Sandy pretty much sums up my understanding of how CEO's view MSing and the wages offered.
The majority of them did not start out as shoppers and work their way up. A majority have hospitality degrees or management experience, with very little knowledge of what shoppers go through...and even the ones who shopped at one time seem to have forgotten the struggles of shoppers. Many see shoppers as expendable resources who require very little training or education.
I have had wages justified to me in conversations as being competitive, offering what the market will bear, and being greater than what the other staff (schedulers and editors) make. When I have explained high pay rates provided by smaller boutique MSCs, they were met with skepticism...and it doesn't help that the large MSCs will post and make it easy for others to see the very low rates that shoppers will work for. When a CEO sees shops for $2 or no fee at all going off the boards at other companies, they feel generous offering $10-20.
Telling the management that rates are too low will not solve anything. Shoppers refusing to work for poor wages will make the difference.
@sandyf wrote:
I am pretty sure there are many that think these shops can be done quickly. I do not think all CEO's are in tune with what it takes to be a mystery shopper. Those who were shoppers themselves yes, you are probably right but for the large companies those CEO's may never have shopped or it was long ago.