Hey all —
Has anyone noticed that Trendsource is playing major pricing games with their grocery shops?
I’m just insanely frustrated right now — I basically thought I’d “paid my dues” years ago — it got to the point where schedulers knew my rates, and texted in shops when they were available. I’d negotiated rates of between $20-40 PAD for some particular locations (coming out to around 40-60 total per location) . In fact for all of 2018 and 2019 I didn’t have to try and dicker with them once.
Then the pandemic hit... the rates went to base for simple in and out shops, which I opted not to take. Then they started the “regular” program again, and are begging me to do my previous locations — but with maybe $5-10 PAD max. Their excuse? “They are easier” — well, certainly — that’s worth about a $5 discount to me. Not 50% off my going rate or more. I consider my gas, time, routing and everything else — I usually only shop when I can clear $20 per hour after taxes and expenses.
What’s more insulting is I have a new scheduler and I will tell her what my rate is when she texts with a low all offer — then she will play the “well can you take X?” Game. I’ll tell her no, and she will disappear — and then send an obvious blast text out offering a rate even lower than the “can you take X” rate. I respond with “as I told you last hour/yesterday/whatever I’m happy to do the shop for you for X” — she then disappears, and half the time schedules me at the very last second.
I just hate repeating myself to them... I’m not magically going to drop my rates. Going away and coming back will not make me drop my rates. Asking me an hour later if I will do it for a rate even less than I was offered the hour before certainly won’t make me drop my rates. At a certain point, I will just not take the shops — and it’s at any rate lower than what I’ve offered them. The rate I’m giving them is already a nice break off my pre-pandemic rates... eg 45 instead of 59, 24 instead of 35 etc... they want in the range of 29 and 19-20 now.
I’m just irritated and ranting I know — but it just seems like a disrespectful game — especially since I had this all worked out for a number of years.
Anyone else noticed this? Is it Trendsource in general or have I just got a bad scheduler in my area now? I used to work with Samantha and Sloan and NEVER had to play this game...
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