Greetings from Alberta, Canada :) Oh yes and you can tell by my badges that I am really new to this!

I have only done one shop and have received this request from the same company. A company has contracted me to fill a shop for them that they could not find anyone else to do. I have to drive an hour to do a separate shop and also an audit. So my question is what is a reasonable amount to ask for a bonus? I do not want to ask too much so that I am not approached by this company again but I do not want to ask too little for my time.

Thank you in Advance for your advice!

There is no hard, fast rule for asking for bonuses. It's a combination of what you feel your time is worth and what you think the company will pay. You have to remember that they are in the business to make money, so any bonus comes out of their profit. I haven't had any problems, but then I keep my requests relatively low. I don't do very many shops per month and try to group them all geographically to make the most of my time. For some that live in more rural areas that may not be a choice.

Good luck.

Jeanine -

if if I am asked to do a shop I would not be inclined to do (I.e. too far away), I do not hesitate to ask for a bonus. I’ll ask for whatever it would take to make me feel like it was a worthwhile venture - and that is different for every shop and every shopper.

Ask yourself what amounts you would be happy to do it for and what the minimum you would accept might be. (Do consider time, gas, etc.). Then ask for something a little higher than your “happy” amount and see what happens. Be ready to negotiate. Be ready to walk away if they don’t pay the minimum.

What you don’t know as a shopper is how badly they need that shop done, where the MSC’s margins are, etc.

As an example, I did eight USPS shops this weekend - which start at $12. All of them were more than an hour from home and some in more remote area. I was paid $450 for the lot of them. I had to break it into two routes and added a few more shops to each route, making for a very good three day weekend. The MSC needed the shops done and was ready to take a loss in those shops as they take in a tidy profit on the shops are not bonused. They were too far from me to make them worthwhile without a high bonus, so we found a number that was good for both of us.

Great job on coordinating your shop! This was my first offer so I don't think I asked for enough but I did get three shops for next week so its all good :) I am glad I got to help her out of a crunch!

Thank you David for your comments. I will be better prepared for next time!