I've never bothered with these as there are none in my immediate area, and few in the areas where I most often do my routes.

But I'm looking at some exceedingly lucrative jobs that I could make part of week+ trip once the windows roll over, and there are BP's along the route, with gas-reimbursement gigs few and far between, so I'm keeping an eye on them.

Gotta say the amount of detail covered in the guidelines is impressive... has me wondering the average length of time to knock one out? I'd be on a tight schedule and would be working a checklist on the fly and then completing the reports when I'm taking my breaks.

And as I recall seeing in other posts: the guideline photos are consistently horrible, with some bordering on useless.

I think I might have done one, once. I compared it to Valeros.

Hahaha. I remember in the old days when the previous company (who turned everything over to the current company and quit mystery shopping) would mail us binders of instructions. Yes, hundreds of pages in a three-ring binder. This seems to be the only brand that has not simplified over the years. And it's been that long since I've done one so I can't help you but I did take a peek at the extensive guidelines once recently and said uh-uh. Also, others here have written that the editors are sticklers.

@CoolMusic - You might want to consult with @Morledzep. She knows that one inside/out. And since I believe you will not be crossing into her territory, she could best advise you on that client. And, you will not be fishing in her pond. (I say that fondly of @Morledzep). It is more work than the others, though.

We only have one BP up North of me that has few enough pumps that I could possibly make it through the shop without having to stop and rest. But that one is always grabbed up quickly.

I take 3 sets of every picture, including 3 different pics (x3) of every pump. Most of them take about an hour, or did when I could do that kind of walking still. If I wanted to try to do it, it might take me a 2 or 3 hours at the regular sized stations, unless I drive the car around to take the pics, and that ain't happening.

I guarantee that you'll get asked questions, and asked for more pictures. I'm not sure if it matters if you get it all right the first time, they'll still ask for more stuff. My son did a few the other day, and then spent all day today adding pics and fixing questions.

I've done many BP shops, and have learned to check google to see how many pumps are at each location before I accept a shop. In my experience, even though the guidelines state that it is not a white glove audit, the editors are very picky about catching each thing. An example would be marking graffiti for a small remnant of a graffiti sticker, which had been removed, but left a tiny piece of white adhesive on the fascia. The reports can be time consuming and tedious if you get a location that is not well maintained.

I appreciate you all sharing your experiences here.

I've thought about doing these shops, but the longa$$ and persnickety guidelines is a huge turn off. Not surprised to read some of the anecdotes here. At $22, they're a hard pass.

They aren't bad. But I would suggest holding off if there isn't much competition in your area. These can get very lucrative at the end of the cycle. I landed a few for $500 each.

They're $22 in my area. I've never seen them go higher than somewhere in the $40s iirc.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/11/2026 02:58AM by retrodaddy.

My son and I usually wait for the end of the round and get the higher pay. We often do them for $60 - $100. I don't think I've ever done a BP for over $100, if I have it's only been once or twice.

I was pleasantly surprised by the higher base pay this round. My son has already done a few of the smaller stations that $22 is "good enough" for.. He did one in TN today while I was grocery shopping, tiny station on a postage stamp lot with only 4 fueling positions.

@scrtshoppr wrote:

... and have learned to check google to see how many pumps are at each location before I accept a shop.

That is my MO for Shell. BP's would appear to even more involved, so this is a wise strategy.

In the past, I’ve typically seen $100 fees at the end of cycles. This spring I was absolutely shocked at the fees. I’m obviously not sure why, but my guess is that they kind of screwed themselves with the way they were doing it on Presto. I couldn’t assign routes at the end of the cycle…when I would assign one the rest would disappear. Only to then reappear days later. And with the 5 day holding period if someone flaked at the end of the cycle they were probably scrambling to get them filled.

I have to say that the editors for the BP/Amoco shops can be some of the strangest and/or the pickiest (and PI$$y). Alternatively, others are quite understanding and agreeable.
Strangest: Like Scrtshopper mentions, some of the editors will not allow a remnant of a sticker that may have been a graffiti sticker while another might say that I should remember that this is not a "White Glove Audit".
Pickiest: Some of the editors may tell you (the shopper) to go back and review the POP information even though much of it is not legible and is confusing.
Some may espy something hanging off of the pump and declare it is a non BP/Amoco advertisement, You, the shopper might decide to protest that it is indeed, one of the BP/Amoco ads attached to the hose. Then, after a few back and forths with the editor, you just give up and allow the editor their way. Too much time being wasted in proving something.
Understanding: They may apologize after telling you to mark off the pump for missing the strip and then suddenly realizing that the pump is one of those types that do not require the strip on the top due to the narrow type of pump.
And so, like others, when I perform one of these audits, I take double pictures of each infraction and of every required photo required. Except for the fuel pumps!
For those, I take 3 full photos and then another 3 close-up photos. This is in addition to pump infractions.
So far this has worked for me allows me to not drive off of the "Cliffs of Insanity"!

BTW, I never go back to take an additional photo. My time is worth more than their measly fees and their gas allowances.