What is the Scheduler-Shopper Pay/Bonus divide?
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There were a couple of high-end jobs I did where I was contacted after more than three months and asked what would have improved the customer service. I thought I had screwed my reports. I was told that the client was using my report as a tool in their customer service training. That enlightened me on a lot of things...They wanted a very detailed report and they were paying above average rate.
I was aware of the $3 per shop from an explanation from my evaluator friend. And he did say, they were paid when the company received the pay from their client. And that's way after the shoppers receive their pay as not many shoppers would tolerate more than 90 days pay.
I was aware of the $3 per shop from an explanation from my evaluator friend. And he did say, they were paid when the company received the pay from their client. And that's way after the shoppers receive their pay as not many shoppers would tolerate more than 90 days pay.
MickeyB Wrote:
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> Flash Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > My guess is that even the schedulers who edit
> are
> > doing a ROTFLOL at $40!
> >
>
> Heck ya! My guess would be more like $5 to maybe
> $10 if it was a VERY difficult to edit/schedule
> shop.
Ha! Try like .75 or $1!
-------------------------------------------------------
> Flash Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > My guess is that even the schedulers who edit
> are
> > doing a ROTFLOL at $40!
> >
>
> Heck ya! My guess would be more like $5 to maybe
> $10 if it was a VERY difficult to edit/schedule
> shop.
Ha! Try like .75 or $1!
Cholie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MickeyB Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Flash Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > My guess is that even the schedulers who edit
> > are
> > > doing a ROTFLOL at $40!
> > >
> >
> > Heck ya! My guess would be more like $5 to
> maybe
> > $10 if it was a VERY difficult to edit/schedule
> > shop.
>
> Ha! Try like .75 or $1!
Are you saying that you only get $1 to schedule AND edit a difficult shop? If so - then wow. When I edited - I got between $4-5 per shop JUST to edit and I did not have to schedule. And they were not as hard as some shops in terms of density and narrative.
-------------------------------------------------------
> MickeyB Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Flash Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > My guess is that even the schedulers who edit
> > are
> > > doing a ROTFLOL at $40!
> > >
> >
> > Heck ya! My guess would be more like $5 to
> maybe
> > $10 if it was a VERY difficult to edit/schedule
> > shop.
>
> Ha! Try like .75 or $1!
Are you saying that you only get $1 to schedule AND edit a difficult shop? If so - then wow. When I edited - I got between $4-5 per shop JUST to edit and I did not have to schedule. And they were not as hard as some shops in terms of density and narrative.
First, thank you Mystery Shop Forum for emailing The Week's Top Discussions or I would've missed this interesting gem.
shopperbob Wrote:
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> I completely agree with every word FLASH used in
> the above comments. I think it was Jan. of 2009,
> when the owner of a scheduling company posted on
> Volition and requested shoppers work for less to
> help MSCs who had a cash flow problem.
I don't miss V at all but I'm sorry I missed out on that one. What a great source for laughter! I can only imagine who that scheduling company owner was and it fits right in with her need for an au pair, Prada shoes, charging schedulers to use the scheduling software, and waiting months to pay them.
Reality check here: The mystery shopping industry is not going to make most people (shoppers, editors, schedulers, OR owners) well off. Rich is laughably out of the question here. Granted there are a few exceptions for the mega monsters of the business, I'm sure. However, in general, the money isn't in this business. It's the first thing clients are willing to drop when they need to save money. Most MSP owners are making a living but it's not of the "Look at me! Look at me! I wear Prada shoes" variety mentioned above.
I've never understood the appeal of scheduling. I'd hate to have my paycheck depend on whether some unknown person at the other end of my email will follow through on the promise to do the job assigned. I'm glad there are schedulers out there, and while I think they're crazier than editors or shoppers to do that job, if we didn't have them, then we'd be out of luck in this business.
Most schedulers and editors are paid by a per shop fee, just like the shoppers. The hourly editor or scheduler isn't as common. I've heard fees for editing have been as low as $2.50 for a basic shop and as high as $8 (rare) for a complicated, high end hotel shop. Most I think are probably around the $3 to $4 range.
On the whole, the majority of schedulers and editors I've spoken to...and I've got an "in" since I'm an editor...are ideally supposed to be making around the $15 an hour range, give or take. However, throw in the problem shops, shoppers, and reports, and that can certainly drop dramatically. I know some who have said after it was all said and done, they weren't even making $8 an hour at their old companies. I don't know a single scheduler or editor who doesn't have an outside source of income. Most work part-time but they also trade higher pay for the convenience of staying home to work.
There are times when it pays better to be a scheduler or editor versus a shopper. But there are times when being a shopper pays better. Either way, even as a "newbie" shopper, I wouldn't take those $4 shops unless it consisted of me sitting at home, making a quick phone call or email, and offering a brief summary of the experience.
shopperbob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I completely agree with every word FLASH used in
> the above comments. I think it was Jan. of 2009,
> when the owner of a scheduling company posted on
> Volition and requested shoppers work for less to
> help MSCs who had a cash flow problem.
I don't miss V at all but I'm sorry I missed out on that one. What a great source for laughter! I can only imagine who that scheduling company owner was and it fits right in with her need for an au pair, Prada shoes, charging schedulers to use the scheduling software, and waiting months to pay them.
Reality check here: The mystery shopping industry is not going to make most people (shoppers, editors, schedulers, OR owners) well off. Rich is laughably out of the question here. Granted there are a few exceptions for the mega monsters of the business, I'm sure. However, in general, the money isn't in this business. It's the first thing clients are willing to drop when they need to save money. Most MSP owners are making a living but it's not of the "Look at me! Look at me! I wear Prada shoes" variety mentioned above.
I've never understood the appeal of scheduling. I'd hate to have my paycheck depend on whether some unknown person at the other end of my email will follow through on the promise to do the job assigned. I'm glad there are schedulers out there, and while I think they're crazier than editors or shoppers to do that job, if we didn't have them, then we'd be out of luck in this business.
Most schedulers and editors are paid by a per shop fee, just like the shoppers. The hourly editor or scheduler isn't as common. I've heard fees for editing have been as low as $2.50 for a basic shop and as high as $8 (rare) for a complicated, high end hotel shop. Most I think are probably around the $3 to $4 range.
On the whole, the majority of schedulers and editors I've spoken to...and I've got an "in" since I'm an editor...are ideally supposed to be making around the $15 an hour range, give or take. However, throw in the problem shops, shoppers, and reports, and that can certainly drop dramatically. I know some who have said after it was all said and done, they weren't even making $8 an hour at their old companies. I don't know a single scheduler or editor who doesn't have an outside source of income. Most work part-time but they also trade higher pay for the convenience of staying home to work.
There are times when it pays better to be a scheduler or editor versus a shopper. But there are times when being a shopper pays better. Either way, even as a "newbie" shopper, I wouldn't take those $4 shops unless it consisted of me sitting at home, making a quick phone call or email, and offering a brief summary of the experience.
Irregardless of how monies are divided up, a shop company who expects a shopper to travel 50+ miles one way to perform a $7.00 shop and tell you they can't afford to pay only a couple of bucks extra for travel because no one else wants it should take another look at their business practices. If they cannot negociate contracts with clients that are profitable for everyone involved they shouldn't be in business.
rchipe01 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Irregardless of how monies are divided up, a shop
> company who expects a shopper to travel 50+ miles
> one way to perform a $7.00 shop and tell you they
> can't afford to pay only a couple of bucks extra
> for travel because no one else wants it should
> take another look at their business practices. If
> they cannot negociate contracts with clients that
> are profitable for everyone involved they
> shouldn't be in business.
Sadly, there are enough newbies who figure they have to prove themselves to get better jobs or who don't know better or who are THRILLED to take any job at any pay (that'd be my area) that shops that pay pennies are snagged up as if they're 90% off clearance rack clothing. I've never understood it. I have a hard time taking the shops that pay $10 or $15 unless it's right around the corner from me. Even then, I often don't want to bother with the report. I stick to shops I enjoy mostly and let others fight over the low to mid-paying shops.
-------------------------------------------------------
> Irregardless of how monies are divided up, a shop
> company who expects a shopper to travel 50+ miles
> one way to perform a $7.00 shop and tell you they
> can't afford to pay only a couple of bucks extra
> for travel because no one else wants it should
> take another look at their business practices. If
> they cannot negociate contracts with clients that
> are profitable for everyone involved they
> shouldn't be in business.
Sadly, there are enough newbies who figure they have to prove themselves to get better jobs or who don't know better or who are THRILLED to take any job at any pay (that'd be my area) that shops that pay pennies are snagged up as if they're 90% off clearance rack clothing. I've never understood it. I have a hard time taking the shops that pay $10 or $15 unless it's right around the corner from me. Even then, I often don't want to bother with the report. I stick to shops I enjoy mostly and let others fight over the low to mid-paying shops.
I have scheduled for a lot of companies and it seems that the pay for schedulers is going down the same as the pay for shoppers doing the mystery shops.
Usually, the only schedulers receiving hourly pay are schedulers who actually work in the office. IC's are usually paid on a per shop fee. I say usually because there are a few that pay hourly.
I have never kept track of what my hourly would be, but I have a feeling it is around $2-$3 per hour and some months far less. I do a lot of recruiting, which means new shoppers and that takes a lot more time. I have gotten paid very nicely for recruiting, but this is usually a one time thing. I get the company the shoppers and then never schedule the shopper again. One reason, I try to at least get the shopper in my database, so that the shopper I may have spent hours getting in Timbuktu is at least somewhere in my files to use again when I may need one there again. Sometimes I may have to call shoppers for five or six hours to get one shop filled, other times it may not take that much.
I love scheduling as I can do it where ever I am almost anytime of the day. A company I no longer schedule for was the lowest paying MSC I have ever scheduled shops for. The pay on the shops was $1 a shop base pay. Then after that it got complicated. Basically, if a shopper got sick or flaked last minute I lost on the whole project and not just the one shop. One shopper flaking was costing me $35-$50 on a project. Did I think it was fair? I am no longer with the company. I should have never accepted the job knowing the pay, but I liked the company and thought I could live with not getting paid for my work telling myself over and over again to just deal with it. It didn't last long. You have to be happy with the pay. Nice people don't pay the bills.
That same company did have a very generous bonus pool to use each month. They basically took money off of all shops to pay for the tougher shops. Some projects were never bonused and other couldn't be scheduled without a bonus.
I do schedule currently for a company that has paid a fair pay for my work. Maybe the reason I have scheduled for the company for over two years.
IC schedulers can work for more than one company at a time. If company A only has a few shops, then you can maybe pick up some shops with another company. Some MSC's don't like it that schedulers work for other companies, but like shoppers, most of us are IC's and if we need more income, we have to look for more work. And like Jamie stated, there are very few deductions to the IRS on the pay other than for my office. I do try and do some mystery shops to try and get some deductions. But, if I am busy with scheduling, I don't have time to mystery shop.
Overall in the past few years, the pay for scheduling has been between $4 and $8 per shop with the average being about $5 per shop. It depends on the type of shop and how it is scheduled. A lot of variables, is it self-assign or all hand scheduled, etc.Where are the shops located and what is the shopper rotation.
Usually, the only schedulers receiving hourly pay are schedulers who actually work in the office. IC's are usually paid on a per shop fee. I say usually because there are a few that pay hourly.
I have never kept track of what my hourly would be, but I have a feeling it is around $2-$3 per hour and some months far less. I do a lot of recruiting, which means new shoppers and that takes a lot more time. I have gotten paid very nicely for recruiting, but this is usually a one time thing. I get the company the shoppers and then never schedule the shopper again. One reason, I try to at least get the shopper in my database, so that the shopper I may have spent hours getting in Timbuktu is at least somewhere in my files to use again when I may need one there again. Sometimes I may have to call shoppers for five or six hours to get one shop filled, other times it may not take that much.
I love scheduling as I can do it where ever I am almost anytime of the day. A company I no longer schedule for was the lowest paying MSC I have ever scheduled shops for. The pay on the shops was $1 a shop base pay. Then after that it got complicated. Basically, if a shopper got sick or flaked last minute I lost on the whole project and not just the one shop. One shopper flaking was costing me $35-$50 on a project. Did I think it was fair? I am no longer with the company. I should have never accepted the job knowing the pay, but I liked the company and thought I could live with not getting paid for my work telling myself over and over again to just deal with it. It didn't last long. You have to be happy with the pay. Nice people don't pay the bills.
That same company did have a very generous bonus pool to use each month. They basically took money off of all shops to pay for the tougher shops. Some projects were never bonused and other couldn't be scheduled without a bonus.
I do schedule currently for a company that has paid a fair pay for my work. Maybe the reason I have scheduled for the company for over two years.
IC schedulers can work for more than one company at a time. If company A only has a few shops, then you can maybe pick up some shops with another company. Some MSC's don't like it that schedulers work for other companies, but like shoppers, most of us are IC's and if we need more income, we have to look for more work. And like Jamie stated, there are very few deductions to the IRS on the pay other than for my office. I do try and do some mystery shops to try and get some deductions. But, if I am busy with scheduling, I don't have time to mystery shop.
Overall in the past few years, the pay for scheduling has been between $4 and $8 per shop with the average being about $5 per shop. It depends on the type of shop and how it is scheduled. A lot of variables, is it self-assign or all hand scheduled, etc.Where are the shops located and what is the shopper rotation.
Who do you guys think that wears the most hats when it comes to mystery shopping the schedulers or the shoppers?
Very good info in here. As one who has done shops for over eight years with many MSC's I have weeded out the ones that do not seem to treat fairly and with respect. The first thing that kills me is when a shopper has to be "perfect" in their writings for grammer and spelling and yet who proofs the shop information for the shoppers? I worked with a company completing price audits and would get and entire city/region or state with mileage/bonus for the out of local area trips for thwo years now woking with a great scheduler. We have a very good relationship in talking over the phone and working out a "fair" deal for the trips. I know because of the market area I am in it is very difficult to find shoppers "all the time" and does not matter what MSC it is. I know some of those trips may cost the company money but they will have a better chance getting the contract again. This last time there was a new scheduler by the name of Patrick that does not know how to schedule nor does he understand business and that I am not here to work for free. This last time I told him I could make the trip around NM and southern CO but there is overnight and other factors involved (distance, time, etc) and he called me back to tell me what he would pay and I just laughed. When he said "the company needs to make money and they are not in business to do the shops for free or lose money" I told him neither am I. I refused the trip. Funny thing a couple days later I get a call from the original scheduler asking me if I would complete the shops for a "fair" amount. I was willing to help this scheduler and would any time. This Patrick......don't bother calling me!
As a former Editor survey consultant, I know that the BONUS is very flexible, esp. at the end of the month. The MS Company wants/needs to service the client that is first and foremost.
All of us were paid a straight salary except when the President and I did Sales, we got a nice % of the contracted sale. No one EVER PAID to use the software. We worked out of a terrific office (5 gals) and, on occassion, I worked out of my home office...on a PC that my employer GAVE me!
Unless it's a shop I really like, I always wait until the end of the month. Other than w/Franchise Compliance, I've never had a problem with payment. I prefer PAY PAL and find it hard to believe it's less expensive to write a check.
Lainerz
All of us were paid a straight salary except when the President and I did Sales, we got a nice % of the contracted sale. No one EVER PAID to use the software. We worked out of a terrific office (5 gals) and, on occassion, I worked out of my home office...on a PC that my employer GAVE me!
Unless it's a shop I really like, I always wait until the end of the month. Other than w/Franchise Compliance, I've never had a problem with payment. I prefer PAY PAL and find it hard to believe it's less expensive to write a check.
Lainerz
Lainerz
10 Year Veteran Shopper
10 Year Veteran Shopper
FYI:
[www.shopperjobs.com]
"All programs can be tailored to fit specific needs. Shoppers, Inc. will provide clients with a customized program and price quote. Depending on company size, prices generally range from $100 - $250 per location."
And previously I've seen numbers in the $75-$150 range for another company that led me to start this thread...
So again, the math isn't adding up.
$100
-$10 shop pay
-$10 reimbursement
-$2 scheduling fee
-$5 editing fee
-$3 average bonus pool
=$70 unaccounted for. Now I can appreciate that a company needs margins like the next guy, just do survive. But the way companies are duking it out for clients makes me feel like either A) the $100 number is out of whack
there are unaccounted expenses we are totally un aware of. Costs in the aggregate, like paying for Sassie platform, business taxes, costs of paying the sales manager to find the clients (this may be the largest hidden cost?).
[www.shopperjobs.com]
"All programs can be tailored to fit specific needs. Shoppers, Inc. will provide clients with a customized program and price quote. Depending on company size, prices generally range from $100 - $250 per location."
And previously I've seen numbers in the $75-$150 range for another company that led me to start this thread...
So again, the math isn't adding up.
$100
-$10 shop pay
-$10 reimbursement
-$2 scheduling fee
-$5 editing fee
-$3 average bonus pool
=$70 unaccounted for. Now I can appreciate that a company needs margins like the next guy, just do survive. But the way companies are duking it out for clients makes me feel like either A) the $100 number is out of whack
there are unaccounted expenses we are totally un aware of. Costs in the aggregate, like paying for Sassie platform, business taxes, costs of paying the sales manager to find the clients (this may be the largest hidden cost?).
marmani,
I think you have your numbers off a bit! I personally know what some clients pay, and it is NOT near $100 per location - in fact, it is quite a bit less.
I do see you realize that it costs MSPs *per report* by at least three of the software companies - I know there are more, but I cannot speak about ones I have not dealt with personally (Prophet, Sassie, and Shopmetrics all charge per report - that's how they make their money).
As well, mortgage/lease for the MSPs, the taxes (you mentioned), power, gas, etc... there are a lot of factors that go into what the company 'makes' but as I originally stated, I am the project manager for a couple of our clients and deal directly with what the client pays and it is definitely not near $100 but quite a bit less!
I think you have your numbers off a bit! I personally know what some clients pay, and it is NOT near $100 per location - in fact, it is quite a bit less.
I do see you realize that it costs MSPs *per report* by at least three of the software companies - I know there are more, but I cannot speak about ones I have not dealt with personally (Prophet, Sassie, and Shopmetrics all charge per report - that's how they make their money).
As well, mortgage/lease for the MSPs, the taxes (you mentioned), power, gas, etc... there are a lot of factors that go into what the company 'makes' but as I originally stated, I am the project manager for a couple of our clients and deal directly with what the client pays and it is definitely not near $100 but quite a bit less!
Deva: Thanks for sharing your experiences. I personally only care about what the pay is and if the shop is profitable to me or not. I do not know or even care to know how much a MSP charges. I do not know the cost structure of the MSP either. However, I do know that they have expenses. The expenses they have to meet even if they do not have any contracts.
Anakin ~ I was completely the same way with which shops I accepted when I was mystery shopping myself! I didn't know what the MSPs made, nor the editors or schedulers... just never even crossed my mind. LOL
Happy Shopping!
Happy Shopping!
You are missing so many of things that are the cost of doing business. If a company has an office they need to pay the rent and utilities whether they have clients that month or not. Deva mentioned taxes and then there are business licenses, website hosting, the list really does go on an on so that $70 is not exactly "unaccounted for." You also are applying one formula to those jobs and basing everything on a $10 shopper fee while many shops pay much more than that. Without the details it's comparing apples to oranges.
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.
"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.
marmani Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow.
>
> Well learned. Thanks for clearing that up.
>
> The reason I assumed you make so much is because
> the money doesn't add up. Maybe the company is
> getting rich.
>
Wow.
The MS companies are cleaning up. It isn't the Schedulers or Editors, it's the Administration, of course.
Thanks everyone for the reality. Wow!
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow.
>
> Well learned. Thanks for clearing that up.
>
> The reason I assumed you make so much is because
> the money doesn't add up. Maybe the company is
> getting rich.
>
Wow.
The MS companies are cleaning up. It isn't the Schedulers or Editors, it's the Administration, of course.
Thanks everyone for the reality. Wow!
LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You are missing so many of things that are the
> cost of doing business. If a company has an office
> they need to pay the rent and utilities whether
> they have clients that month or not. Deva
> mentioned taxes and then there are business
> licenses, website hosting, the list really does go
> on an on so that $70 is not exactly "unaccounted
> for." You also are applying one formula to those
> jobs and basing everything on a $10 shopper fee
> while many shops pay much more than that. Without
> the details it's comparing apples to oranges.
Yes, and the salaries of the employees working in the administrative offices, the expenses of meeting up with clients in other cities or countries, and company overhead.
-------------------------------------------------------
> You are missing so many of things that are the
> cost of doing business. If a company has an office
> they need to pay the rent and utilities whether
> they have clients that month or not. Deva
> mentioned taxes and then there are business
> licenses, website hosting, the list really does go
> on an on so that $70 is not exactly "unaccounted
> for." You also are applying one formula to those
> jobs and basing everything on a $10 shopper fee
> while many shops pay much more than that. Without
> the details it's comparing apples to oranges.
Yes, and the salaries of the employees working in the administrative offices, the expenses of meeting up with clients in other cities or countries, and company overhead.
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