@jp43209 wrote:

@Rho* wrote:

Restaurant shops that require me to record almost non stop timings of when I was greeted, when the menu was handed over, when I placed a drink order, when the manager walked through the room, when the empty plate was removed etc etc.
When it comes to keeping timing, I just take some quick notes on my phone (server introduction at 4:12, drinks arrived at 4:18, appetizer arrived at 4:24, etc) and review it later. It's fairly easy once you get the hang of it. But then again, the shops I'm doing this for may not be nearly as demanding as some of the ones you had mentioned.

I kind of do them like this too. I just message to my husband 'drinks ordered' and it will show the time later when i review. I also take pictures of things like the entry door when walking up or when the drinks/food arrives i take pictures - which you have to do anyways - the pictures will tell the time also. When i get ready to do the report i get my notebook out and review message notes and get times from messages and photos and put it all in a timeline. Makes the reporting go super easy.
CAR SHOPS... too much time... show me, test drive, negotiate, and long evaluations. BANK OF AMERICA shops (unless its an online screenshot thing, I might consider it) ... long sit down time, long evaluations,... STORAGE SHOPS... .. APARTMENT SHOPS.... I am not interested in sitting down and talking to anyone anymore. The less interaction I have, especially if I have to pretend like I am interested, the more I like the shop.
@maverick1 wrote:

@tstewart3 wrote:

@BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz wrote:

There was more than one response.

The first response that I was aware of was in San Francisco.

[www.theguardian.com]

One thing that made it worse than just their non-compliance was their hypocrisy. They posted the necessary notices that gave customers a false sense of security, thinking In-N-Out was checking for proof of vaccination when it actually wasn't.

In-N-Out wasn't just not complying with rules and mandates in SF:

[www.theguardian.com]

Pleasant Hill was my regular In-N-Out.

Then, In-N-Out went from their we-don't-have-to-follow-government-rules-or-mandates to we-don't-want-to-let-our-employees-wear-masks-to-protect-themselves:

[mailchi.mp]

[calmatters.org]

I stopped doing In-N-Out shops or spending my own money there in 2021. I miss Double-Doubles and I am sure In-N-Out doesn't care about my business. I won't contribute to their success in any way.

@DRJ wrote:

We don't have In-N-Out here yet. What was their response to COVID?

@BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz wrote:

In-N-Out, because of their responses to Covid. I don't even go when it's not a shop and I used to go at least once a week.

.

Oh pleeze that is not the reason.

Yeah, I'm not buying this lame excuse either. Wanna make a stand? Go ahead. Do your quiet protest.
If that's there reason, that's there reason. This person doesn't have to justify their reason. I doubt they give a damn about anyone else liking it/buying it or not anyway.
@JSuing wrote:

@jp43209 wrote:

@Rho* wrote:

Restaurant shops that require me to record almost non stop timings of when I was greeted, when the menu was handed over, when I placed a drink order, when the manager walked through the room, when the empty plate was removed etc etc.
When it comes to keeping timing, I just take some quick notes on my phone (server introduction at 4:12, drinks arrived at 4:18, appetizer arrived at 4:24, etc) and review it later. It's fairly easy once you get the hang of it. But then again, the shops I'm doing this for may not be nearly as demanding as some of the ones you had mentioned.

I kind of do them like this too. I just message to my husband 'drinks ordered' and it will show the time later when i review. I also take pictures of things like the entry door when walking up or when the drinks/food arrives i take pictures - which you have to do anyways - the pictures will tell the time also. When i get ready to do the report i get my notebook out and review message notes and get times from messages and photos and put it all in a timeline. Makes the reporting go super easy.

I take a picture of the sidewalk when entering so I'm not pointing my phone at the door, just down. Same when I leave.

I just text myself, seated, waitress, ordered, drinks, appetizer, meal, dessert order, dessert, check.
@1forum1 wrote:

If that's there reason, that's there reason. This person doesn't have to justify their reason. I doubt they give a damn about anyone else liking it/buying it or not anyway.

Well, their you go. Enough said. smiling smiley
Take and fail a test. The last one I did, I actually got away with bringing in a forbidden item. I felt completely awful during the reveal to the proctor. Couldn't handle the guilt. Plus they don't pay nearly as well now as they used to -- definitely not worth it for something so stressful.
I won't do any that add stress to my life. I have enough of that without stressful shops.

*****************************************************************************
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain
I’ve pretty much stopped doing the Indian casino hotel shops, both the one-and two-night shops. It’s not bad to stay in a nice hotel, but you really don’t get enough free time to enjoy it. The problem with the casino shops is that there are twenty-five separate interactions that must be done and reported on, plus another five or six reports about the property. Seven are gambling items. I don’t mind gambling, but you can’t go over the budget allowed. You have to stay at the table or the slot machine for a server to bring you a drink and then wait twenty minutes to see if they come back. It’s pretty easy to do at a slot machine. The biggest difficulty is getting a server at all. There’s very few of them. Plus you need a slot attendant and they never, ever respond to the lights on the machines.
At a table game, you have a budget of about $100. That doesn’t last long when the table minimum is $25 a hand. You have to sit there sitting out hand after hand (or roll or spin or whatever).
You also get a few good meals, six total for a two-day, but each one requires the same kind of detailed report that you’d write for any restaurant.
The pay is usually $250 for the two-day, plus a more-or-less full reimbursement for everything.
The only good part is that you can keep your winnings up to $500, or all your losses are covered. Unfortunately, I’ve never won while doing them, partly because I’ve had to stay at the tables for the allotted time, and I’ve often lost back whatever I got ahead.
Anyway, that’s my take on it.
Unclebobg you have expressed my experience exactly.

They don't reimburse enough at the table games or the slots to allow you to sit there long enough if you're actually playing for drink service to come around.

But I guess they think we're suckers who are gambling anyways so they don't have to reimburse us for any loses while waiting on the mandatory drink.

I haven't seen any near me that reimburse your loses.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2024 10:54AM by wrosie.
My list of no-go shops is too long to list these days, so it's more about what shops I WILL do.

My main requirement is reimbursing me at least $100 for ever hour invested, so unlike @Niner, the Coyle shops still hit the mark for me (But for a 5-hour report I would hope to get at least $1k in reimbursement).

Even within that requirement, nothing that touches my credit report, involves sales, has a target employee, requires me to return or ship a product, requires me use a burner phone number or email...or basically any experience I would not want to partake in, regardless of it being a shop, is off the menu.

I am somewhat amazed that I can still find shops within the small window of acceptability, but I get a few each month.

I do kind of miss Jeff, and the In-N-Out shops. I kept working for him long after his assignments failed to fit my financial requirement, because he was such a good guy. The pandemic somewhat cleaned my plate of all the shops I was continuing to take out of a sense of duty, though.
Steve, which types of shops are you still doing? I hardly complete any shops these days. I'll go to Texas Roadhouse, but that's about it.
@Niner wrote:

Steve, which types of shops are you still doing? I hardly complete any shops these days.

There are two clients I do that are memberships, where I don't have to even apply for the assignments, and so they are pretty easy once you start doing them over and over.

I'll also take an upscale dinner or hotel once a month, provided it's somewhere I actually want to go. Many of the dinner assignments won't even fully reimburse these days, or require three courses. I won't take those anymore. It's too much eating!
My list of never done them is longer than my list of will never do again. I live in Los Angeles. From my own walking in somewhere experience , even with an appt to speak with someone, there is almost always a wait of at least a half hour for banking and car shops and mobile phone stores and other places I frequent
Any shop that requires finding a sales person in a big store...also a long wait for places like Home Depot, Target and those types of places.
Audits at a few pennies per item
Shops where I need to make up a story even I don't believe in.

Ones I have one and done....
Sbarro (threatened to call security because i took a photo of the food case)
High end airport locations where I am the only customer and got descended on by the entire staff who were bored. (3x the interactions reporting for 3 salespersons)
$2 bonus shops that are 500 miles away but are "in my neighborhood" No, San Francisco area is not near me
Shops where the parking fee is more than the job fee
Shops where the 8 mile drive I know takes an hour both ways including walking blocks from free parking.
RBG's candy shops. Waaaay too much work for $8 and each piece of candy is $2 then the after visit phone call.
Never have done cell phones, quit doing gas stations.
@unclebobg wrote:

I’ve pretty much stopped doing the Indian casino hotel shops, both the one-and two-night shops. It’s not bad to stay in a nice hotel, but you really don’t get enough free time to enjoy it. The problem with the casino shops is that there are twenty-five separate interactions that must be done and reported on, plus another five or six reports about the property. Seven are gambling items. I don’t mind gambling, but you can’t go over the budget allowed. You have to stay at the table or the slot machine for a server to bring you a drink and then wait twenty minutes to see if they come back. It’s pretty easy to do at a slot machine. The biggest difficulty is getting a server at all. There’s very few of them. Plus you need a slot attendant and they never, ever respond to the lights on the machines.
At a table game, you have a budget of about $100. That doesn’t last long when the table minimum is $25 a hand. You have to sit there sitting out hand after hand (or roll or spin or whatever).
You also get a few good meals, six total for a two-day, but each one requires the same kind of detailed report that you’d write for any restaurant.
The pay is usually $250 for the two-day, plus a more-or-less full reimbursement for everything.
The only good part is that you can keep your winnings up to $500, or all your losses are covered. Unfortunately, I’ve never won while doing them, partly because I’ve had to stay at the tables for the allotted time, and I’ve often lost back whatever I got ahead.
Anyway, that’s my take on it.

Same boat as me. Maybe when I retire from my full-time job, I will do these again for fun? I helped set-up these reports many years ago for the MSC.

The most fun is when you win big at a table and have to go to the slots to lose enough to keep it all.

The worst is when you are even and then you lose $500-$1000 in ten minutes at high limit, and you know now your fee is just the $250. I hate that. It puts me in a sour mood. I also don't like roulette. I feel my IQ dropping every minute I am there. It requires zero skill.
@unclebobg wrote:

You have to sit there sitting out hand after hand (or roll or spin or whatever).

@BayShopper22 wrote:

The worst is when you are even and then you lose $500-$1000 in ten minutes at high limit, and you know now your fee is just the $250.

I also don't do these shops any more, but the secret I found to high limit was to bring a partner. Pick a game with a 50/50 prop and have your partner sit at another position on the table and bet the opposite of you. You only lose on the house edge that way. It only works with some games, but you can do it with roulette, baccarat and craps.

If you bet red and your partner bets black on every roulette roll. You will lose your bets every time a Zero comes up, but can usually get your play time in. It's much less obvious with craps, but the casino staff never called me out on it....
Steve comments--........nothing that touches my credit report.........

Bob's reply--I realize I am in the minority, as I paid off my last loan, my house, in the spring of 1976. I complete approx. 20 shops a yr. that involve my credit rating, both soft and hard pulls, but my numbers have only been temporarily affected by a hard pull; the drop is approx. 20 points for a few months. If one were concerned, the hard pulls are completely voluntary. As such work pays extremely well, I suggest investigating through Curinos AKA Informa MSC. The scheduler I work with is Marcus Scott.
I won't do the MLB shops anymore - not when I can generally buy a ticket on the resale market for under $10!
@shopperbob wrote:

I paid off my last loan, my house, in the spring of 1976.

Kudos to you, Bob. You are well set up for credit-intensive assignments.

I negotiated a great mortgage rate a few years back when rates were at an all time low, but probably could have gotten something even lower without all the MSing hits to my credit, so it left a sour taste with me.

And it's not just the credit hits. I will sometimes carry over $10k in balances waiting for reversal, so that also impacts your credit.
Many years ago, a few MSCs utilized a report form that contained several blocks of, as an example, six yes/no questions and then required an explanation consisting of a set number of characters. After the shopper has given all of the possible information, at the bottom was the requirement to fill-in a complete narrative from stem to stern. The problem was that all of the already used verbiage was off-limits.

I well remember my first encounter with the above. It was an MSC located in Cleveland, Oh. back in 2005. My pay was $30 and, although I possessed the ability to comply, my head was pounding after submission. I doubled my fee for the next round and never received another offer.
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