OMG I am so so upset. Did anyone see the email that just came out from Maritz about the Blue Gas stations. I am so devastated because I do these shops in routes and usually travel. So I have no clue what I am going to do with the 60 shops I have assigned for next week because I have other obligations and I definitely cannot do these shops over 6 days with this 10 shop limit. I am not going to travel 95 miles to only do 10 shops. Looks like these schedulers are going to have to get my shops scheduled to someone else cause I always do 20-25 shops on my routes. This was my steady monthly income and I am really upset. I just put a call out to team 3, lets see what they say

Have not got such a mail and do a lot of this shop.
What is the 10 shop limit?

They are saying that these shops should take no shorter than 45 min to complete and that the client is now limiting the shops to 10 or less a day. Like i just told the lady from team three, I can understand if there are shoppers who are going to do 20 shops and are only working for 5 hours, how that could be a problem. But i travel to do mine so yes i do 25 shops in a day but i have also been doing these shops for over 6 years, full time. I also work from 9am-usually 1am the following morning. So like i asked her l, since I am doing a 16 hour day this is no different than someone doing a 8 hour day and doing 10. Like I explained to her, I have one other company i do shops for monthly. I have also been doing these shops for over 6 years. Many other auditors take 2 days to complete these shops I complete in 4 hours. Once you have been doing them for so long, you know what to look for, its like second nature to me. I rarely get shops returned and when I do it's usually on the editors end, not mine. For example, In have 59 shops scheduled for March 6-11. I am unable to work on Fridays or Saturdays because I can never get sitters those days, I've never had to. I had all my maps ready to go, 18 shops one day over 12 hours, 23 shops the next day over 15 hours, and 14 shops the last day over 14 hours. I am just at a loss for words, lol obviously not with size of this post, and i really feel blindsided. I cannot imagine driving over 95 miles to do 10 shops and then the next day 75 miles to do 10 more when i was just there the day before.

So sorry for this long post. But this is my rent check. I make sure i do all my shops before the 15th so that i can pay my rent on the 1st the following month. I talked to team 3 and they want me to put my concerns in an email. I was hoping that based on experience they would be able to make adjustments but she said for now this is what the client wants.

So bummed!
Carrie

Well, hopefully it can work out for you. Maybe some better incentives later in the month.
The most I have done in one day is 9! Usually on a route I do 6-8 a day. Aren't you also hit with the 75 per period limit, though?

I am also perturbed of this recent news. Doing 10 or more shops in a day is actually advantageous for the shopper because they get into a nice rhythm. Like mizzessummer said, when you've done these kinds of shops for years, it becomes second nature. I think they'll end up regretting this decision. The silver lining is that there might be larger incentives out there in the future. Nonetheless, I will have to adjust.

The thing that bothers me the most is that they are saying it is rare than an evaluation takes less than 45 minutes. Are you kidding me? These evaluations can be completed in a thorough manner in half or even 1/3 that time, depending on how busy the station is. I expect some push back from the road warriors who average double digits a day.

This is a perfect example of why I don't put all my mystery shopping eggs in one basket. I am always juggling several different shops for several different MSCs along with multiple special projects. I recently had a special project that the client suddenly put "on hold" for probably at least a month. I was bummed for about 15 seconds and then I realized that one of my March projects could actually start in February. I still have the original project "on hold" and I got my March project done early. Win win for me and the MSC and their client.

I also do a lot of these shops but nothing close to 20 per day. The shop itself takes 20 to 30 minutes plus the travel plus the report. I can't conceive trying to do 20 per day. It sounds a though the email was directed directly to the OP and not a general blast as I have not received one. But then I only do 5, maybe 6 per day.

I haven't received the email either, but I don't do nearly that many per day. I start to shake after 4-5. Perhaps it's a different station than the ones I do. Are you discussing the "photo of every pump" station or another?

So only certain people have gotten this email? I find that to be a little a weird. When I spoke with them I asked if it had anything to do with a call I made earlier in the day. Usually the Blue stations are scheduled from Sunday-Saturday but this month for some reason they are going from Monday-Saturday so I had called to see if I could do 18 of them a day early, which I have done many, many times. Then I got this email. But she assured me that this is the client's choice. Like I told her, I know many shoppers who travel and do their shops. I couldn't imagine that anyone will be doing this now to do 10 shops one day and ten the other. I think the only thing that will save me this month will be that luckily I got ten of the Green station routes so I guess I can split them up and do ten of each, each day.
I did ask her if they would be willing to make changes and give extensions without my rating going down and if I choose to not drive another 90 miles the next day, if my rating would be affected. She said they would be willing to work with me. Also like I said to her, I have already did my schedule for the month and only had the 3 days planned for these so if I could only do ten shops a day over those 3 days, then I would be giving back 25 shops that I could not complete. That has got to be a headache for them also. And then next month again, all my shops will be assigned for the same week and will have to stress again. Hopefully this will be adjusted or fixed by then, I can only pray.

So glad there is somewhere to vent to people who know my stress. My husband looks at it like it's no big deal.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2017 06:31AM by mizzessummer.

@mizzessummer, please edit your last post. You have an ICA and forum violation towards the end of the post.

@mizzessummer wrote:

So only certain people have gotten this email? I find that to be a little a weird. When I spoke with them I asked if it had anything to do with a call I made earlier in the day.

If the client has implemented a new policy and it only affects certain shoppers, there is no need to send it out to hundreds and hundreds of unnecessary shoppers.

@mizzessummer wrote:

Like I told her, I know many shoppers who travel and do their shops. I couldn't imagine that anyone will be doing this now to do 10 shops one day and ten the other.

Shoppers take shops for a variety of reasons. How many threads have there been that complain about shoppers who take "the low-hanging fruit" shops? Yet those shops fly off the boards month after month.

@mizzessummer wrote:

I did ask her if they would be willing to make changes and give extensions without my rating going down and if I choose to not drive another 90 miles the next day, if my rating would be affected. She said they would be willing to work with me.

Were you speaking with a "regular" Team 3 member or a team leader? If it is a "regular" Team 3 member, they really do not have much power at all. They don't even have email. If you are negotiating with a team leader, you might have a bit more luck. If this decision is truly coming from the client. the client rules.

@mizzessummer wrote:

So glad there is somewhere to vent to people who know my stress. My husband looks at it like it's no big deal.

I am kinda with your husband on this one. Maybe this is the perfect time to step outside of your comfort zone and try new shops, new routes with new MSCs.

Well after I spoke with the team member, who was also speaking with a team leader while we were on the phone, she called me back about 10 minutes later. She did say that there is some flexibility and asked if I would send an email to a supervisor so that it can be passed along to the client. As I said to her, regardless if I am at a station with 20 pumps and a few infractions during rush hour, I do not see my shop taking 45 minutes. My work would be entered no different and that I make a choice to work 18 hour days so that I can travel and make it to more shops, should be no different that if I was working 6 hours and completing 10 shops. I like how the email said "we have identified a pool of evaluators who have completed more than 10 Site Inspections in a single day on multiple occasions." Like I said I am one of these evaluators but over the last 3 years it has never been brought to my attention that this is a problem. Any time that I have had an issue brought to me by a team member, leader or supervisor, I make sure I improve myself and never make that error again. So if it was an issue I wish it would have been brought to my attention I guess, if they are singling me out as one of these evaluators.

@mizzessummer wrote:

So glad there is somewhere to vent to people who know my stress. My husband looks at it like it's no big deal.

I am kinda with your husband on this one. Maybe this is the perfect time to step outside of your comfort zone and try new shops, new routes with new MSCs.


I work for many MSCs. I do a variety of different shops monthly, but the companies that pay consistently, on a weekly or bi-weekly basis are the ones I rely on. And my husband can act likes it's no big deal, but when he is picking up the bills because I am getting limited on my shops, then it will be my turn to act like it's no big deal.

So of the 20 different branded gas station shops/audits I have done, I have yet to find one where the average time is 45 minutes. In my experience gas stations range from 10 minutes (really easy no pics on site) to 25 minutes (multiple pics including every pump with 20 plus pumps). If I were doing a route of them in one day I could easily see doing 15 and with the right locations as many as 30 in one day. Alas I would not be doing them no matter how easy at base rate. The best bet may just be to not auto assign and get bonuses where your doing less stations for more money.

I feel for you. The most I've ever done is eight (I think). I try to limit my shops to five a day whenever possible.
Some suggestions:
Two ways that I see doing these shops under those restrictions:
1 - Take a laptop with you that has internet connectivity and a mobile internet (mobile WiFi). Perform the shop and then do the report. Then move on to the next shop. BTW, if you knew of local WiFi hotspots along your route, you could eliminate the mobile WiFi device.

2 - Start your shops later. Meaning late in the evening performing half before midnight and the nsecond half after midnight.

Like everyone else says, there is just no way these shops take 45 minutes! When it was the other company that had these shops, I was doing them in 10 minutes. Plus, I always had a very high shopper rating.
You indeed, get in a rhythm when doing these and know what to look for and how to do them.
I also believe this Email was directly sent to you and not others. In the past, I've received Emails about not finding "enough" flaws or problems that other shoppers have found at the same location. I know other shoppers have received Emails who have found too many problems at various sites. I'm certain it is a mathematical algorithm in which shoppers are judged.
I also will add that although shoppers are not supposed to talk with the attendants at these sites, I have heard complaints about other shoppers being mean, nasty, demeaning and overly critical. I've even heard that some shoppers have wives/girlfriends, husbands/boyfriends, and/or children accompanying them. That doesn't matter to me. Whatever.
Some employees have said that the other shopper marked them off for not having certain decals on their pumps when clearly the photos of the pumps show otherwise. Hearing this makes me think that some shoppers have found a way to stay within the shopper algorithm.
I just nod, smile and try to converse as little as possible, staying away from the shopper findings.

@mizzessummer wrote:

I like how the email said "we have identified a pool of evaluators who have completed more than 10 Site Inspections in a single day on multiple occasions." Like I said I am one of these evaluators but over the last 3 years it has never been brought to my attention that this is a problem. Any time that I have had an issue brought to me by a team member, leader or supervisor, I make sure I improve myself and never make that error again. So if it was an issue I wish it would have been brought to my attention I guess, if they are singling me out as one of these evaluators.

They ARE bringing it to your attention by sending you the email. Maybe it was not an issue three years but now it is in the client's eyes. And there was no need to send it to their entire shopper base. You must have not read the section of a previous post.

@mizzessummer wrote:

So only certain people have gotten this email? I find that to be a little a weird. When I spoke with them I asked if it had anything to do with a call I made earlier in the day.
If the client has implemented a new policy and it only affects certain shoppers, there is no need to send it out to hundreds and hundreds of unnecessary shoppers.

It does take me 45 minutes to do them as I only take bonus shops and perform maybe 10 a year. I have to double check all of my data and pictures before I leave which is tedious. My guess is that if they go with this standard, and then have fewer shops performed by regulars, then I would imagine they have to bonus more shops. Right now I'm looking at more bonus shops then I have seen.

At $10.50 or $12.00 a shop, limiting shops to ten per day is beyond ridiculous. I can't even justify starting my car if I knew I was going to be out for 6 hours or more, driving around, and then have to enter/debrief the shops for another 20-30 minutes apiece. Quick math tells me that 9 hours of work for $120 max is not exactly the wage I want to earn.
Maritz is putting the squeeze on its shoppers...sketchy at best.

I did more than 10 shops about half a dozen times last year. They are usually far away, and would not be worth doing if I had to limit myself to 10. I already wait for bonuses, so I guess I will have to wait for higher bonuses.

I received the same e-mail and a courtesy call earlier today. I have noticed some changes since the beginning of the year with this client. (1) The shops in my area were always bonused $10-$12 the first time being bonused. Since the first of the year the bonuses have started at $3-$4 per shop. (2) The March shops were released mid-February instead of a few days before the beginning of March. Usually, the shops are released a few days before the beginning of the new month. The shops disappeared quickly, even though the pay in considerably less. I sure hope Maritz/Client doesn't change the form from 20 minutes to 45 minutes.
I've had more than one station owner complain about how they pay Maritz $50 a month for the shopper to come out. That's a nice bonus for Maritz if the shopper picks up the shop at base pay.
I wonder if the shoppers that didn't receive the e-mail or phone call can still do as many shops as they want to do on a given day?

There are changes being made to this program by the client. They are hoping to have the changes made public by April.

As far as I know, I am not prohibited from doing 10 of these gas stations in one day. Since I work a FT job M-TH and I usually don't work weekends, I guess it has not been an issue. I have done extensive routes for this client though which involved overnight stays but I always get extended deadlines in writing before accepting the route and leaving town.

@mshelliep wrote:

I've had more than one station owner complain about how they pay Maritz $50 a month for the shopper to come out. That's a nice bonus for Maritz if the shopper picks up the shop at base pay.

The station owners pay a fee to the gas corporation NOT to Maritz. Most of them do not even know what Maritz is. I was surprised to find out that they have to pay for the credit card applications, holders and other marketing materials. Since corporate is requiring these gas stations to have all these marketing materials, I figured the corp was footing the bill.

Not exactly Sybil.....The general franchisee marketing fees (print, radio, TV, etc.) are mandatory. Other franchisee fees are specified by each service or piece of material that is shipped/used. Not all marketing pieces have to be used, but some ARE mandatory (e.g.: credit card apps). The mystery shopping program is mandatory and its cost is one that is specified. I know this because my neighbor owns five "Flying Horse" gas stations and four yellow gas stations. We have interesting cocktail hour conversations!

For what it's worth, I just spoke to a supervisor with team(--) and she told me the changes are coming from the client, not Maritz. She said," The changes are for everyone and are very set." She said the reason for the change is the fact that some shoppers were doing way more shops than possible in one day.
Back to the marketing- A station employee mentioned that he had to have 50% marketing (POP). He followed me to each pump as I took pictures and commented on everything.This makes sense as to why some stations don't have correct marketing at all pumps.

The blue stations with a full audit, no mystery shop part, are the ones that take 45 minutes and pay $21.00

@pegleg2000 wrote:

The blue stations with a full audit, no mystery shop part, are the ones that take 45 minutes and pay $21.00

Interesting. I have not seen these in my area.

@LIJake

I love them. It is audit only. 2 pictures and check POP and other things in store and outside. If you do it in less then 45 minutes they question it.

@pegleg2000 wrote:

@LIJake

I love them. It is audit only. 2 pictures and check POP and other things in store and outside. If you do it in less then 45 minutes they question it.

That doesn't make any sense to me. An audit that requires a lot less work/photos with a mandatory time frame and pays more at base than the combo MS/audit where every pump requires a photo besides other requirements?

@Sybil2 wrote:

An audit that requires a lot less work/photos

There's some work involved, such as checking temperatures using dial and infrared thermometers, ensuring everything works/is clean, looking for dozens of specific products, and checking all signage, both inside and outside. Most of the focus is in the store, which is nice if the weather becomes an issue. It does take a bit of time though, especially if the store is huge.

As mshelliep said that the supervisor mentioned "The changes are for everyone and are very set." She said the reason for the change is the fact that some shoppers were doing way more shops than possible in one day.

I wonder how they figure this. How do they know how many hours we work in a day and i question if anyone of the clients have ever done one of these shops. I also talked to them many times today and like I told them, i choose to travel and work 18 hour days because that's what works with my schedule. Really i don't see what the difference is if I do 16 shops in a day that is a 15 hour day or if I do 6 shops in a 6 hour day. I also mentioned how I heard that not everyone was getting the email and they did assure me that this will apply to everyone. I guess the people who have not received it will probably be warned after they go over this new "10 shop limit."

Looks like I am going to have to find some new shops. I just like how I am assigned them automatically and I am paid every two weeks and have never had a problem with my check.

It might be bad news for some shoppers but very good news for other shoppers. More locations will now open up and as the month grows longer, the bonus money will start rolling in.