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Do you know anyone that works or has worked as a personal shopper?

Started by Shit Good Nose, March 19, 2019, 07:02:07 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

paruses

Quote from: confettiinmyhair on March 19, 2019, 07:16:28 PM
I misread the thread title as Mystery Shopper

Me too and I had a disappointing tale to attach to it had that been the case.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: paruses on March 19, 2019, 09:02:00 PM
But how does the travel and accommodation work? You'd anticipate being called on at unreasonable hours for some idiot's whim but having to sort your own accommodation and travel would worry me.

She said she would have to pay for her accommodation and travel, which I took to mean that everything will be sorted for her logistically, she'll just have to foot the bill.  Whether that's as it comes up or at the end/beginning of each month or not, and my assumption is correct...

Sebastian Cobb

That still sounds a bit rubbish even if you're paid well, given you're at the beck and call of someone. It could easily slice a fair bit off the salary. I'd rather it inclusive even if it meant cattle class and sleeping in the boiler room of the hotel.

paruses

Sorry - yes I read your thing as the logistics would be taken care of but she would have to fund it - and got an allowance on top. Not sure how I came to that reading.

Shit though - imagine a handful of trips to bits of Europe and maybe an  X-Atlantic flight a month. And then every now and then proper expensive flights to wherever people go these days like Mustique. And then the hotels that go with them. You'd be eating into your money pretty quickly.

Has she thought this through? And have you pointed these things out (if you think you should)?

[Edit - see SC's post for a better version of these excellent points]

Sebastian Cobb

Bare in mind the person who can't even be arsed doing their own spending is probably getting comped everything at these hotels, just to attract them.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on March 19, 2019, 09:22:03 PM
That still sounds a bit rubbish even if you're paid well, given you're at the beck and call off someone. It could easily slice a fair bit off the salary. I'd rather it inclusive even if it meant cattle class and sleeping in the boiler room of the hotel.

Quote from: paruses on March 19, 2019, 09:22:47 PM
Has she thought this through? And have you pointed these things out (if you think you should)?

[Edit - see SC's post for a better version of these excellent points]

It's a job she's wanted for as long as I've known her (19 years) and I think she's been actively applying whenever one came up (although fuck knows how or where these jobs are advertised - agency?) for the last 10 years or so, and she did say off her own back she's fully anticipating being woken up in the middle of the night and/or being asked to drop everything and travel to somewhere (although, going back to the one-weekend-in-four and five weeks holiday, she did say those were guaranteed in that she would never be called on that weekend or when she's on "annual leave" - I'm guessing there's an alternative option at play during those times), so yeah - I reckon she's well researched and thought it through and knows exactly what she's getting into.

As for travel and accommodation eating into her wage - again in my logical assumption based on how she explained it, I assume that both of those are covered by the "bonus" in that it's calculated (in advance or arrears) based on where she's been and how, and the rest (her salary) is her take-home wage. 

She starts in a couple of months, so we'll know more then.


Oh, and I'm guessing that she'll have to pay the rent/mortgage on her base herself, wherever that ends up being.  But given she reckons she'll be travelling amd staying in hotels a lot of the time I suppose she can just get some small one bed shit-box.

paruses

Having it as a bonus seems weird and open to abuse.

But look forward to the updates - you should resurrect the orgy thread too - that was a belter.

Danger Man

My wife now has the background and contacts to start a similar job as a 'personal tutor'

She'd be paid a ton of money to educate the children of Arab billionaires, but in practice it would be nannying a teenage boy with 6 Ferraris and no friends.

Will she do it? Depends on the money.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: paruses on March 19, 2019, 10:10:10 PM
Having it as a bonus seems weird and open to abuse.

But look forward to the updates - you should resurrect the orgy thread too - that was a belter.

Alas I don't think there'll be any further updates on that, or if there are they'll be rare.  My mate was coming on a bit strong with getting me to join up - in fairness I was the one who was always asking for details - and it was all getting a bit depressing for me on account of it being a constant reminder of the pseudo cockblock I've got going on at home, so I'm actively not asking him about it any more.  Never say never though - I'm sure he'll tell me if/when they end up going somewhere exotic or unusual again and, me being me, I'm sure to ask for the juice.

St_Eddie

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on March 19, 2019, 09:22:03 PM
I'd rather it inclusive even if it meant cattle class and sleeping in the boiler room of the hotel.


José

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on March 19, 2019, 09:14:44 PM
She said she would have to pay for her accommodation and travel

this sounds like the most amazing timeshare scam ever devised.

imitationleather

It'll be interesting to hear how the travel and accommodation is worked out because if it is going across the world at a moment's notice then that will surely be hugely expensive.

It's enough of a nightmare booking a train with no notice, amirite lads?

Uncle TechTip

RING RING Hello, could you come to America and go to the shops for me.

Captain Z

I can't wrap my head around the potential shopping scenarios. Does she have to follow this person everywhere in case they fancy a spontaneous spree, or does she only get the call when the shopping is desired and then urgently have to fly out?

"Hi I'm in bible belt america and really fancy doner kebab and chips". "Alright, see you in around 24 hours".

St_Eddie

The whole thing sounds beyond farcical.  It'll end in disaster but perhaps she can write a sitcom based upon her experiences in a couple of decades time and it'll go on to win all of the awards and be declared as the best thing ever and it will inspire world peace and will put an end to all hunger and poverty.

I mean, hey, if she's going to be deluded, then she may as well think big!

Ferris

It sounds like this person will have to pick up drugs, otherwise it seems a bit pointless on the part of the employer. I wonder if that was mentioned.

Paying for your own flights and accommodation seems a bit rum as well.

It's a "no" from me.

Nowhere Man

I don't know why you would need a personal shopper since you can order KFC as a takeaway on justeat nowadays.

Ferris

Quote from: Nowhere Man on March 20, 2019, 01:35:34 AM
I don't know why you would need a personal shopper since you can order KFC as a takeaway on justeat nowadays.

Yeah but what if you're pissed up in Chicago and fancy some coke at 3am? Even justeat would balk at that - you need to send in an employee.

koeman

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on March 19, 2019, 10:15:03 PM
Never say never though - I'm sure he'll tell me if/when they end up going somewhere exotic or unusual again and, me being me, I'm sure to ask for the juice.

That's the last thing I'd ask for in that scenario.

Uncle TechTip

Maybe she won the lottery and this is her bullshit cover story.

Beagle 2

My wife sort of turned in to one of these. She worked for an oligarch with his own helicopter company. These helicopters were mostly being hired by the World Food Programme to deliver aid in countries like Sudan, and she was Operations Support Manager - really interesting at first and led to a lot of foreign travel, sorting out the logistics of these complex operations in various hellholes around the globe. 

As time went on the rich cunt treated her as his personal lackey, then the rich cunt's wife did as well. Calling her at all hours of the day and night to ask her to buy stuff for him, requests such as "buy some art for me from this guy, he's very hot at the moment, here's 60k". What sort of art? Just art. Whatever you can get. Another one was "go to Zurich to pick up some kitchen knives from my flat". Stuff for their kids, school fees, wining and dining Tories to grease their palms, it all sucks balls when it's not your life. You see how cheap and vulgar the lives of the super rich actually are. She told them to stick it up their arse in the end.

Icehaven

Not to denigrate your wife's friend or anything but I'm curious to know how she landed the job with presumably no previous experience in a similar role if she was working in a call centre and has only ever dreamt of this kind of work rather than actually doing it. Despite it's obvious disadvantages it's still going to be a lot of other people's dream job as well, as is anything well paid involving lots of travel and glamour etc. I'd have thought aged 42 with no experience in the field you'd have no chance. Maybe the employer is a notorious nause and the experienced personal shopper community wouldn't go there with a barge pole.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: icehaven on March 20, 2019, 09:14:01 AM
Not to denigrate your wife's friend or anything but I'm curious to know how she landed the job with presumably no previous experience in a similar role if she was working in a call centre and has only ever dreamt of this kind of work rather than actually doing it. Despite it's obvious disadvantages it's still going to be a lot of other people's dream job as well, as is anything well paid involving lots of travel and glamour etc. I'd have thought aged 42 with no experience in the field you'd have no chance. Maybe the employer is a notorious nause and the experienced personal shopper community wouldn't go there with a barge pole.

Can't answer any of that at the moment I'm afraid, which is why I started the thread and asked if any CaBbers know someone who has done it.

We'll find out more when she actually starts (early June I think she said), and Mrs Nose might be able to tease out salary info from her mate's sister.

Icehaven


Shit Good Nose

Quote from: icehaven on March 20, 2019, 09:52:37 AM
Would you put CV/experience fabrication past her?

Oh, no, she wouldn't do anything like that.  But that's assuming it was a "normal" cv and interview process.  Which I don't really think a job like that can have.

imitationleather

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on March 20, 2019, 10:13:44 AM
Oh, no, she wouldn't do anything like that.  But that's assuming it was a "normal" cv and interview process.  Which I don't really think a job like that can have.

I imagine it involves being set stupid tasks over the course of three months like on The Apprentice.

Shit Good Nose

I'm curious to know what happens when she's ill.  Sick pay?  Private health care?  "I don't want to know unless you are literally dying or have lost limbs in an accident"?

paruses

It doesn't really smack of a job for life, does it?

Is the job more like that of a valet do you think?

Was just googling around and this woman's job seems quite different.

Icehaven

Some posh department stores have personal shoppers (Rachel was one in Friends) to help customers with money but no taste or no time, but they work in and for the shop rather than for an individual. This really does sound more like a PA/general lackey role, she's going to be doing a lot more than just shopping.

Sebastian Cobb

It seems like a bit of a hollow dream really, maybe it's because I hate shopping and just want to get it over with but still.

'what's your dream job'
'shopping'
'what sort of stuff? do you get to keep it'
'no, just shopping'