Haha really?! I have never seen this shop, but that is a little sad to be the bad news guy handing over the certificate.

Rich's Car Negotiation Shops no no no thats on my 39 and a half foot pole list

@BuffaloNY101 wrote:

Rich's Car Negotiation Shops no no no thats on my 39 and a half foot pole list

I was thinking about doing one. Are they that bad?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2017 02:47AM by aptos55.

@texthinker wrote:

ACE Cash Express

I have done these. There are 2 different types in my area, Auto-title loan (only type available in Arizona) and what I call transaction shops. The pay is pretty decent for the title shops and they always end up bonused, but overall not worth it. The transaction shops are pretty easy because you get a choice. You can cash a check, get a money order, atm transaction, or add or take money from their pre-pay debit card. It doesn't take long and the report is easy. I think they pay about $12 plus fee reimbursement for maybe 20 minutes of work total. If you can get past the kind of place you're in, it's not too bad.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2017 03:00AM by sassymmmm.

I have any purchase and return shop on my 10 foot pole it's just not my thing at all. I also don't like the reveal shops not sure what it is but I really just like sticking to the mystery shops not mystery and reveal.

@aptos55 wrote:

@BuffaloNY101 wrote:

Rich's Car Negotiation Shops no no no thats on my 39 and a half foot pole list

I was thinking about doing one. Are they that bad?

The shop itself is not horrible, just Rich who is the final word on if you get paid....

@luckygirl0100 wrote:

Do you actually work then?

Yes, quite a bit. Too much sometimes.

@Karen IL wrote:

I think it would be easier for Rousseau to list the shops he/she WOULD do!

Airport shops
Apartment shops, non-recorded
Bank shops, other than mortgage
Check cashing stores
Clothing store shops
Credit cards shops other than jeans and men's suits
Dry cleaner shops
Electronic store shops
Furniture store shops
Jewelry store shops
Hair cut shops
Money order shops
Pet store shops
Printing shops
Reimbursed + Fee Meal shops
Self storage shops
Shoe store shops without purchase
Shipping & Shipping Company shops
Testing center shops, other than BARE
Transportation shops

@LeslieKay111 wrote:

Why grocery stores and gas stations? IF I may ask?

I dislike grocery shops. When I shop for food, I prefer to go, grab, and leave without interacting with any person.

I am far too honest in my criticism for many a gas station MSC. I also find that they aren't cost effective considering time spent, low fee, and reporting; the ones near me are never bonused.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2017 07:08PM by Rousseau.

Ditto on the grocery thing. Undoubtedly, I will do more grocery shops, but they will never replace my personal grocery shopping. Gas station shops are not always so bad. Sometimes, they come with great bonuses. Then, you might earn more 2 - 3 times more than the cost of fuel that you needed anyway (even if you calculate a cost for a few extra minutes on-site and with a report). Many gas station audits are time-consuming because of numerous requirements and the potential number of images that can add many minutes to the reporting time. On the other hand, I occasionally complete a different type of gas station audit that is perfect for me. I hope it comes around again soon...

The WU bribe scenarios are asinine and I feel like an idiot creep when I do them, but there are worse ones out there. But when bonused at double digits, they are hard to pass up.

The way I see it, it's all about negotiation....If you look at your 10' pole list, are you willing to say that you wouldn't do it for $1,000,000? What about $100,000 or $10,000? $500? Is there a price at which you would do those shops? (It might be that you'll never get paid your price, but you can always ask...)

That said, I don't touch adult entertainment.

That's like saying everyone is a prostitute because everyone has a price.

It's more a recognition that this business is pure capitalism. Is the MSC willing/able to offer the shop at a price for which you are willing to do it? Or, is somebody willing to do it for less? Or, perhaps, did the MSC make a mistake with their contract with the client as they are unable to offer enough to shoppers to get the job done? Knowing your "price" is a necessary tool in this business. I recently did a shop that I despise because a) I was already at the location doing two neighboring shops, so it was super-convenient. and b) I asked for, and got, over double the already bonused asking price.

@bgriffin wrote:

That's like saying everyone is a prostitute because everyone has a price.

I won't work for Amusement Advantage either. I did not find them pleasant to work with and I only do these shops for FUN.

I have only done one of the "OOPS" chicken shops, but I really enjoyed it. The employees did a great job so instead of an "OOPS" ticket, I got to give out the "Golden Tickets" which meant everyone at the store won a $10 gift card. They were all really happy, and it was nice to be the person who got to make them happy. However, If they had done a bad job and had gotten the "OOPS" I think I wouldn't have liked it nearly as much.

Those "OOPS" chicken shops are a counter-productive slap in the face to the crew members. When the crew member is successful, there is justifiable cause for celebration. When the crew member is not successful, the "OOPS" certificate is a childish disincentive.

My 10-foot pole shops - all the ones I learn about on this wonderful Forum.... lol. I look up the difficulty levels and problems with shops here before even considering it. I read what others say about it - and make my decision there. So for example - I won't take those shops requiring one to walk around with an item waiting for assistance. There are others I won't take either like purchase and return shops, I won't do shops offering gift cards as payment. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I have to not take coffee purchase shops. I've heard enough about Behr and the "find a product out of stock" shops that I won't even consider those. Yes, this forum is wonderful for help me to stay away from the bad shops.

Evidently others don't like the phys. Therapy phone shop any better than I do , still as many on the is board as yesterday.

...couldn't complete as they insisted a Dr. had to send in a referral, so it was a bust. Will never try again.

@Bookwormmom

Thanks for the feedback on those. They have remained on the board for 2-3 days, and I wondered why. Now I know.

My worst was a property audit that required me to draw a diagram of the building under construction, and measure all of the walls, so that the diagram was accurate. I'm no artist, and this diagram looked like a 3 year old drew it. Plus there were about 20 rooms-all oddly shaped-in the building.

I drew the diagram by hand, and put the measurements on it in inches. I got it returned. I was asked to convert my inches to feet. Since my diagram was done by hand, and it would have looked awful had I used white out to correct all of my measurements, I re-did it on the computer and converted the measurements. The thing still looked totally lopsided, but low and behold... I got paid.

Too darned hot in Florida to be wandering around inside of a building under construction taking measurements.

As for those grocery store audits? I hope they aren't too bad... I'm doing two today. Not sure what I was thinking, though. It's the Sunday before 4th of July. Think the shelves will be stocked?

Happy 4th!

Oh yeah-the Western Union shop that I did made me feel like a total scumbag.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2017 11:01AM by NotAFullTimeJob.

@goodkitty wrote:

... I won't take those shops requiring one to walk around with an item waiting for assistance. ...

These shops have been simplified--both the in store scenario and the report, but the fee remained the same. It might be time to rethink this shop. I used to avoid them, now I look for them.

yes, i did one of yhe 'carry item' shops in April and it was not bad at all.

I didn't think so. I did several. You go through a one hour phone training with Rich. He gives you all the tools and scenarios to do a successful shop.

@aptos55 wrote:

I was thinking about doing one. Are they that bad?

I have 2 done so, first visit of first shop was a little rocky but I asked the lead for advice and it worked. I plan to do more.

It is always interesting to me about the point of view depending on where you live. I like the Amusement Advantage shops. But in my area there are 20 or so shops you can do. There was one I did that I did not like so will not do that one but on all others they have paid for everything I had to purchase and I generally have money left over and time to enjoy the venue.
I used to do the Ace Payday loan shops for another company when they paid $125. Money talks on those.
And many of us who have another source of income and do not shop full time will do reimbursement only shops if it is worthwhile. A nice dinner, a vet visit, a haircut etc all things I will do in exchange for a shortish report. (well not short in the case of the nice restaurants but for a $100+ dinner I am willing to spend some time).
My area has only occasional small bonuses. I will see pages of shops dissapear quickly at the original fee (mostly not worth doing to me but that is all that are available here)...those of you who wait for bonuses more power to you but understand that for some of these chains the big cities have hundreds of locations that get snapped up without bonuses....so why would they raise the fees? when people are taking them quickly. The percent that get bonused seems like all to some of you but to me it seems very small.

Okay, I'll bite...

Any shop that pays out in gift cards, additional amusement park tickets, or anything that is not actual cash. Examples:

1. Haircut/barbershop assignment that paid out a reimbursement less than the full cost of a haircut, plus a gift card less than the full cost of a haircut. So, spend money twice to give them feedback. Um, no.
2. The amusement park shop that pays additional tickets. Sorry, but I usually only visit these parks once per year, and getting me to come back is just an excuse to separate me from more of my money. Forget it.

When I can pay my phone bill with a theme park ticket or buy gas with a barbershop gift card, I might change my stance on these... don't see it happening anytime soon though.

@Joscelin wrote:

I have done Amusement Advantage shops in my area that offer a flat reimbursement.. so if you don't spend the over that amount, what is left is considered your payment. If you pinch pennies you CAN come out ahead. However.. now that it's waterpark season I won't TOUCH Amusement Advantage. As a 50 year old woman with no children and no family in the area (so as to share with nieces and nephews) I have NO use for the 3 park tickets given as payment after the two I'm given for the shop. Oh and I still have to pay out of pocket for food and gift shop.. with NO reimbursement. On a lark, when they were looking to fill shops- I emailed my scheduler to inquiry IF (given what I shared above re no kids and my age) perhaps they could pay me $50 instead of the extra tickets (a value of almost $100 each).. I was told no. I don't blame the scheduler. If the client is so rigid then it serves them right not to get enough shoppers. We have other attractions in our area with shops, I'll stick with those.

PLUS you must purchase a ticket at the gate for $37 with NO reimbursement. I still have the ticket. Which is just a receipt not an actual ticket so you can't resell it because there is no way to prove that it is not used already.

Yes, my rant on AA was about the waterpark shop. Good to learn that all of their shops aren't the same way. NO reimbursement and NO pay. But what about the reports>? Are they still as ridiculous as the water park one?

@Rousseau wrote:

@luckygirl0100 wrote:

Do you actually work then?

Yes, quite a bit. Too much sometimes.

@Karen IL wrote:

I think it would be easier for Rousseau to list the shops he/she WOULD do!

Airport shops
Apartment shops, non-recorded
Bank shops, other than mortgage
Check cashing stores
Clothing store shops
Credit cards shops other than jeans and men's suits
Dry cleaner shops
Electronic store shops
Furniture store shops
Jewelry store shops
Hair cut shops
Money order shops
Pet store shops
Printing shops
Reimbursed + Fee Meal shops
Self storage shops
Shoe store shops without purchase
Shipping & Shipping Company shops
Testing center shops, other than BARE
Transportation shops

@LeslieKay111 wrote:

Why grocery stores and gas stations? IF I may ask?

I dislike grocery shops. When I shop for food, I prefer to go, grab, and leave without interacting with any person.

I am far too honest in my criticism for many a gas station MSC. I also find that they aren't cost effective considering time spent, low fee, and reporting; the ones near me are never bonused.

I understand not wanting to interact but you really only ask one question and the rest is observation. I apply the fee to my grocery shopping along with the reimbursement and save $20-$37 per location. I tend to wait for the hard to fill locations and make a route out of outlying areas.

With the gas station shops, it is 90% pictures and multiple choice answers, there is no where to enter any criticisms. I get gas at each shop and fill my tank for free. I use my fee money towards gas. Once you've done a dozen, they become so easy to do. I choose locations that are near places I drive by anyway or that are on my routes or locations out of town.

I love the storage shops - I can make $50 a location for some of the outlying cities because no one wants them and they are not hard. Once you do a few in a row you already know what to ask and look for. It has become a little gold mine for me.

I guess to each his own, it's just how you look at things in this game. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes.