Last week, I kept seeing the yellow gas stations in my state disappear for 24-36 hours, then reappear. I have a feeling that newer shoppers were like all, "Woo-hoo! 10 gas stations at $17.50! I can make MONEY!" Then, reality hits and they turn the shops back in. Fees are now up another $5.00 as of yesterday. I'm sitting put and waiting. :-) I know my worth as a shopper, so when the number hits, I'll self-assign.
Anyway... I'm going to try One. More. Time. to make my point
The $22.50 yellow gas stations take roughly 30-45 minutes on-site, plus uploading time, plus the time spent writing back and forth to the editors - who are brusque, inconsistent, and difficult to deal with. And hanging around a gas station isn't a very pleasant working environment, especially with the flood of homelessness and drug addiction. Gas stations in many areas are staging points for meetups and drug buys, and attempting to work onsite is difficult at times (to put it mildly.)
OTOH, a shopper could choose to do a quick purchase and return at a big box retailer ($20), an electronics compare/contrast shop ($16), et cetera. These are all on the same board as the yellow gas stations, and can be completely done, report in, in less than 30 minutes. These assignments are competing with the gas stations for an IPSOS shopper's time and energy.
That's my point: there are a multitude of IPSOS shops that take 1/3 the time, much less writeup, fewer photos, and definitely less editorial hassle post-shop. And the gas stations' pay is not commensurate with the amount of work required... while they sit inches away on the IPSOS Job Board from shops that actually pay a decent wage.