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Five Guys Worth My Time?

September 10, 2024 09:36PM
Greets to one and all! I'm noticing that since I am working almost FT now on a "regular" job, the type of shops that interest me have changed. I am now more amenable to doing food/restaurant shops IF there is a reasonable fee besides reimbursement. I ran across the MSC that does Five Guys shops and I've read here that the reimbursement does not cover all that is required to purchase to complete the shop.

So I just thought I'd ask - Is Five Guys a waste of time if you wish a shopper fee on top of reimbursement? And it the reimbursement truly to small to cover shop requirements? Thanks for any replies!
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More About Five Guys Mystery Shopping
September 10, 2024 09:56PM
Don't accept them at base pay which I believe starts at $9 around me. Wait for bonuses.

Once you accept a location at a certain amount, it will be hard for you to be offered more than that amount in the future if they happen to call you.

I figure my drive time, reading the instructions (to make sure nothing chaged), 20 minutes you have to stay in the store per guidelines and writing the report, takes me about an hour.

Figure out what you want to make an hour and ask for that fee. If I can't get it I decline the shop. It's amazing how often they'll call back.

Also, I don't know if I've had a request submitted to the callers supervisor for approval turned down.
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September 10, 2024 10:00PM
You can stay under reimbursement at the two near me. Until my last shop, I never went over. But I get a bacon burger.

It depends where you live. Some buy hotdogs or grilled cheese to stay under reimbursement. I get what I want.
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September 10, 2024 10:08PM
@morocco77

We are in the same basic big metro area, although we don't fight over assignments. Just watch the board. The fees get higher here than they do in Southern CA. I don't know what they do in the winter, but definitely in the summer I was seeing shops at $20 plus regularly. They start at $9. You can also see they are at $13 today. They will be $15 tomorrow.

The report is not hard. If you get a single burger, small fries and small drink you will lose $2-3 on your fee, but when you are getting $15-$20 fee or more, it's worth losing the $2-3 for reimbursement.

I agree with @wrosie, I won't do them at the $9 starting pay

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/10/2024 10:08PM by hbbigdaddy.
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September 10, 2024 10:23PM
I see shops posted near me at $9 and taken right away. Whoever is taking them is ruining it for everyone. I will NOT do the shop for $9- the reimb. does not cover what is required and between traveling there, staying the required time and doing the report with all the stupid narratives- are the employees happy>? Do they love working there? I find the report a bit silly as no one who has to work in a hot and greasy place like 6G unless they are so desperate for money- can be happy.
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September 10, 2024 10:27PM
The reimbursement is just over $17; the initial fee is $9 for regular shops (online and dine in) and $5 for delivery shops. Depending on where you live, that might not be enough, since prices for the required items can range between $17 and almost $23 with taxes. With a milkshake tacked on, the reimbursement goes up by $5, but the prices of milkshakes is $7 or more in some areas.

There are other things to consider, including transit fares, wear and tear on one's car, etc.

Depending on where you live, bonuses might be added, but nothing like say a year or two ago. Back then I could get an extra $10 to $25 on top of the regular fee, but those days seem to be gone for now. Now, it's another $3 to $10, and bonuses don't start until at least a week after the shop would have been normally due.

The reality for me is that I cannot afford to do these shops unless I'm already in the same mall or store next door, and I want to have lunch.

A good thing about them is there are no long narratives, and after gaining experience, I can enter accurate shop data online in 15 minutes. I don't do shops that include shakes, since I can't consume such a large quantity of sweets at one time, and the reimbursement rate is even worse than that for the meal.
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September 11, 2024 12:09AM
In my area, the reimbursement covers a small hamburger, Little Fries, large drink, and sales tax. There are three locations near me that I will do for $18 (plus reimbursement, of course) and not a penny less. When the fee hits $15, they call me. I counter with "I always get $18." Sometimes I get $18 immediately and sometimes they call me back the next day. Or not. No matter what, I stand pat at $18. If I were to accept even a penny less, it would be nigh unto impossible to ever get that penny back.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
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September 11, 2024 12:33AM
I won't leave my home for less than $25 on this one and they know it. They'll call and offer $18. I say no and they"note" my fee requirements. No surprise they'll call with it a day later. Sometimes toward the very end of the month the call will come from Georgia instead of Michigan. Georgia skips the pleasantries and goes right for a super high fee like $42.
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September 11, 2024 02:26AM
It's been a while since I've actually gotten a call from a Georgia based person. It seems they've spoofed their overseas caller ID to appear as if they're in Georgia.

But yes, Georgia based schedulers don't mess around. About a year ago I got a call. Can you do this shop, 80 miles away for $100. Yep. $25-30 an hour and built a very profitable route around that shop.
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September 11, 2024 07:16AM
Personally I think they are but I am on the road most days so I need food regardless. The report's aren't too bad.
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September 13, 2024 12:54PM
@wrosie wrote:

But yes, Georgia based schedulers don't mess around. About a year ago I got a call. Can you do this shop, 80 miles away for $100. Yep. $25-30 an hour and built a very profitable route around that shop.

Twice recently, I've had Georgia schedulers give me $5 more than I asked for!
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September 13, 2024 02:24PM
For me it's not a question of being worth my time, it's the new guidelines that call for abnormal consumer behavior.

The previous scenario of order 2 items and then accept the 3rd when offered was totally realistic.

Ordering 1 and then 2 more is totally stupid IMNSHO, and I will not participate in the program as a result.

Have synthesizers, will travel...
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September 13, 2024 02:38PM
I'm happy to do them for 18 to $25 for the close ones and have a lunch for it. I don't get them too often anymore, but I'm happy to drive 5-10 mi for it.
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September 13, 2024 03:10PM
Yes, it's a lame scenario because people don't order that way. I just pretend to be distracted like I forgot to finish ordering. I don't really care what the worker thinks. I just want my food and pay. But I'm sure only the "mystery shopper customer" is more than likely doing this.

The scenario of only the burger would make more sense if they had combos and you only say the name of the burger and not a combo number.

@CoolMusic wrote:

For me it's not a question of being worth my time, it's the new guidelines that call for abnormal consumer behavior.

The previous scenario of order 2 items and then accept the 3rd when offered was totally realistic.

Ordering 1 and then 2 more is totally stupid IMNSHO, and I will not participate in the program as a result.
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September 14, 2024 01:52PM
I think situations/areas vary as far as fee acceptances. I usually do these shops once they hit $15-20 depending on which one (there are a few around me), although I've occasionally done them for $12 (back when twelve was the first jump) if it was someplace I was already going to be at that time, and then gotten double that the next week for the same location. I feel like schedulers must understand that sometimes people's fees are based on whether or not they're already going to be in the location. There's one five guys that I'm around frequently for my volunteer work so I'm happy to pick it up for $13, because I need to eat anyway, but if I have to make a special trip in? $30 at least.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/14/2024 01:52PM by mysterioso412.
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September 14, 2024 02:15PM
The problem is, if you accept it at $13 when you're in the area, you may have trouble getting $30 at other times.

I made a MAO yesterday for my normal$30 fee. It sat without being accepted or rejected. I tried calling a number I had for an "Atlanta based scheduler". It routed to the overseas call center.

I told her I was in the Plaza ready to do the shop today at my MAO amount.

She went through her whole spiel, including telling me what times and dates the shop was available, as if she had called me.

I Googled the MSC in Atlanta, and actually found an option on their phone tree for "shoppers onsite having problems" or something like that. I had to leave a message.

When I checked before leaving 40 minutes later, my MAO, had been rejected. So I went home.

I did receive a call back 50 minutes after I initially left the message.

My question is, if I'm in the middle of a shop for, let's say $15, am I waiting around for a response from the MSC for 50 minutes when I've called them for help?

Personally, I'm not.
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September 14, 2024 05:25PM
My point was, I hadn't been accepted to do the shop yet. But the recording said something like if you're a shopper in the middle of a shop and need assistance, press 2.

If I was a shopper in the middle of a shop needing assistance and pressed 2, I would expect to hear a person answer the phone. I got a message 50 minutes later saying if you still need assistance call 800 and enter extension xyz.

So where is the help a shopper might need while onsite doing a shop?
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September 14, 2024 06:34PM
My point is, none of the overseas schedulers can go off script.

I tried to reach a US based schedulerr and couldn't. " while onsite" for 50 minutes.
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