A few weeks ago I received a call to become a Nielsen family. No, not for television, for shopping. I signed up to be placed on a waiting list in the event an opening became available. Today I received my package and did my first scan.
This program seems simple enough. First, you charge your scanner. The instructions say to charge one hour prior to using. When the scanner is not in use it is to remain on the charger. Once char
ged and a shopping trip has taken place I am to take the scanner and follow the instructions for entering my purchases. The scanner itself is medium-size handheld device. This makes it easy to carry to your purchases.
Today I went to CVS to pick of some soda on sale and Valentine candy for my children. Following the instructions on the scanner's screen I scroll to CVS and press enter. Then it asks if I used a frequent shopper card. Yes. Then it asks me to scan my first item. I press the scan button and run the laser over the barcode on my item. Did I use double/triple coupons? No. Did I use coupons/store discounts? Yes. I enter the amount of the coupon and indicate whether this was coupled with a store discount. I press exit when finished and answer yes when asked if I am done. Then I enter the total paid. Next I need to place the scanner back in the charger and transmit the information. This means the charger needs to be close to a phone line and an electrical outlet. I am to do this at least once a week.
You may be asking why? Do I get paid for this? This sounds like a lot of work. Well, first, no I do not get "paid" as far as money being exchanged for my time. But I do earn points to be used towards pretty decent items. And I would agree, this sounds like quite a bit of work for the rewards. But, once I get the hang of it I should be able to scan and put my purchases away in little time. This has the added benefit of keeping me organized. I need to keep track of coupons used, how much for which item. Since I am working on better organizing this aspect of my life this should only place emphasis on the need to keep this in order.
I will post an update on this program once I get a better feel for how it works and if it is really worth the effort. If you would like to learn more about how to become part of the Nielsen Homescan program you can get more information at
Homescan.
