I really enjoyed my first assignment with CSE. It was for a simple gift card purchase at a mall. The survey was easy to complete. They also had a narrative template to follow to insure the narrative was complete. I do admit the narrative was pretty lengthy...long but not unreasonable for the fee. I have never seen that before. They $20.95 shopper fee was very reasonable.

Wish I played golf...

I did one yesterday. I like the increased fee. The last one I did it was only $15.95 for the $20 card. I did my long narrative in Word and that helped alot.

They did raise the fee by $5, but two requirements were added.

I hear conflicting opinions on here about these shops.

Not sure I'd want to do this to essentially have to access my own funds via a reimbursible branded gift card?

Guessing the upside is, you have the gift card in the meantime, but wondering what turnaround time is on completing reports for those of you who do these shops, payment speed from MSC, etc.

Trying to find more non food related shops that aren't banking reps/financial services agents. I've gained 25 lbs in the year since I started back to MS'ing regularly. SIGH.

These are love em or hate em shops and I don't know why -- I am in the camp that loves them. They used to pay 15.95. Now they pay 20.95! 20.95 for a shop where you go in and buy a gift card (that is a complete wash). I literally sometimes buy the gift card and spend it before I even leave the mall. Other times I use it to apply to my Verizon bill...it doesn't matter it was my twenty dollars before and it still is; just in a different form. And I get paid 20.95 to go and do that and write up the form.

I personally have found the form to be fine but I know others have problems with it. I have done this shop many times so maybe it just comes easy to me now.

The pay is relatively quick - sometimes within the same month.

Regardless, I would do these shops all day if I could.

Liz


3offthecharts Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I hear conflicting opinions on here about these
> shops.
>
> Not sure I'd want to do this to essentially have
> to access my own funds via a reimbursible branded
> gift card?
>
> Guessing the upside is, you have the gift card in
> the meantime, but wondering what turnaround time
> is on completing reports for those of you who do
> these shops, payment speed from MSC, etc.
>
> Trying to find more non food related shops that
> aren't banking reps/financial services agents.
> I've gained 25 lbs in the year since I started
> back to MS'ing regularly. SIGH.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/2011 05:19AM by Traveliz.

Thank you everyone for your feedback on our gift card shops. We try very hard to make them as easy as possible and provide you support in completing the form. We pay on the 1st and the 15th of every month, so in most cases you are paid within 2 weeks (depending on when your evaluation is Finalized and sent to our client).

Please keep the feedback coming. We are constantly making improvements to our processes based on what our shoppers tell us. Also, be sure to connect with us on Facebook: [www.facebook.com]

Thank you,
Amanda

Amanda Benson
Director, Measurements Services
Customer Service Experts

NO!!! WAIT!!! WE WERE SAYING THE GIFT CARD SHOPS ARE WAY TOO DIFFICULT FOR THE SHOP FEE!

:-) Just kidding. I tried to snag one of these three times in the last month, someone with more juju keeps getting them!

Traveliz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> These are love em or hate em shops and I don't
> know why -- I am in the camp that loves them.
> They used to pay 15.95. Now they pay 20.95!
> 20.95 for a shop where you go in and buy a gift
> card (that is a complete wash). I literally
> sometimes buy the gift card and spend it before I
> even leave the mall. Other times I use it to
> apply to my Verizon bill...it doesn't matter it
> was my twenty dollars before and it still is; just
> in a different form. And I get paid 20.95 to go
> and do that and write up the form.
>
> I personally have found the form to be fine but I
> know others have problems with it. I have done
> this shop many times so maybe it just comes easy
> to me now.
>
> The pay is relatively quick - sometimes within the
> same month.
>
> Regardless, I would do these shops all day if I
> could.
>
> Liz
>
>
Thanks, Liz. I just signed up. I found a slightly more involved version of this shop about an hour away with a fee of $62.95 (includes the gift card and fee) but it indicates that you have to be there for an hour or more, plus the report is the same length??? I will continue to keep an eye out for assignments nearby.

I like to do that shop too. Well worth it!

Liz



3offthecharts Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Traveliz Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > These are love em or hate em shops and I don't
> > know why -- I am in the camp that loves them.
> > They used to pay 15.95. Now they pay 20.95!
> > 20.95 for a shop where you go in and buy a gift
> > card (that is a complete wash). I literally
> > sometimes buy the gift card and spend it before
> I
> > even leave the mall. Other times I use it to
> > apply to my Verizon bill...it doesn't matter it
> > was my twenty dollars before and it still is;
> just
> > in a different form. And I get paid 20.95 to
> go
> > and do that and write up the form.
> >
> > I personally have found the form to be fine but
> I
> > know others have problems with it. I have done
> > this shop many times so maybe it just comes
> easy
> > to me now.
> >
> > The pay is relatively quick - sometimes within
> the
> > same month.
> >
> > Regardless, I would do these shops all day if I
> > could.
> >
> > Liz
> >
> >
> Thanks, Liz. I just signed up. I found a slightly
> more involved version of this shop about an hour
> away with a fee of $62.95 (includes the gift card
> and fee) but it indicates that you have to be
> there for an hour or more, plus the report is the
> same length??? I will continue to keep an eye out
> for assignments nearby.

what on earth do they want you to do for an hour? i certainly hope not to interact with an associate or several?

It'a s whole mall visit with interactions with several mall employees and observations of signs/store fronts etc.

Without going into detail. it is not difficult to spend an hour in the mall.

Liz

G3B Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> what on earth do they want you to do for an hour?
> i certainly hope not to interact with an associate
> or several?

The folks at CSE are good people

Yeah, the report can be a real pain if you're not prepared for what it requires - addressing every question in the narrative. Beyond that, the shop itself is simple and painless, and you can use the gift card nearly anywhere. The shop fee is better than fair, and CSE pays very quickly these days.

AND, CSE has recently modified its editing standards so that it is no longer the case that a single typo or omission will knock your score from a 10 to a 9! They really did listen to their shopper panel on their recent review and feedback cycle!

I enjoy everyone that I have worked with there, and I think that I have worked with just about every scheduler and/or contract manager.

My shops with CSE are done for the year I do Golf Shops for them. I love to play golf and getting paid to do also is great. They do pay like clock work on the 1st and 15th.

I just signed up with them a few days ago, and requested a few mall shops. I hope I'm selected for one!

I must admit, this is one of the better companies. I have performed nearly 30 shops for them this year and all the staff is great! Their shops are pretty straightforward and the reporting requirements are reasonable.

I don't see any in my area right now. Just curious, they reimburse for the $20 gift card on top of the $20.95, right? Otherwise, that leaves less than a dollar income. Thanks.

I think they only reimburse the gift card, and that is the 20.95. I have one next week.

Hi everyone,

I want to clarify the payment of our mall gift card shops that you are discussing. The shop pay is $20.95 and you keep the gift card you purchase. The $20.95 is broken out as $18.00 for completing the shop and $2.95 for the service charge on the card. The $20.00 you spend to purchase the gift card, you get back in the gift card you keep, so you are braking even. You then use the gift card on what ever you would like (a gift, a little something for yourself, gas, groceries, etc.)

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me at Amanda@CustomerServiceExperts.com

Happy Holidays,
Amanda

Amanda Benson
Director, Measurement Services
Customer Service Experts, Inc.

Thanks Amanda for explaining it as such. I wasn't breaking it down like that as I was forgetting that I keep the gift card. Makes sense now and it sounds good to me. So I appreciate it.