Mystery shopping thread 26 *please read the op first**please no client names or fees

cupboardie

what's with the 4 empty pages of jobs on service measure????
I see this a lot, then when there are finally jobs available they're all in ruddy Scotland etc.!!!!
I suspect the preferred shoppers can see the jobs - am I right?
I've done a few jobs for sm inc. hotels, so gutted I can't see these jobs.

blindman

cupboardie wrote: »

what's with the 4 empty pages of jobs on service measure????
I see this a lot, then when there are finally jobs available they're all in ruddy Scotland etc.!!!!
I suspect the preferred shoppers can see the jobs - am I right?
I've done a few jobs for sm inc. hotels, so gutted I can't see these jobs.

Email lorna AT servicemeasure DOT com and ask?

Loads of jobs on there from this weekend.

mamashaz

dbrookf wrote: »

Received an email today from 'Blue Apple' and as I haven't had anything to do with them before, could anyone tell me if they're kosher?

Dear Shopper

Blue Apple is finally going online!

As you may know, for the last few years we have been sharing a database with Mystery Outsource but very shortly we will no longer have access to this. Over the next few weeks or so, most of our projects will be accessed online using Prophet.

So, we would love you to come and register with us on our new system. You can do that by visiting http://apply.theblueapple.uk

Yes, it's all above board. They are a great company to work for, in my opinion.

Big_Graeme

cupboardie wrote: »

what's with the 4 empty pages of jobs on service measure????

A glitch in the software, you should be seeing about 25 jobs there as of now.

cupboardie wrote: »

I see this a lot, then when there are finally jobs available they're all in ruddy Scotland etc.!!!!

As this is where they are based this is where quite a lot of jobs are but they do have a major burger chain, tea shops and hotels nationwide.

cupboardie wrote: »

I suspect the preferred shoppers can see the jobs - am I right?
I've done a few jobs for sm inc. hotels, so gutted I can't see these jobs.

Very, very, very few jobs are hidden to you, these are usually the higher end ones but as you have done hotels for them you should see everything, the plum jobs go very quickly.

skyshadow

Big_Graeme wrote: »

A glitch in the software, you should be seeing about 25 jobs there as of now.



As this is where they are based this is where quite a lot of jobs are but they do have a major burger chain, tea shops and hotels nationwide.



Very, very, very few jobs are hidden to you, these are usually the higher end ones but as you have done hotels for them you should see everything, the plum jobs go very quickly.

I could be wrong but I think there is a timed approach where some shoppers see visits earlier than others. My experience has been try to pick up a visit or two each month whatever it might be.

I've also seen jobs go within the time it takes to log in and click accept.

samtastic7

Is it my imagination or have GR cut the fee on the bum slap supermarket?

felixthemoggy

has anyone else had problems with the new RA site?
I'm trying to update my details and keep getting an error message saying comment needs to be a minimum and maximum of 8 characters but I can't see where I am going wrong.
I've tried to bypass it by putting xxxxxxxx in all the boxes and still get the error message!

Thanks

ANGELFLOWER

Hi, what do you do with jobs that would appear on paper to be a loss. There is a job in a nearby town which I am wondering whether to do or not. Due to the allowable travel expenses of 0.45p per mile it would appear to be a loss on paper but does it really cost that? Petrol wise it would be worth me doing it, but my accounts would show a loss?

Big_Graeme

ANGELFLOWER wrote: »

Hi, what do you do with jobs that would appear on paper to be a loss. There is a job in a nearby town which I am wondering whether to do or not. Due to the allowable travel expenses of 0.45p per mile it would appear to be a loss on paper but does it really cost that? Petrol wise it would be worth me doing it, but my accounts would show a loss?

I would say that if the difference between the real mileage cost and the allowed mileage cost is what is making the job worthwhile then you are not valuing your time very highly.

Miss_Terry_Shopper

ANGELFLOWER wrote: »

Hi, what do you do with jobs that would appear on paper to be a loss. There is a job in a nearby town which I am wondering whether to do or not. Due to the allowable travel expenses of 0.45p per mile it would appear to be a loss on paper but does it really cost that? Petrol wise it would be worth me doing it, but my accounts would show a loss?

From a book-keeping perspective I would not worry if I failed to make a net profit on one particular day. HMRC will want to know your aggregate figures for the whole year and it is on that basis that they assess the tax you need to pay.

From the perspective of MSing as a job which generates an income then, on one level, it would seem to be folly to do an assignment which loses you money. If however, by doing the job, you gain experience and credibility which opens up long-term opportunities for you, then it might be worth considering.

Is 45p realistic? If you are only doing a few miles each month then you will probably not notice any impact on your motoring costs.

if however, you are racking the miles up (I do around 1,000 to 1500 miles Mystery Shopping every month) then you really do notice it because tyres, servicing, and brakes etc all need doing a lot more frequently. But the real killer is the impact on depreciation - as my two-year old car with almost 40k on the clock is worth much less than a comparible model with average mileage.

So yes, 45p is realistic and if you disregard the cost then, in the long run, this is something you could regret.