Hello all, Im a newbie and haven't had my first shop yet, but did receive an email about a check shop which Im not interested in. The email states if Im interested than to respond to the email. Should I respond to decline the shop as well or just leave it alone? I signed up with TrendSource according to them Im not a field agent yet and not allowed to go on their website. I must wait for them to email me with shop offers. Does this sound right? I have been reading all over this forum and Im so glad I found it. You all are wonderful and have alot of good ideas. You all sound like you are from the same area, where are you all located? Im about 15 minutes outside Orlando, FL.

No, if you are not interested you just delete the email. If you think you might be interested if you see something else in the area, leave it in your in box for the moment. You only need to respond if you are interested. Chances are that the same email was sent to several hundred or more shoppers, so the scheduler really only wants to hear from those interested.

Yes, Trendsource and Bestmark and a few other companies only accept new shoppers when they have too few shoppers in your area. They do a pretty good job of keeping applications on file pending need.

We are from all over the US and Canada with a few other international folks who appear from time to time.

With Trendsource, when you accept your first shop, you're then considered an approved field agent. It's only at that point you can sign into the site and see what other jobs are available. Just FYI, the check cashing shop is VERY easy. I'd have rather done that one than the auditing shop I did! :-) If you have a check that qualifies, I'd recommend thinking about it if you want to get into the company. But as Flash said, if you aren't interested in that shop, disregard the email.

Chloe, welcome. I am in the complete opposite side of the US from you. WA state.

Carol

Thanks for the info everyone. It looks like I am going to be doing alot of apartment shops or non-purchase shops so I don't have any out of pocket expenses upfront, until I get a little cash flow going. I read on a post that someone had made $1000 for the last year and was waiting on $600 worth of reimbursements?? I understand that alot of the Purchase shops may not require me to spend alot, but with each job I take it will eventually add up. Im a stay at home parent so this is a side job for a little extra cash in my pocket and something to keep me busy when the kids are in school. Thanks again for everyone's help, Im learning so much on this forum.

Last month I did about $1100 in fees and about $675 in reimbursements. The bulk of the reimbursements were for restaurant shops, though there was $150 in grocery reimbursements in that total. Bank shops, apartment shops, cell phone shops are examples of shops with no out-of-pocket expense. But if you are going to need groceries anyway, why not get them reimbursed? If the car needs an oil change, why not get it reimbursed?

As for restaurant shops and other lifestyle shops, take your reimbursements every month and try to add a little to it to form a 'shopping kitty'. My 'kitty' has grown to small deposit accounts with several banks in town where I opened accounts to do bank shops. You will find comfortable ways to manage it, but most generally my 'kitty' has about $1500 spread out around and I put all reimbursements possible on a rewards credit card. When it comes time to pay the card I may deposit checks I write on my smaller bank 'kitty' accounts to help cover clearing the card. As you recycle your kitty it will grow and you will be able to comfortably cover reimbursement shops that don't pay you before the credit card needs to be paid. It just requires a mindset that the check you receive in the mail or funds by direct deposit or PayPal is NOT your business profit but rather earnings PLUS reimbursements and the reimbursements need to be recycled to stay in and grow your business.

Also, in terms of reimbursement shops, be cognizant of each company's pay schedule, especially if you're on a tight budget. Some pay VERY fast (within two weeks), while others take a looong time. Additionally, while most abide by the terms of their agreement, some are chronic late-payers. You'll be able to figure it out by doing a search on the board -- when a company defaults or is late, we yell like hell! :-)

I love the "kitty" recommendation. Thank you.
Who has grocery shops? I used to do them for ICCDS, but have not seen them in a long long time. Mary

Grocery shops are available from many different companies. Depending on your area of the country and the chains in your area, they will be done by different companies. In my particular area they are done sometimes by ICCDS, sometimes by Customer Perspectives, Service Intelligence, Trendsource and by Sinclair. Different companies have different pay and reimbursement levels, different goals for the shops, as well as different frequencies of shops being performed. Your best bet is to be watchful for shops available in your area as you sign up with more and more companies. Keep a list of who you have seen shopping whom. With the Prophet4 system you can see shops already accepted by others and request being notified if the shop becomes available again. With SASSIE and most other companies you can expand your search area to areas far beyond your shopping area and if you see ABC supermarket shopped 150 miles away, there is a high probability that the ABC supermarkets are shopped in your area as well but you were late to the job board and someone else has claimed them.

TSN does grocery stores as well as Trendsource. marijaldm Wrote:
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> I love the "kitty" recommendation. Thank you.
> Who has grocery shops? I used to do them for
> ICCDS, but have not seen them in a long long time.
> Mary

Who has grocery shops? I used to do them for ICCDS, but have not seen them in a long long time. Mary

Depending on your area it may be any of many companies. I understand Market Force has some, Sinclair, Service Intelligence, Customer Perspectives, I think someone mentioned CORI did, Trendsource, etc. etc. It is in the nature of grocery chains to be regional and the different chains are handled by different companies, with different pay/reimbursement scales and requirements.

Funny, all the above mentioned shops (but Trendsource) never have grocery shops in CA. Wish SI had them out hear.

I just received a grocery shop from Trendsource this week but it is too far from where I live. I sent an email to them regarding the distance and they came back with two more shops a distance away but at least in the state that I live in.

You will get notices of shops very far away from you, but that is not saying that they are being assigned to you. If they aren't feasible or you aren't interested, no response is required. I rather used them as a reminder to check the job board and see if there is something nearby or that I want.