The new USPS shops - from someone who's done one

@Rho* wrote:

Boxes can be turned inside out to hide printing. OR brown paper bags can be cut into patches and glued over markings.

This stuff is great for reusing boxes

[www.grainger.com]

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The current instructions do not say it "would be nice", it says to submit the shop before beginning the next one. Of course, the proof is in the pudding. Until people come back to this Forum and say that they have been waiting to submit all of the shops at the end of the day (having of course pressed the button when they arrive at each new location) and have not been reprimanded and have gotten paid, the jury is out on how the current MSC interprets and enforces the instructions.

@Cassiespark wrote:

You really don't need to complete the report before leaving the location. Old MSC had this as a nice to have also, but ultimately it doesn't matter. With so little pay on these, I wouldn't personally waste the 30 minutes in between locations as it would be better to do a filler shop in between.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

The OP of this thread said she checked in on the app, and then completed the rest of her report at home on her Mac. I did 3 the same way on Thursday, all have been accepted.

@myst4au wrote:

The current instructions do not say it "would be nice", it says to submit the shop before beginning the next one. Of course, the proof is in the pudding. Until people come back to this Forum and say that they have been waiting to submit all of the shops at the end of the day (having of course pressed the button when they arrive at each new location) and have not been reprimanded and have gotten paid, the jury is out on how the current MSC interprets and enforces the instructions.

@Cassiespark wrote:

You really don't need to complete the report before leaving the location. Old MSC had this as a nice to have also, but ultimately it doesn't matter. With so little pay on these, I wouldn't personally waste the 30 minutes in between locations as it would be better to do a filler shop in between.

I was not able to find my copy of the finished report to look back at the form I submitted.
someone else said the shop report gets mailed to you when you hit submit but I did not get anything mailed to me. But as an fyi my shop was accepted a few days later with most likely the wrong number in that space. So all is good.

@MsJudi wrote:

It's definitely the clerk ID #. I just did another one and was curious to see after seeing the remark from sandyf.

I saw two different shipping shops on ISS today.. One was the $15 + $10 bonus with no reimbursement that we've been talking about. The second, for the same location, paid $5 with $15 reimbursement. But I couldn't tell if one might be hazmat, or if they are all regbox shops? I just kinda wondered what the difference was? Or is the MSC still feeling it's way out of business?

@Morledzep wrote:

I saw two different shipping shops on ISS today.. One was the $15 + $10 bonus with no reimbursement that we've been talking about. The second, for the same location, paid $5 with $15 reimbursement. But I couldn't tell if one might be hazmat, or if they are all regbox shops? I just kinda wondered what the difference was? Or is the MSC still feeling it's way out of business?

Pretty sure they're trying to feel their way around. Mine are still at 17/17 untaken. They were up to the $10 bonus, and now they're at a $5 pay. I'm guessing they want to see if calling it "pay" will lure in people who won't do "reimbursement only" shops, even if there's a bonus (but you can't see the bonus until you click on the shop).

Edit because I messed up they're/there/their which is a pet peeve of mine.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2024 05:34PM by mysterioso412.

I did a usps shop on 6/29/24 and it did have a 10.00 bonus. Made the shop 25.00 pay. The cost of mailing the one pd package was 10.35. So I made a little money. I will not do them for 15.00 it cost to much to mail priority anymore and you make under 5.00 or you make nothing. Been shopping since 1998 and it’s getting harder and harder to make money in this business. This was in Oklahoma.

The difference is one of the shops (the one with the $10 bonus) was a shop listed for June. Starting with shops July 1st the fee structure has changed. End of the month bonuses of $10 are gone. The new shops no longer have a flat rate like they did in June. Instead they have reimbursement which means you do not get to keep the difference between what you spend and $15. They have tacked on a fee of $5. Hopefully there will be some bonuses later in the month.
\ote=mysterioso412]

@Morledzep wrote:

I saw two different shipping shops on ISS today.. One was the $15 + $10 bonus with no reimbursement that we've been talking about. The second, for the same location, paid $5 with $15 reimbursement. But I couldn't tell if one might be hazmat, or if they are all regbox shops? I just kinda wondered what the difference was? Or is the MSC still feeling it's way out of business?

Pretty sure they're trying to feel there way around. Mine are still at 17/17 untaken. They were up to the $10 bonus, and now they're at a $5 pay. I'm guessing they want to see if calling it "pay" will lure in people who won't do "reimbursement only" shops, even if there's a bonus (but you can't see the bonus until you click on the shop).[/quote]

By the end of June, 20 of the 100 locations in my area had been taken (amazingly, 12 of the 20 were ones I did).

Now, all 100 are back. None have been taken so far. With only a $5 fee and only reimbursement, I won't do any. There is an 18-day rotation, so the closest ones are off-limits to me until the second half of this month anyway.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

I seem to recall that the old standard was they needed each location completed twice per quarter. I would not expect bonuses until they realize they aren't going to meet that goal which could be September...ugh

Of course, things might have changed when naked people took them back.

*****************************************************************************
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain

I did many USPS shops for the previous MSC and enjoyed the work. I have been reluctant to try the new company due to the lack of pay. Well, I finally tried one shop due to the bonus and I think I messed up. I had not used the app in the past and did not check in properly - as I did not realize my location services were turned off. Then I received a message when I uploaded my photos that the geotag data was missing - maybe because I cropped the photos?? Should I have taken photos with the time stamp camera app? I feel lost after having done so many of the previous shops. I think I am giving up after one try....

In my immediate area, there are 12 post office locations to be shopped so right now there are 24 shops available since no one picked up any for June. I saw the $10 bonus last week and was going to do a few but now I see they changed the pay. I guess I'll wait again since $5 pay isn't worth the time and gas for travel out of town.

@myst4au wrote:

There is an 18-day rotation, so the closest ones are off-limits to me until the second half of this month anyway.

I'm trying to remember....did the old shops have rotation limits, or was that a moot point because they were only shopped quarterly and not reposted month-to-month?

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

In order for the geotag data to be present, you have to have location services turned on. The location and time then appear in the metadata.

They have not requested the use of the Timestamp camera app. I doubt that it would work properly either if you don't have location services turned on. To some extent, the information shown on the photo using the Timestamp Camera is redundant since it is also in the metadata. Some MSCs want it printed on the photo itself, thus the Timestamp Camera.

If you scan a photo using the scanner on a printer, there will not be any metadata. If you take a photo at home, the location and time shown in the metadata will be the time you took the photo of the receipt at home. For the MSC that does Wawa, the "wrong" location and time is acceptable, but the absence of metadata (as when scanning a photo) is not. The app checks for metadata when uploading the photo.

@jewel1233 wrote:

I did many USPS shops for the previous MSC and enjoyed the work. I have been reluctant to try the new company due to the lack of pay. Well, I finally tried one shop due to the bonus and I think I messed up. I had not used the app in the past and did not check in properly - as I did not realize my location services were turned off. Then I received a message when I uploaded my photos that the geotag data was missing - maybe because I cropped the photos?? Should I have taken photos with the time stamp camera app? I feel lost after having done so many of the previous shops. I think I am giving up after one try....

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

Thank you @myst4au. Does the location services need to be turned on specifically for the iPhone camera? Your reply was very helpful!

@jewel1233 wrote:

I had not used the app in the past and did not check in properly - as I did not realize my location services were turned off. Then I received a message when I uploaded my photos that the geotag data was missing - maybe because I cropped the photos?? Should I have taken photos with the time stamp camera app? I feel lost after having done so many of the previous shops. I think I am giving up after one try....

Take heart, jewel; a lot of us are feeling discombobulated about this shop in its current form. If you had location services turned off entirely, that would have affected the geotag data on your photos as well. I only use a timestamp camera when a visible stamp is requested/required—in this instance, they didn't say that's what they wanted, and knowing my luck, they would've kicked it back, saying the writing covered too much of the building.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

With the old MSC, reimbursement stayed at $14 for years even though cost to mail to zone 8 where two of my children live was more than that. I slowed down taking them except for one child who lives closer. At $25 I might consider taking one or two. So far I haven'taken any. And all are sitting on the board.

Thanks @drdoggie00! I have been shopping for 5 years and this USPS shop made me feel like it was my first day. I was not familiar with the app. The current pay of $5 in my area is not worth it...

I probably really screwed up since I did not use the time stamp on the app for the pictures although I did take the pictures and there should be time on them. However, we shall see if they get accepted. So far they are in review. I do see that they are bonusing only the $5 so I will wait until it becomes at least $10 and then consider doing them again.

The MSC did not ask for the use of a Timestamp Camera. If you had location drives turned on (true for both iOS and Android), then the required information is contained in the metadata. TimeStamp camera does not create the information, it simply takes the "copies" the metadata onto the visible photograph. You should be fine.

@Insight wrote:

I probably really screwed up since I did not use the time stamp on the app for the pictures although I did take the pictures and there should be time on them. However, we shall see if they get accepted. So far they are in review. I do see that they are bonusing only the $5 so I will wait until it becomes at least $10 and then consider doing them again.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

I also got a message in the app that there was no metadata on my photo but it turned out there was and the photo was accepted. In addition I signed in from many miles away and that was accepted too.

@jewel1233 wrote:

I did many USPS shops for the previous MSC and enjoyed the work. I have been reluctant to try the new company due to the lack of pay. Well, I finally tried one shop due to the bonus and I think I messed up. I had not used the app in the past and did not check in properly - as I did not realize my location services were turned off. Then I received a message when I uploaded my photos that the geotag data was missing - maybe because I cropped the photos?? Should I have taken photos with the time stamp camera app? I feel lost after having done so many of the previous shops. I think I am giving up after one try....

@mysterioso412 wrote:

Edit because I messed up they're/there/their which is a pet peeve of mine.

My pet peeve is your/you're. I recently had to add "yore" when I read, "He was fishing like in the days of your!" They meant "yore" but it can be dangerous to suggest corrections these days

Where do you find the location setting on an iPhone?

I noticed there were two shops in my area that were bonused $15 at the end of the month, but never taken. They are listed for July with the same $5 compensation as all the others. Lol, good luck to them.

Where I am, there are still 100 sitting there. They are listed as $5 Compensation and up to $15 reimbursement. And unlike the old company, you can't include a box in that reimbursement. With the old company paying $12 and up to $14 reimbursement, I would take a job when I had something I needed to send. I never took them as a straight money maker, as some locations can have a 30 or 40 minute wait in line. The new company would need to pay at lease $14 plus reimbursement before I would be interested, even with a need to ship.

Also, the new company only allows you to schedule 2-3 days in advance. The old company would let you pick a date further out and self reschedule once without penalty.

Don't worry about the GeoTag error. It pops up on every single survey as a warning, and is just beyond ridiculous. This new MSC not only doesn't know how to price this shop appropriately, they have no idea how to use ISS correctly. The package photo pops up with an error saying there is no GeoTag (correct, who care where the photo of the package was taken?!) and the receipt photo always asks if you want to annotate the photo (um, no, I do not, nor should anyone else).

Just submit whatever you have and its fine. Hopefully they will learn how to use ISS. its literally not you, its them.

@jewel1233 wrote:

I did many USPS shops for the previous MSC and enjoyed the work. I have been reluctant to try the new company due to the lack of pay. Well, I finally tried one shop due to the bonus and I think I messed up. I had not used the app in the past and did not check in properly - as I did not realize my location services were turned off. Then I received a message when I uploaded my photos that the geotag data was missing - maybe because I cropped the photos?? Should I have taken photos with the time stamp camera app? I feel lost after having done so many of the previous shops. I think I am giving up after one try....

The location setting is automatically turned on in iOS. You would need to turn it off. Location is included in the photo's metadata by default. You aren't doing anything wrong, the MSC just doesn't know how to use ISS and they have some boxes checked that shouldn't be.

Seems like when a company changes mystery shopping companies they lower the fee. I won't start my car for the low post office shops. The old ones were great but this is ridiculous.

did one shop. clerk placed stamps to the box without my permission. I said to her not to do so. but she refused. She placed several on the box and added some pay of $6.60. The total was $11.70 for Priority mail. The receipt shows stamps plus $6.60. But my shop was disapproved stating I bought extra services. I wrote email to scheduler and explained the store. How shall I explain?

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009

It doesn't matter how you explain, they are going to reject the shop. It's not fair I know. Sometimes it seems they are determined to reject shops.

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The new USPS shops - from someone who's done one

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