If you count the reimbursement as part of the pay (I don't) then $16/hr. as calculated above isn't bad but if a shopper has no other shops or work in the area it could be the only "pay" a shopper gets which makes it $16/day. Not so good.
"There's no free lunch" said somebody somewhere.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2023 06:23PM by sestrahelena.

@sestrahelena wrote:

If you count the reimbursement as part of the pay (I don't) then $16/hr. as calculated above isn't bad but if a shopper has no other shops or work in the area it could be the only "pay" a shopper gets which makes it $16/day. Not so good.
"There's no free lunch" said somebody somewhere.

So how do you feel about this situation/ how would you calculate it?

My twins fell in love with the indoor skydiving activity. They asked to go & my husband said yes. (I can count on one hand the number of times he has told them no... his world REVOLVES around our kids)
$170 was going to come out of my checking account and I would be spending 60 minutes each way driving to said activity and however much time it would take to complete the activity.
So at this point I'm down $170 + 1/2 tank of gas and $200+ because Fogo de Chao is right next door and I'm just thankful he didn't remind me his favorite casino was two minutes away to drop him off for a few hands of black Jack while the twins had their fun.
I see the indoor skydiving shop on the job board & grab it. I spend less than 45 minutes on the report and literally seconds snapping photos at the location as I'm ALREADY taking photos at because who couldn't use another 30 photos of their kids? I've now saved myself $170 and turned those miles into tax deductible ones.

And pissed off all the people here who scream that they 'don't work for free' and those that take reimbursement only shops are part of the problem.

Do you ever do a quick/easy shop just for the mileage deduction?

My daughter had a soccer tournament today at a location that was 39 miles one direction from the house. I picked up a fast casual shop that paid $5 and covered 1 person meal. The family was going to be there from 10am to 5pm (committed to all day games). So I grabbed something that would feed one of us and also get the mileage deduction as well. It was not about making a crapton of $, but instead reducing eating expenses having 1 person meal covered.

Many time when I know the travel is somewhat significant, I don't mind grabbing 1-2 shops in the area (provided they are easy and reasonably short) just to get the food covered and also the mileage deduction.

Yes, did this exact thing yesterday. My daughter had a competition in a tiny town, so I grabbed some fast food and gas station convenience store items on the way. Deductible mileage, plus happy junk food filled teenagers - lol!

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Do you ever do a quick/easy shop just for the mileage deduction?

My daughter had a soccer tournament today at a location that was 39 miles one direction from the house. I picked up a fast casual shop that paid $5 and covered 1 person meal. The family was going to be there from 10am to 5pm (committed to all day games). So I grabbed something that would feed one of us and also get the mileage deduction as well. It was not about making a crapton of $, but instead reducing eating expenses having 1 person meal covered.

Many time when I know the travel is somewhat significant, I don't mind grabbing 1-2 shops in the area (provided they are easy and reasonably short) just to get the food covered and also the mileage deduction.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Do you ever do a quick/easy shop just for the mileage deduction?

My daughter had a soccer tournament today at a location that was 39 miles one direction from the house. I picked up a fast casual shop that paid $5 and covered 1 person meal. The family was going to be there from 10am to 5pm (committed to all day games). So I grabbed something that would feed one of us and also get the mileage deduction as well. It was not about making a crapton of $, but instead reducing eating expenses having 1 person meal covered.

Many time when I know the travel is somewhat significant, I don't mind grabbing 1-2 shops in the area (provided they are easy and reasonably short) just to get the food covered and also the mileage deduction.

Yep.. I sure do. I typically take a few shops if it's going to be higher mileage to 'justify' it, but every out of town tournament will have a few shops there/ on the way.

I think all of us here look for shops when we're out of town and I'm guilty of picking them up at base pay. So that's why they fly off the board!

@luvtwoscrap wrote:

Your screen name says it all. Put em up, put em up.

@wrosie Yes, @Datagirl is new. She did mention that at least one other person that is her competition in the area is picking up jobs at base, so if she doesn't pick it up someone else will.

@luvtwoscrap If you have to go into your pocket (not get reimbursed) to fulfill the requirements of a shop, then you aren't getting paid to eat a free meal. You aren't taking into consideration the time it took to drive to the establishment. If you have three shops that are close by that each take 15 minutes to complete, then the most you can do is three an hour. That is the bigger picture.

@luvtwoscrap wrote:

look at the big picture, you received $8.00 for a shop that also earned you a free meal or cost you mere cents, plus you made $8.00 for a whole 15 minutes of your time.

Last month taught us that Sonics get a small bonus after a couple of weeks, but if you hold out until the last two days of the month then big bonuses $50 & $70 are yours for out of the way stops. I was on a route and I tried to pick up a Sonic shop a few blocks away, but that day's date was grayed out. Later on in the route, there was another Sonic a block away from a different stop and that one allowed me to do a same day assignment. I think it is difficult to do a food only route unless you are doing shops that are paying $50 per stop. If that is the pay, then you can toss the food. Realistically, Sonic is a minimum 17 minute stay.

It is rare to see gas station audits located in a city get bonused. When they do get a bump in pay, it means that it has sat for a long time. This tells me it is probably in a rough neighborhood, the location has a higher than normal number of pumps, and/or has a reputation for giving auditors a hard time as discussed in another thread recently.

Some mystery shops, like a Lowe's, get picked picked up at base in my area, but most make it to at least the first round of bump in pay. I don't do them unless they get bumped several times because I have done enough of them to know that so much can go wrong, that your shop time could go from an ideal 25 minutes to an hour. That longer stop will impact my target rate per hour. The scenarios change monthly with Lowe's, so there is that additional time you spend reading over the guidelines. Ideally several area Lowe's will get bumped so that the time spent learning the shop is spread over a few instead of just one location.

I expected Marathons to get bonused by this stage of the cycle, but since they advertised the reimbursement along with the webinar in a couple of days, it seems that we will have to wait longer for the shops to get a bump in pay.

Since the $5 job was not the purpose of this trip and you would not have driven 39 miles one way for a $5 job, legally I believe you could only deduct the additional miles from your "real" destination to the shop. The mileage for the whole trip would not be deductible, since work was not the purpose of the trip. For example, you can't go on vacation and deduct your entire vacation mileage/expenses just because you do a few shops on the way or while at a vacation destination. That would likely be considered income tax fraud.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Do you ever do a quick/easy shop just for the mileage deduction?

My daughter had a soccer tournament today at a location that was 39 miles one direction from the house. I picked up a fast casual shop that paid $5 and covered 1 person meal. The family was going to be there from 10am to 5pm (committed to all day games). So I grabbed something that would feed one of us and also get the mileage deduction as well. It was not about making a crapton of $, but instead reducing eating expenses having 1 person meal covered.

Many time when I know the travel is somewhat significant, I don't mind grabbing 1-2 shops in the area (provided they are easy and reasonably short) just to get the food covered and also the mileage deduction.

@mjt9598 wrote:

Since the $5 job was not the purpose of this trip and you would not have driven 39 miles one way for a $5 job, legally I believe you could only deduct the additional miles from your "real" destination to the shop. The mileage for the whole trip would not be deductible, since work was not the purpose of the trip. For example, you can't go on vacation and deduct your entire vacation mileage/expenses just because you do a few shops on the way or while at a vacation destination. That would likely be considered income tax fraud.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Do you ever do a quick/easy shop just for the mileage deduction?

My daughter had a soccer tournament today at a location that was 39 miles one direction from the house. I picked up a fast casual shop that paid $5 and covered 1 person meal. The family was going to be there from 10am to 5pm (committed to all day games). So I grabbed something that would feed one of us and also get the mileage deduction as well. It was not about making a crapton of $, but instead reducing eating expenses having 1 person meal covered.

Many time when I know the travel is somewhat significant, I don't mind grabbing 1-2 shops in the area (provided they are easy and reasonably short) just to get the food covered and also the mileage deduction.

Many out of town trips are duel purpose. Would I have made a route to that area without the sport event? Maybe! And LOTS of times (ok, most of the time) I pick up work along my drive there & back.. Taking I-65 South to Southern Indiana? That's going to include at least 6 Pilot/ Flying J shops & maybe a Citgo or Marathon (before they changed MSC) scattered the entire way.... much easier to justify those miles.

Yep. Every time I drive family to/from the airport I snag a gas station or fast food right near it. For mileage. Regular errands, like grocery shopping, I incorporate into shop routes. I rarely go anywhere on non-deductable mileage.

If it entertains my kids and its not a crazy difficult report, even if I put a little out of pocket, that's a win for me.
I did a kids entertainment place last year. It reimbursed $50 but I bought an annual family membership for $80 instead of a daily admission. I paid out of pocket but its also a local business that I like to support, and was able to take my kids, their friends and cousins a few times. Totally worth it, imo.

@luckygirl0100 wrote:

@sestrahelena wrote:

If you count the reimbursement as part of the pay (I don't) then $16/hr. as calculated above isn't bad but if a shopper has no other shops or work in the area it could be the only "pay" a shopper gets which makes it $16/day. Not so good.
"There's no free lunch" said somebody somewhere.

So how do you feel about this situation/ how would you calculate it?

My twins fell in love with the indoor skydiving activity. They asked to go & my husband said yes. (I can count on one hand the number of times he has told them no... his world REVOLVES around our kids)
$170 was going to come out of my checking account and I would be spending 60 minutes each way driving to said activity and however much time it would take to complete the activity.
So at this point I'm down $170 + 1/2 tank of gas and $200+ because Fogo de Chao is right next door and I'm just thankful he didn't remind me his favorite casino was two minutes away to drop him off for a few hands of black Jack while the twins had their fun.
I see the indoor skydiving shop on the job board & grab it. I spend less than 45 minutes on the report and literally seconds snapping photos at the location as I'm ALREADY taking photos at because who couldn't use another 30 photos of their kids? I've now saved myself $170 and turned those miles into tax deductible ones.

And pissed off all the people here who scream that they 'don't work for free' and those that take reimbursement only shops are part of the problem.

I soooooooo wish this shop was a set reimbursement. Unfortunately you are emailed two voucher codes for a set activity. This place offers multiple 'packages' that would allow for 10 visits for about $100 more than the cost of the voucher. I would gladly pay $100 out of pocket for this shop to get that.

@joanna81 wrote:

If it entertains my kids and its not a crazy difficult report, even if I put a little out of pocket, that's a win for me.
I did a kids entertainment place last year. It reimbursed $50 but I bought an annual family membership for $80 instead of a daily admission. I paid out of pocket but its also a local business that I like to support, and was able to take my kids, their friends and cousins a few times. Totally worth it, imo.

@luckygirl0100 wrote:

@sestrahelena wrote:

If you count the reimbursement as part of the pay (I don't) then $16/hr. as calculated above isn't bad but if a shopper has no other shops or work in the area it could be the only "pay" a shopper gets which makes it $16/day. Not so good.
"There's no free lunch" said somebody somewhere.

So how do you feel about this situation/ how would you calculate it?

My twins fell in love with the indoor skydiving activity. They asked to go & my husband said yes. (I can count on one hand the number of times he has told them no... his world REVOLVES around our kids)
$170 was going to come out of my checking account and I would be spending 60 minutes each way driving to said activity and however much time it would take to complete the activity.
So at this point I'm down $170 + 1/2 tank of gas and $200+ because Fogo de Chao is right next door and I'm just thankful he didn't remind me his favorite casino was two minutes away to drop him off for a few hands of black Jack while the twins had their fun.
I see the indoor skydiving shop on the job board & grab it. I spend less than 45 minutes on the report and literally seconds snapping photos at the location as I'm ALREADY taking photos at because who couldn't use another 30 photos of their kids? I've now saved myself $170 and turned those miles into tax deductible ones.

And pissed off all the people here who scream that they 'don't work for free' and those that take reimbursement only shops are part of the problem.

@mjt9598 how many shops need to be done in an area to qualify "as the purpose of the trip?" Maybe I felt like losing $$$ that day and took a drive just to do a $5 shop? I always report a profit at yearend (never have taken a loss) and even report all the $ earned whether I get 1099 for it or not. If it's a traceable payment that hits a bank account, then it gets reported.

@mjt9598 wrote:

Since the $5 job was not the purpose of this trip and you would not have driven 39 miles one way for a $5 job, legally I believe you could only deduct the additional miles from your "real" destination to the shop. The mileage for the whole trip would not be deductible, since work was not the purpose of the trip. For example, you can't go on vacation and deduct your entire vacation mileage/expenses just because you do a few shops on the way or while at a vacation destination. That would likely be considered income tax fraud.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Do you ever do a quick/easy shop just for the mileage deduction?

My daughter had a soccer tournament today at a location that was 39 miles one direction from the house. I picked up a fast casual shop that paid $5 and covered 1 person meal. The family was going to be there from 10am to 5pm (committed to all day games). So I grabbed something that would feed one of us and also get the mileage deduction as well. It was not about making a crapton of $, but instead reducing eating expenses having 1 person meal covered.

Many time when I know the travel is somewhat significant, I don't mind grabbing 1-2 shops in the area (provided they are easy and reasonably short) just to get the food covered and also the mileage deduction.

The IRS considers business mileage as any driving done solely for business purposes. It's not like they are going to know, but if you had to explain each transaction, they would definitely not buy that a person drove 80 miles for $5 and a fast food meal. Going for a drive also would not qualify as a business expense.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/06/2023 06:57PM by mjt9598.

I hear what you are saying. However, I incorporate shops (work) into many activities whether it's a trip, work, or kids sports. I try to find things that I can do to make money when I know I'm headed somewhere.

@mjt9598 wrote:

The IRS considers business mileage as any driving done solely for business purposes. It's not like they are going to know, but if you had to explain each transaction, they would definitely not buy that a person drove 80 miles for $5 and a fast food meal. Going for a drive also would not qualify as a business expense.

The IRS has specific rules to prevent people from deducting their vacations as fraudulent business expenses. I know of a professional financial advisor who deducted her vacation to Hawaii because she paints a few pictures while she is there. She has a hobby business as an "artist." This is tax fraud, since the purpose of the trip was vacation, not business.

I'm not sure if BigDaddy was referring to things like taking a vacation, just basically saying to expense what you can, if you can.

For example, I go to physical therapy 25 miles away. I pick up a shop that is 13 miles into that drive. I deduct the 26 miles that I drove for the shop but not the entire 50 mile round trip.

@mjt9598 wrote:

The IRS has specific rules to prevent people from deducting their vacations as fraudulent business expenses. I know of a professional financial advisor who deducted her vacation to Hawaii because she paints a few pictures while she is there. She has a hobby business as an "artist." This is tax fraud, since the purpose of the trip was vacation, not business.

I've actually done some one-off shops that I don't normally do,or aren't in my area to keep my foot in the door with a company. To me, maintaining a business relationship is a valid business purpose.

Come at me, IRS! lol

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

@mjt9598 how many shops need to be done in an area to qualify "as the purpose of the trip?" Maybe I felt like losing $$$ that day and took a drive just to do a $5 shop? I always report a profit at yearend (never have taken a loss) and even report all the $ earned whether I get 1099 for it or not. If it's a traceable payment that hits a bank account, then it gets reported.

@mjt9598 wrote:

Since the $5 job was not the purpose of this trip and you would not have driven 39 miles one way for a $5 job, legally I believe you could only deduct the additional miles from your "real" destination to the shop. The mileage for the whole trip would not be deductible, since work was not the purpose of the trip. For example, you can't go on vacation and deduct your entire vacation mileage/expenses just because you do a few shops on the way or while at a vacation destination. That would likely be considered income tax fraud.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Do you ever do a quick/easy shop just for the mileage deduction?

My daughter had a soccer tournament today at a location that was 39 miles one direction from the house. I picked up a fast casual shop that paid $5 and covered 1 person meal. The family was going to be there from 10am to 5pm (committed to all day games). So I grabbed something that would feed one of us and also get the mileage deduction as well. It was not about making a crapton of $, but instead reducing eating expenses having 1 person meal covered.

Many time when I know the travel is somewhat significant, I don't mind grabbing 1-2 shops in the area (provided they are easy and reasonably short) just to get the food covered and also the mileage deduction.

Yes, especially if I’m doing a merchandising route across hundreds of miles and I know I can grab a quick bite to eat along the way without having to worry about the hassle of contacting a scheduler and negotiating higher pay, it’s just quicker to grab one off the board at the base pay.

@joanna81 wrote:

For example, I go to physical therapy 25 miles away. I pick up a shop that is 13 miles into that drive. I deduct the 26 miles that I drove for the shop but not the entire 50 mile round trip.

Yes, and if you itemize deductions, you can deduct the mileage to your PT visit, 50 miles round trip. It's less than the business mileage deduction, but it's still a deduction if you itemize.

I am curious, what is the hourly rate that you would like to make? I am pretty happy if mine is around $20-$25 an hour, but often times make much more.

@Shoptosay1 wrote:

I am curious, what is the hourly rate that you would like to make? I am pretty happy if mine is around $20-$25 an hour, but often times make much more.

Depends... if I'm on a route then I'm looking at 14-16hr days and I want $50+/hr

If I'm doing a local route while the kids are in school I'm happy with $30/hr

And if it's lifestyle shopping then there is no hourly rate as 99.9% of the time I (or my husband) would have just spent the $$$ & time anyway.

@wrosie easy solution, don't do the shop. Then you can go pay for your full meal yourself or make it your self at home and not have to worry about the price of fuel. Problem solved. :-)

@wrosie

Your screen name says it all. Put em up, put em up.


Ummm it means SCRAPBOOKING....lol wow

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2023 02:19PM by luvtwoscrap.

@heywave this is where the issue is when shoppers complain. You are looking at it as trying to get a free meal when in fact, you are only spending in some cases less than a dollar. I don't know about you but if I only have to pay less than a dollar for my meal, i'm good with that. But you can also just feel free to walk in as a regular customer and pay full price. Which would you rather choose? Oh, not to mention that you are also getting paid to evaluate the shop and purchase food. I don't know anywhere else I can go to walk in, buy food and have my meal reimbursed ( even if partially) and then also get paid to order that meal. Shoppers these days complain way too much. Be thankful!

I sure miss JIB. That program was ruined by the shoppers who would only do bonused shops and purchase the least expensive meal ( breakfast). Now it's gone. Hopefully, other programs won't go away because of them.

How do you know it was because of shoppers waiting for a bonus and purchasing something cheap? Not trying to argue, just curious. I think a number of businesses stopped shopping during covid or for other reasons.

@NM1962 wrote:

I sure miss JIB. That program was ruined by the shoppers who would only do bonused shops and purchase the least expensive meal ( breakfast). Now it's gone. Hopefully, other programs won't go away because of them.

@luvtwoscrap If the shop says I must order certain items to be compliant with said shop, then I and others here feel that it is only fair that the MSC reimbursement cover that entire cost of what you need to purchase at a fast food establishment. Let's say that the cost, including tax, to fulfill the Panda job is $10.15. That $8 fee & $8 reimbursement structure nets you $5.85 for that shop. This is a 26% reduction in the stated pay.

You say that I should be thankful. I should appreciate that they are covering part of the meal and that I have to go into my pocket to cover the rest? No thank you, I try to do other jobs that pay more on a net/hour basis. The Panda jobs I have seen require that you finish the meal in the restaurant or stay there for a minimum amount of time.

When I've done the Sonic jobs, they cover the full cost of the items I order. This seems fair. Do you agree @luvtwoscrap? The fee for this job is higher too.

The bigger picture is why are you afraid of paragraphs? You don't have to tell us, just point to where they hurt you.

You are overlooking certain things and simplifying the process. When I go to a fast food place of my choosing to get a meal, I order what I want and go when I want -- provided they are open at the time. These shops that you are compensated for tell you what you must order and when you can go. Sometimes they require that visits take place during a set time like lunch, dinner, or late night

Quit saying it is a free meal. It isn't a free meal and it is partially reimbursed. You mentioned "Try to earn that sitting in an office somewhere. $8.00 plus 8.00 plus 8.00 and so on, it starts to add up." If you work in an office, they don't hire you to come in to only work 15 minutes and then leave.

i recently had to start taking my burger shops at $20 shopper pay instead of $25. someone is taking them before they hit $25 in the past several months. oh well. life will go on. that is capitalism at its finest. supply and demand. right now supply of shops is way down from jobslinger.

bonuses generally happen the last week of the month or so. many companies have quotas to fill by then. its always a risk though becasue other people might be willing to grab them.