Is this true of you all's areas? I haven't shopped much this year, due to new job, but have been starting to schedule again. Noticed much fewer shops and I've been checking for a few weeks.

Have they cut back?

I hope not, because grociery shops are my bread and butter shops.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/06/2019 02:20PM by shoptastic.

No, I see the usual amount in my area (southern state). It might depend on the Client. I know TS has several different grocery Clients, so that may make a difference.

i'm in the n/w and i did maybe 3 late summer and that was it.

I am in southwest and have been doing tons of grocery stores for them this year.

I'm in the mountain states area and there are shops every week, some twice a week.

I'm seeing them here for the main client they have in my area. I don't think I've noticed the competitor locations this month but I could be mistaken. Southern state here.

Same with The Source, I just picked up three groceries for the weekend....all self-assign. There on the board now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2019 02:40AM by Irene_L.A..

I live nowhere near you and I have completed 4 per week. Therefore I see no cutting back.

They're not cutting back. I see the same ones week after week. I would guess that local competition is an issue.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2019 03:36AM by fujikochan.

@SchedulerDeva wrote:

I'm seeing them here for the main client they have in my area. I don't think I've noticed the competitor locations this month but I could be mistaken. Southern state here.

Thanks everyone.

Maybe there's just a rotation of locations that are not online yet.

I don't see competitors either here in the South. But, I definitely see less shops than before. I'll wait a few weeks and see what happens.

@shoptastic wrote:

Thanks everyone.

You are welcome.

There are no rotations for the Source, I got one for today and 3 for next weekend, all self assign and one's I do monthly...no cutting back and five different groceries (all for The Source). I know if you flake you may not see them.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

There are no rotations for the Source, I got one for today and 3 for next weekend, all self assign and one's I do monthly...no cutting back and five different groceries (all for The Source). I know if you flake you may not see them.

Not sure if we're thinking of the same thing re: "rotations," Irene.

I seem to recall grocery shops with The Source being released diff. times in the same month. In other words, say they have 30 shops (made up number) in ABC city. I remember like 15 released early in the month and then the other 15 released two weeks later. ...or something like that.

I've never flaked on grocery shops, but I have with Five Guys.

@fujikochan wrote:

They're not cutting back. I see the same ones week after week. I would guess that local competition is an issue.

But, wouldn't I see the back-up shopper option for those shops?

I used to, which is why it was weird for me. Now, I don't even see those back-up shopper blacked out shops. It's as if we heave less in my area. I dunno.

Maybe they black-listed me. *shrug*

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

There are no rotations for the Source

In my area, The Source does have rotations for the Grocery Client that is shopped in my area. If I do a particular location one month, and apply for that same location the next month, I get a "Due to rotation" message, and cannot shop it until the following month. That is why I say that it all depends on the Client that The Source has in a particular area.

In my area the ones that are their main stores don't have rotation. The competition stores do have rotation.

I don’t think they’ve slowed down — I’ve just done less work since I won’t do these without a decent bonus. That said, if you don’t have an EIN, Trendsource cuts you off at $600... once the more casual shoppers fall off after the first quarter I find these pick up again.

They are doing you a favor, TrendSource is one of the worst companies other than MSI, and minor detail to not pay you, real or imagined I know "I;ve never had a problem", "all your post are negative" blah blah blah. Good for you for going into a Sprint store for 6.00.

Ive been seeing about the same as always.

@Youllneverknow wrote:

They are doing you a favor, TrendSource is one of the worst companies other than MSI, and minor detail to not pay you, real or imagined I know "I;ve never had a problem", "all your post are negative" blah blah blah. Good for you for going into a Sprint store for 6.00.

I can pick up a triple-digit fee through them for doing 3-4 rural grocery shops in an evening. I wouldn't dismiss them unless you're in an area with a lot of shoppers who are willing to do these tiny stores at base.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/2019 08:33PM by fujikochan.

@Youllneverknow wrote:

They are doing you a favor, TrendSource is one of the worst companies other than MSI, and minor detail to not pay you, real or imagined I know "I;ve never had a problem", "all your post are negative" blah blah blah. Good for you for going into a Sprint store for 6.00.

***You might have to delete "Sprint," Youllneverknow, because it could be a violation to list their client.***

I've encountered mostly polite staff from them, except for one instance that seemed unprofessional from someone there. That worker (I'm guessing it was her, but don't have proof) deleted the history of the "logged" exchange (you know how they show your past message history) from the website too (but, I have emails with copies in case I ever wanted to press the issue with management). It made the interaction every shady to me.

But, other than that one time, they've usually been very courteous and I had a scheduler that was helpful. I never get offered bonuses on grocery shops. But, I did get a $15 bonus/mileage offer on a cell phone shop before. I don't take them at base rate ever. You're right, that shop is definitely super low paying as listed.

As for payment issues, I've personally not had any issues with shops getting accepted/paid. But, I can only speak for myself.

Overall, I think Trend Source is no better or worse than any other company I've worked for. Their rates are very low, yes! But, so are Market Force's (I wait for their bonuses, though, so they are generous in that area, at least) and almost every other company out there sadly. It's an industry problem.

See Level HX and Sentry have been some of the better ones in terms of rates and schedulers for me. They are probably my two favorite companies - along with Market Force.

I'm not saying Trend Source's grocery shops are a thrill. They can be hard. But, I really do like having a shop that meets my basic essential needs and overlaps with something I'd be doing anyways. And, they pay fast compared to other MSC projects.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/2019 09:54PM by shoptastic.

I'm seeing fewer in my area. Used to be I'd get daily texts asking me to pick up shops. Now all I see are Sunday and Monday shops scheduling a week in advance, and I haven't seen any easy 2-3 stores mini-routes that I could do. I'm wondering if this is because a previous sponsoring brand is no longer associated with the shops in my area. Now it's just straight focus departments with no specific required purchase. So maybe the chain doesn't want to pay for as many shops out of its own budget?

I've been very happy with TrendSource and these grocery shops, so I hope to see more of them again!

Their grocery shop Client list came out today in my area....they're still all there!! I just can't do all of them because this particular Client has rotation....when I do one location in the month, next month I have to skip, then the 3rd month I can go do it again. But all the usual locations are showing up here.