I wouldn't mind doing some apartment shops again, having taken a long break from them.

I have done Remington in the past, but never Ellis. I am subscribed to their email job postings, though. I haven't seen Remington in my area in over a year probably. I do Ellis a lot, but they pay only $40.

How often do you see apt. shops for these two companies? And in the job postings, how much locations of each company do you see when you see them usually?

Does anyone ever get more than $40 for a non-video apartment shop?

Times are tough and I need the extra money. But, still, $40 for what are often all day/night shops is really tough.

I am in the Phoenix area and I see Remmington shops MAYBE once a year. Ellis shops OTOH are all over my area. They start at $35 here, but they can have some really nice bonuses. I could be wrong, but I think $40 for non-video is a pretty average fee.

shoptastic, EPMS starts at $40 but they will bonus up to $70 toward the end of the month. The video shops start at $50.

EPMS is a lot easier to work with than Remington. On the other hand, Remington will give you your target's schedule. EPMS sometimes doesn't have the correct targets. Check the job boards for both to see what they have.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

shoptastic, EPMS starts at $40 but they will bonus up to $70 toward the end of the month. The video shops start at $50.

EPMS is a lot easier to work with than Remington. On the other hand, Remington will give you your target's schedule. EPMS sometimes doesn't have the correct targets. Check the job boards for both to see what they have.

Thanks, HB. $70 is the rate I'd do them for! I'm guessing you have to prove yourself first on a single low-rated shop before getting priority for a $70 shop?

Yeah, I actually never minded Remington. They were my third mystery shop ever and I did a large batch of them back then. But, out of nowhere, they disappeared. I'm going to scout the boards for bonused Ellis shops this month.

Ellis pays differently in each state. They range from $25 to $45 base and I’ve gotten bonuses for non-video shops of up to $85. Ellis is pretty easy to see where the shops are, just enter any zip code and set the range to 250 miles. If you zoom in on a city, you’ll see plenty of locations you can click on to get a zip code.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2018 03:04AM by TroyHawkins.

@shoptastic wrote:

I'm guessing you have to prove yourself first on a single low-rated shop before getting priority for a $70 shop

Most of their shops are self assign. You’ll need to complete some before they’ll consider bonus requests, but if you see a $70 shop you want, you just have to get it before someone else.

@TroyHawkins wrote:

Ellis pays differently in each state. They range from $25 to $45 base and I’ve gotten bonuses for non-video shops of up to $85. Ellis is pretty easy to see where the shops are, just enter any zip code and set the range to 250 miles. If you zoom in on a city, you’ll see plenty of locations you can click on to get a zip code.

Great! I'll look out for that. $70-85 is very good. $40-45...is depressing. lol

@shoptastic wrote:

But, still, $40 for what are often all day/night shops is really tough.

Ellis shops should not take THAT long. I did three today... along with two other apartments...the reports, after being acclimated to them, should take about an hour (more or less, depending on how well you type).

In my area, they start at $35, but I generally don't touch them for less than $50. I've done them for $80-$90 - though this is rare as the bonuses only get that high after something has gone wrong a for several other shoppers. I live off these. (Of course, I often find myself working hard to track down very difficult targets.)

What @MFJohnston said. After you’ve done a few, the reports go quicker. Between the call, visit and report, it’s about 2 hours on average. I usually do 3 or 4 a day depending on how long my drive is. Many apartments are near shopping areas, so you can easily find several different shops to add on while you’re there.

@MFJohnston wrote:

@shoptastic wrote:

But, still, $40 for what are often all day/night shops is really tough.

Ellis shops should not take THAT long. I did three today... along with two other apartments...the reports, after being acclimated to them, should take about an hour (more or less, depending on how well you type).

In my area, they start at $35, but I generally don't touch them for less than $50. I've done them for $80-$90 - though this is rare as the bonuses only get that high after something has gone wrong a for several other shoppers. I live off these. (Of course, I often find myself working hard to track down very difficult targets.)

I was literally told by a very well-known MSC that my reports set a new gold standard for their company, lol. They were surprised by how much I wrote, the detail, and depth of thought/analysis.

I suspect I probably do do too much work on projects that don't require it. I'm going to try one and see how it is. I might be able to do two apartment shops in one day. I've done it before for Remington, but it nearly killed me.

I had stopped taking the Ellis shops two years ago due to the lengthy reporting. They may have downsized them now. I want to know, "How can I complete an Ellis audio report in two hours?" Please help. That is the part that killed me. I now want to invest in a camera, hoping they are slightly shorter reports.

@klike5421
To save time, I write my summary narratives first, typing as I listen to the audio. Once I have done this, I have a complete and accurate narrative and have listened to the recording closely. I then go back and answer the questions. It tends to sped things up quite a bit and I rarely have to listen to the audio recording more than once.

There are video reports for Ellis that are just as long as the written reports. There are some that are nothing more than an invoice.

On average, video reports are shorter. Ellis is a good company to use as you start video - they will even loan you equipment. However, if you establish yourself is a good video shopper, you will find that there are other MSC's that offer better compensation for the work. (Though, when the work needs to be done, Ellis will bonus nicely. I saw a shop in Oklahoma earlier at $140 for them. It had been scooped up already, of course, and was only available to somebody who wanted to be a back-up.)

You can use your smartphone app for audio shops. Make sure it's set to airplane mode and volume turned up. After shop, send a copy to dropbox. Make sure audio matches report. The more of these shops you do, the easier the reports get. I make sure all my paperwork from leasing agent is scanned and in file before I start the report. It pays to keep it simple and organized.

There are many Remington shops in my area and hundreds of Ellis. Ellis starts at $40 here whereas Remington are usually $50 or $60.
After doing this for some years, I can confidently say, Ellis reports do not get easier. What some don't realize, some property management companies have their own questionnaire so some reporting can be easier, however, if you live in a major metropolitan area like I do, then you're probably going to shop apartments at one of the top 3 property management companies who all use Ellis's standard report form. I have learned to make "templates" which does help.

Here Ellis only starts at $35 for non-video, $50 or $60 for video depending on whether they loan a camera. I won't do the non-video for less than $45 and it needs to be within a ten minute drive or I need to be able to coordinate two or more in the same area. It's not unusual for them to hit $55 to $65. Worst case phone call(s), on site and report takes me two hours. My average per shop this year is just shy of $60 with only one being video.

I thought I would try Remington, so I applied for three shops. I now see they are all targets - not mentioned in the application. I have done apartment shops that are basically walk ins or no targets - paid well and no hassle trying to get a particular person. I have had to avoid Ellis due to the targets - too much work just trying to get them. I just don't have the time to constantly try and get the target. Someone mentioned their schedule is available but, even then, it has to match up to when I can get to the area. I did not know about the long pay time - thanks for that head's up.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2018 12:01PM by marg704.

I don't ever see shops for either, cause I never log into their job boards.

I could NOT get my target for an EPMS shop, the leasing agent that was there pressured me, so I did the report, etc. Of course, EPMS would not pay me. I will never do another "targeted" apartment shop, they are just too difficult to make sure you get the target!

I just snagged a couple of EPMS target shops with $20 bonuses. Their online implementation has some issues, but overall I find their reports a bit easier than Cirrus. I don't think Remington contracts with management companies in my area (Salt Lake City). Will have to check and see.

I go in spurts with Ellis. Some months I do quite a few shops, and then I go for a stretch with none. Right now there's one close to my house I'll apply for if the other applications I have out there don't come through.

If memory serves me correctly, Reality Based Group's apartment shops are $18. I believe you have to do a pre-visit call and then on-site visit.

Another company - maybe (not sure) Quality Assessment Mystery Shoppers (QAMS) - has them for like $25/$35.

How is this not labor exploitation? This is a job that takes a full day to complete (esp. if it is a targeted employee one). You most definitely need (I did not without once and forgot so much stuff that I had to guess on questions - and constantly had answers like "I believe..." what happened was...) a hidden audio recorder. When you tour these places, the agent will say so much stuff and no one's memory is that good to recall accurately exactly what they did or didn't say and how they said it over the course of 30-60 minutes.

The pre-visit calls can take 10-15 minutes as they gather info. I have to listen to my recording afterwards to get everything accurate for the report. Then you have to do multiple choice and commentary on them. If one is thoughtful and reflective of their experience, that in itself takes time. If one doesn't care and wants to write whatever without much reflection, then that still takes considerable time, given the narrative requirements.

Now you have to drive on-site and then meet with the agent. The drive is probably something like 30 minutes round-trip on average probably. I've had longer drive times, with far away places. I was desperate, so picked them up at base rate (I've asked for apartment shop bonuses and been denied). I prep before the visit, but also review things before going on, because of how much stuff needs to be asked and gone over. And, I have to act, so I want to prepare myself mentally to play the part.

The visit/tour will take 30-60 minutes oftentimes (occasionally shorter). That means re-listening to the audio will take about two hours at least with the constant pausing and taking notes. The report will require narratives again and that takes contemplation/self-reflection of how things went and what our perception of things was. It's a lot of work to be done honestly and done right. I need a full day to do one of these.

For $45 Remington, $40 Ellis, $18 RBG, etc., that's just not enough!!!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2018 01:20AM by shoptastic.

I have received bonuses of up to $25, and those shops are typically targeted to a specific agent.

I love Ellis and we have lots in Nashville Tn area. Most pay around $35 starting but bonuses are often added. I've done lots for $60 and higher plus you get a bonus using your own video and audio equipment if it is needed. Video and Audio shops usually start around $45 and $50 dollars.

I live on the east coast and there are frequently Remington shops. I actually did my first few recently. It was a pain. The reports are SO extensive - so much moreso than any other apartment shop I've done. And you nearly have to transcribe the phone call word for word. Most in my area are from $50 - $65. I would likely do them again, but the scheduler came off a bit pushy. I felt like I was treated like dirt. I did get a 10/10 on my first shop I did with them, but not even sure if worth it unfortunately.