Anyone Else a Nielsen Homescan Family?

[KellyTheChef]

I have been trying to get this for over 2 years now...Emailing back and forth with them. They kept sending me email surveys about becoming a scanning family, but then they would say they didn't have any openings. Each time, I would indicate on the survey that I wanted to be a scan family.

Finally! About 2 weeks ago I received a phone call to tell me that they had a scanner for me....just got it yesterday! You just scan your purchases when you buy them and transmit it over the computer once a week. You earn points that can be redeemed for products!

Anyone else doing this? How do you like it? What have you been able to order for free?

 

[PampMomof3]

I know this is how they do their ratings and such but what products do you get? I'm intrigued Kelly!!

 

[KellyTheChef]

I am not the TV Nielson family....I have a hand held scanner that I have to scan in my purchases (you know, groceries, clothes, toiletries, anything you buy that has a UPC bar code.)

I looked at their prize catalog...DVD players, MP3 players, food processors, cookware (not that I will be getting that!) etc. Plus, as long as you are scanning and transmitting each week you are entered into weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly contests for money and prizes.

 

[SilverCeladon]

yep, I have the same scanning thingy. About 6 months ago a TV Nielsen lady came to my house to ask me if I would be willing to do it for TV but then I told her I had the scanner and she told me I couldn't do both of them at once. She said I could watch TV then the commercials on at that time I could go and buy 100 of the items to sway the ratings. Okay...whatever. I've had my scanner for about a year and already have 30,000 points. I'm saving my points for a Coach purse.

 

[PampMomof3]

So how many points do you need for your purse?

 

[SilverCeladon]

I think I need like 80,000 or so and that's probably another 2 years or so! lol go to ACNielsen :: Homescan and look at what they offer.

 

[crystalscookingnow]

I had the scanner thing for a while. It was such a pita. Maybe I was just to scatterbrained with my kids or something. Idk. I just didn't think it was worth it at all. That just my opinion though. Then, I decided to get out of it & sent the scanner back. They kept telling me that I hadn't returned it & threatened to take me to court for the stupid thing. Finally, they found it & I was off the hook.

 

[JaimeQ]

You just scan what ever you buy??

 

[crystalscookingnow]

You're supposed to scan EVERYTHING that has a UPC code on it.

 

[KellyTheChef]

You just scan what ever you buy??

Yes. You scan the UPC code. Sometimes it will ask how much it was, or if you used a coupon and how much the coupon was. It asks the quantity, and then the total bill. You can scan in anytime...but then you need to actually plug the scanner into your USB port and "transmit" all of your scanned info once a week. As long as you do that, you continue to earn points and are entered into drawings. I just got it...so not sure how I will like it. I need to go and pick out something to earn with my points, so I have a "goal" in mind with this!

The longer you do it, the more points you earn per week! There are also surveys that you scan in and you get points for them as well!

 

[JaimeQ]

hmm that's interesting.

 

[missydivine]

I don't think I've ever heard of that. Let us know how it goes.

 

[KellyTheChef]

My DH thinks I am nuts. He says if I have time for that...there are some other things that I should be doing! (No, don't go there...) He was saying "just what kind of payment do you get for doing all of that...it better be good!"

 

[raebates]

I've been a homescan member for about four years. I'm in the process of canceling our membership, though.When I first joined, it was easy. I took the scanner with me to the store and recorded my purchases. I transmitted once a week, and answered occasional surveys.Since that time, they've added more and more requirements. Now I'm expected to scan every time I purchase gasoline or fast food. I'm also expected to scan for fresh fruits and vegetables, deli, bulk, and bakery purchases (not part of the original scanning rules).Since it takes a long time to earn enough points to get anything good, we've decided it's more hassle than it's worth for us.Plus, we've had some problems with scanners going bad. When that happens it's taken us forever to get things straightened out. We've experienced really long waits on hold (once over 1 hour) and several mix-ups on their end. Currently, my scanner is stuck on $1.49. I've contacted them twice, but no one has gotten back with me. Again, the hassles have begun to outweigh the benefits.But, hey, no one says your experience will mirror mine.

 

[ginamkiely]

My DH thinks I am nuts. He says if I have time for that...there are some other things that I should be doing! (No, don't go there...) He was saying "just what kind of payment do you get for doing all of that...it better be good!"

kelly, my husband is the SAME way. i'm online now filling out the survey to join and he's like what the hell is this crap now!! lol. i love earning free stuff so i'll give it a try

 

[SilverCeladon]

I don't think it's a pain in the butt. I always forget to do my gasoline or perscriptions. I'm really good about doing it with whatever I buy though.

 

[KellyTheChef]

I've been a homescan member for about four years. I'm in the process of canceling our membership, though.

When I first joined, it was easy. I took the scanner with me to the store and recorded my purchases. I transmitted once a week, and answered occasional surveys.

Since that time, they've added more and more requirements. Now I'm expected to scan every time I purchase gasoline or fast food. I'm also expected to scan for fresh fruits and vegetables, deli, bulk, and bakery purchases (not part of the original scanning rules).

Since it takes a long time to earn enough points to get anything good, we've decided it's more hassle than it's worth for us.

Plus, we've had some problems with scanners going bad. When that happens it's taken us forever to get things straightened out. We've experienced really long waits on hold (once over 1 hour) and several mix-ups on their end.

Currently, my scanner is stuck on $1.49. I've contacted them twice, but no one has gotten back with me. Again, the hassles have begun to outweigh the benefits.

But, hey, no one says your experience will mirror mine.

Rae~

Sorry to hear it's been a pain for you. Thanks for posting this (about scanning your stuff at the store) that would probably save me a TON of time, rather than scanning everything once I am home!

 

[raebates]

It worked well for me at first. Originally, you didn't have to scan anything that didn't have a bar code. That meant that the fruits and vegetables, bakery, deli, and such weren't recorded. Now you have the sheet of bar codes and have to put the prices in, so you'll have to wait until they're weighed and priced. For fruits and vegetables, that means after you've checked out. Carrying the sheet became a pain in the patootie for me, so I started waiting until I got home to do my scanning.I don't use grocery bags. I carry laundry baskets in my van on marketing day. I have the grocery baggers put my purchases straight into the cart (no bags), then unload directly into the laundry baskets and a couple of insulated bags (for cold and frozen things). It keeps bags from piling up at my house. It works great! However, it means that all my things are together, which makes sorting things out to scan a pain.Like I said, your experience will most likely be different from mine.

 

[KellyTheChef]

It worked well for me at first. Originally, you didn't have to scan anything that didn't have a bar code. That meant that the fruits and vegetables, bakery, deli, and such weren't recorded. Now you have the sheet of bar codes and have to put the prices in, so you'll have to wait until they're weighed and priced. For fruits and vegetables, that means after you've checked out. Carrying the sheet became a pain in the patootie for me, so I started waiting until I got home to do my scanning.
I don't use grocery bags. I carry laundry baskets in my van on marketing day. I have the grocery baggers put my purchases straight into the cart (no bags), then unload directly into the laundry baskets and a couple of insulated bags (for cold and frozen things). It keeps bags from piling up at my house. It works great! However, it means that all my things are together, which makes sorting things out to scan a pain.

Like I said, your experience will most likely be different from mine.

So far, it doesn't look like that is what they expect from me. If something doesn't have a UPC code, I don't have to scan it. At the end of scanning for a purchase, it does ask for the total...so they know how much $$ wasn't scanned. Do they expect you to "do more" the longer you are in it possibly?

 

[Teresa Lynn]

Can't you just imagine what other shoppers think when Rae is scanning at the grocery store.....

 

[raebates]

Hmm, that could be, Kelly. Teresa, I was stopped on more than one occasion by store employees asking what I was doing. I got sort of yelled at by a Wal-Mart employee who thought I was someone spying for the competition. She started to walk away after unloading on me. I stopped her and explained that I could understand why she was upset, but I wasn't working for another store. After I explained what I was doing, she was really embarrassed and apologized. Thankfully, I'm not easily offended.

 

[lauraP2000]

I used to work in market research at a large, very well known company. We used to pay Homescan a LOT of money every year to have access to all the data you scanners transmitted. We used it to determine "market baskets" - what people bought with what, and combined that with a ton of our own survey data to come up with new ways to pair our product with others, or get better placement in stores, etc.

 

[raebates]

I assumed that was the type of thing Homescan did with my info. Frankly, I don't think it's all that different (from my end) than the company scan cards (Kroger, DSW, Martins, Owens, Aveda, etc.) that I use. I figure that's why I get "buy this and get something that seems totally unrelated at a great discount" coupons sometimes. I'm also sure they keep track of who redeems the coupons and offers they send out. Information is power.

 

[jenifer4000]

I tried it for about three weeks. I found it was too hard to try to put away groceries and scan the items at the same time. By the time I got home from the store, the last thing I wanted to do was fool with more scanning.

 

[KellyTheChef]

Jenifer~

I did what Rae said she did....I took it with me to the store! That way, I scanned the items as I was putting them into my cart. Didn't seem so bad, but then again, I didn't have my 2 year old with me yesterday when I did it!!

 

[Chef Michelle D]

Okay maybe it's just me but can't someone just open up there cabnits and scan stuff and "say" they bought it and really didn't. Or at a store and scan stuff still sitting on the racks. I guess they assume everyone is a honest person and won't do that. It also sounds like it takes a long time to earn points if it's been years and you don't have enough points to get a purse. But at least you wont have to pay for it once you get it, free stuff is always the best.

 

[Chocolatejunkie]

Rather than scanning things why don't you get a credit card that lets you earn free points or have a cashback award? You'd probably get better prizes with less effort and as long as you pay the credit card in full each month, then you don't have to worry about interest or anything else. Or check with your bank, mine had a promo where you could earn 3 cents back for every dollar spent with your debit card.

 

[KellyTheChef]

Michelle and Chocolatejunkie~

Is my husband talking to you two?! Actually...I know that you are probably right (which would mean he is too...) I just don't want to admit defeat before I even start!!

 

[ginamkiely]

kelly i'm with you, it sounds like fun though. at least until the novelty wears off. i'm now on the waiting list for one, thanks to you.

(can i scan my dots mugs? lol)

 

[Chocolatejunkie]

Michelle and Chocolatejunkie~

Is my husband talking to you two?! Actually...I know that you are probably right (which would mean he is too...) I just don't want to admit defeat before I even start!!

No, your husband doesn't have a psychic link to us, but I believe in getting the most for your money with the least amount of effort. If I had the choice between spending time scanning in items and working my PC business (nudge, nudge) I would choose to be making phone calls to book parties or to get orders as I would see results from that sooner and it would be worth a lot more than any free stuff I might earn.

Besides my former job was customer service for a credit card company so I had to be very familiar with all the stuff people could redeem their points for. So if you want to earn free stuff, that is usually the first thing that comes to mind. (Although PC dollars are starting to top my list )

 

[raebates]

Okay maybe it's just me but can't someone just open up there cabnits and scan stuff and "say" they bought it and really didn't. Or at a store and scan stuff still sitting on the racks. I guess they assume everyone is a honest person and won't do that. It also sounds like it takes a long time to earn points if it's been years and you don't have enough points to get a purse. But at least you wont have to pay for it once you get it, free stuff is always the best.

The points come from transmitting on a regular basis (even if you haven't shopped), and answering surveys. Scanning what's in your cupboard wouldn't help. You also have to enter the prices at certain stores, and you always have to enter a total spent.

Honestly, it didn't take up a lot of my time at first. For me, the first two years were easy. It wasn't until after that that they added several other scanning requirements. That's when it became time-consuming.

 

[Kodeysmom]

Will get mine in 3 weeksWell, i signed up for this when the thread was going around and they just called to tell me my scanner is on its way. So i will let you guys know how it goes.