Current Events > I passed $2500 in life-time taste-testing earnings this year.

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/1/9/AASbx8AAExhb.jpg

I joined in 2013, but didn't start doing it until 2017 and I could do it a lot more often than I do. Most recently: $45 for 30 minutes spent trying three frozen pepperoni pizzas. One of them was clearly superior to the other two.

Moral of this story is that if you live in the Twin Cities or near Livermore, CA and like food and/or money, this is pretty dope. If you live elsewhere, there might be other options near you.

https://www.tasteocracy.com/

Sounds interesting. Have you tried anything bad/you didnt like?

oh shit im by the twin cities, good looking out TC

AvlButtslam posted...

Sounds interesting. Have you tried anything bad/you didnt like?

Several things, but I'm a fairly picker eater. I can manage to take a few bites of anything though. Meat sticks were probably the worst, but I'm sure plenty of people love them. Technically, I shouldn't be qualifying for tests that has food I don't like, but I've become an expert at bull-shitting my way through the qualification test you have to take before getting approved.

yeah im not picky at all -- does that make me a more unique candidate or more bland?

ELI__2__SLAYTON posted...

yeah im not picky at all -- does that make me a more unique candidate or more bland?

It means you'll enjoy it more and might not have to lie on the qualification test lol. After some demographic questions, it usually gives you a list of several very unrelated foods, and asks you which ones you've tried recently. I always pick all of them but one. Usually there's at least one that clearly wouldn't be a good fit for a taste-testing, so that's the one I don't select. If you pick them all, they think you're lying and fail you. But as long as you pick the right one, you move on and they ask you questions about where you purchase it/how often you eat it/favorite brands/etc. You don't want to select all the options, because then, again, they'll fail you, but select a lot of them. At the end they ask if you would be willing try different types of whatever the food is you'll be testing. Say yes to all of them even if some are fucking gross (like anchovies pizza in the last one I took).

I tried getting on some similar panels like these, only got selected once, as an alternate, but still got paid $60 for showing up.

PoopPotato posted...

I tried getting on some similar panels like these, only got selected once, as an alternate, but still got paid $60 for showing up.

Yeah, this company sometimes overbooks, so they tell you to get there early. If the test is for something I'm very unenthusiastic about, I might show up a minute beforehand and if there aren't any seats available, they still give you like 2/3 of the money, and you can leave.

You have to do this on-site?

doesnt sound worth it at all tbh

McSame_as_Bush posted...

It means you'll enjoy it more and might not have to lie on the qualification test lol. After some demographic questions, it usually gives you a list of several very unrelated foods, and asks you which ones you've tried recently. I always pick all of them but one. Usually there's at least one that clearly wouldn't be a good fit for a taste-testing, so that's the one I don't select. If you pick them all, they think you're lying and fail you. But as long as you pick the right one, you move on and they ask you questions about where you purchase it/how often you eat it/favorite brands/etc. You don't want to select all the options, because then, again, they'll fail you, but select a lot of them. At the end they ask if you would be willing try different types of whatever the food is you'll be testing. Say yes to all of them even if some are fucking gross (like anchovies pizza in the last one I took).

good stuff

any insight as to how they might handle two people in a household? in a perfect world, my girlfriend and i both qualify for the same tests and get to carpool vs. like oh i go on thursday but she goes friday or whatever. is that possible, or do you suspect they would just treat us both as separate entities and proceed accordingly? because going to get ~30-50 per trip times two would be a fun time (and then go blow it all at MOA)

also what days/times have your tests been?

Read that as taste testing earrings

TheGoldenEel posted...

You have to do this on-site?

doesnt sound worth it at all tbh

About 90% of them are on-site. You show your ID and they tell you where to sit. They tell you not to talk to your neighbor, and there's a cardboard wall between you and them, so you can't really even see them. Then they bring out the first sample. You take a few bites, answer some questions on an iPad, and they come to collect whatever you didn't eat before bringing out the next sample. Usually there's a few people who take the iPad questions way too seriously, and they don't bring out the next sample until everyone is done, so I just read a book or magazine. It couldn't be easier and you always get out early.

ELI__2__SLAYTON posted...

good stuff

any insight as to how they might handle two people in a household? in a perfect world, my girlfriend and i both qualify for the same tests and get to carpool vs. like oh i go on thursday but she goes friday or whatever. is that possible, or do you suspect they would just treat us both as separate entities and proceed accordingly? because going to get ~30-50 per trip times two would be a fun time (and then go blow it all at MOA)

also what days/times have your tests been?

I don't know how it works with multiple people in a household tbh.

I've seen them offered every day of the week. Usually there's a variety of time-slots.

McSame_as_Bush posted...

About 90% of them are on-site. You show your ID and they tell you where to sit. They tell you not to talk to your neighbor, and there's a cardboard wall between you and them, so you can't really even see them. Then they bring out the first sample. You take a few bites, answer some questions on an iPad, and they come to collect whatever you didn't eat before bringing out the next sample. Usually there's a few people who take the iPad questions way too seriously, and they don't bring out the next sample until everyone is done, so I just read a book or magazine. It couldn't be easier and you always get out early.

do they pay you for the full hour if it ends early? slash do they pay you more if it goes longer?

e.g. say the ETA for this session is 1 hour, for which you'll be paid $30. if it ends after 45 mins, do you get all $30?

separately, say the ETA for this session is 1 hour, for which you'll be paid $30. if it goes for 1 hour and 30 mins, do you get $45?

ELI__2__SLAYTON posted...

do they pay you for the full hour if it ends early? slash do they pay you more if it goes longer?

e.g. say the ETA for this session is 1 hour, for which you'll be paid $30. if it ends after 45 mins, do you get all $30?

separately, say the ETA for this session is 1 hour, for which you'll be paid $30. if it goes for 1 hour and 30 mins, do you get $45?

You always get the full pay. I've done it dozens of times and its never gone past the scheduled time. Once I only got out five minutes early when there were internet issues, but every other time I've gotten out 15+ minutes early.

McSame_as_Bush posted...

You always get the full pay. I've done it dozens of times and its never gone past the scheduled time. Once I only got out five minutes early when there were internet issues, but every other time I've gotten out 15+ minutes early.

good stuff. appreciate the intel