Is it my imagination, or have the majority of posted gigs been offering decreasing pay for increasingly complicated time consuming home, phone and on-site work that will barely pay the gas back and forth? Or stated standards that basically tell you they'll take what you send them but disqualify you for payment if you don't spend $1500 on special equipment for a $30 job with a 90 day delay in payment?

How about those "high-paying" bundles of 50 calls for $10? Will 50 cents/call pay your phone bill, much less buy you a burger for lunch?

I've done dozens of entailed assignments and previously felt appreciated and happy with the rates, but lately they're demanding half as much more, and paying 50% less, so it isn't even income after expenses.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/09/2025 02:33AM by SBP.

I dunno...I know I've said this before, but I just hold out until I can negotiate a better fee deal.

I got a 5-guys for over $40 fee. I bid on it higher just to see if they bite. Nope, rejected. In the meantime, I see the date closing in on when the MSC needs the shop completed. I look online again and see it's locked by another shopper or MSC employee. It gets released and I make another offer. Within a few hours I notice it's in my inbox.

On the other side are shoppers who take much lower fees because they rationalize it as, "...well I'm in the area." Have at it people! It's all kool!

But you know me, it's The Art Of The Deal.

"...Get down on it, get down on it
Get down on it, get down on it
Come on and
Get down on it, get down on it
Get down on it, get down on it..." - Kool and the Gang

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/09/2025 12:05PM by maverick1.

I'm very fortunate in that hubby and I are retired, and our home is paid for. Therefore, we can live very minimally on our lower incomes, and I'm not pressed to take jobs at fees I think are unfair. Case in point....there is an MSC that wants you to do HP audits starting at a $10 fee....well, forget that, even in my nearby neighborhood. I put in a $10 PAD in each of two locations close to me, and waited....and waited....and waited! After several weeks of them not getting anyone else to do it, they approved my PAD. In another case, for a location 21 miles away from me, I asked for a $35 PAD....after them telling me they could never approve that, they did....about 3 weeks later! So....I just ask for what I believe is fair. If I don't get it, I don't worry about it. My heart goes out to those who have to take the lower fees, and I don't begrudge them in the least.

If you wait under the last of the month, bonuses can make the shops worthwhile.

It's not your imagination. A lot of the base fees don't amount to minimum wage in most areas.

@guysmom wrote:

I'm very fortunate in that hubby and I are retired, and our home is paid for. Therefore, we can live very minimally on our lower incomes, and I'm not pressed to take jobs at fees I think are unfair. Case in point....there is an MSC that wants you to do HP audits starting at a $10 fee....well, forget that, even in my nearby neighborhood. I put in a $10 PAD in each of two locations close to me, and waited....and waited....and waited! After several weeks of them not getting anyone else to do it, they approved my PAD. In another case, for a location 21 miles away from me, I asked for a $35 PAD....after them telling me they could never approve that, they did....about 3 weeks later! So....I just ask for what I believe is fair. If I don't get it, I don't worry about it. My heart goes out to those who have to take the lower fees, and I don't begrudge them in the least.

Ah yes, this is how it used to be for me last year, I would ask for that PAD and get it often but now there seems to be another shopper or two that just seem to do the job for the lower fee. the HP audits are time consuming and will never do those for $10. Used to get a lot of jobs in a remote area and would often be able to get $50 PAD for those but not anymore. Sad! But have been doing ok with certain other MSCs with bonuses so the waves go up and down.

Fortunately for me, my financial situation permits me to take "guysmom's" position. It is my belief that MSCs employing the Arab/camel model, will continue until the animal collapses. They will then back off a tad to revive and fees will remain near the bottom.

I think also with the popularity of the tictok promoters, more jobs are going because who people think they are getting easy money when they sign up and are getting walked along with others helping them. They make this look easy and like fast money. I don't think a lot of the people that join those tictok groups and pay to learn about it will stick around long though. There are some shops that truly are quick easy money but the people that paid to get all the info and company names and tutorials didn't learn how much effort and time this really takes and once they get a couple of the more demanding shops they won't stick around. I just makes it harder for the people that put the effort in from the beginning and are invested in this have to compete harder for the jobs until they slip away.

I would rather pay a couple of dollars more for experienced shoppers than I would to pay a low fee and have to use the money and resources to keep having someone go out and complete the job correctly. That's just me, though...it makes sense that a lot of companies don't understand.

Pay a little better rate, use the right people, and get it completed correctly the first time. That benefits not only the MSC, the client, but also the company being shopped.

They are paying the time of schedulers, editors, supervisors, etc. for each try the job is completed incorrectly. Even the company that's getting shopped, how many times are they pulled away from real customers until the job is completed correctly? I've seen job return to the board so many times, I can't help but to think about the poor souls that are working the store that's dealing with "false" sales.

you got it shopperbob, exactly!

ALM, it's my personal observation and opinion, over the years, that the whole MSing industry operates
more inefficiently than most. Over time, large corporations usually scoop in to disrupt them and streamline them, but it doesn't seem to happen with this one...Maybe it's because it's viewed as being on life support, who knows.

I've paid attention to cycles in types of shops. Gas station mystery shops/audits go quickly in the spring. Except if they are night time audits. Merchandising job fees have dropped with one company. I suspect more people are turning to mystery shopping to make ends meet. There are some great bonused shops.

A merchandising company had the audacity to offer weekly visits "locked in" at their base rate when the shops are already being advertised with bonuses. I considered responding and asking to "lock in" at a fair pay rate but haven't bothered. From my POV, visiting once for $50 and spending an hour making things look good again is better than visiting 4x and spending 20 minutes each time at $10/visit. If they want to change the motivation, they have to change the incentives.

I'm in with the "pay a few $$ more for better work up front" approach. It saves time and man hours for everyone and builds credibility. It also takes an assignment or two to get to know a new MSP and build a good reputation.

I've also tried waiting for bonuses, but more and more people are being let go/struggling, and need to feed their families, so they grab what's available.

I do wish the "management" would "get it" and just pay a decent rate, or if they're looking for someone experienced, do a preliminary test of skills/writing sample to qualify the caliber of applicant.

I'm actually a writer (and single parent) with editing experience (novels) trying to make ends meet in this increasingly expensive world. I'm accustomed to deadlines, very attentive to details (even received a bonus for the quality of my work from some), and am scratching my head, because the rates being offered now are half of what they were, even 3 months ago. Unfortunately our pay (as writers and editors) has headed due south since "blogging" reduced the per-word pay from $1 to half a cent or no pay as a "resume-building" exercise.

By the time I figure in time/travel/expenses, and now they want professional covert audio and video? I had a scheduler actually tell me that a current model smart phone won't work and I'm expected to invest hundreds of $$ in specialized equipment for the expected quality with no guarantee it will be acceptable, or that I will get additional assignments to break even. Then there's the follow-up work with 50 -100 item reports, wait times for follow-up, and multiple uploads, allegedly to create "training programs..."

Lately, I'm barely breaking even on operating expenses, and am lucky to make $2-3/hour for my time. It's simply not worth the vehicle wear and tear costs.

I've also blocked some schedulers/MSP's for scamming the data, then making up a lame excuse to disqualify the payment.

I wonder if they read these discussions, and if so, how we can make this work better, because at this point, I'd be making more moonlighting at Walmart.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2025 03:21AM by SBP.

Insightful JC99. Thank you. Many just look at this as a bit of extra pocket money, but for those who pay us, it's business, and it is for me too. If we don't make any profit after taxes and expanses, we're actually paying them to work, and that's not OK. There needs to be a balance. I've had conversations with schedulers about this, and they're also feeling it.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2025 03:34AM by SBP.

While I'm sure there is data to support a downward trend, I still find fees to be all over the map, depending on remoteness of the location and/or desperation on the part of the MSC.

That being said, it would appear Presto is slower to bump bonuses and they can be in smaller increments. I have to wait until Sunday afternoon to hopefully snag the last couple of remote Famous Highways in my region because of the 5-day completion window. I've done them in the past for anywhere from $50 to over $100. They are currently sitting at $35, and have been for a couple of weeks

I'll be doing my first apartment mystery shop in years because A) it's not a Cirrus gig, and it's $80 with no recording/transcription involved. I haven't seen a recording-less shop for that kind of fee in quite some time. I missed out on a second one in the same area, unfortunately.

I posted here late last year about the changes I saw in mystery shopping and what I saw coming ahead. So far, I have not been proven wrong. I was making a living doing this business for almost 5 straight years from 2019 to 2024. Last year it just fell off for me mid-year. I made some wholesale changes for myself to start the new year and went back to doing this part time. I'm not a 9-5 person and I am not a person to hold down a job. I have entrepreneurial instincts and always have. While I see it being very difficult to earn a living doing mystery shopping full time right now, I do still see it as a good place to earn really good part time income at your own leisure. It's some of the best bang I can get for the buck and I still average around $50 an hour doing this part time. I'm just very picky on the types of jobs I take on these days. All that cheap stuff, no thanks.

Whosear...Not sure where you're located, but in the SF Bay area of California, the current "highway" shops are paying $8 with $2 reimbursement for (bad, hot) food and $10 for buying gas at the location. Gas is $5-$6/gallon, so this will barely cover your costs to get there and back aside from wear and tear. I also don't know of any hot road food available for less than $2, and you also have to do checks of inventory and take photos of shelf prices the cleanliness/ functionality inside and out (including bathrooms, gas pumps, and food areas) and interact with the staff, plus complete the shop form.

When you do the math, you're "paying to work" plus wear and tear on your vehicle and earning $0 for your time and the report, plus the wait to be compensated for your out of pocket expenses for however long they take to pay you.

No thanks!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2025 06:27PM by SBP.

And...being corporate...they'll probably try to replace us, the schedulers, and editors with AI anytime now.

I understand what you are saying about people who need the money accepting low paying jobs. When I was younger, I did the same thing. I wised up after only 1 year of doing this. The wear and tear on my car added up to car repairs and extra gas purchases. I ended up paying more for repairs and gas than I earned. I was essentially working for the company for free. There will always be people out there who will take these low priced jobs. Even though I could use the extra money, I will no longer work these shops.

Seeing rates for new postings of the same types of jobs decreasing again this week, with more requirements added, including apartment and high end retail shops too far away to net any profit.

They’re sitting longer, so waiting for the “bonuses,” which seem slower to appear.

Also noticing postings by certain companies have disappeared completely.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2025 01:28PM by SBP.

Random thoughts:
1) The PAD with Trendsource is kinda fun from a mischievous point of view. I sometimes like to enter a reasonable but very high PAD with an explanation of the PAD amount in order to educate and also mess with them a little.
2) I got a direct email from a person at a relatively unknown company about doing some production code audits. A small store pays $15 for an estimated 15 minutes. A medium sized store pays $20 for an estimated 30 minutes. A big store pays $30 for an estimated 60 minutes. Do the arithmetic on those! Bigger stores taking more time actually pay less. They were also offering a whole $5 for travel. I sent an email reply explaining the inconsistencies with the pay rates for the different sized stores, and the fact that $5 is a pittance. I invited the person to call/email to negotiate terms for the audits. I never heard back.
3) Call me part of the problem, but I'll do a $3 "Buy & Try" job for Field Agent any day, as long as the target item is booze!
4) Another micropay job that I do often is the $2 Fotopay "snap a picture" job. I've done like 20 of them. If I'm out on a route and am driving right by a place where I can duck in and out and make $2 for snapping 1 picture, then I'm doing it.

@maverick1 wrote:

I dunno...I know I've said this before, but I just hold out until I can negotiate a better fee deal.

I got a 5-guys for over $40 fee. I bid on it higher just to see if they bite. Nope, rejected. In the meantime, I see the date closing in on when the MSC needs the shop completed. I look online again and see it's locked by another shopper or MSC employee. It gets released and I make another offer. Within a few hours I notice it's in my inbox.

On the other side are shoppers who take much lower fees because they rationalize it as, "...well I'm in the area." Have at it people! It's all kool!

But you know me, it's The Art Of The Deal.

"...Get down on it, get down on it
Get down on it, get down on it
Come on and
Get down on it, get down on it
Get down on it, get down on it..." - Kool and the Gang

But that only works when there are no other shoppers in the area.

@teacherguy wrote:

Random thoughts:
!
4) Another micropay job that I do often is the $2 Fotopay "snap a picture" job. I've done like 20 of them. If I'm out on a route and am driving right by a place where I can duck in and out and make $2 for snapping 1 picture, then I'm doing it.

This Fotopay shops actually show up as Direct Deposits. IYKYK

Today's example: "Easy casual food shop" with bonus! (Pay: $12 with up to $50 reimbursement)
My reply:
Good morning,
Sxxxy is a business. My gig work is also a business.
This assignment requires me to:
1- pass a test, then apply
2- go out of pocket for up to $50
3- drive to and from a location using my vehicle and out of pocket resources
4- wait 6-8 weeks for reimbursement by check, plus the 7-10 days for it to clear (without interest)
5- sign a contract giving away all of my rights to you
6- plus approximately 4 hours of my time (if all goes as planned) including a multi-page report
For a $12 payout by check I also have to wait 6-8 weeks for plus 7-10 days to wait for it to clear...minus taxes?
That won't even pay for my gas expenses to do this assignment, and leave me in the negative for my time.
Is that a sane way to run a business?
Would you do this?
Respectfully,
I decline

Their reply (within seconds):
Thank you for contacting the XXX team for assistance. Your request has been received and entered into our support ticketing system. The ticket ID is # and subject "Job #XYZ." Depending on the matter, you can expect contact or a resolution with 1 - 3 business days.
Regards,
XXX Marketing Support Team.

Then (within fewer seconds):
Dear ...,
Your ticket # Job #XYZ has been Closed. We hope that we've helped you to the best of your satisfaction. To re-open this ticket simply reply to this email.
Regards,
Sxxxy Marketing Support Team.

The capital "C" in "closed" was actually quite cathartic. Time to close the door on the financial abuse marketed as free food....we're actually paying for with our time, travel, and overhead. Got to give them credit for the marketing spin...?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/11/2025 06:03PM by SBP.

No, it works when other shoppers don't prostitute themselves.

I really don't get it. Some people want the government to set a minimum wage. But when it's a open market place where pay is based upon demand, these same people jump at ever lower amounts. [scratches head]

Are these people too lazy to figure it out?

@bradkcrew wrote:

@maverick1 wrote:

I dunno...I know I've said this before, but I just hold out until I can negotiate a better fee deal.

I got a 5-guys for over $40 fee. I bid on it higher just to see if they bite. Nope, rejected. In the meantime, I see the date closing in on when the MSC needs the shop completed. I look online again and see it's locked by another shopper or MSC employee. It gets released and I make another offer. Within a few hours I notice it's in my inbox.

On the other side are shoppers who take much lower fees because they rationalize it as, "...well I'm in the area." Have at it people! It's all kool!

But you know me, it's The Art Of The Deal.

"...Get down on it, get down on it
Get down on it, get down on it
Come on and
Get down on it, get down on it
Get down on it, get down on it..." - Kool and the Gang

But that only works when there are no other shoppers in the area.

Sounds like a lack of experience, and the MSC's are keeping the difference.

Stupid question but what does PAD mean?

@Purplepugs wrote:

Stupid question but what does PAD mean?

PAD is one MSC's mechanism for asking for additional pay if a job is too far away or you think you deserve more for doing the job.

PAD could also mean "People Are Dumb" ::-) but there is only one clown MSC that uses PAD term. I believe I have done 1 (maybe 2) shops for them out of the thousands of shops I have done over 20 years.