I have noticed over time that as every upcoming month approaches, CoRi list the upcoming shops for that month. For most of those shops, the little shopping cart icon remains until the particular shop increases significantly enough to make it worthwhile. However, there are certain shops, grocery stores in particular, that immediately are taken just as soon as the shop appears. What I am saying is those shops have a "B" icon immediately - as soon as they are put up. OTOH, I've also seen these same shops with the "B" icon suddenly appear available.
I'm making the assumption that they are assigned to shoppers by their (the shopper's) request automatically, thereby not allowing others to vie for the shop. Yet, when they suddenly appear with the "B" icon gone, doesn't that mean that the shopper who requested it to be assigned get a rating reduction? wouldn't they be removed from the pre-assigned list?
If that is true, my question(s) is/are: Why bother to list the shops in the first place? If it is indeed the same shoppers every month, how does that make for a true representation of an impartial audit? IOW, doesn't that make for a chance of collusion, etc?
Anyone have insight on this?

Here's a tip for you. Open ALL shops with a "B". Not all are backup...

I didn't know that.

I didn't know that, either. I shop a lot for CoRI and would do more, but I always skip the "B" shops because I'm afraid they'd assign one when I wasn't going to be available.

If you choose to be a back up it does not assign you automatically.

OK, think I've got it. Possibly some of the "B" shops are actually "apply for" shops.

Isn't it rather odd that the shops would have a "B" icon if they're actually open? A techn ical glitch?
And, if they are truly "pre-assigned" shops, why do those particular shops not show up in my list of CoRi listed shops that one may ask for pre-assignment?
I suppose if it occurred infrequently, I would not be asking the question. But, the same shops show up as if they were pre-assigned month after month even though they are not on the list of shops that may be requested as pre-assigned.
Rather strange is it not?

I have come to the conclusion that it is quite DIFFICULT to figure out the shops and what has and hasn't been assigned....The Hardware shops are a MESS this month!!!

If you still have multiple shops for any hardware locations, look at them carefully. Normally the one due soonest, and the one likely to have the highest fee, would show up first. This month they seem to be backwards in some places.

shops are hard to get sometimes

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2013 08:58PM by txNana.

While you are waiting around on chat then getting whoever happens to be next, someone like me is on the phone getting shops scheduled

believe it or not, cori does have "preferred shoppers" that they
will scheduler shops for way in advance. Generally shoppers who
have never canceled a shop on them. Saves cori money since you
are scheduling so far out that it misses the future increases

But who would schedule so far out that you miss the increases? Does this mean they're doing them for the opening rate?

And I've noticed the 'upside-down' listing of the hardware stores, too... with the best paying ones sometimes at the bottom of the list. And the difficulty of actually snagging one!

If shoppers are scheduling like that there is probably some type of premium attached. They no longer have gas station routes here, but at one time the fees were based on the route and were higher than the posted rates. Since it involved a lot of jobs shoppers had several weeks to complete them all. It is not all that unusual.

Many of the large MSCs have routes and the shoppers who can deliver are going to be given first priority. As to shops being dropped, if you cancel a shop yourself on their website your rating will drop. If you are working with a scheduler there doesn't have to be an impact to your rating. Most routes involve travel and you never know what is going to come up to delay you on a trip.

I recently found a $50 gas station shop that had a "B" but was not on backup. No dates were available to schedule it. I called and the scheduler graciously got approval to schedule it out to the date when it could be done..today. If the fee was not high, I would not request one of their shops going out a week or more. The reason I could not schedule it myself was due to the time they need between shops. Some will appear with a "B" when they can't be self scheduled yet due to this. It's fun to watch them go up while no one can actually take them (unless it's Lisa STL or me calling to get it)

LisaSTL: while that applies to shop shoppers, lets not forget
the shoppers that have no problem taking the shops for the
initial starting fee and then ruining the rate increases for the
next few months while they are at it!

WHAT????? if it shows a B you can still schedule it?

Most shops are marked with a B because someone else has taken them already.
Sometimes a shop is marked with a B because you have shopped it recently, and must wait a certain amount of time to do it again.
Sometimes a shop is marked with a B because it was recently shopped by someone else and the MSC must wait a certain amount of time to assign it to anyone else (including you.)
Sometimes a shop is marked with a B because of a computer glitch (in which case, forget live chat, just call and ask for it.)
Sometimes a shop is marked with a B after someone rolled it and patted it, in preparation for putting it in the oven for Baby and me.

LOLOLOL well I'm 51 of 51 waiting to be helped on chat.......

all you need to do is look at the schedule dates...
If there is a range of dates that means it is not
assigned to anyone yet.

If there is a single date then it is assigned.

If you did a shop at that location recently then
you are on rotation and cannot do the shop.

If someone else did a shop there recently then
it can't be assigned until the wait time has passed,
but depending on your record they may assign it to
you in advance for the first day it can be shopped again.

I understand that while waiting for chat someone can take my shops but I usually have them in my cart and the scheduler cant take them from me.
As for phones.....I STILL cant get anyone to answer....know all their voices because of the votheicemail but have yet to talk with them.

As for getting the shops pushed out...seems that the only one to be able to do that is the scheduler directly in charge of those shops...anyone else will tell you "nope cant do it...the end"
I do the gas shops, usually end up making a route and that scheduler has been really good about getting back to me about the dates, and questions.

I will say who ever is doing the "shops with errors" job......IS REALLY SLOW!!!!

I finally emailed the scheduler and explained what was going on and he simply sent me an email with the few shops I still had on my home page with the SIMPLE errors...I corrected them quickly and shops "checked in" within the hour.

There are probably close to 50hardware shops in my area....several at the same location....and since no one wants to work with me...I will wait till they 40.00 each (in a 20 mile radius), and them desperate to get done, and have a nice pay day!!!

Actually a scheduler can take away a shop in your cart or for that matter after it is assigned. In my experience it has never happened. Once while one was in my cart a scheduler actually called and asked my intentions. She had a shopper on the phone who was ready to take it and needed a decision ASAP. Several times the newer shops at particular locations have been assigned while the older ones with the bigger bonus were still sitting on the board. The new dates blocked me from assigning so the scheduler manually assigned the shops to me and said they were pushing out the dates for the other shopper.

I am lost. If the website won't let me schedule, I'll just move on to something else. I can't figure all this out. LOL

Tatjana Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have noticed over time that as every upcoming
> month approaches, CoRi list the upcoming shops for
> that month. For most of those shops, the little
> shopping cart icon remains until the particular
> shop increases significantly enough to make it
> worthwhile. However, there are certain shops,
> grocery stores in particular, that immediately are
> taken just as soon as the shop appears. What I am
> saying is those shops have a "B" icon immediately
> - as soon as they are put up. OTOH, I've also seen
> these same shops with the "B" icon suddenly appear
> available.
> I'm making the assumption that they are assigned
> to shoppers by their (the shopper's) request
> automatically, thereby not allowing others to vie
> for the shop. Yet, when they suddenly appear with
> the "B" icon gone, doesn't that mean that the
> shopper who requested it to be assigned get a
> rating reduction? wouldn't they be removed from
> the pre-assigned list?
> If that is true, my question(s) is/are: Why bother
> to list the shops in the first place? If it is
> indeed the same shoppers every month, how does
> that make for a true representation of an
> impartial audit? IOW, doesn't that make for a
> chance of collusion, etc?
> Anyone have insight on this?


The "B" icon is an opportunity for you to sign up as a backup shopper.

Not always David. A lot of the time it allows you to get the shop as the primary Shopper...

ok folks....lets be HONEST here.............

Ever since the Ohio office was closed down, the board/company has been a mess.......from the delays in emails to editing, it is VERY frustrating!!!

I know this company is "technically" new.....but the system was not nor was the board.

Just miss the Ohio Girls!!!

That is for sure.

I have several shops in august and July yet to be done. My requests go unanswered.

I am not the only one - I know others who have the same problems.

Miss the Ohio bunch, but try to understand that the new ones are just that - new ones.

Shopped the moon and found Green Cheese, Major Tom and David Bowie, not necessarily in that order.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I dress to kill, but tastefully" - Freddie Mercury ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've also noticed that some quarterly shops show up month after month. I've always assumed quarterly were every three months.
Is that true?
Also, what is the wait period for those?

Shopped the moon and found Green Cheese, Major Tom and David Bowie, not necessarily in that order.

~~~~~~~~~ "I dress to kill, but tastefully" - Freddie Mercury ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm a little annoyed I never knew that some "B" shops could actually be assigned. I always assumed that they were backup only - probably because that's what CORI tells you... After reading this thread, I checked a few "B" shops on the board and sure enough, I could add them to my cart and assign. I wish I had known sooner...

Tatjana:.......Look at the job ID number. If the first 3 numbers are the same as the ones being done that month...it was ordered for that month. If it was higher than it is a re-shop. That would be my only guess as to why they keep showing up.

TLT14.....That is what I like about these forums....learn something new everyday!!!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2013 02:07PM by txNana.