So.... Yesterday, I got myself reactivated on MarketForce (again). The help desk was clear that I need to complete at least one of their shops before March 3, lest I be deactivated again. My question is this: Does anybody know exactly how often I'll have to complete a shop for them in order to remain active? (I suspect that my next deactivation will be permanent.) They don't offer many shops that fit into my wheelhouse, so I generally just scan their offerings when I am looking to fill in holes on routes......

I actually self-assigned a tax return shop yesterday, only to learn, after receiving the guidelines, that I had to cancel as I am not anticipating a $1000 refund, a minimum requirement for the shop.... I do not eat the type of foods their restaurant shops offer and I don't do reveals, which eliminates their cell phone and gas station shops near me..... This leaves some retail shops for which the pay appears painfully low (similar shops have double the compensation with other MSC's and are still borderline for me.) I figure I can swallow hard and do one of these every month or two to remain active, but I'd like to keep this to a minimum.

As a side question.... If I were to do one of their burger shops, how much do I actually have to consume? There is one walking distance from my house that I can do if needed, but the idea of eating it makes my stomach churn.

I've always found one bite to be sufficient. That tells you the temperature and the initial taste.

MF, If you see any of their "wireless retail" shops, those are basically audits...usually in and out in less than15 minutes. Have to take pictures and upload them. Not too bad for the pay if one is in your area. They usually pay $14 but right now in my area they have gone up a whole dollar to $15.

They have some that have that description, but the directions say that I need to be prepared to spend two hours in the store... Are they the same thing?

Audit: This is revealed, yes? I tend to shy away from revealed visits..

@guysmom wrote:

MF, If you see any of their "wireless retail" shops, those are basically audits...usually in and out in less than15 minutes. Have to take pictures and upload them. Not too bad for the pay if one is in your area. They usually pay $14 but right now in my area they have gone up a whole dollar to $15.

Wait til they go to "make an offer", then put in a bid.

I personally would avoid the gas stations this round -- they seem to all be reveal audits, and since they are now quarterly, won't offer a premium until late March.

I don't know about other shoppers, but if the burger is a "dine in", I find it literally impossible to stare at/smell food for 15 minutes and NOT eat it.

If it's the one where you park in a stall, you have to take a photo. Frankly, I feel you can tell the temp without even taking a bite! But I LIKE their food, so there, LOL.

I would wait a couple weeks for any shop, until "caps" are off for the month.

Surely you'll be able to find one that fits into one of your routes!

Congratulations on re-activation. I did that in December, and I'm pretty happy for the little bump in money.

I'm currently doing one a week, so 4 or 5 a month, just to keep active. Sooner or later, they will have some $50 gas stations in remote mountain towns - the kind that literally take 10 minutes -, and I'll scoop them up, so it's worth it to me.

That's kind of my motivation, too.... I just typically don't do the types of shops that they offer (unless happily bonused).

@ColoKate63 wrote:

Congratulations on re-activation. I did that in December, and I'm pretty happy for the little bump in money.

I'm currently doing one a week, so 4 or 5 a month, just to keep active. Sooner or later, they will have some $50 gas stations in remote mountain towns - the kind that literally take 10 minutes -, and I'll scoop them up, so it's worth it to me.

Glad to hear you got reactivated. I wonder how the cancellation will play into things. Although you have a valid reason, they could try to use that as justification.

I've got to think they have tons of cancellations on those..... Every shopper needs taxes done. Many have questions about how to do them as an IC. The shop reimburses for a professional to do them for you and pays you $100. .... I am certain that lots of people take the shop, ready to go through with it - only to find out, after accepting, you have to be accepting a $1000 tax return or your shop will be rejected. The instructions are clear: Cancel immediately if you don't qualify.

@jgoodwin wrote:

Glad to hear you got reactivated. I wonder how the cancellation will play into things. Although you have a valid reason, they could try to use that as justification.

@MFJohnston wrote:

They have some that have that description, but the directions say that I need to be prepared to spend two hours in the store... Are they the same thing?

Audit: This is revealed, yes? I tend to shy away from revealed visits..
Caution... There are two different wireless audits with MF. Both say they require 2 hours, but I don't think you will spend two hours with any of them. However, one of them will take only about 15 minutes, but the other one you will spend at about 30 minutes and maybe an hour if it's your first one or it is a busy store. The one that takes longer requires you to do a lot of computer checks.

@guysmom wrote:

MF, If you see any of their "wireless retail" shops, those are basically audits...usually in and out in less than15 minutes. Have to take pictures and upload them. Not too bad for the pay if one is in your area. They usually pay $14 but right now in my area they have gone up a whole dollar to $15.

@MFJohnston wrote:

They have some that have that description, but the directions say that I need to be prepared to spend two hours in the store... Are they the same thing?

Audit: This is revealed, yes? I tend to shy away from revealed visits..

@guysmom wrote:

MF, If you see any of their "wireless retail" shops, those are basically audits...usually in and out in less than15 minutes. Have to take pictures and upload them. Not too bad for the pay if one is in your area. They usually pay $14 but right now in my area they have gone up a whole dollar to $15.

Yes, they are revealed. They have NEVER taken me longer than 15 minutes in-store, TOPS. I do go usually shortly after the lunch hour, so maybe that's before their busy times. You also have to call ahead of time and let them know when you'll be in. These are easy, but may not be what you like.

I don't always do shops for them every month. I have, at times, gone 2-3 months without doing a shop for them, but not more than that. Oh, and those audits where they want you to be prepared to take up to 2 hours? Very unlikely, unless you go at peak times on a Saturday. If you avoid lunch or late afternoon for most places, you will be in and out in about 30 minutes. That being said, I only do them when bonused. And I do like their hamburger shops well enough (except for the car hop ones). The fast casual ones are quite good, but again, only when bonused.

I was deactivated ~16 months ago because of a job change that made many of their shops inconvenient so I did not take any for a year. Did one after reactivation in February, and the next one I picked up was last month. So 11 months Is my experience.

MFJ, For the fast casual, you don't have to get a burger or dog. Don't even have to get a bun. You can get grilled and/or fresh veggies in a bowl or lettuce wrap. You can eat just one fry and chuck the rest. The report is easy, but kind of lengthy.

They have another fast casual, reimbursement only. I always get the cobb salad with grilled chicken. It's very good.

A shopper friend says she shops with them just a couple of times a year. Can't vouch for that being the requirement to stay active.

I can manage that.... I was thinking of doing one of these shops periodically just to stay active - it is walking distance from home.... When I do my JIB routes, I either toss the food or find a homeless person, but it does seem strange to purchase food and sit in a restaurant and not eat.

@Mert wrote:

MFJ, For the fast casual, you don't have to get a burger or dog. Don't even have to get a bun. You can get grilled and/or fresh veggies in a bowl or lettuce wrap. You can eat just one fry and chuck the rest. The report is easy, but kind of lengthy.

They have another fast casual, reimbursement only. I always get the cobb salad with grilled chicken. It's very good.

A shopper friend says she shops with them just a couple of times a year. Can't vouch for that being the requirement to stay active.

I've heard that the BLTs are quite good. You only have to be in the location for I think 15 minutes (after receiving your food). It's been awhile since I have done one of these so correct me if I am wrong about that.

You can get a lettuce wrap made of all vegetables like a salad (lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, pickles, etc. ) or with mayo on the side. They have sturdy knives and forks on the condiments table. You can get creative and make a salad dressing from the mayo with a bit of malt vinegar or mustard added for tartness. Their fries are made of fresh potatoes, no additives. You can eat just the prettiest one to test taste and temperature. Their fountain drinks include unsweet tea and a couple of sweet teas (raspberry and another flavor) to go with the Coke products , with free refills.

If you leave after the obligatory 15 minutes after you get the order you will be in and out in 20 to 25 minutes depending on how long it takes to prepare your order. (Dont forget to check the bathroom.)

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I've heard that the BLTs are quite good. You only have to be in the location for I think 15 minutes (after receiving your food). It's been awhile since I have done one of these so correct me if I am wrong about that.

Watch for the phone in / pick up variant. You basically call in the order then head over, swing through the restroom, then pick up your food and leave. I usually eat there but they don't require that. You could be in and out in under 10 minutes if you did not eat there.

I doubt those get bonused. I only do their shops for a $20+ fee.

Sometimes the delivery shops get bonused.

I just have a problem having my food delivered, especially 3rd party, after some of the stuff I have read. They surveyed some of those 3rd party delivery drivers and 25% of them admitted to eating some of the customers' food. If 25% of them admit it, what's the actual number? Where have their hands been? What does the inside of their car look like (is it clean), and do they smoke in their cars? My nephew delivered pizzas for awhile and the place he worked inspected his vehicle on several occasions to make sure that it was clean both inside and out. They got a discounted shift meal and were allowed to eat pizza mistakes, so I imagine that minimizes the chances that in-house delivery drivers are eating your food. I guess with a pizza, the 3rd party delivery drivers can't really eat much of the food without the customer noticing, maybe pick off a few toppings, but with Five Guys, they can eat quite a few of your fries and you would never know. I don't even like getting a pizza delivered and would much rather pick it up at the restaurant.

My choice if I am choosing a shop just to stay activated is usually the carhop one. The shop is so easy and fast that it seems to be the least trouble. I don't eat the food, I take one bite to test for taste and temperature. The report takes about 7 minutes at home on my pc.

@JustForFun wrote:

Watch for the phone in / pick up variant. You basically call in the order then head over, swing through the restroom, then pick up your food and leave. I usually eat there but they don't require that. You could be in and out in under 10 minutes if you did not eat there.

When I do the phone-ins, I always leave because it strikes me as kind of odd (and maybe attention-drawing) to phone in and then eat there. If I wanted to eat there I'd just walk in.

@KokoBWare wrote:

@JustForFun wrote:

Watch for the phone in / pick up variant. You basically call in the order then head over, swing through the restroom, then pick up your food and leave. I usually eat there but they don't require that. You could be in and out in under 10 minutes if you did not eat there.

When I do the phone-ins, I always leave because it strikes me as kind of odd (and maybe attention-drawing) to phone in and then eat there. If I wanted to eat there I'd just walk in.

Yeah, I can't say I am super comfortable with either method. I 100% agree with you, it is awkward to sit and eat there when it's been called in. But when you leave with it they want you to arrive early and check the restroom first. When I've tried that I end up looking like some small bladder person who rushes into the restroom before going to the counter which is equally weird and "attention-drawing". At the moment I usually eat there just because I can capitalize on my familiarity with the normal walk in type to do the second half of those partially on auto pilot. But neither methods flows well to my eye.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2020 09:57AM by JustForFun.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I doubt those get bonused. I only do their shops for a $20+ fee.

Oh, they get bonused....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2020 10:00AM by JustForFun.

I was referring specifically to my region. Here, they don't.

@JustForFun wrote:

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I doubt those get bonused. I only do their shops for a $20+ fee.

Oh, they get bonused....

I just answered the phone by accident lol. It was an online bonus burger shop so I took it. Wooohooo. I will eat there because I don't drive and I'm not carrying that bag on the bus. There is nothing weird about calling or ordering online and eating in. Lots of people don't have much time for lunch and they call ahead. Where this store is, there's really not many quick spots so almost everyone uses the online/phone ordering.
The only shops we have here are those and the phone shops and discount retailer and we have maybe 30 a month with most being burger shops.

Watch for a bonused phone or online burger shop if you can. Order a burger with no bun or whatever you might eat or give to someone to eat. They should have unsweetened tea so you can enjoy something. I give the fries to someone at work. I like the peanuts so I have a few while waiting and take a tray full with me. If you order online you pay online so ask the cashier for a receipt. I say I need one for points on my receipt app if they seem to wonder why. You only have to ask once.

They also have assorted coffee shops and other food shops off and on.

Sometimes they have online order for that burger shop. It wasn't obvious on the search. You have to click into the job to see if it's online but they do have those, so you can still give to the homeless. They also have the same thing for chinese fast food, both dine in and online.

That's what I do. I take one bite of everything and give the rest to my teenage son. I can't eat all that, I'll be 200 pounds if I do!