If they refuse to pay more....then shops will go unfilled. Yes there are people who take for $9 opening rate. But i see $15 and higher continuously in the greater Phoenix Metro.
The closing shops at 9:30pm also need go for more. Most people do not eat that late and to be pigeon-holed into a 30 minute time slot is worthy of higher pay.
Maybe 5g just accepts that less shops are completed, but that does not give a true reflection of how their stores are operating.
I've seen one in Cabazon, CA (west of Palm Springs) go for $20 and higher nearly every week. So does that mean they are okay with never having results from that location because they are not willing to go above $12? I don't think so.
If they wanted to save money...maybe they do every location every other week instead of every week. It could be overkill to do them weekly. While it is nice for the shopper and for the MSC, I don't know how beneficial it is to 5g to have that many shops done for each location, each month