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When is it ok to ask an MSP for a bonus?

April 18, 2019 04:51PM
Are you talking about "International Service Check" out of Lanstuelle, Germany? That's the only MSC I found on Google.
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More About Bonuses
April 18, 2019 04:56PM
I cannot tell to whom you have directed your question....

I live in Seattle, but, a few times a year will travel (even fly) to another city/state to do a very profitable route. Most of my most profitable jobs are video. I will also do well when I travel (especially at the end of a month/quarter) to more remote places in Washington picking up very heavily bonused shops along the way - and a few easy fillers along the way, as time permits.

@gymdawgfan wrote:

I would love to make that kind of money! Would you elaborate a little on the type of shops you do, where you are located, etc. Thank you!

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.
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April 18, 2019 05:10PM
I don't make what MF makes, but the money I DO make is mostly from bonuses. I might have to take an 800 mile route to the boonies, but the money is there. I drive those two-lane roads very, very happily! I've lived where it took one and a half hours to drive 13 miles to a shop; here, in one and a half hours, I'm 90 miles down the road. It makes a HUGE difference, because the companies I worked for would NOT pay a bonus on that 13 mile away shop, so it just wasn't worth doing. And a "route" in a metro area never ever worked for me. It doesn't, if the shops are 3-7 miles apart but honestly, it takes close to an hour to drive that 3-7 miles. Then, OMG, find parking, too! In a metro area, base pay just wasn't enough to motivate me to leave my house!

I generally complete between 15-30 shops a month. When I do a route, I plan on 3 days "off" after, to recuperate (I'm old, and disabled). So I normally work maybe 10 days a month.

I do accept filler shops (get some gas, take 2 quick photos, leave; prep a package, take a photo of it, mail it, and leave, etc, etc.) IF I am literally driving right by them.
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April 19, 2019 07:17PM
I shop for many Companies and still work time, with an eye towards mystery shopping full time in retirement. Generally the company for which I do the most work will call me with hard to fill shops toward the end of the month. Any time I am personally contacted about a shop I will request incentive pay. I know they can't fill the shop. I don't shop for companies that pay too low to cover my time and travel. They still call me. Hint they offer Kroger shops.
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April 24, 2019 09:32PM
@msmsmshopper wrote:

@gsonnen wrote:

FWIW, I would never do a $40 shop that took 2 hours to complete. Oh my goodness. My goal is to make $60 an hour mystery shopping. I won't do business in which I make less than $30 an hour. My time is more valuable than that. When I calculate how "long" it took I factor everything into the equation ~ requesting the shop, reading the instructions, driving to/from the location, doing the report, making sure I get paid.
Good luck!

I wish I knew that you could make this kind of money when I started mystery shopping.
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July 18, 2019 12:08AM
A secret shopping company.
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July 26, 2019 01:37AM
@ceasesmith wrote:

I might have to take an 800 mile route to the boonies, but the money is there. I drive those two-lane roads very, very happily! I've lived where it took one and a half hours to drive 13 miles to a shop; here, in one and a half hours, I'm 90 miles down the road. It makes a HUGE difference, because the companies I worked for would NOT pay a bonus on that 13 mile away shop, so it just wasn't worth doing. And a "route" in a metro area never ever worked for me. It doesn't, if the shops are 3-7 miles apart but honestly, it takes close to an hour to drive that 3-7 miles. Then, OMG, find parking, too! In a metro area, base pay just wasn't enough to motivate me to leave my house!

This is often my main complaint with MS companies, especially ones that use international schedulers. I will route shop in areas where I can travel by car at speeds of 60+ MPH, or over mile a minute, which will only take 30 minutes for a 30 mile trip. In fact, I enjoy those shops because I can knock off shops faster than a NASCAR pitstop.

However, they fail to understand how traversing a 30-mile stretch of highway in a region with a population of 9.5MM people could take over 1.5 hours during rush hour traffic. They seem to imply that $3 more will cover my time and fuel expense in stop-and-go situations.

I've given up trying to explain this and/or become my favorite phrase to hear/see: a "hero shopper." Accepting shops that are unprofitable or that would pay me less than $15/hour, just aren't worth my time and expense. I have a fuel efficient car, but that's to my advantage, and not to be taken advantage of by a MS company.

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2019 01:42AM by timgordon2448.
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