I'm sorry but there is no way given the fact that you have to spend at least 5 hours on this for $95 that anyone has enough time to make a decent living doing a route of these. I need $300 in fees a day to travel and that's bare minimum. They would have to be doing another $205 in the time left over. Doing a hotel shop might bring that down to needing another $125 in fees but between a hotel shop and a 5 hour audit who has time for anything else?

Wouldn't be my cup of tea now, but there was a time, before kids, when my husband and I would travel and shop together. Something like this would have been great because the two of us could have driven up to a different city, did two apiece, added a couple gas shops, spent the night at a shop, and be $400 richer between us. That's a lot more than many couples make sitting around watching football all weekend.

DON'T DO IT!!! Read the fine print, you "may"(wink,wink) have to go back the next day, and the next, and next...If not they may threaten you with a citation on your shop log. It 'may' read something like "......flaked". It seems children work there. Unless you like to work for $2 an hour and be treated unprofessionally. There is a great used car salesforce there

Wait. On another thread you said the flake citation was for an entirely different shop you cancelled. Was it a different shop or the audit?

LisaSt - No the flake citation was for the next shop I picked up. But, I was threatened with the same threat only the next time it was done. I was threatened with a lot more when I told them that the employees were coming up to me saying that the store was so disorganized. When I tried to relay this to them I received a nasty threat of how it was against my contract to speak with the employees.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2015 01:49AM by Jeremy.

Yeah, I did one last week and I'm about to do another one tomorrow. If you have a background working in retail, most of this shop will be fairly easy to comprehend and grasp. If you DON'T have a background in retail then you will most likely struggle quite a bit because it required knowledge of planograms, inventory lingo and telxon guns. Personally, I found the instructions to be a tremendous amount to take in and they have a video you have to watch which has information that is not in the written instructions. The first time, I had to read the instructions off my phone while putting in the audit on my tablet. I was well prepared but it's just so lengthy and so much to take in, it can be quite daunting. However, once you complete one of these, everything makes more sense. My first one went very slowly as to make sure I had performed everything correctly and it only took 6 1/2 hours. You are required to stay in the store at least 5 hours otherwise you'll be banned from doing anymore. But long answer short, YES I think these are definitely worth the money and once you get in there and learn what you're doing I think they are pretty easy. Right now they have a $75 bonus on them so they're paying about $160-170. I think that's pretty darn good.

EDIT: Also, I like being able to put everything straight into the tablet. This audit would be very easy to do in 5 hours and there would be no input after you're done which I think is just pure heaven.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2015 02:03AM by Ronkie.

@Ronkie wrote:

Yeah, I did one last week and I'm about to do another one tomorrow. If you have a background working in retail, most of this shop will be fairly easy to comprehend and grasp. If you DON'T have a background in retail then you will most likely struggle quite a bit because it required knowledge of planograms, inventory lingo and telxon guns. Personally, I found the instructions to be a tremendous amount to take in and they have a video you have to watch which has information that is not in the written instructions. The first time, I had to read the instructions off my phone while putting in the audit on my tablet. I was well prepared but it's just so lengthy and so much to take in, it can be quite daunting. However, once you complete one of these, everything makes more sense. My first one went very slowly as to make sure I had performed everything correctly and it only took 6 1/2 hours. You are required to stay in the store at least 5 hours otherwise you'll be banned from doing anymore. But long answer short, YES I think these are definitely worth the money and once you get in there and learn what you're doing I think they are pretty easy. Right now they have a $75 bonus on them so they're paying about $160-170. I think that's pretty darn good.

EDIT: Also, I like being able to put everything straight into the tablet. This audit would be very easy to do in 5 hours and there would be no input after you're done which I think is just pure heaven.

Yeah, that is a reasonable fee if you don't mind that kind of work. It amazes me at how many suckers did it for the original amount. "Golly gee. The route shoppers love these." BARF. Lies.

question: Does one need to get on line while at the store? I only get on line when I have wi fi available. I will be changing cell phone companies soon as contract expires soon.

@SoCalMama
I totally agree.
If they didn't require you to be at the store for 5 hours, it would be a decent rate. I could get these done in 2 1/2 hours solid.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2015 03:05AM by Ronkie.

@awfulart wrote:

question: Does one need to get on line while at the store? I only get on line when I have wi fi available. I will be changing cell phone companies soon as contract expires soon.

Nope, no need to get online. They have an offline app that you download to a smartphone or tablet. Eventually you will need to be online to submit the audit but it can be done at a later time.

I have done several at the bonus rate. I agree that these can be done in less than 5 hours. I find myself proofing everything in store just to take up time. I hate the waiting around time - last night I waited over 25 minutes for the manager, who was "helping a customer." On one shop, they caught a shoplifter right as I finished. The manager was tied up - which is totally understandable. But it was after 5pm and I was told that I had to leave! I was willing to wait around (well, not really wait, but the grocery store is at the same mall - I could get my shopping done and come back in 45 minutes) rather than have to come back for a second day just for the meeting with the manager to go over the form. Ugh!

Yes you have to enter the information while you are at the store.

One of the schedulers admitted to me that most experienced auditors
can complete these shops in well under 5 hours...

Maybe they have something in their contract with them saying auditors
will do a thorough job and spend at least 5 hours in store and the way
its worded their afraid if auditors spend less time that the client will try
and pay less or not pay for it. Remember many times people that make
these deals with clients never spend time in the field and are far removed
from the field. Time to do a shop is not black and white ever.

Also the fact that they require to start at a certain time and require you
to enter it using only a tablet starts to blur the line between IC vs employee.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2015 04:14PM by techman01.

You have keep in mind that this is a PART TIME JOB, I will say it again, PART TIME JOB, then it maybe worth it to some. 85.00-95.00 an audit and you can do as many as you want is not a bad income for PART TIME. Also, yes there is a charge of 30-35 dollars for a background/drug test but this is reimbursed after 2 completed audits. If you haven't been reimbursed after 2 audits, just shoot an email to your scheduler and she will take care of it for you. Thanks

I'm confused about who and what you are replying to. What is a PART TIME JOB? For some of us this is our FULL TIME BUSINESS. We get to deduct business expenses and then out of our net we pay SS taxes, self employment taxes and all our own insurance.

I don't know about the rest of you but I personally am tired of Gfk's emails trying to get people to sign up to do these audits. If they are having to send out emails a couple times a day to find auditors, then they are obviously not paying enough to get people on board.

Do the ones close to my house first so I don't lose money on gas then if I want to do some traveling and there other shops along I choose them then. The shops usually only take 5 hours to complete

I've done 7 of these audits now. My background check was reimbursed within 2 weeks of the second audit. The first time I did the audit it took 8 hours because I had issues with the Telxon gun and didn't realize it was simply because they act stupid when the battery starts to run low. Now, I stay 5 hours but the audit doesn't take that long and I do it really well. Sometimes I'll grab something to eat when I get halfway through so I don't get to the end and waste time.

As far as the pay, I did one in my town for the listed pay. All the rest I have done with bonuses, from $120-150 for some or no travel. And this week I was paid $250 and $400 for 1-3 hours to reach the site.

I'd do 2 or 3 a week if they didn't wait until the last 10 days of the month to authorize bonuses!!

If the telxon battery has become an issue, you can change it, even while in use of the telxon, and insert a fresh battery. No data will be lost. But getting a fully charged battery when you walk in the door will last 5 hours, minimum.

Yes, I know that now after the first experience.

To each his own. Have done several of these.
There are two with 10 mins of my home and another three within 45 mins. I usually finish these in 4 hours, double check another 30 mins - 1 hour, then usually pick up a post office, and a couple of meal shops (sometimes Breakfast, lunch and dinner) and be home when the kids arrive.

So, they work for me. Those farest away from home, I wait for the bonus.

I like the current audit overall. There have been some growing pains. The Tablet app crashed last week and ate my entire report. I was working off line. So backup all photos and take notes or you may have return a second day like I did. I could regularly finish in 4 hours to 4.5 hours if not for the minimum requirement time in store. I double check everything and don't walk so fast after I'm done with the telzon.

I did the older audits and they were a lot more work. I seem to recall them paying 150 not 250 though but Florida does not have the mega stores. I vaguely recall that the pay was higher elsewhere. I did travel at beginning of program to help out with reasonable bonus for gas. Start time was more flexible at beginning of program. An editor gave me my first 1 ever for arriving late and so far no reply from my request for grace on the issue. I have all info backed up and have offered to reenter for third time if it means that I get paid. I think that I forgot to add reason for lateness as I was racing to re-enter entire report due to crash and I had other commitments on day 2. I was 25 minutes late due to a car accident on I-4. I had left without much of a cushion due to family responsibilities. Travel time for me was way more than an hour one way. Normal travel time is about 40 minutes and near my daughter's college so I was ok with the commute until now. I texted an email to scheduler on my phone while in traffic. I never received a reply about arrival time to my texted email. I spoke with hotline on other issues several times and my arrival time was mentioned. I returned a second day without warning from anyone that I would not be paid. I logged in today to check for other open audits and saw the rating of 1. No email from editor or request for clarification on arrival time. Second day was not due to my lateness but because app removed my entire report less than an 1 hour or so before I finished. I had over an hour of cushion left before exit time (ie crashed by 3 pm). Overall I love the tablet and just bought a new samsung 4 7 inch to make it easier to carry around. I hope other companies offer the option of tablet entry as not having a report when I get home is amazing most of the time.

I'm not happy today but I have worked with some awesome schedulers including Christy and Dante was very helpful when he was assigned to my area. Dante gave out his cell number and I could text him anytime. I worked with Donna in the past and she was responsive and helpful. If I'm not paid, I will only take the two locations very close to home in the future. Assuming I'm allowed to schedule them after receiving a 1. My ratings are normally an 8-10. Oh, the joys of self employment. Even with a bonus I will not chose to travel in the future as not worth the stress to me or GFK. I would still love to get paid rather than audit be reassigned but the start time is in guidelines so no trickery. A note from editor would have been nice though. I have gotten a hold of schedulers in the past and received permission to start 15-30 minutes later due to traffic or family conflicts in the past. So either my request got lost or the start time is now a hard (no exceptions) number like the ending time.

I have always been paid in the past as agreed and on time. I have heavy care giving duties at this season of my life so can only afford to work part time due to time pressures. We are blessed that hubby has a very good job and my side business helps us pay for non regular expenses like helping with college textbooks, medical or car repairs. So money is needed but the work being low stress is a priority, too.

The training is very detailed and hotline help gets back to me quickly while in store. The telzons are working better. Several improvements have been made to this audit since it started to make training and execution easier. I have extensive plano and merchandising experience. In past when large stores would often take 8 or 9 hours and telzon issues were legend so I prefer the shorter audits for less money. I did receive my background money back with no troubles.

Hope this helps someone else make an informed choice. This project may be an elephant that GFK needs a little more time to digest but it is a good audit in my opinion and GFK has been one of the better companies overall for 10 years or more. I did gas shops and pharmacies way back and loved them.

Billianna, please reach out to the scheduler again and I am almost certain they will change that score. The editors are from another company (wordsmithpros). The scheduler can change the score. Keep hounding them. Write messages on the comment area of the submitted shop AND email the scheduler repeatedly, with reasonable time between emails. Considering your past performance, etc., I am sure they will be fair. I hope you get this resolved!

I have hounded them both ways, two each yesterday. I will send one more today.

Have you contacted Christy directly? She seems to have the most decision making capacity...

I got a reply today from Christy. Her answer was professional as always. I was removed from program due to arrival time and my audit being too short. I was not under the 5 hours at any time. This audit first day was about 6 hours and 2nd about 1.5 so it was definitely not too short. My shortest audit that I recall ever was 5 hours and 15 minutes. The store scored almost perfectly with only a few errors (best that I have recall seeing) so they may have thought I was cutting corners.

So on to a new program for resets with another company. The scheduler was calling last week and I hated to not be able to take more than 6 when he needed 15 covered but now I have the time. So my income has already been replaced. Pay is about a dollar less per hour but hours to complete are open from 7 am til midnight on Mon - Friday. So they fit my very busy life better at this time. I would definitely do a different project in the future for GFK. I was late last week and I had needed to contact Christy or my current scheduler to reschedule recently. I did email in advance with alternate dates. So no hard feelings on my part.

So moral of story is do not arrive after that start time ever. There is no way for sure to contact most of the schedulers for traffic issues, etc. Make sure if time is off even by 5 minutes to place that in comments at end of report for editor and leave way early if driving a distance. I am just too slammed to regularly leave as much extra drive time as I'd prefer for now. I'm only able to keep an extra 10-15 and prefer an extra 30 - 45 minutes. Also back up all photos and mark all skus on the forms in store so you can re-enter on paper if app crashes. Always carry the current months guildelines and a paper print out of audit in case of technical difficulties. A backup on your phone will not help and you will have to do the work again. The app locked up and my entire report was just gone on the mobile platform. The website was fine. I was really upset yesterday because of returning for second day after taking to hotline but today I am reminded that I am self employed and all my earnings are at risk. GFK's responsibility is to the client who is their customer and despite the length of time I have worked for them that counts for more. They need to make sure they are delivering the best product to their customer.
I hope someone else can benefit from my mistakes. As for me I am going re-evaluationing my work schedule yet again as this season seems way to busy.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2015 06:43PM by billianna.

This audit should not take up so much time. 5.5 hours is about it, and when you factor in using a tablet so that it can be uploaded immediately, with no data entry upon coming home, this actually works out quite a bit better than the long 2 day version of years ago.
As for breaking it up into smaller sections, no way. I refused to incur the costs of travel multiple times to the same long distance locations when the other company had the contract. THAT would have made these not worth it, other than to the one location in my hometown.
Get it over with in one trip, report uploaded before you walk out of the location, NOW we are talking!

Actually, it turns out that the app works better if you stay off-line during the actual audit. You only NEED to be on-line to make sure you have the most current form loaded into your app, and again only when you are ready to upload the finished report.
All of these locations have free WiFi available to their customers anyway, so you don't even need to use data on your cellphone service.

You do have to enter your data while in the store BUT you can work off line. When you get home, you can upload the report via your home Wi-Fi. Also the store has Wi-Fi. I was given the password and logged on in the store to upload my data.

I was working offline when the report disappeared. I was doing a section that results in print outs so was not using the tablet until I finished that section. I went to enter the results and the photos uploads of the reports and my entire report was gone. Hotline said it had happened a few times that week. I returned for second day to a small portion of part that of report that requires items from a file cabinet. That's why I was upset about the second day. I would have finished about 5 hours and 20 minutes or so as usual. If I was not going to be paid for being late, let me know before I return for a second day and spend the time entering report on website at home as well. I was also told my time in store was too short (over 7 hours between the two days).