Market Force - Lo Ball Payment
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I rarely do any grocery shops. They don't pay enough for the work they want done. I do like Market force. They pay on time.
Even if you think you have them figured out as a shopper, they change the game. I've been told not to be a 'bonus-only' shopper and to create a balance in order to avoid deactivation. Take a shop or two from the board, from an email, a scheduler etc.
Evaluating and mailing packages since 1994. I am an undercover connoisseur of customer service, a master of disguise in the aisles, and a sworn enemy of subpar experiences. I blend in, observe, and report—because excellence should never be a mystery.
I've been shopping for them since they were Shop n Chek. I can't remember when they turned into Marketforce, maybe 2004 or 2005?. Anyway, I signed up with Shop n Chek in 2001. I only do bonused shops for them these days, though over a decade ago I picked up shops at base rate. Haven't done that in a long time. Now I know that they deactivate people for no good reason (someone takes too many shops and hits their limit, oversaturation of shoppers in their area, etc.) but so far I have been lucky I guess. One day I might get the axe and it will be "oh well"...it's not like I don't have plenty of work from other MSCs.
I still find MF useful for building a route. Of course the low ball fees are disappointing but if I’m doing another shop in an area where I can find a MF shop for lunch or dinner I will usually take it. That goes for some of their gas and retail shops as well. Their shops are useful for my routes. I need to eat, buy gas etc anyhow and they usually offer a range of dates. I can also reschedule if necessary, at least once. The reports are fairly simple with no narrative. Here’s a small time saver. Copy the address from the first screen and then paste it to the question about the addresss shown on the receipt. They are usually exactly the same. Every keystroke counts!
I did a $60 and $40 fee burger shop on the same day, a week ago. Makes for a good route when you add a couple high bonus shops from MF.
For the first time since I started shopping there are shops left on the job board in my area and it is just a few days away from my birthday. Maybe I will actually be able to take advantage of my birthday bonus this year! This is in a town with several hundred shops in the beginning of the month but none by mid month usually.
I mean, all companies are low-ballers. This is a low-baller industry. None of the shops pay appropriately unless it has a bonus. But compare the same gas station shops of MF base fee $8 fee and $5 reimbursement to Alta 360 $7 fee and a candy bar. Babysitting $$, all of them!
@sandyf wrote:
For the first time since I started shopping there are shops left on the job board in my area and it is just a few days away from my birthday. Maybe I will actually be able to take advantage of my birthday bonus this year! This is in a town with several hundred shops in the beginning of the month but none by mid month usually.
I didn’t get a birthday bonus email this year!
Part-time Colorado Shopper since 2016.
I don't think this is wholly accurate. Mintel, Kinesis, and a few others do have shops that are worth it at the base rate. I guess they figure it's better to hire better, proven shoppers at the beginning of the month rather than scramble at the end.@spicy1 wrote:
I mean, all companies are low-ballers.
"Let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you - and why?” ~Walter Williams
@jgo wrote:
@sandyf wrote:
For the first time since I started shopping there are shops left on the job board in my area and it is just a few days away from my birthday. Maybe I will actually be able to take advantage of my birthday bonus this year! This is in a town with several hundred shops in the beginning of the month but none by mid month usually.
I didn’t get a birthday bonus email this year!
Oh my. I guess they can no longer afford to give me $2 after paying all you people who live in bonusland (instead of lalaland where i live and get no bonuses) your hefty $40 and $60 bonuses you are always writing about. More power to you who can get those. The extra $2 does not make it but it does make my day that they even thought of me. Well a few more days and I will see if I get a bday bonus.
This is one reason I stopped doing some mystery shops. They don't pay enough. I will do shops for eating out. Those are worth it.
Some people have to travel to get those bonuses, Sandy. I know that your area must be saturated with shoppers and traveling is a pain there. I do check their job board at least once a day and am delighted to see the make an offer shops. I don't always get what I ask for but it's nice when I do.
I didn't get a birthday bonus this year either.
I was a bonus only shopper making about 2k per month part time with an average pay of about $40 per shop. I had been making this much for about a year and a half. I was recently deactivated with no specific reason given.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/2018 07:37PM by thunderdeacon.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/2018 07:37PM by thunderdeacon.
@jgo wrote:
I didn’t get a birthday bonus email this year!
Neither did I. December 2017 was the first time not getting a birthday bonus email.
MSPA Gold Certified 2003
Has MF given birthday bonus in the past? I have never recieved one.
This is so regrettable that this happened to you. Please find other companies to work with who will treat you professionally.
Oh @thunderdeacon, I'm so sorry this happened to you. I hope they change their minds once the newbies flake out.
The "bonus" was that any shop that you accepted on your birthday, one dollar was added to the shop fee. 2016 was the last time the bonus was offered to me.@grannysarms wrote:
Has MF given birthday bonus in the past? I have never received one.
MSPA Gold Certified 2003
@gbarnes wrote:
I worked for a scheduling company in Nevada. Market Force was one of their clients (they have a ton of shoppers). I found that they paid lo-ball rates for food shops, retail shops, et al. I am glad that I do not work for them anymore. Paying less does not pay my bills. It amazes me that some of you that have written only work for bonus money. I cannot understand that you do all these gas station shops, routes, saying you have to eat, when the pay is so little. We all deserve abundance. All we have to do is go out there and search for it. It will come to you if you think higher.
Even if you did not sign an agreement with the scheduling company regarding confidentiality, it doesn't seem right (IMO) that you are posting this.
Hello all,
I am new to mystery shopping altogether and currenly work with 3 companies, 2 of them rarely have anything... it can take days for a new shop to post, but i do work with MF and I have a question. All three of these companies offer very low fees. What are all of you talking about with this 'bonus' thing? I am not understanding what this is and how to go about getting bonus shops.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Karen
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2018 03:05PM by karenshops.
I am new to mystery shopping altogether and currenly work with 3 companies, 2 of them rarely have anything... it can take days for a new shop to post, but i do work with MF and I have a question. All three of these companies offer very low fees. What are all of you talking about with this 'bonus' thing? I am not understanding what this is and how to go about getting bonus shops.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Karen
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2018 03:05PM by karenshops.
SUE, You are misinterpreting the disclosure agreement. We don't work for the CIA, NSA or FBI.
Thank you Rob,
Yes, i have noticed that ~ fees getting a bit higher the longer they are there.
What I find interesting is that most here are talking about much higher fees for the Shops they do; whereas, all of the ones i see are for $4, $6 and sometimes $10, but those are not that often. I have never seen anythign that says bonus on them.
I am beginning to think that either I am not looking in the right places for the larger fee Shops ~ or ~ that I am such a beginner, that I am having to 'pay my dues' in doing these low fee Shops and perhaps the better ones will come along later.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2018 05:15PM by karenshops.
Yes, i have noticed that ~ fees getting a bit higher the longer they are there.
What I find interesting is that most here are talking about much higher fees for the Shops they do; whereas, all of the ones i see are for $4, $6 and sometimes $10, but those are not that often. I have never seen anythign that says bonus on them.
I am beginning to think that either I am not looking in the right places for the larger fee Shops ~ or ~ that I am such a beginner, that I am having to 'pay my dues' in doing these low fee Shops and perhaps the better ones will come along later.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2018 05:15PM by karenshops.
The big bonus shops are usually for undesirable locations. You have to be willing to go to those areas to get the big bonus. 90 Percent of my shops are grocery that average 35-50 a shop. I am willing to do a 300-mile route rt to get that rate. I try to work less at a higher rate.
@karenshops wrote:
Thank you Rob,
Yes, i have noticed that ~ fees getting a bit higher the longer they are there.
What I find interesting is that most here are talking about much higher fees for the Shops they do; whereas, all of the ones i see are for $4, $6 and sometimes $10, but those are not that often. I have never seen anythign that says bonus on them.
I am beginning to think that either I am not looking in the right places for the larger fee Shops ~ or ~ that I am such a beginner, that I am having to 'pay my dues' in doing these low fee Shops and perhaps the better ones will come along later.
Have you seen a shop listed with a “make offer” option? I’ve never had one accepted but I think that’s were the big bonuses come into play. Really depends on where you live, how far you are willing to travel and the number of other shoppers in your area. For instance, I see many shops in Santa Barbara CA with great fees and bonuses. Apparently there are few shoppers there and too far for me to drive.
The best bonuses, IMO, come from phone calls from the Atlanta or southern schedulers. That's when they offer me the best fees. I've also had good fees accepted from Make An Offer for locations that were not remote, but shops others might not desire. They will call when they need something done and after you've worked with them for awhile, I think. With that said, I have also had many Make An Offers declined. There is a lot of competition in my area. Folks shop for very low fees, I'm afraid.
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The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..
Mark Twain
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..
Mark Twain
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