Looks like there's a new email being sent out today by the director today talking about the deadline and inside there's a line where it said "With the decrease in visits for the TY project it is essential that we stay on schedule and within our new reduced budget. We appreciate your help on this project and look forward to our continued work together!"

I am like...you know you have reduced our visit, and pay us less, and now you are here throwing more @#$%& at us? How nice of you CI. You even have the gut to tell us that we have to stay on schedule "within your new reduced budget", which is extremely ridiculous.......

I didn't feel offended at all. I understand that they are losing money as much as we are. They need the jobs done so they can get us all paid, including themselves. It's not the MSC that is reducing the jobs we all have; it's the client. You can't blame the MSC. I am extremely happy for the jobs I've had. If we keep up with the due dates, we might be able to keep the jobs we have now.

I wasn't too offended by it. My visits are always done but I am sure there are many that don't do them timely and that can be frustrating to everyone. I am glad they gave us the extra weekend though because I had a few days off to relax so I fell a little behind. I could have hustled a little more tomorrow but now I feel like oh thank goodness, I can just spread out the visits a bit more.

A litte bit tbh. The way this whole thing has been handled has been very grating.

I was offended too. I still maintain they are in the process of losing their account and trying to save cost and face. I would say at the one year anniversary they will no longer have that account

Just a general observation in passing. On the forums, do merchandising assignments get a pass when listing both the client and the merchandising provider?

I am grateful to have the extension into the weekend due to being extremely ill this past week and falling behind. We will be able to catch up and finish our remaining visits. However, the attitude was a bit harsh in the email. Hubby and I were given 52 new-to-us locations this month and lost 17 of our "normal" stores. I don't think they realize how much longer each new store takes - between introductions to management when we already have relationships at our other 200 locations and cleaning up after previous reps that did not usually even look for back stock or check in with staff.

I've been in the industry long enough to know we will most likely lose the contract. Hubby and I are grappling with ok, do we ride the wave to the end or do we call it sooner than later? We both agreed that we aren't willing to continue monthly visits at our current rates. The vast majority of our stores are in more urban areas that need tons of merchandising work every 2 weeks. Monthly means each of these stores will need complete overhauls of the displays, essentially almost doubling our time inside the store.

Based on my communication efforts and what others have contributed, I think it is completely on the client demands and expectations and abrupt decision disclosure. I think the MSC is scrambling. Because this was such a large national account when the roll out started--I did a few visits in the spring or summer last year that might have been a pilot--I wonder if they added to their staff as well, even if the hiring might have indicated it was "temporary" given the nature of the contract with the client. Ultimately many are affected by this experience..

It seems to be the case from what I have seen lately. I was gone from this forum for a long time. On the pure merchandising side with much less activity, disclosure of merch company names is done freely within those discussions. Granted, not as sensitive as pure MSP company or assignment discussions.

I have done numerous shops for that client and product and did not receive the email. Wonder why.

I have no recollection of ever being offended by business decisions. That includes the only scheduler with whom I have ever had a problem: The infamous Nikster! When I do not like the peaches, I refrain from shaking the tree. Taking such an action, though, is easy for me. Unfortunately, some shoppers are not financially able to adopt that position.

To be honestly I wouldn't feel hat offended if we were not told to not to visit the store until we received that QR sticker which were only "lifted" on the 8th saying that you are good to go regardless of receiving the sticker of not due to "out of stock" issue, and then fast forward after the weekend this "strict deadline" email landed to everybody's inbox as if they are doing everybody a huge favor

Are the stickers only required in certain areas, or all areas? I haven't receive any communication about QR codes.

@kisekinecro wrote:

To be honestly I wouldn't feel hat offended if we were not told to not to visit the store until we received that QR sticker which were only "lifted" on the 8th saying that you are good to go regardless of receiving the sticker of not due to "out of stock" issue, and then fast forward after the weekend this "strict deadline" email landed to everybody's inbox as if they are doing everybody a huge favor

I'm wondering what is going on. The products the client sells flies off the shelves. The prices at drug and grocery stores are reasonable. I do a few bonused each month, but the repeats do not seem to get orders. Guidelines have constantly changed. Maybe the disruption to global trade has affected supplies?

@ArkLaMissshopping wrote:

Are the stickers only required in certain areas, or all areas? I haven't receive any communication about QR codes.

It is for a few stores, to my understand, mostly 7-11, but even then, not all 7-11 are requiring the the qr stickers. Here's the problem tho. They send out the stickers in 2 batches, in 2 different timings, and combine with how they take away people's store so they can compensate other shopper's route for the lost of "bi-weekly visit" some people's new shops are like 30-50 miles away from their home, instead of 10-20. It simply make no sense to leave our "A few" that far away until the 8th, only to be lifted, and then am told that everything has to be done by the 15th with such a short notice, especially when plenty of people take this job as weekend/part time side hassles.

This email simply shows how little they cares about the people that help with earning money at all.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/2025 12:34AM by kisekinecro.

Just to show off the mess that CI are giving the people this month, below are the timeline

on 7/22, this is the email we received.

Good Afternoon,

We’re excited to kick off a brand-new wave of TY Plush Merchandising for August—and we’d love to have you on board!

???? Important Update for August

Beginning this cycle, all TY visits will shift to a monthly frequency, with the exception of a few specific locations. If you’re assigned to one of those exceptions, you’ll be notified directly.

We hope this change is only temporary, and that many stores will return to a bi-weekly schedule in the future. While no reason was provided by the client for this shift, we’ve had to make several adjustments to the project as a result.

Because you'll now be returning to each location just once per month:

1. Visit quality will be reviewed more thoroughly

2. Returns will become more common if guidelines are not followed

3. To ensure success, please review the updated August Guidelines carefully before beginning any assignments.

All visits must be completed by August 15th

· This ensure that the visits are kept at the clients suggested 30 days between visit intervals.

You’ve been a standout rep on this project, and I want to help make up for the reduction in 2x/month store volume by expanding your territory with a larger route of once-monthly stores.

Attached is a list of available visits in the metro areas you typically cover. Each store is now on a once-per-month cadence.

If you’d like to secure your entire metro area, simply respond that you want all of the visits on the form. If you’d prefer to customize your route, feel free to list selections individually, by city, or by metro area.

???? How to Claim Your Route:

???? Click Here to Accept, Decline, or Modify your Prestaff List



???? Deadline: Wednesday, July 23th at 4 PM CST



Form responses will be prioritized over email replies, so don’t wait!

After the deadline:

· Unclaimed visits will be offered to other reps in the area

· Route assignments will be sent out

· Remaining visits will be posted to the board by July 29th

???? Important Reminder:

Do NOT reply directly to this email. It’s sent to over 300 reps.

We only have 1 day to figure out EVERYTHING for our new route and new stores.

On 7/28 Ashley sent out the 1st email regarding the QR sticker

Hi

You are assigned to locations that require a QR sticker to be placed on the display. These stickers will need to be shipped to you prior to your visit, therefor any visit made without receiving the sticker(s), will require a revisit.

Please do not visit the locations listed in the attached document in August, until you have received the necessary stickers. It is essential that the stickers are placed exactly as outlined in the provided guidelines that will go out on the 31st of July. There will also be other attachments sent, showing you examples of where these stickers are allowed to be placed.

These stickers will allow store managers to submit orders without having to go through the hassle of calling the TY order line. This is NOT for you all to do either, so please make sure you never use this to place an order for the store.

Note: Stickers must not be placed on the red TY heart at the top of the display.

If you have any questions or need clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Hopefully you are lucky to be receiving everything by 8/1, or not...because on 8/4, our lovely Ashley sent out another email for the 2nd batch of QR stickers for MORE locations

Hi,

You are assigned to locations that require a QR sticker to be placed on the display. These stickers will need to be shipped to you prior to your visit, therefor any visit made without receiving the sticker(s), will require a revisit.

Please do not visit the locations listed in the attached below, in August, until you have received the necessary stickers. It is essential that the stickers are placed exactly as outlined in the provided guidelines that will go out on the 31st of July. There will also be other attachments sent, showing you examples of where these stickers are allowed to be placed.

These stickers will allow store managers to submit orders without having to go through the hassle of calling the TY order line. This is NOT for you all to do either, so please make sure you never use this to place an order for the store.

Note: Stickers cannot be placed on the red TY heart at the top of the display.

If you have any questions or need clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

At the mean while when you are told by Ashley not to visit the store, you could be receiving email from someone else asking you for the ETA of the store visit because "Client need to discuss order details"

Hello,

I received a call from the client requesting a working number form this store, so they can contact them to discuss order details Can you get a new number in your visit in August? Please confirm when you will be able to go so I can let the customer know?

Isn't that lovely one person told you not to visit the location til you receive the sticker while another person asking you when you plan on visiting the store?

Then on 8/8 you get one more email from Ashley telling you that you are free to go whether you receive the sticker or not...........

Hi –



If you currently have not received any QR stickers, please make note, that you can proceed without them. We have currently run out of stickers in our warehouse, and I am not going to make you all hold off any longer than yall already have.



Have a great weekend.

Boo~~~~ She doesn't wanna hold us any longer and wishing us a great weekend, what a lovely lady!

Only after a quick weekend we finally meet our beloved Rachael Ledet, telling us how we have to finish everything on time, and how giving us 2 extra days as if she is doing us a huge favor after all these mess......

Hi All,



I am sending a general reminder that you are currently assigned locations for the TY beanie baby project that is due 8/15 by 7 pm. This project has a strict deadline to ensure that location visits are spaced at the appropriate intervals. You will have a two-day extension through the weekend to complete your visits, but please note that anything not completed Monday morning will be removed from your app. Due to the amount of time already allotted to complete the visits, please make sure you are actively servicing locations this week, otherwise we must try to restaff the visit.



With the decrease in visits for the TY project it is essential that we stay on schedule and within our new reduced budget. We appreciate your help on this project and look forward to our continued work together!



Thank you,

Rachel Ledet | Director of Key Accounts

HOW COULD YOU NOT FEEL OFFENDED BY HER AT ALL SERIOUSLY? WHO IN THE WORLD IS THE ONE WHO'S HOLDING PEOPLE UP FROM FINISHING UP THE JOBS TO BEGIN WITH HUH?

Sounds like a challenging situation for everyone.

Same boat...didn't receive an email either but I am done with all of my assignments.

The whole thing is an unprofessional clown show. Many will defend CI and blame it on the client, but it is ultimately up to CI to handle issues professionally and with regards to the time and effort of their contractors. I feel sorry for anyone who attempted to work with them in good faith over that past month.

And of course the follow up today,

DUE FRIDAY! Ty Merchandising - August

I do realize this one is automated but still...

Too many hands in the pot here, communication regarding due dates should be coordinated much better.

I was less offended with that and more offended that they took away a few of the locations I had that were paying me more, to then put them on the job board for me to take at a lesser amount after I had already accepted the August List. There was also several doubles where I was already assigned and then they were placed on the job board, too which I had to work out and again ended up getting paid less for them after things were fixed. I was told it was TY having 2 different numbers for the locations was the reason for the double shops on the board but, who knows at this point. Some of my locations have grown frustrated over the lack of product being shipped and others they drown them with items.

I did run into another person who used to do the TY shops for another company and apparently they handled everything from merchandising to ordering the items while they were in the store and was paid not only a commission for the order and a flat rate per location but also mileage and travel time and she assumed that was the reason why they canceled with that company.

I've worked with Ci for a long time and usually things run pretty smoothly, but I'm hoping that this get's worked out because I really liked the extra cash. I guess we will see what happens.

@piebaby wrote:

I was less offended with that and more offended that they took away a few of the locations I had that were paying me more, to then put them on the job board for me to take at a lesser amount after I had already accepted the August List. There was also several doubles where I was already assigned and then they were placed on the job board, too which I had to work out and again ended up getting paid less for them after things were fixed. I was told it was TY having 2 different numbers for the locations was the reason for the double shops on the board but, who knows at this point. Some of my locations have grown frustrated over the lack of product being shipped and others they drown them with items.

I did run into another person who used to do the TY shops for another company and apparently they handled everything from merchandising to ordering the items while they were in the store and was paid not only a commission for the order and a flat rate per location but also mileage and travel time and she assumed that was the reason why they canceled with that company.

I've worked with Ci for a long time and usually things run pretty smoothly, but I'm hoping that this get's worked out because I really liked the extra cash. I guess we will see what happens.

That sounds like they were a full on sales rep. Generally, IC's don't make commission. If I had made commission on these jobs, it would have been decent money. I was able to get quite a few stores to fill their displays. They were used to someone else taking care of it so many of the 7-11 stores didn't know or didn't want to call to place an order. I don't know how they feel about the QR codes, I have been missing the owners and just leaving the info with the associates.

I stepped away from this project a few mths back for multiple reasons, and wow, I am glad I did.
This project seems like its really hard to manage with IC's vs. employees of merchandising companies.

I asked about accepting extra assignments in my area or nearby and they said that there were none available. After accepting the locations. they put the same ones I did previously near me on the board. Guess they really wanna milk this.

Hi. I’m hoping someone here will do me a favor. I deleted the email that was sent early in the month with the sample pics on how they expect the round display to look. Would someone paste them into a PM, or if that’s not possible message me and I will share my email? There is something very specific in one of the pics I would like to see. Thank you!

What exactly are you looking for?

Same!

I wonder how this dilemma will affect the greatest (self-proclaimed) MS, who supposedly does this shop? Sorry, I could not help it.

And now their own website says the 18th. What the hell are they doing?

It is an email that came from Eliot Reed, around the 3rd. I assume it would have only went out to the region he covers, so not everyone would have gotten it. He seems to have replaced Guillermo.

quote=87Supra]
What exactly are you looking for?[/quote]