I'm confused.. maybe permanently. I don't understand why folks come here and ask why some MSC or another hasn't posted the shops they are looking for even before the new cycle is supposed to start. I know that we have a few schedulers who participate in the forums, but as I understand it, they are IC's just like we are. So I don't really expect them to be able to answer questions that we don't know the answers to either.

"Why didn't the restaurant shops that I like to do get posted on Jan 1?" "Why aren't there any jobs posted on this company's website today?"

The shops I do regularly have specific rounds, some are 28 days, and I know what those days are. Some are monthly, and I know that too. Some are quarterly, or only during certain times of the year. I expect newbies to ask a bunch of questions, and that's fine. But if you've been doing a certain shop that you want to do more of, and they aren't posted when you expect them to be, this forum probably doesn't know why they aren't posted either.

I do offer information now and then, but it's mostly to counter incorrect info that others have posted. Or to answer specific questions that don't impact my income or help other folks compete for the jobs that I want to do.

The one thing that I found beneficial and concrete are the emails and communications that melg posts from the California scheduler about the Kroger program. I think sometimes I'm only seeing that information here or is going to be a precursor of what's to later arrive. In terms of information, that's the one thing I've been consistently gleaning from here.

Okie, It would be nice if we could get all of the same information that the CA Kroger shoppers get. But that is an individual scheduler thing. Apparently our schedulers don't think we need that info ahead of time, or sometimes at all.

Honestly all of posts about 5Gs new requirements, over and over and over.. And the folks that want to know why the cell phone shops aren't posted (x3) are what seems to have gotten under my skin today..

I take it as a combination of questions, clarification, and venting. If I didn't come across some of these threads, I would have missed the grill slip/receipt requirement too.

I am intrigued about this Kroger program. I am in central California and there are very infrequent offers for this, so wondering if this is mainly a SoCal program? I also meant to ask what is Wa-Wa? Some of you refer to the shops but I do not know what that is.

@big_sky_thunder wrote:

I am intrigued about this Kroger program. I am in central California and there are very infrequent offers for this, so wondering if this is mainly a SoCal program? I also meant to ask what is Wa-Wa? Some of you refer to the shops but I do not know what that is.

WAWA as I understand it, is a gas station, similar to Quick Trip or Circle K. I can't honestly say that I've ever seen one, I think they are in the midwest or possibly the Frozen NorthEast coast. The Kroger program is grocery shops, they are on a 28 day rotation, and if you aren't online when they are released it's likely you will not get any shops at all. I was under the impression that there just aren't a lot of Kroger owned stores in Central and Northern CA. I thought Safeway (Albertsons) took over Northern CA and the Bay Area. I remember a Lucky's store in the bay area long after Albertsons bought them out. I thought it was great and I wished I had brought an ice chest from home to stock up on pork (I was there for a 49er game at Candlestick).

I agree. Most of the conversations on the board are trite and pointless. I have considered getting off because so few of the posts actually have value, but sometimes, there are a good ones. I think I mostly also stay on to correct bad information and assist, as I don't often ask questions.

I think most people aren't really going to give up their best tips and secrets.

I think it is annoying when people post things about mystery shopping companies but haven't even tried contacting the company first.

It also seems like I take time to steer someone in the right direction, and then they don't even come back to read it, or at least don't show appreciation for the information.

It's also silly when people say there are no more shops for a certain client or ask where they have all gone and don't bother looking at areas other than there home area to see if there are still shops.

This goes for other forums as well, but I find it frustrating when people ask a question about something specific, and then people just post responses saying "Just do it this way", "I do it this way", "Just use this", etc. when it is not the same, and often the people replying don't even understand what is being asked.

It can sometimes be nice to get a perspective on what a particular shop is like before doing it.

It is nice when there is a legitimate pay issue with a company, such as Red Quanta a few years ago, to have this forum.

JimmyP opines--I think most people aren't really going to give up their best tips and secrets.

Bob comments--To my mind, MOST connotes a majority and that may be accurate. It is similar to sharing info concerning specific shops. Some folks view an inquirer as competition and are unwilling to aid a rival for work.

My situation is completely different. Were I in need, though, I might be inclined to ignore certain requests.

I don't know. Maybe, I felt one way or another at some earlier point. But these forums are open discussion and very rarely moderated. Various opinions and perspectives. There is the beauty in that. The more, the merrier!

In line with what @JimmyP states, I also get annoyed when someone asks a specific question and one of the first replies says something like: "I don't know..."

Sometimes, I'm damned if I do, and I'm damned if I don't. I don't know! Do I look like the MSC/client?!

I am guessing people have the right to post what they want; just as you did with this irrelevant question. If I don't want to read a post that I think is stupid, I don't open it and read it. I just move along to what I find is interesting. This is a "mixed" forum; just as there are questions as, "What did you do and eat today", there are questions concerning when jobs are posted.

You're going to find this everywhere, all over the online world. People who don't approach the same way. Yes, it's often frustrating, but it's the price of admission. Also, pure laziness or insensitivity.

I begrudgingly accept that whenever I ask a question (not usually here) but in other forums, maybe 3/4 of the answers won't even have anything to do with my question...I guess people love to see their own words in writing? even if rude? unhelpful? self serving?

With all its faults, this forum is brilliant when compared to Facebook groups of broad interest. Be happy.

Morledzep, While there are many excellent shoppers in the industry, not all are great and some are clearly don't have the stuff to actually be in business.

I just want to say that A- I think a lot of people are just lazy. You see it in every type of online forum. I, myself, keep a running note on when assignments are posted by various MSCs so that I know when to watch for them. and B- My gripe is with people who post vague and cryptic items in the subject line of new posts, like the people on Facebook who post, "Just arrived at the ER".

@ShopperGirly I agree with option B above, but as much as I feel like people can be lazy or just plain clueless here at times, it's still way better than the general population on social media. And much better than all MSers in general. I think anyone who takes the time to even find this forum and partake is a head of the game.

One of the reasons I had to quit scheduling/editing was that it was just too depressing for me. I was reminded daily of how entitled and clueless som people are, many times a day, and was affecting my mental health. There are times when I will be scrolling through other social media platforms these days and I get the same feeling. I have to put the phone down and take a break from it when that happens.

Here, you can give input that actually may make a difference in someone's life...even if to just make them laugh when they need it. And I have no issue giving any of my secrets (for MSing) away. My days of back-to-back hotel shops and restaurants are behind me, so I am happy to pass that information on to anyone who wants it.

I notice the same Steve.

At least here in this forum, we more or less stick to the topic and the members can write in complete sentences.

If I go to social media and ask a direct question, eg.:

Does anyone have a good and well tested recipe for lasagna?

I will have to wade through a ton of responses along the lines of:

"I don't like tomatoes". (and that's all they say!)

@BarefootBliss wrote:

At least here in this forum, we more or less stick to the topic and the members can write in complete sentences.

I am OK with the off-topic rants here & there because they are often entertaining, and I may responsible for them in some cases. At least it usually relates to MSing in some way.

My current eye roll on another platform:

Q: Does anyone know if the car chargers at this hotel have been repaired yet?
A: What are you people going to do when there's a power outage?

Outside of the "answer" being combative (and political), how do they think gas pumps operate during a power outage?

I was guilty this month! Have never asked a question like this but since I live overseas ten months a year and just shop in December and January, I didn't know when in the month postal shops started getting bonused. So I asked. Though no one answered. Maybe it changes every month.

I just checked today and the few that are in my area are not yet bonused at all. Last month I hoped to find some but there were no post office shops available even at base pay for the second half of December.
And I cannot help but say something about the comment SteveSoCal and Barefoot made regarding other social media. I dont use social media much but I do love to cook and often check recipes. Then I look at the comments on the rating. I will find a recipe with a 5 or 4 star rating with 45 comments and all of them either say, "wow this looks delicious. I have to try it sometime" or else they say it was wonderful. Then they go on to say I added three pounds of beef, 2 TBS of cumin, threw in some potatoes, did not add the carrots, changed the olive oil to canola, cut out all the salt, and instead of the thai curry paste I substituted chipotle salsa.!! A 5* recipe I will make again and again.

@sandyf wrote:

And I cannot help but say something about the comment SteveSoCal and Barefoot made regarding other social media. I dont use social media much but I do love to cook and often check recipes. Then I look at the comments on the rating. I will find a recipe with a 5 or 4 star rating with 45 comments and all of them either say, "wow this looks delicious. I have to try it sometime" or else they say it was wonderful. Then they go on to say I added three pounds of beef, 2 TBS of cumin, threw in some potatoes, did not add the carrots, changed the olive oil to canola, cut out all the salt, and instead of the thai curry paste I substituted chipotle salsa.!! A 5* recipe I will make again and again.

100% on this.

Sandy, I'm guilty of modifying almost every recipe I try in one form or another. But I can honestly say that I wouldn't say it's a great recipe if I had made that many changes or any changes that would substantially change the nature of the dish. I have some issues with some types of food, most notably slimy wheat based products, like pasta, and wet flour tortillas.

Back in the day, in AOL chat rooms folks that would come in our dog chat and misspell dog breeds, or ask for a magic switch to change their dogs' behavior, and then call us @#$%& when we offered training advice and told them they had to do it more than once for the dog to learn. To this day I still tease my GSD friends about their Jermin Shedders..

I generally agree with everything posted above. I'm a frequent offender of being off-topic! I think sometimes we want to share something that may be worth mentioning. Or maybe an additional comment is not needed. I agree with ArkLaMissshopping though.

Regarding social media, technically, I'm on the tail end of being a millennial, but identify with Gen Z in some aspects. This could be a different perspective. My peer group started heavily on social media, but then we have used it less often as we got older and use it more to share important updates and big events, rather than engagement. For constant back and forth updates and exchanges, I found that group text works best for me.

Regarding questions, I think it depends. I've experienced this a lot in the workplace. This may somewhat apply. Where experienced team members get bothered by new team members asking questions during short team meetings to start off the day. So there's a balance and depends on the person and situation. Where we need to make sure everyone is on the same page and does the work that's needed for the day, and no one is stuck. I often fall in the middle of this, so understand both perspectives. As a team, we have private threads without management for certain chatter and decisions.

I've experienced that some learn better by asking questions. Some learn better by attempting to figure it out themselves. Some a combination of the two.

On a public forum though, at least for me, I have a low expectation when I start a thread or ask a question. I try to research on my own and clearly ask the question as best I can. Everyone is visiting on their own time. Generally, I found that members make a good attempt to answer or help in passing.