I recall seeing this discussed on some previous threads, but cannot find the answer I am looking for. CORI used to be great with offering bonuses on shops at the end of the month, but now they do not. I don't call going up $1 on a $4 a real bonus, nor does it make the shop any more enticing. Why such a drastic and quick change in their shop payments? I used to do shops for them on a weekly basis. I would guess I have not done one in the last 2-3 months for this reason alone. They are typically offer shops much lower than other MSC's in the beginning of the month, but by the end, they are usually comparable and worth considering. I loved how quickly they paid and the variety of shops offered, but I can't work for peanuts or, heaven forbid, LOSE money considering the time and gas expense it took to get to the location and back!

Hey, sometimes I look at a shop and it is 5.00 but if you wait like 2 or 3 weeks ive seen it go to 25.00 and that when I grab it. Like on the blue store and another. Now there are shops like gas stations that barely go up. Like you say 1.00 to 4.00. Maybe if you call and give them an amount they will do it.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2012 10:32PM by ericaalexander.

Is this a nationwide trend? Or maybe there are a ton of eager shoppers in your area now?

It could be that there is a surplus - and they are getting the jobs done without bonuses.

I am still seeing some $20 shops on CORI's board in my neck of the woods. I'm waiting until they go to $25. If I lose them, there are more elsewhere.

MissyH71 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is this a nationwide trend? Or maybe there are a
> ton of eager shoppers in your area now?
>
> It could be that there is a surplus - and they are
> getting the jobs done without bonuses.
>
> I am still seeing some $20 shops on CORI's board
> in my neck of the woods. I'm waiting until they go
> to $25. If I lose them, there are more elsewhere.


Maybe they think that with the way that the economy is going we will take anything. I think that it's disrespectful and I won't take it.

I have not done a shop for CORI in a few months. Like others have said, they are not going up like they used to. Many of them are being taken around the $3-$5 range. I just don't get it. I used to get at least 1-2 (or more) jobs a month from them.

I used to do the majority of my shops for CORI, when they'd go way up in price. Happened a lot around here! But this last month, there's been fewer shops posted overall, and then those get snatched up super early. Really, really annoying. Thankfully I've found a decent amount of shops through other companies, but if my CORI quotient was up to par, I'd have made a lot more money. Of course, there was an interruption in my work when my computer crapped out and was in the shop for six days, also. *sigh*.

you can't call them or even try to negotiate with them siince they changed a year or so ago...you just keep your eyes open and if they get to an "acceptable" fee you take em.

I think some time last year when the CRI was bought out by Stericycle, alot of the Blue gas shops went fron monthly to quarterly shops. This means that they have 3 months to get a shop done at all of the branded wholsalers shop, therefore the do not have to increase the pay as often and as greatly.
I'm not positive but it makes sense to me.

pammie8223 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MissyH71 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Is this a nationwide trend? Or maybe there are
> a
> > ton of eager shoppers in your area now?
> >
> > It could be that there is a surplus - and they
> are
> > getting the jobs done without bonuses.
> >
> > I am still seeing some $20 shops on CORI's
> board

There is another company that offers a bun shop for $4 and they get taken. What is this business coming to. Shoppers don't consider the time it takes to find parking, walking to the mall and then walking 1/2 way through the mall as having any value.



> > in my neck of the woods. I'm waiting until they
> go
> > to $25. If I lose them, there are more
> elsewhere.
>
>
> Maybe they think that with the way that the
> economy is going we will take anything. I think
> that it's disrespectful and I won't take it.

myspacebarisnotworking

newkeyboardtomorrow

but,IgotacalltodayfromCORI

fora$7.00shop

thathasneverhappenedbefore

maybetheyaregettinglowerfeeshopsbycallingshoppers?

sosorryaboutnospaces.....Ineedanewkeyboard

spaztck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> myspacebarisnotworking
>
> newkeyboardtomorrow
>
> but,IgotacalltodayfromCORI
>
> fora$7.00shop
>
> thathasneverhappenedbefore
>
> maybetheyaregettinglowerfeeshopsbycallingshoppers?
>
>
> sosorryaboutnospaces.....Ineedanewkeyboard


--- I feel like this is one of those Facebook tests I see and then if you can read it they explain that your brain works in a certain way. I'm glad you did the comment about the space bar twice. I thought the first line was some spam about MySpace! Something caught my attention deeper into it and I managed to finish it. Then I re-read the whole thing. I feel your pain. The E popped off of my keyboard once. That was so much fun! NOT!

Oh this is so funny. I like how you kept hitting the "enter" the key to break up the text. Made your text much more readable.





spaztck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> myspacebarisnotworking
>
> newkeyboardtomorrow
>
> but,IgotacalltodayfromCORI
>
> fora$7.00shop
>
> thathasneverhappenedbefore
>
> maybetheyaregettinglowerfeeshopsbycallingshoppers?
>
>
> sosorryaboutnospaces.....Ineedanewkeyboard

There seems to be an algorithm at place here. The shop fees are related to what the last person did it for. If a Blue Light out in BFE went for $50, the next month it might be offered at $20 by the second day of the month. If the same shop in another location went for $8 last time, it will not go up much at all. Supply and demand.

Our "D" key quit working, once.
I often email Dad. For awhile, I was emailing a.

Ha! Love your spaceless message.

Anyway, "What is this business coming to" indeed. Despite what some keep saying, I *do* find it insulting and even wrong that work is offered so extraordinarily cheap. And nothing will change my mind on that. If they expect quality work, they need to offer quality pay. Offer crap pay, guess what you get? It's really not smart for their bottom line. I bet there are lots of half-assed mystery shoppers doing the cheap work, or outright cheaters. It would be demoralizing, if you let it.

heartlandcanuck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There seems to be an algorithm at place here. The
> shop fees are related to what the last person did
> it for.

CoRI's shop fees are absolutely based on an algorithm. I usually pick up their college bookstore shops in my area at $25, and have done most of the locations around here for the better part of a year at that price. Those shops hit the boards at $7.50, IIRC. Generally within a week, they're at my acceptable price range and I schedule them. This past rotation, their client picked up a new location. It took 2 additional weeks for this never-performed shop to get to the same level as similar shops in the area, and when the price did go up, it was in even dollar amounts (i.e. from $7.50 to $10 to $12.50, etc.).

And, if you track the prices of the same shop over time, you'll notice that increases will hit just under a recent price. If I do a shop this month for $10, I would bet that during one of next month's increases, the price will be somewhere between $9.85-$9.99.

If prices in your area aren't getting as high as they used to, it may be the result of other shoppers taking them at the initially listed prices, which drives the average down.

Zlinedavid...I pick up the college bookstores around here as well, but I wait until they are at $50. It usually only takes about a week and I think I am the only person around here interested in them. But they always start way low on day one, then hit $40, then straight to $50.

Wow, I love the college book store shops, but haven't seen them get to $50. High 30's & in the 40's, but not 50. They were going up kinda slow out here. I took them because I'd seen another one suddenly get snatched up, got a little nervous, and figured getting three in the high 30's & 40's were better than the chance of someone else getting them & me getting nothing!

I mean, for as simple as they are, high 30's to 40's isn't bad... especially when you can get multiples in the same area or on a small route.

Update - Someone took the $7.00 shop they called me about. I would not have done it for less than $20.00.

Congratulations on the new keyboard!

Thank you! It was killing me!

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Congratulations on the new keyboard!

SecretAgentMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Zlinedavid...I pick up the college bookstores
> around here as well, but I wait until they are at
> $50. It usually only takes about a week and I
> think I am the only person around here interested
> in them. But they always start way low on day one,
> then hit $40, then straight to $50.


I did one at $50 this past rotation, but that was off of another shopper canceling. The area I live in is somewhat balanced. It's large enough to have a decent amount of shops, but not too large to where there are people picking jobs off of the board at $4. Easily accessed jobs will generally start getting picked at around $10, and rarely get as high as $30.

There is one small remote campus that's just barely on my radar that always goes for $50, but it is literally 12 miles and a left turn away from BFE. I keep trying to time shops to give myself a reason to go there, but things never seem to line up. There's also a Lowe's there that is always $45+, but they're never on the board or bonused at the same time.

Its a game of chicken, but Ive got a life and wont wait around for a few extra bucks. Who am I kidding, I love this game.

There are still some higher paying shops for CORI in my area. They start out low and sometimes they go high and other times not. More shoppers and some taking less pay. I would guess that is what is happening in your area.

Ok, I just registered with CORI and took the basic MS'ing tests and a specific test for one of their retail shops. After passing the test, I see a shop located real close to where I live so I applied and received it. Now I am able to view the guidelines. The "commission" is only $5.00 with an $8.00 purchase reimbursement. When I originally saw "commission," I thought it was an end of month bonus. Apparently they use the word "commission" instead of shop fee.

After taking the test and reading the guidelines, there is a lot of work for $5.00 plus $8.00 reimbursement. It sounds like this might be the norm for this MSC. I don't see any high end-of-the-month bonuses.

Should I keep this shop (I have not committed to an assigned date yet) so I can get my foot in the door with them? Or just not choose a shop date which I guess eventually cancels out of the system? Does that count as a negative with them? Do they "grade" their shoppers?

1. You have NOT received the shop yet. It is only in your shopping cart. If you haven't committed to an assigned date yet, you don't have the shop. You have made no obligation whatsoever to the shop. (Thank goodness, because that's too cheap!) It's only in your "shopping cart".

2. Yes, they use "commission" instead of "fee".

3. You will incur NO penalty for letting the shop expire out of your shopping cart... I do it all the time when I'm considering a route, and nothing has ever come of it. The only time there would likely be a penalty is if you actually accept the shop (by choosing a date, checking the box next to "I have read... blah blah blah" & clicking "checkout" and THEN don't perform the shop without contacting them.

4. As mentioned, $5 is too cheap for this shop. Although, with an $8 reimbursement, if you really *need* something in the $13 range from this store, well, there you go. I admit I did that once when I really needed a housewares item and wanted it reimbursed. But, these shops go up in pay fairly quickly, at least in my area. I like them around the $15 + $8. Or higher, of course.

This is the housewares place, right? That's usually their base commission/reimbursement.

Oh, and...

5. Since this shop is just at it's base rate, you probably have selected from the list of November shops, rather than end of October. Also, check the "Start by"/"Due by" dates on the shop information. The closer to the "due by" date, the better pay it will get.

@ StormCloud ~ Thank you SO much for your great response. I have been off the grid for the past few days so I am just seeing it now. I love numbered/bulleted responses. You must write a great report! :-)

P.S. I never put the shop in my cart. The base price is slowly going up. I can wait since my first week of November is already packed with shops. Thanks again.

I love Cori shops. They go up fairly quickly around here. The last 2 weeks I've done the FF shop where you go in, get an order to go, get in your car and take 2 photos and fill out a very simple report - they were bonused to $18 plus reimbursement. And the food is yummy .

I also love their big box hardware stores - I always learn something plus it's one of my favorite stores. I try to wait till they're over $15. I'm comfortable with that for the amount of work required. They seemed complicated when I first started but I breeze through them in about 30 minutes now.

I have noticed that their gas stations aren't being bonused very quickly though. There's one I'd like to try but I'm not doing it for less than $12.

You're welcome, Shop2Live ~ and thanks for the compliment!

Good for you for waiting for the price to go up. It's always kind of exciting to check in on the shops you're interested in, and finding the pay has gone up. Well, except for those times it goes up by less than a dollar. Ha! They do send out "Commission Increase" emails, but sometimes I find the pay has gone up and never got an email about it.

Jen, I love those FF shops, too! I actually built a whole route of several highly bonused ones a couple of times. And no, I didn't eat all that. My Dad came along, too. Ha! We did eat all the ice cream, but brought several burgers home. I actually love taking photos of the ice cream ~ sometimes they almost turn out kind of 'artsy'. hee!

I never see gas stations in my area from CORI. The big box hardware store, though often gets up to pretty good pay, especially in a few out-of-town areas ~ enough to make it worth going sometimes! And there's two within five miles of me. I agree, for the work involved, $15 is my price to look for, too. Although I have taken them for as low as $12.50 if it seems like the scenario item is easy. A couple of times, though, I have wandered the store forever to find enough employees to see if they greet me.

But yes, CORI is one of my favorites. The jobs start out insanely cheap, but go up nicely. And they pay so quick and reliably!