I just completed one of the new grocery shops, well at least new for me. The pay and reimbursement is the same as it used to be but the report is different and there are up to 9 interactions counting the cashier and bagger. Plus you need to count all of the employees in the grocery area and what they are doing. After doing one of these, I am probably not going to sign up for any more. Also, I can't figure out if some of them are competitor shops. It seems odd that the same form and report is being used for different grocery store chains. Any thoughts?

Some of these grocery shops are for the name brand store, some are for competitors. The job identifies which it is. Yes, there is a lot of interaction for a little bit of money, but the report is simple to input to compensate for the 30 minutes in the store.

Don't worry, shoppers are dispensable commodities to MSC's... they will find someone to do these shops for them if you choose not to.

Trendsource doesn't pay much but the thing that I love about them is their schedulers. They have some of the nicest schedulers that I have ever come in contact with. That combined with the editors that don't just look for things to nit pick about make me always answer the phone for them. I'm going to do one of their grocery shops but then I'm so used to doing grocery shops that I automatically count the employees and how many registers are open even when I'm not on a shop lol!

The job no longer says competitor or not like it did in the past. These shops all say "west". Only.

I signed up for one of these last week and completed it today. I noted that when I printed out my eval form it had one grocery chain's name in the upper left corner even though, further down, it listed the actual chain I was shopping and its address. I thought it was a typo or carry over from another project, but now I am guessing that the chain listed at the top is shopping it's competitors. I chose a nice small store close to home, so I didn't have a lot of associates to count . Some departments didn't even have an associate so that dropped my number of interactions down (as well as my time, heh). Not a great fee, but I did get a few free groceries that I was needing to buy anyway.

are they still asking for EIN?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2014 10:07PM by gene.

That's not going to change.

(heart)

What is the resistance to the EIN anyway?? I just don't get it.

Perhaps it is because I have had a business of some type or another for so many years that I don't consider it an imposition, but, it actually is kind of a fail safe for an individual.

You can provide your EIN in all cases where you might need to reveal your SS number and you are thereby totally protected from fraud that could result from the wrong person getting access.

Nobody can open accounts or commit fraudulent transactions with an EIN number because it is tied to your SS but not an SS. It is kind of like encryption for your SS number - it puts a layer between you and the recipient of said number.

So tell me again, what is the resistance to getting/using one? It took all of about 10 min online.

Boutique Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What is the resistance to the EIN anyway?? I just
> don't get it.
>
> Perhaps it is because I have had a business of
> some type or another for so many years that I
> don't consider it an imposition, but, it actually
> is kind of a fail safe for an individual.
>
> You can provide your EIN in all cases where you
> might need to reveal your SS number and you are
> thereby totally protected from fraud that could
> result from the wrong person getting access.
>
> Nobody can open accounts or commit fraudulent
> transactions with an EIN number because it is tied
> to your SS but not an SS. It is kind of like
> encryption for your SS number - it puts a layer
> between you and the recipient of said number.
>
> So tell me again, what is the resistance to
> getting/using one? It took all of about 10 min
> online.




I never had a problem with it.

The number of shops I did for them were about 1% may be 3-5 per year and create EIN just to please them?

EINs are no big deal. Really.

gene Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The number of shops I did for them were about 1%
> may be 3-5 per year and create EIN just to please
> them?


Not to please them just to work for them lol! I think that they are fine either way.

Boutique Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What is the resistance to the EIN anyway?? I just
> don't get it.
>

The problem isn't in getting the EIN. The problem is in the tax reporting. Everything you do under the EIN has to be reported on a form separate from your other shops, unless you put everything under the EIN. Keep track of your income and expenses separately from your other shops; and don't forget to separate income from reimbursement for your EIN, just as you do for your other shops. In my opinion, wa-ay too much work for one company. This assumes of course that you don't bother with those few companies that don't give you a 1099 at the end of the year.

stilllearning is right. This won't change. I called the MSC to inquire about the need for an EIN. Evidently, a shopper in the past had created an issue through the State of California regarding workers' comp. (NO, I am not starting a new thread) The use of the EIN is to prevent that again.

laura007 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> The problem isn't in getting the EIN. The problem
> is in the tax reporting. Everything you do under
> the EIN has to be reported on a form separate from
> your other shops, unless you put everything under
> the EIN.


I haven't heard this before. I thought that, since your EIN links back to your SSN, that they could go on the same forms. Can someone else confirm this?

My tax accountant doesn't separate the EIN companies from the SSN ones...she does it all on one with my SSN.

Liz

Do You Need an EIN?
[www.irs.gov]

You will need an EIN if you answer "Yes" to any of the following questions. For your convenience, clicking on the "Yes" option will take you directly to How to apply for an EIN.
Daily Limitation of an Employer Identification Number
Effective May 21, 2012, to ensure fair and equitable treatment for all taxpayers, the Internal Revenue Service will limit Employer Identification Number (EIN) issuance to one per responsible party per day. This limitation is applicable to all requests for EINs whether online or by fax or mail. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Do you have employees? YES NO
Do you operate your business as a corporation or a partnership? YES NO
Do you file any of these tax returns: Employment, Excise, or Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms? YES NO
Do you withhold taxes on income, other than wages, paid to a non-resident alien? YES NO
Do you have a Keogh plan? YES NO
Are you involved with any of the following types of organizations?
Trusts, except certain grantor-owned revocable trusts, IRAs, Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Returns
Estates
Real estate mortgage investment conduits
Non-profit organizations
Farmers' cooperatives
Plan administrators
YES NO
Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 08-May-2014
Related Topics
Employer ID Numbers (EINs)


MY ANSWER ARE NO for all questions..>>why do I need such that number? to please Treadsource?

Stilllearning has completed an interview with Jim Caltrider, CEO of Trendsource, in which she asks the EIN question and receives their reply. That interview is slated to run in the July 7 issue of Mystery Shopper Magazine.

And yes, I know that's a teaser, but I'm not going to print part of the article early.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/2014 02:24AM by James Bond 007.5.

There is no need for a separate tax form if you have an EIN. It all goes on Schedule C.