@hamptonroadsva wrote:
From being a shopper for over 20 years, I have seen a lot of ups and downs in the amount of compensation we receive, and this can change even as fast as the seasons change. I have always noticed in this area that shops are taken quickly at a low wage starting in May and continuing through autumn. I've wondered if it's because college students are home for the summer, and maybe pick these up just to make some summer cash. .
@ServiceAward wrote:
Messages boards like this do not help, as information is shared and schedulers get an inside look into what shops shoppers believe are "easy" money.
@drdoggie00 wrote:
shopperbob has stated numerous times in other threads that he failed miserably at making mystery shopping his full-time career. I feel like I'm almost to that point. Shops are becoming scarce here in Podunk due to both volume (it is Podunk, after all) and competition, and I've grown weary of being out on the road so much. I feel like I'm chasing after a buck that has sprouted wings and taken flight.
I'm now about to take a work-from-home customer service job that will make me absolutely miserable, but between my health taking a dive and needing insurance, and the shopper climate becoming more and more untenable, I feel like I don't have any other choice.
@metro25782 wrote:
What I think has happened is that back in 2006, that $11 would buy (according to this one site) [stacker.com]
- Fresh eggs (1 dozen): $1.31
- White bread (1 pound): $1.08
- Sliced bacon (1 pound): $3.44
- Round steak (1 pound): $4.00
- Potatoes (1 pound): $0.53
- Fresh grocery milk (1 gallon): $3.08
What we consider 'good pay' has changed.
@shopperbob wrote:
Yesterday, 06/17, I received an E-offer to work an identical shop I had completed in 2018 @ $65; the pay was $45. Today, 06/18, an offer came through for a shop from 2021 that paid $100; it is now $45.
To paraphrase Smokey the Bear, shoppers, only you can bring a halt to this fee carnage.
I do not criticize MSCs for paying as little as possible.
My guess is this is dictated by the client. At least I hope that's what it is - let's not give that MSC any ideas.@hbbigdaddy wrote:
Interesting with Raising Canes that they start at $0 pay and reimbursement that does not cover the required purchase, but then Five guys with the same MSC has shops that begin with $9 pay. Why the discrepancy within the same MSC? Either both should start at $0 or both should start with a fee.
@BarefootBliss wrote:
If you follow any of the financial news channels, a few common themes have emerged - one is that the US has increasingly become divided and no, we're not talking along political lines. We're talking income....while the stock market booms and showers investors with blessings, wage earners aren't getting any relief yet at the cash register....read the WSJ, watch CNBC commentary - it's all there - none of this is a surprise.
It would kill me to have to depend on MSing for an income....I am grateful whenever I find easy jobs that give me spare money for iced coffee....one of my splurges and again, grateful....if people need an income, I seriously suggest other venues, not this one. Thankfully jobs are hiring and gig work is always there when MSing dries up - for those who are looking.
@mystery2me wrote:
@ServiceAward wrote:
Messages boards like this do not help, as information is shared and schedulers get an inside look into what shops shoppers believe are "easy" money.
I have ambivalent feelings about this forum. One the one hand, it helps new entrants and creates more competition in an already overcrowded field. On the other hand, without it, something else would surely take its place, and that something else could easily be a lot worse.
Didn't Warren Buffet also say all you need to do is invest in 4-6 quality companies run by strong leadership teams and hang onto them for the rest of your life? If you think of it as you only have 10 picks in life, but are extremely selective and meticulous, you have nothing to worry about. - Yes, not exactly the same, where you're looking to hold.@hbbigdaddy wrote:
@Okie you are going to lose long term by trying to time the market. You cannot lose if you just put in a SP500 fund and leave it alone. It's the gold-standard to which all these money managers try to beat every year. Some do. Most do not.
Warren Buffet accepted a bet from a hedge fund manager on this topic. The hedge fund manager quit before the 10 years were up. [www.investopedia.com]
I love how my COST (costco) and CMG (chipotle) are doing.