Wendys
Acme
Shoprite
Giant
Chick-fil-A


Thanks

jfran1, answering your question would be a violation of the contract that shoppers sign. Read through the different forums, threads and posts for valuable assistance.

I agree with Mert. Some companies also ask what other mystery companies you shop or have shopped for. This is also a violation of your contract and it is none of their business.

I have always viewed a company on an application asking about other companies you work with not to be a matter of ICA violation. According to the IRS rules for determining who is and is not an independent contractor versus an employee, an Independent Contractor works with other companies as well. While this is hardly the sole determinant about IC status, it is a start in that direction. An IC provides their own tools and equipment. I think it perhaps is under this guise that one company doing coffee shops required you to purchase a scale and thermometer from them. They obviously wanted uniformity of equipment, though it just appeared greedy and unreasonable from the shopper's perspective.

IRS also looks for the amount of direction and control exercised by the company. This is in part because there are companies that have fired or retired employees, only to have them return the following day to the same job at the same desk with the same equipment, same schedule and the same boss but now with the title of "Independent Contractor". Everything remains the same except they now have no benefits and because they are "Independent Contractors" they pay their full Social Security and Medicare themselves (rather than split it with an employer) and need to file quarterly tax returns as nothing is withheld from their pay. Of course they get a hefty pay raise to help cover the additional taxes as well as the benefits they are no longer entitled to.

While shoppers are far from the scenario above, there has been fear mongering in the MSP community regarding Congressional legislation that might eliminate any Independent Contractors. What this would mean to their bottom line in terms of suddenly having to pay at least minimum wage, having the bookkeeping nightmare of so many 'employees' and possibly being required at some point down the line to pay benefits is, indeed, a nightmare. Besides which, they would need to be very careful about shops and shoppers because they would no longer be able to refuse payment for 'rejected shops'.

I can understand their concerns, but I can also not envision the US Postal Service hiring all the truck drivers who currently are contract workers hauling sacks of mail--sorted by genuine Postal employees--around the country. Nor can I envision the local Mom and Pop store having as an employee the kid from down the block who mows their grass and trims up the hedges and sweeps the parking lot for pocket money. And while most plumbers and electricians and others may have their own corporation for the protections that incorporation brings the principals of a company, potentially every unclogging of a toilet would require going to such a corporation rather than to the unincorporated 'independent contractor'. I feel small business, which is a powerful force in this country, would not allow abolition of the "independent contractor".

However, if it comes to that, you can 'incorporate' yourself for $100-$400 or probably even find the paperwork on line to fill in, have duly notarized and file. Can you imagine what the burden would be on the State Offices if every independent contractor were suddenly to file corporate paperwork? In this household there would need to be at least two sets because both my significant other and I are independent contractors and because we do different types of work at different times, we might even need to file multiple corporations each because of the diversity of the work we do.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2009 04:35AM by Flash.

ICA's and all that rubbish aside, consider for a moment, the following scenario.

Imagine that there is a tree in your neighborhood that produces leaves, but every night also produces a ten dollar bill and drops it on the ground.

Now imagine that there are about twenty of these trees. You go for a walk every day at sunrise and pick up your $200.

Now imagine a new neighbor comes to you and says, I heard there are money trees in this neighborhood, can you show me where they are?

What would you tell them?

JayTee I LOVE IT!!!

No kidding. JayTee has a way of cutting through the bull. :-)

JayTee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ICA's and all that rubbish aside, consider for a
> moment, the following scenario.
>
> Imagine that there is a tree in your neighborhood
> that produces leaves, but every night also
> produces a ten dollar bill and drops it on the
> ground.
>
> Now imagine that there are about twenty of these
> trees. You go for a walk every day at sunrise and
> pick up your $200.
>
> Now imagine a new neighbor comes to you and says,
> I heard there are money trees in this
> neighborhood, can you show me where they are?
>
> What would you tell them?

Haha, I love that.

I'd tell them to start taking a walk in the morning and they'd find it. Why give up your source that no one helped you find?

Wow, I don't know why all of a sudden everyone ganged up on this poster. Many people on this forum, including myself, asked questions just like this one. Who is shopping in my area, who is shopping this merchant. I thought we were here to help each other out. Even if we can't name companies, people have been helpful by giving hints or just general advice about going to Jobslinger and checking it out.

shop-a-holic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow, I don't know why all of a sudden everyone
> ganged up on this poster. Many people on this
> forum, including myself, asked questions just like
> this one. Who is shopping in my area, who is
> shopping this merchant. I thought we were here to
> help each other out. Even if we can't name
> companies, people have been helpful by giving
> hints or just general advice about going to
> Jobslinger and checking it out.


I guess I don't see it as "ganging up." It's just stating a fact. I often get rather annoyed that people keep asking me where my row of money trees are. That said, I would bet you that if these companies are shopped, someone has probably sent the poster a private message sharing the names of of the companies they don't mind giving. If you are going to reveal, it's better to do it that way than to share your secrets with a ton of people, who may possibly be in your shopping area. I will now be using this money tree analogy the next time someone in my family wants to start shopping.

Also, the OP has only posted twice... not that this makes them a bad person or somehow unworthy of getting this information, but maybe people would feel more apt to give the information if the person was a more active member of the forum?

I don't see it as ganging up either. My best friend recently just asked how I got into Mystery Shopping. I told her some of the companies I worked for but not all. She told her husband that she'll just work from the companies I work from.... I'm sorry but I need to make a living too. It's not ganging up, it's protecting.


But I did tell her of some good companies to get her started after all she is my best friend.

PMW - Same happened to me. Told a friend, she took a whole round of shops from me one month. NEVER AGAIN. I am not going to create my own competition anymore.

I will, however, name off the names of companies that I don't rely upon so much.

I totally agree. I don't share too much with people that live in my area, as I know that just creates more competition.
I just felt a little sorry for the poster, who was pretty new to the forum, and seemed like he/she almost got scared off since some of the sarcastic comments posted above. But poofoo made a good point. We don't know how many private messages he/she may have received with the information they were asking for.

If my comments were construed as sarcastic, I apologize.

My intent was to be realistic, not sarcastic.

JayTee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If my comments were construed as sarcastic, I
> apologize.
>
> My intent was to be realistic, not sarcastic.


No worries JayTee. I like your "money tree" analogy. Very true, indeed.

I loved your analogy, JayTee. You made it very clear but without saying (Slap!) "Go find it on your own! I'm not telling you all the stuff I had to work to find....so you can then take all the shops I currently harvest!"

As a fairly new shopper, who came to this forum with questions, there are different questions to ask. I asked a LOT of questions. But most of my questions were "Does anybody know about this company that I see is offering shops in my area?" "Has anybody had problems getting paid by _____?" "I'm applying with XXXX, has anybody worked with them?" There's a long list on the forum of companies to apply with. I applied with a lot of them when I first got started, before I even registered with the forum and started to post.

I get irritated with new shoppers (& I am only 14 months!) with a cut-to-the-chase, don't want to waste any of my time, don't want to apply with a lot of companies, here's my list, which companies shop these stores, I want to apply for them. I wonder if these shoppers believe this board represents the companies, rather than being a SHOPPER forum, shoppers interacting & providing information & feedback to each other.

My best advice: Apply with 100 or so companies, find out which are shopping in your geographic area, and learn which shops they have available. After applying, come back & ask questions to decide on particular jobs and minimize risk. Then, as you gain experience, come back and share your knowledge and expertise with other shoppers.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/2009 03:26PM by AustinMom.

AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> I get irritated with new shoppers (& I am only 14
> months!) with a cut-to-the-chase, don't want to
> waste any of my time, don't want to apply with a
> lot of companies, here's my list, which companies
> shop these stores, I want to apply for them. I
> wonder if these shoppers believe this board
> represents the companies, rather than being a
> SHOPPER forum, shoppers interacting & providing
> information & feedback to each other.
>
> My best advice: Apply with 100 or so companies,
> find out which are shopping in your geographic
> area, and learn which shops they have available.
> After applying, come back & ask questions to
> decide on particular jobs and minimize risk.
> Then, as you gain experience, come back and share
> your knowledge and expertise with other shoppers.

Amen. I give info when I want to give it, not because someone is too lazy or inept to do the work required of finding this information on their own.

Certainly you grow as a shopper by signing up with companies, seeing what they offer and doing shops. This allows a natural progression of gaining experience as you go so that if/when a new-to-you shop appears you are ready and able to take it. I really do worry about shoppers who head for the high paying jobs first and only because frequently these require observational and timing skills normally developed in the cheapie jobs where if you mess up you have lost relatively little time or money. And of course the best list of who shops whom is your own list since the same client name can be shopped by different MSPs in different parts of the country or by different companies if they are franchises versus client owned locations.

I have given some newbees some advice on where and with whom to shop and of course where not to shop. But I do it only to shoppers out of my state and only via private emails. I too, do not mind assisting but I do not need to be choked.

I agree Doc.

I help shoppers everyday by leading them to companies that may have jobs in their area. I am not worried about competition, since the majority of jobs that are posted in public places do not pay all that well to begin with. Most are a lot of work and new shoppers quickly learn that it is hard work, not fun and games. If they are willing to work hard, I see no reason not to help.

I have never told anyone who shops who, but if someone is looking for retail, fast food, etc., I have no problem helping them. I have a tremendous amount of competition in my area, but my reputation with the companies, rotation, etc., all come into play so I still stay busy and do not run out of work.

I feel there is enough work for everyone and I enjoy helping.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2009 06:18PM by paminca.