Secret Hopper: Drinking Undercover

My guess is that they have other ways of monitoring opinions on the beer (websites like this one, competitions, etc.) but the way the taproom is run is not always the same if/when the owner is present.

 

I'm not crying about losing money nor am I a Secret Hopper (nor am I interested in becoming one at this point in my life)... I was merely commenting on the business model and how it compares to comparable business models in other similar industries.

I thought this was a place where we could have discourse on these kind of topics and I don't feel like insinuating that I'm some kind of big whiner/crybaby is really called for... Do you have some kind of vested interest in this business because it certainly seems like you do?

*EDIT* I'm just a supporter of paying people fairly - I was opposed to the way Uber treated their drivers and I'm not a fan of Wal-Mart looking at the government to subsidize their employees either.

 

I never said that I felt that I deserve any "beer consuming pay raise" but if I am given a work assignment (that is what being a Secret Hopper is - drive to the establishment, order the required items, and produce a report about the visit) I expect to be fairly compensated for the work. You are missing the point, it is not the consuming of the beer that is the work but if the requirement is to buy a certain amount of items from the place being reviewed that should be part of compensation (cover the costs of the required purchases) - I think the $20 to produce the report on the visit is fair and as long as the travel is local ~25 miles of less, I'm not suggesting they need to pay mileage but paying the person as an independent contractor puts all of the employer/employee taxes on that person (state, local, federal, social security, and medicare).

To compare this to another industry/similar circumstance, do you think that the restaurant critic for a local newspaper pays for the food and writes the article on their own time or that it is a part of their work compensation??? Or do you think the film reviewer has to buy their own theater tickets?

*EDIT* I guess we just differ on our opinions on this... Maybe you would like me to let your employer know they don't have to reimburse you for any items you have to purchase in the course of your job or for travel costs, etc.