KSS Internatnional and Sunoco

Has anyone tried these shops and what was your experience... I haven't done these in years .... last time I did them I worked for Corporate research.... is the shops the same?

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Errr... Unless they've changed the guidelines, it's a lot of mandatory pictures, all while remaining anonymous. Reminds me too much of the Citgo shops. For me, it's not worth the money nor worth someone approaching me asking why I'm taking so many pictures and the employee inside has no idea about it.

Never Complain, Never Explain.

KSS is not a MSC, they are a scheduling service, and I believe they have closed up shop. I know they are in the middle of a transition to a similar business with new owners.

I have done Sunoco shops for the current MSC, and they are now on my 10 ft. pole list. I did 4 one day. Then I spent the following week getting emails for pictures that were either not required in the shop or the descriptions of the pictures they wanted were far different from what they actually wanted. I always take extra pictures and I keep my locations in separate files. But having to redo entire reports, sometimes more than once, because of their incompetence is not my idea of a good time.

Most of what I have done for a living for the past 10 years or more has been gas station mystery shops and audits. The Sunoco shop is a mess, and most of the Sunoco locations in my area are run down mom and pop places that are filled with infractions from lack of maintenance. You're more than welcome to take all of them. do a road trip all around NASCAR country.. it'll be fun.

AFAIK, KSS International has NOT closed up shop.

Holtz,

I completed a single SUNOCO through KISS in Sept. of 2022. As it was a first for me, I timed the visit and report. I was onsite for approx. 51 minutes, with the report running 1/2 hr. The fee was, according to my log, $28+$4+$1. As this was my first shop for the client, it naturally was, time wise, lengthier and there was an 11 minute hold-up while permission was sought for me to be on the property. As I was driving within a block of the station on non-shopping business, I did not have any travel time or expense.

Predicated upon the above, if I were regularly completing the shops I could trim, at a minimum, 1/2 hr. off the total of visit and report. If, also, there was either no or limited driving, $32 would be acceptable; the $1 was a waste. The shop proper was easy; the time problem was constantly referencing the paperwork.

They're not the same. You can handle them if you did them before, but there is more that is required on site. The report is less repetitive.
Like the previous MSC, they'll likely linger on the board a while so no reason to take them now, before bonuses. And of course, you won't see payment for them until April at the earliest.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2024 03:24PM by KA047.

I would only do them at stations that allow you to have a good view of the lot to easily sneak photos and that are in excellent condition. They are quite time consuming and stress inducing to me.

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The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain

@BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz wrote:

AFAIK, KSS International has NOT closed up shop.

They're "Acculocity" now.

No, they are not.

Acculocity is a new company formed by two people who used to be at KSS International. The word was KSS International was winding down. However, AFAIK, it hasn't officially closed down yet. Even if it does, Acculocity is a separate legal entity.

@sestrahelena wrote:

@BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz wrote:

AFAIK, KSS International has NOT closed up shop.

They're "Acculocity" now.

If, in fact, KSS is winding down, that may be yet another reason to avoid these. Companies that are closing up shop are at risk of not paying.

I am doing a route of Velero, Marathon, Shell, E/M, 76, Pilot, and BP (lighting) tomorrow. I will be passing by the 2 Sunoco locations.

Never Complain, Never Explain.

KSS is a scheduling company and is not responsible for payments. Its clients (the MSCs) are.

I did a bunch of them last summer (I'd either string a bunch in a row, or pick them up as an add-on stop on other shops), and I found them easy. I did two today literally on my way home from work, located right down the road from each other, and to do both and enter all the info was just under an hour from pulling into the first to finalizing the second (and that included taking a few minutes to help a woman with a flat tire at one of the locations). So, even though I did them at base, that's $24 in outright pay, and $10 in gas. I consider the convenience store a wash since I rarely buy anything from convenience stores, but I count the gas reimbursement because I would have to buy gas anyway. So, about $34/hour. If I think a photo will be hard to get without being seen, I do it after everything else is done. They were accepted without any problems within a couple hours. I'm more than happy to pick them up on my way to or from somewhere.

just to reiterate, KSS is NOT an MSC. They are only a scheduling service, they have no shops of their own. Nothing they do will affect whether or not or how soon you get paid.

I read the emails and the posts about KSS and Acculocity when they went out a few months ago. The way I understood it, KSS is closing, and Acculocity is a new company made from folks that used to be with KSS. Maybe I got that wrong, but that is the way that I understood it from what I read.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2024 11:06AM by Morledzep.

I understood that Lori's daughter and a partner having taken over the business and renamed it Acculocity

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The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain

I communicated with a KSS scheduler after Acculocity came into being and he told me he was still with KSS.

Unless and until KSS makes an official announcement, KSS is still in business as far as I am concerned and different from Acculocity. Lorri can always change her mind. She can also decide to sell KSS to someone other than Nola or Mackensie.

I've done these before when the reimbursement was $10 and you could spend it how you wanted, but you were required to make a fuel and a c-store purchase. Now the reimbursement has been slashed and seems very Chevy like - pump one gallon of gas and time it and get reimbursed up to a buck in a small item purchase.

@mysterioso412 I got the impression that they will only reimburse one gallon of gas and not up to $5.

This is a lot more work than before. I picked it up since I was going to be in the area and failed to read the lower reimbursement and there was no heads up on the higher image load required. I am not interested in doing these at the current rate. The company that handled it last year was very slow to bonus them.

@Momomomo wrote:

@mysterioso412 I got the impression that they will only reimburse one gallon of gas and not up to $5.

.

I always pump $5 (or a smidge over), and they've always reimbursed me for the full $5. The guidelines say a *minimum* of 1 gallon of gas, up to $5. I'd have to go through my receipts but I'm pretty sure one time I pumped something like $15 because I knew I wasn't grabbing any more in the near future and just didn't want to have to make a stop two days later for more gas.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2024 12:49PM by mysterioso412.

Momo,

Are you sure you're not mixing up Sunoco and P66 shops? I do P66 shops often, and the $10 reimbursement is how it has been for 2 different MSC's since I've been shopping, and it's a revealed audit, so it's easier to get the pictures you need. I've done several Sunoco shops, I won't do them anymore because the reimbursement and the pay is too little for what they want folks to do without revealing themselves at all.

I like KSS alot if anyone gets official word if they are still in business etc please update

Shopping Idaho and Oregon/Idaho border region.

it's been over a week and some that I completed have not been evaluated yet....wonder what the hold up is...

Good to know I really dont want to do these if they won't approve in a timely manner.

Weird. Mine were approved within literally a couple hours of me submitting them.

What are you guys findings to buy in the convenience stores for $1 or less?

@bradmer12 wrote:

What are you guys findings to buy in the convenience stores for $1 or less?

planters peanuts, or penny candies (I guess I shouldn't call them that anymore.. )

This is the most challenging part. Sometimes I’ll find small bags of chips 2 for $1 or the small boxes of lemonheads/Mike n Ike etc

Hopefully I will have a bunch of these in my not-too-distant future.

Got a bunch of road to cover on a 12-day trip to Texas and back, and the more accounts receivable I can crank out and the more gas I can be reimbursed for, the better!

Just waiting for the date window to flip. The fact that they're all pretty remote bodes well.

If the famous highway brand winds up doing a new wave for March I'm golden.

Have synthesizers, will travel...

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