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Hi from NYC/NJ

January 29, 2016 02:48PM
Hello, everyone! I'm a new shopper and trying to get the gist of everything.

I was wondering what on average is the lead time for shoppers to get approved for assignments. My guess is every company must be different.

How many assignments would you apply with one company before you seem flaky? I applied for 10 with one, because they said it was ok and never got a yes or no. Is that normal? Yet, another company responded within an hour and the process with user friendly, quick and easy.

I was signing up with several companies and two that I already had assignments with never asked me for SS#. Then 5 others did. I'm not really comfortable putting my SS# online. Is there any other way around that? What are everyone's thoughts on this?

Thanks a bunch for everyone's help!

Happy shopping!!
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January 29, 2016 03:33PM
There is no average lead time for being assigned because each MSC operates independently. If you apply for an assignment and it is not assigned by the time you need to know, simply cancel the application. Many systems allow you to do this yourself. If not, just send an email withdrawing.

I don't understand your question about how many shops you can apply for with a company. Some have restrictions on how many outstanding assignments you can have at one time, there is no limit to applications.

More companies than not will require your SSN or EIN. They need this to verify you are eligible to work in the U.S. and for tax purposes. Just beware of sending your SSN or any personal information in response to an unsolicited email. Verify the MSC is legitimate and use their website.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
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January 29, 2016 04:27PM
Hi LisaSTL,

Thanks for reading and replying!

Sorry if my terminology or lingo is incorrect. For example, I applied for an assignment with one company. My selected date for performance was within the same day or a couple of days. Being that it was last minute, for that evening, I thought it would be a great opportunity. I am quite flexible in time and schedule, but I didn't hear anything back from the company, yes or a no for any and still haven't. So I contacted the company and asked them about lead time and kept my evening open just in case, because it sounded like a great assignment.

They were very helpful and nice and said feel free to request some more assignments and just ask to be rescheduled if they approve more than one for the same time. There wasn't a limit. So I applied for approx 10. I didn't receive any responses. Therefore my question is does too many request make you seem flaky and undecided or you're open and available for last minute jobs?

Hope that clarifies.

Thanks again.
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January 29, 2016 04:34PM
It would only seem flaky if you applied were assigned and then canceled. I've never seen a scheduler weigh in on "too many" applications so to me it would make you seem interested. When you are new it might take a lot of applications before getting an assignment depending on how many shoppers are in your area. So keep applyingsmiling smiley

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
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January 29, 2016 05:31PM
@LisaSTL
Thank you for your help!!

Could you or anyone give a bit of advise on what schedulers are looking for in short write ups as to why they should pick you?

I write about my experiences, discretion and observant nature, but don't know if that is rhetorical or repetitive, though it applies to all assignments.
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February 05, 2016 04:45AM
Yea you're fine on applications. I HATE applications! I wish if you have a certain shopper rating then you could just self assign. I just think the whole application process is incredibly inefficient. I think MSC would find it beneficial from their end too. You know how many times I'm out or about to pass through a certain area and I remember oh yea there's a shop here....go on the board just to see it's an application shop....there goes that idea. I'm sure if they did this many of us shoppers would be in the same boat picking up shops when we happen to be passing by. This would stop many more shops from reaching bonus week which means more money for the MSC. I get that on the other end it will cause more flakes but that's what the shopper citations are for. If someone does it too much just remove that person;s ability to self assign. I just think if MSCs ran that way it would be better for everyone but alas the application process stays as a red tape barrier to efficiency.
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