Is mystery shopping worth the time involved?
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Mystery shopping is a business rather than a job. Unlike other businesses that may take a large cash outlay and involve a big risk, the time it takes to read, research and register for companies is the sweat equity. Nobody can really answer the "Is it worth it?" question but you because we all have different motivations and different goals.
That said, there are easier companies to start with than Sinclair. Check out jobslinger.com for shop listings in your area. It will allow you to get the names of some other mystery shopping companies which you can then research here.
That said, there are easier companies to start with than Sinclair. Check out jobslinger.com for shop listings in your area. It will allow you to get the names of some other mystery shopping companies which you can then research here.
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
barnabas, to those of us who shop, it's worth it. To those of us who quit, it's not. I recommend you sign up with a large number of companies, choosing from among those that are discussed the most in the Mystery Shopping Companies section of this forum. The companies that are most discussed have the most work. Never mind the whine. The only reason not to shop for a company is if they don't pay you. Try it out and see what you think, but be prepared to spend more time than you expect. As far as the time involved, as you become more experienced you'll work faster.
Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.
OK, thanks for the advice. I'll check out Job Slinger. I've been reading in the newbie section here on this site, and there's some good info there too.
From what I've read, many shops only pay 15 bucks or so. If I have to read a long document for 30 minutes to find out what they expect me to do, and then another 30 minutes or so to do the shop, it doesn't seem worth 15 bucks to me.
I ran across one topic in the newbie section (here) which mentioned keeping track of all your shops in a spreadsheet. While this is a good idea (better than keeping it on paper), I'm wondering if there are any websites out there which are dedicated to this purpose.
Does such a site exist where you can log all your shops from all companies, and keep track of how much the job pays (separate fields for reimbursement, bonus, etc), whether or not they paid you, uploading your photos and scanned documents for safekeeping, etc?
If not, do you think there would be an interest in such a thing for a small monthly/quarterly/annual fee? I've read that there are over a million "shoppers" in the USA. Do you think many of them would be willing to pay a small amount for a service like this?
From what I've read, many shops only pay 15 bucks or so. If I have to read a long document for 30 minutes to find out what they expect me to do, and then another 30 minutes or so to do the shop, it doesn't seem worth 15 bucks to me.
I ran across one topic in the newbie section (here) which mentioned keeping track of all your shops in a spreadsheet. While this is a good idea (better than keeping it on paper), I'm wondering if there are any websites out there which are dedicated to this purpose.
Does such a site exist where you can log all your shops from all companies, and keep track of how much the job pays (separate fields for reimbursement, bonus, etc), whether or not they paid you, uploading your photos and scanned documents for safekeeping, etc?
If not, do you think there would be an interest in such a thing for a small monthly/quarterly/annual fee? I've read that there are over a million "shoppers" in the USA. Do you think many of them would be willing to pay a small amount for a service like this?
There was such a venture, but it was no more convenient that having one's own speadsheet. I think they went out of business. And the one in the New Shoppers' area is FREE.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2014 12:25PM by walesmaven.
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2014 12:25PM by walesmaven.
When you say "the one in the New Shoppers' area" ... you are referring to the Excel (or OpenOffice) spreadsheet that can be downloaded, correct?
Do you think it would be of value if there was a web service which had smartphone apps in addition to a browser interface? What if it also did all the calculations for you to figure your net income, could generate reports & files which could be imported into programs like Quickbooks, gave you a way to upload pictures directly from your smartphone, etc, etc, etc?
It could be very interesting if the shop companies also have API's so that data on their sites could be imported automatically.
It's just an idea of something that I could do. If there is enough interest in something like that, it could pay better than shopping.
Do you think it would be of value if there was a web service which had smartphone apps in addition to a browser interface? What if it also did all the calculations for you to figure your net income, could generate reports & files which could be imported into programs like Quickbooks, gave you a way to upload pictures directly from your smartphone, etc, etc, etc?
It could be very interesting if the shop companies also have API's so that data on their sites could be imported automatically.
It's just an idea of something that I could do. If there is enough interest in something like that, it could pay better than shopping.
"If there is enough interest in something like that, it could pay better than shopping."
Spoken like someone who has never tried to separate mystery shoppers from their money. We are notoriously cheap and would never buy anything we can get for free.
Spoken like someone who has never tried to separate mystery shoppers from their money. We are notoriously cheap and would never buy anything we can get for free.
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
barnabas1969 wrote:
OK, thanks for the advice. I'll check out Job Slinger. I've been reading in the newbie section here on this site, and there's some good info there too.
From what I've read, many shops only pay 15 bucks or so. If I have to read a long document for 30 minutes to find out what they expect me to do, and then another 30 minutes or so to do the shop, it doesn't seem worth 15 bucks to me.
If the shop is $15 and it's something you do or are going to do anyway. Why not make $15 while doing it?
My daughter just signed with a company for tobacco compliance shops. She smokes so she was buying them anyway. Now, she makes $10 every time and get's her cigs reimbursed if the ID is not asked for... it's a huge win, win for her.
She thinks of it this way... Although most of the time they ask for ID she is still making $10 each time... so it's pretty much free either way.
OK, thanks for the advice. I'll check out Job Slinger. I've been reading in the newbie section here on this site, and there's some good info there too.
From what I've read, many shops only pay 15 bucks or so. If I have to read a long document for 30 minutes to find out what they expect me to do, and then another 30 minutes or so to do the shop, it doesn't seem worth 15 bucks to me.
If the shop is $15 and it's something you do or are going to do anyway. Why not make $15 while doing it?
My daughter just signed with a company for tobacco compliance shops. She smokes so she was buying them anyway. Now, she makes $10 every time and get's her cigs reimbursed if the ID is not asked for... it's a huge win, win for her.
She thinks of it this way... Although most of the time they ask for ID she is still making $10 each time... so it's pretty much free either way.
O.o o.O
Happily shopping New England and beyond!!!!!
Happily shopping New England and beyond!!!!!
LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "If there is enough interest in something like
> that, it could pay better than shopping."
>
> Spoken like someone who has never tried to
> separate mystery shoppers from their money. We are
> notoriously cheap and would never buy anything we
> can get for free.
I can imagine that you guys are a very thrifty group of people. That's why I said "a nominal fee". I'm thinking like 2 or 3 dollars per month. And... it wouldn't be something you get for free now. It would be much more than what you get today. If I could create something which saves you 15 minutes a day Mon-Fri, that adds up to 5.5 hours/month (22 weekdays/month). Would $2 or $3 be worth saving 5.5 hours of your time? I think so.
I'm just throwing out ideas, but if there are really a million shoppers in the USA alone, and if I could attract just 1% of them to pay me $2/month, that's $20,000 per month (before the expenses of running a web service, cost of programming the apps and the site, etc).
-------------------------------------------------------
> "If there is enough interest in something like
> that, it could pay better than shopping."
>
> Spoken like someone who has never tried to
> separate mystery shoppers from their money. We are
> notoriously cheap and would never buy anything we
> can get for free.
I can imagine that you guys are a very thrifty group of people. That's why I said "a nominal fee". I'm thinking like 2 or 3 dollars per month. And... it wouldn't be something you get for free now. It would be much more than what you get today. If I could create something which saves you 15 minutes a day Mon-Fri, that adds up to 5.5 hours/month (22 weekdays/month). Would $2 or $3 be worth saving 5.5 hours of your time? I think so.
I'm just throwing out ideas, but if there are really a million shoppers in the USA alone, and if I could attract just 1% of them to pay me $2/month, that's $20,000 per month (before the expenses of running a web service, cost of programming the apps and the site, etc).
Kathee70 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> barnabas1969 wrote:
>
> OK, thanks for the advice. I'll check out Job
> Slinger. I've been reading in the newbie section
> here on this site, and there's some good info
> there too.
>
> From what I've read, many shops only pay 15 bucks
> or so. If I have to read a long document for 30
> minutes to find out what they expect me to do, and
> then another 30 minutes or so to do the shop, it
> doesn't seem worth 15 bucks to me.
>
> If the shop is $15 and it's something you do or
> are going to do anyway. Why not make $15 while
> doing it?
True, the shop itself would be like getting paid to do something I would do anyway. My concern is the time spent reading all the instructions and taking little tests before I can even be considered for the shop. So, I spend my time reading stuff... and they may not select me to do the shop at all... so my time was entirely wasted.
Sinclair says that the "briefing" can change monthly, so I'd have to go back and read it again every time it changes (and take the "qualification" test again too).
That's the part I'm concerned about. Do all companies do it this way?
-------------------------------------------------------
> barnabas1969 wrote:
>
> OK, thanks for the advice. I'll check out Job
> Slinger. I've been reading in the newbie section
> here on this site, and there's some good info
> there too.
>
> From what I've read, many shops only pay 15 bucks
> or so. If I have to read a long document for 30
> minutes to find out what they expect me to do, and
> then another 30 minutes or so to do the shop, it
> doesn't seem worth 15 bucks to me.
>
> If the shop is $15 and it's something you do or
> are going to do anyway. Why not make $15 while
> doing it?
True, the shop itself would be like getting paid to do something I would do anyway. My concern is the time spent reading all the instructions and taking little tests before I can even be considered for the shop. So, I spend my time reading stuff... and they may not select me to do the shop at all... so my time was entirely wasted.
Sinclair says that the "briefing" can change monthly, so I'd have to go back and read it again every time it changes (and take the "qualification" test again too).
That's the part I'm concerned about. Do all companies do it this way?
I'm not paying anyone $24 to $36 a year. You are making an assumption when you say you can offer more than my own system provides me because you have no idea how I handle my bookkeeping and record-keeping. It is most obvious from the comment that you would save me 15 minutes a day. I currently spend much less than 15 minutes.
Someone did try to create something similar a couple of years ago. I was invited to be one of the beta testers which was followed by a free membership for our time. Their system was so much more cumbersome than my own I stopped trying to use it after a very short time.
I am curious. Since you have not mystery shopped much, if at all, how would you know what a mystery shopper needs?
Someone did try to create something similar a couple of years ago. I was invited to be one of the beta testers which was followed by a free membership for our time. Their system was so much more cumbersome than my own I stopped trying to use it after a very short time.
I am curious. Since you have not mystery shopped much, if at all, how would you know what a mystery shopper needs?
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
Kathee70 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My daughter just signed with a company for tobacco
> compliance shops. She smokes so she was buying
> them anyway. Now, she makes $10 every time and
> get's her cigs reimbursed if the ID is not asked
> for... it's a huge win, win for her.
>
> She thinks of it this way... Although most of the
> time they ask for ID she is still making $10 each
> time... so it's pretty much free either way.
I read about alcohol/tobacco compliance shops. Those sound great (even though I don't smoke, I'm sure I could find buyers for the cigarettes... and excess beer/wine could easily be sold too), but what I read said that you have to be 18-30 years old. I'm 44, so that's not an option for me.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2014 05:00PM by barnabas1969.
-------------------------------------------------------
> My daughter just signed with a company for tobacco
> compliance shops. She smokes so she was buying
> them anyway. Now, she makes $10 every time and
> get's her cigs reimbursed if the ID is not asked
> for... it's a huge win, win for her.
>
> She thinks of it this way... Although most of the
> time they ask for ID she is still making $10 each
> time... so it's pretty much free either way.
I read about alcohol/tobacco compliance shops. Those sound great (even though I don't smoke, I'm sure I could find buyers for the cigarettes... and excess beer/wine could easily be sold too), but what I read said that you have to be 18-30 years old. I'm 44, so that's not an option for me.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2014 05:00PM by barnabas1969.
Most of your numbers regarding reading and testing are skewed at this point. The reality is the more experience a shopper gets the less time they are spending on those things. What takes new shoppers several hours may take an experienced shopper 45 minutes. What you should be doing at this point is reading the New Mystery Shoppers section of the forum with a focus on the first eleven topics. Most of us would not be doing this if we only got $10 or $15 shops and those shops always took us a couple of hours each time.
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm not paying anyone $24 to $36 a year. You are
> making an assumption when you say you can offer
> more than my own system provides me because you
> have no idea how I handle my bookkeeping and
> record-keeping. It is most obvious from the
> comment that you would save me 15 minutes a day. I
> currently spend much less than 15 minutes.
>
> Someone did try to create something similar a
> couple of years ago. I was invited to be one of
> the beta testers which was followed by a free
> membership for our time. Their system was so much
> more cumbersome than my own I stopped trying to
> use it after a very short time.
>
> I am curious. Since you have not mystery shopped
> much, if at all, how would you know what a mystery
> shopper needs?
True, I would need to start shopping and getting advice from experienced people like you before I could possibly create an app which would help you. If the other app that you beta tested was more cumbersome than your current system, then the person who created it did not listen to your input (if you gave any).
In my full time job, automation is what I do. I would be surprised if I couldn't streamline the process for many people. I don't know if the MS companies would be open to the idea, but imagine if I could get the biggest/best ones to give my app access so that you could login to a single portal to access all of the information about your shops on those companies' websites, and automatically import that info so that you could keep track of everything in one place.
The tone of your messages sound like you're annoyed/angry with me. I hope I'm not angering anyone. I really do want to learn about mystery shopping, and I have been reading the posts in the new shopper's forum. I'd like to try mystery shopping and see if I can make some money at it. At the same time, I'd like to explore the possibility of making an app/website which will make doing this easier.
I have lots to learn, and I certainly couldn't make an app/website right now which would be worth much to anyone... but given some time, I can do almost anything.
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm not paying anyone $24 to $36 a year. You are
> making an assumption when you say you can offer
> more than my own system provides me because you
> have no idea how I handle my bookkeeping and
> record-keeping. It is most obvious from the
> comment that you would save me 15 minutes a day. I
> currently spend much less than 15 minutes.
>
> Someone did try to create something similar a
> couple of years ago. I was invited to be one of
> the beta testers which was followed by a free
> membership for our time. Their system was so much
> more cumbersome than my own I stopped trying to
> use it after a very short time.
>
> I am curious. Since you have not mystery shopped
> much, if at all, how would you know what a mystery
> shopper needs?
True, I would need to start shopping and getting advice from experienced people like you before I could possibly create an app which would help you. If the other app that you beta tested was more cumbersome than your current system, then the person who created it did not listen to your input (if you gave any).
In my full time job, automation is what I do. I would be surprised if I couldn't streamline the process for many people. I don't know if the MS companies would be open to the idea, but imagine if I could get the biggest/best ones to give my app access so that you could login to a single portal to access all of the information about your shops on those companies' websites, and automatically import that info so that you could keep track of everything in one place.
The tone of your messages sound like you're annoyed/angry with me. I hope I'm not angering anyone. I really do want to learn about mystery shopping, and I have been reading the posts in the new shopper's forum. I'd like to try mystery shopping and see if I can make some money at it. At the same time, I'd like to explore the possibility of making an app/website which will make doing this easier.
I have lots to learn, and I certainly couldn't make an app/website right now which would be worth much to anyone... but given some time, I can do almost anything.
LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Most of your numbers regarding reading and testing
> are skewed at this point. The reality is the more
> experience a shopper gets the less time they are
> spending on those things. What takes new shoppers
> several hours may take an experienced shopper 45
> minutes. What you should be doing at this point is
> reading the New Mystery Shoppers section of the
> forum with a focus on the first eleven topics.
> Most of us would not be doing this if we only got
> $10 or $15 shops and those shops always took us a
> couple of hours each time.
I understand that experience will make things go faster and more smoothly. The things I really want to know at this point are:
1) How often do the "briefings" change? Will I be forced to re-read them and take another test very frequently?
To be honest, after reading a couple of briefings entirely, and then taking the test... I started marking the briefings as "confirmed" without reading them, then opening the briefing in one tab while taking the test in another tab. That way, I could answer the ones which were common sense, and search the briefing for the answers to the others. It made the whole process go a LOT faster.
2) Do the other MS companies do this briefing/qualification thing the same way as Sinclair? Do the others have a more efficient approach to this?
-------------------------------------------------------
> Most of your numbers regarding reading and testing
> are skewed at this point. The reality is the more
> experience a shopper gets the less time they are
> spending on those things. What takes new shoppers
> several hours may take an experienced shopper 45
> minutes. What you should be doing at this point is
> reading the New Mystery Shoppers section of the
> forum with a focus on the first eleven topics.
> Most of us would not be doing this if we only got
> $10 or $15 shops and those shops always took us a
> couple of hours each time.
I understand that experience will make things go faster and more smoothly. The things I really want to know at this point are:
1) How often do the "briefings" change? Will I be forced to re-read them and take another test very frequently?
To be honest, after reading a couple of briefings entirely, and then taking the test... I started marking the briefings as "confirmed" without reading them, then opening the briefing in one tab while taking the test in another tab. That way, I could answer the ones which were common sense, and search the briefing for the answers to the others. It made the whole process go a LOT faster.
2) Do the other MS companies do this briefing/qualification thing the same way as Sinclair? Do the others have a more efficient approach to this?
I don't know where you are getting that my "tone" is conveying annoyance. You are asking questions because you don't know and I have tried to answer them realistically.
The list here contains somewhere around 200 mystery shopping companies. Each company operates independently and are vastly different. Up near the top of this thread I mentioned Sinclair has more extensive testing requirements than some others. There are several companies which are incredibly newbie friendly. One is MarketForce. AFAIK the registration is still simple and once completed allows you access to the job board and the ability to self-assign. Prior to assigning yourself a shop there is a brief set of qualifying questions. Be careful when reading and answering those because if you make a mistake that client will not be available to you for that round of shops which could be anywhere from a month to a quarter. Some of their clients may require an additional briefing and test. I don't think all of them do. Most mystery shoppers end up starting with MarketForce because they are so large and have clients all over the country.
The list here contains somewhere around 200 mystery shopping companies. Each company operates independently and are vastly different. Up near the top of this thread I mentioned Sinclair has more extensive testing requirements than some others. There are several companies which are incredibly newbie friendly. One is MarketForce. AFAIK the registration is still simple and once completed allows you access to the job board and the ability to self-assign. Prior to assigning yourself a shop there is a brief set of qualifying questions. Be careful when reading and answering those because if you make a mistake that client will not be available to you for that round of shops which could be anywhere from a month to a quarter. Some of their clients may require an additional briefing and test. I don't think all of them do. Most mystery shoppers end up starting with MarketForce because they are so large and have clients all over the country.
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
OK, just checking. I don't want to offend anyone. Just like everyone else here, I'm looking for ways to make money. I don't know if it would ever be possible to replace my full-time job with mystery shopping alone though. Is it possible to gross more than $8500/month with mystery shopping?
Would it be appropriate, at some point in the future, to start a thread somewhere on this site to gather input on what people would want in a pay-as-you-go online app/website?
At this point in time, I really think that would be the way for me to go if I want to quit my day job. But I would need to make the app/website so that it is something many people would be willing to pay for in order to make it worth my time.
Would you be willing to share what you do to streamline your record-keeping and income tracking currently?
Would it be appropriate, at some point in the future, to start a thread somewhere on this site to gather input on what people would want in a pay-as-you-go online app/website?
At this point in time, I really think that would be the way for me to go if I want to quit my day job. But I would need to make the app/website so that it is something many people would be willing to pay for in order to make it worth my time.
Would you be willing to share what you do to streamline your record-keeping and income tracking currently?
If you make $100k in your current job, this is probably not the site for you.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
If I was going to do that, I would create my own app
barnabas1969 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Would you be willing to share what you do to
> streamline your record-keeping and income tracking
> currently?
barnabas1969 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Would you be willing to share what you do to
> streamline your record-keeping and income tracking
> currently?
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
I also beta tested the other "system," which was created by IT professionals and touted in almost the very same language that you have used here. I sent in my observations like a good little beta tester and was patted on the head and ignored.
Unless you have either done a ton of shops form most of the 200+ MSCs that we deal with OR you listen well to those of us who have and would use a system, you will not be in a position to determine what will and will not be user friendly.
With your very limited experience of MS company proceedure and forms, you are asking questions that it takes a professional shopper a couple of years to learn through experience. We can point you in the right direction, but we are not here to recite to you the 100+ ways that companies instruct shoppers, or that clients expect shoppers to report their findings.
This is a business with very low start-up costs in terms of money. But the time required to learn what each assignment required is the price of entry. As you will read many times in these forums, the second time that you do a shop, the whole thing, report included, takes half as long as the first. The third or fourth iteration takes less than 1/4 the prep time and 1/3 or less the reporting time. If you have a very well paid job you may not want to spend your leisure time learning a new skill set.
Unless you have either done a ton of shops form most of the 200+ MSCs that we deal with OR you listen well to those of us who have and would use a system, you will not be in a position to determine what will and will not be user friendly.
With your very limited experience of MS company proceedure and forms, you are asking questions that it takes a professional shopper a couple of years to learn through experience. We can point you in the right direction, but we are not here to recite to you the 100+ ways that companies instruct shoppers, or that clients expect shoppers to report their findings.
This is a business with very low start-up costs in terms of money. But the time required to learn what each assignment required is the price of entry. As you will read many times in these forums, the second time that you do a shop, the whole thing, report included, takes half as long as the first. The third or fourth iteration takes less than 1/4 the prep time and 1/3 or less the reporting time. If you have a very well paid job you may not want to spend your leisure time learning a new skill set.
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
barnabas1969 Wrote:
----------------------------------------------------
Would it be appropriate, at some point in the
> future, to start a thread somewhere on this site
> to gather input on what people would want in a
> pay-as-you-go online app/website?
>
> At this point in time, I really think that would
> be the way for me to go if I want to quit my day
> job. But I would need to make the app/website so
> that it is something many people would be willing
> to pay for in order to make it worth my time.
>
> Would you be willing to share what you do to
> streamline your record-keeping and income tracking
> currently?
I vote no, that it would not be appropriate to use this forum to ask for free input from forum members to create a product to sell to us. We are all mystery shoppers here and we are all out to make money. We help each other out and everything offered here on the forum is free. If I were asked to provide my professional services to help you make money on a product, I'd want to be paid.
----------------------------------------------------
Would it be appropriate, at some point in the
> future, to start a thread somewhere on this site
> to gather input on what people would want in a
> pay-as-you-go online app/website?
>
> At this point in time, I really think that would
> be the way for me to go if I want to quit my day
> job. But I would need to make the app/website so
> that it is something many people would be willing
> to pay for in order to make it worth my time.
>
> Would you be willing to share what you do to
> streamline your record-keeping and income tracking
> currently?
I vote no, that it would not be appropriate to use this forum to ask for free input from forum members to create a product to sell to us. We are all mystery shoppers here and we are all out to make money. We help each other out and everything offered here on the forum is free. If I were asked to provide my professional services to help you make money on a product, I'd want to be paid.
bgriffin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you make $100k in your current job, this is
> probably not the site for you.
Right now, I'm just looking to earn some extra money for a short period of time to raise money for a specific purpose. I didn't expect this to replace my day job, but it would be nice to find a way to do that.
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you make $100k in your current job, this is
> probably not the site for you.
Right now, I'm just looking to earn some extra money for a short period of time to raise money for a specific purpose. I didn't expect this to replace my day job, but it would be nice to find a way to do that.
LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If I was going to do that, I would create my own
> app
>
> barnabas1969 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Would you be willing to share what you do to
> > streamline your record-keeping and income
> tracking
> > currently?
OK, just thought I would ask. When you beta-tested that other website, did you offer suggestions to them to make it a better product, or were you keeping your secrets so that others would not be able to be as efficient as you are?
EDIT: I did not intend to offend with this post. Please see my explanation in the post linked here.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2014 08:25PM by barnabas1969.
-------------------------------------------------------
> If I was going to do that, I would create my own
> app
>
> barnabas1969 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Would you be willing to share what you do to
> > streamline your record-keeping and income
> tracking
> > currently?
OK, just thought I would ask. When you beta-tested that other website, did you offer suggestions to them to make it a better product, or were you keeping your secrets so that others would not be able to be as efficient as you are?
EDIT: I did not intend to offend with this post. Please see my explanation in the post linked here.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2014 08:25PM by barnabas1969.
barnabas 1969
You now really are insulting one of the forum members who contributes daily by sharing her knowledge with new shoppers. Since you are a pro at this sort of stuff, you might be able to find the detailed list of what Lisa keeps on her spreadsheet and how it is organized. This has been shared in many posts over the years. The forum has a search feature. I am sure that you can easily find and use it so see what Lisa recommends, based on her experience. In the same search, you will find the detailed comments of others who have created their own systems to meet their needs.
Snide remarks to valued forum contributors will earn you a quick ticket out of here.
You now really are insulting one of the forum members who contributes daily by sharing her knowledge with new shoppers. Since you are a pro at this sort of stuff, you might be able to find the detailed list of what Lisa keeps on her spreadsheet and how it is organized. This has been shared in many posts over the years. The forum has a search feature. I am sure that you can easily find and use it so see what Lisa recommends, based on her experience. In the same search, you will find the detailed comments of others who have created their own systems to meet their needs.
Snide remarks to valued forum contributors will earn you a quick ticket out of here.
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I vote no, that it would not be appropriate to use
> this forum to ask for free input from forum
> members to create a product to sell to us. We are
> all mystery shoppers here and we are all out to
> make money. We help each other out and everything
> offered here on the forum is free. If I were
> asked to provide my professional services to help
> you make money on a product, I'd want to be paid.
You would not be willing to help create something that will benefit you in the long run? Wouldn't you like to save time in the long run so that you can generate more income for yourself? Obviously, beta testers should be compensated with free access to the thing being developed.
You may be using Microsoft Excel today... and many, many people gave their free input to make Excel the great product that it is today... and it continues to evolve due to user requests. Those people get "paid" in that they get what they wanted in the next version.
walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I also beta tested the other "system," which was
> created by IT professionals and touted in almost
> the very same language that you have used here. I
> sent in my observations like a good little beta
> tester and was patted on the head and ignored.
That is very unfortunate. If the other "IT professionals" had any idea what they were doing, they would have valued your input. About a year ago, I beta tested a new consumer electronics device. The company who developed it didn't listen to the beta testers. The thing actually went to market with some very serious flaws. The company has some other consumer electronics devices which actually work quite well, but their entire business has suffered because they released this flawed product to the consumers... and the consumers are crucifying them for doing so.
By comparison, one of the software vendors that I deal with (with me being their customer) has the right idea, in my opinion. They listen very well to my input... and my suggestions show up in the next version of their software about 80% of the time. At one point, they actually flew me to their headquarters and paid me to stay in a nearby hotel for a week... just so they could pick my brain. Their attitude is, "If it will make our product better, we will sell more product, so we will seriously consider input from our customers." That's the right attitude for any company to have, including mystery shopping.
walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Unless you have either done a ton of shops form
> most of the 200+ MSCs that we deal with OR you
> listen well to those of us who have and would use
> a system, you will not be in a position to
> determine what will and will not be user friendly.
Understood completely. I definitely want to do some mystery shopping... first and foremost to earn a little extra money for another project which is totally unrelated to mystery shopping. I don't have the money in my budget at the present time to get that project going... so if I can earn an extra $100-300 each month, I can put that money away over the course of the next couple of years until I have enough money to get started.
The reason I'm asking about this website/app stuff is because I see a potential need that I think I can fill. If I understand what I've read, it appears that you guys need a good, easy way to keep track of your jobs (shops). For example, you need to track:
if/when/how-much you got paid
your expenses
your time
your mileage
and a bunch of other stuff.
Then there's the (as I see it now, I could be wrong...) amazingly time consuming and complicated task of logging-in to potentially hundreds of different websites to look at what jobs you're scheduled for, and what jobs you might be interested in doing. I don't know if those MSC's would be interested in allowing access, but it seems like it would make a whole lot of sense for you and them if you could see all that info in one place. One thing I do know... if I could get the leaders in the market to jump on board, the others would eventually follow.
walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> With your very limited experience of MS company
> proceedure and forms, you are asking questions
> that it takes a professional shopper a couple of
> years to learn through experience. We can point
> you in the right direction, but we are not here to
> recite to you the 100+ ways that companies
> instruct shoppers, or that clients expect shoppers
> to report their findings.
I'm not saying that I could unify the reporting process. I understand that each company (and potentially each editor) wants different things. However, I believe I could make it so that the site/app automatically logs you into the MSC's website, and takes you directly to the page where you enter your report for that specific shop. Every click saved is a couple of seconds saved.
walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is a business with very low start-up costs in
> terms of money. But the time required to learn
> what each assignment required is the price of
> entry. As you will read many times in these
> forums, the second time that you do a shop, the
> whole thing, report included, takes half as long
> as the first. The third or fourth iteration takes
> less than 1/4 the prep time and 1/3 or less the
> reporting time. If you have a very well paid job
> you may not want to spend your leisure time
> learning a new skill set.
I like learning new things. The low monetary startup cost is what has brought me here (see what I wrote above about starting another project). I'm willing to read and research. I'm not asking to be spoon fed. I'm just throwing the idea out there to see what sticks. I'm definitely not prepared to start developing a new site/app right now... but it's an idea that I'd like to think about and gather information to see if it would be financially viable. I would love to find a way to make my own money and quit working for someone else. I just need to find the right "thing" to sell.
-------------------------------------------------------
> I vote no, that it would not be appropriate to use
> this forum to ask for free input from forum
> members to create a product to sell to us. We are
> all mystery shoppers here and we are all out to
> make money. We help each other out and everything
> offered here on the forum is free. If I were
> asked to provide my professional services to help
> you make money on a product, I'd want to be paid.
You would not be willing to help create something that will benefit you in the long run? Wouldn't you like to save time in the long run so that you can generate more income for yourself? Obviously, beta testers should be compensated with free access to the thing being developed.
You may be using Microsoft Excel today... and many, many people gave their free input to make Excel the great product that it is today... and it continues to evolve due to user requests. Those people get "paid" in that they get what they wanted in the next version.
walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I also beta tested the other "system," which was
> created by IT professionals and touted in almost
> the very same language that you have used here. I
> sent in my observations like a good little beta
> tester and was patted on the head and ignored.
That is very unfortunate. If the other "IT professionals" had any idea what they were doing, they would have valued your input. About a year ago, I beta tested a new consumer electronics device. The company who developed it didn't listen to the beta testers. The thing actually went to market with some very serious flaws. The company has some other consumer electronics devices which actually work quite well, but their entire business has suffered because they released this flawed product to the consumers... and the consumers are crucifying them for doing so.
By comparison, one of the software vendors that I deal with (with me being their customer) has the right idea, in my opinion. They listen very well to my input... and my suggestions show up in the next version of their software about 80% of the time. At one point, they actually flew me to their headquarters and paid me to stay in a nearby hotel for a week... just so they could pick my brain. Their attitude is, "If it will make our product better, we will sell more product, so we will seriously consider input from our customers." That's the right attitude for any company to have, including mystery shopping.
walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Unless you have either done a ton of shops form
> most of the 200+ MSCs that we deal with OR you
> listen well to those of us who have and would use
> a system, you will not be in a position to
> determine what will and will not be user friendly.
Understood completely. I definitely want to do some mystery shopping... first and foremost to earn a little extra money for another project which is totally unrelated to mystery shopping. I don't have the money in my budget at the present time to get that project going... so if I can earn an extra $100-300 each month, I can put that money away over the course of the next couple of years until I have enough money to get started.
The reason I'm asking about this website/app stuff is because I see a potential need that I think I can fill. If I understand what I've read, it appears that you guys need a good, easy way to keep track of your jobs (shops). For example, you need to track:
if/when/how-much you got paid
your expenses
your time
your mileage
and a bunch of other stuff.
Then there's the (as I see it now, I could be wrong...) amazingly time consuming and complicated task of logging-in to potentially hundreds of different websites to look at what jobs you're scheduled for, and what jobs you might be interested in doing. I don't know if those MSC's would be interested in allowing access, but it seems like it would make a whole lot of sense for you and them if you could see all that info in one place. One thing I do know... if I could get the leaders in the market to jump on board, the others would eventually follow.
walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> With your very limited experience of MS company
> proceedure and forms, you are asking questions
> that it takes a professional shopper a couple of
> years to learn through experience. We can point
> you in the right direction, but we are not here to
> recite to you the 100+ ways that companies
> instruct shoppers, or that clients expect shoppers
> to report their findings.
I'm not saying that I could unify the reporting process. I understand that each company (and potentially each editor) wants different things. However, I believe I could make it so that the site/app automatically logs you into the MSC's website, and takes you directly to the page where you enter your report for that specific shop. Every click saved is a couple of seconds saved.
walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is a business with very low start-up costs in
> terms of money. But the time required to learn
> what each assignment required is the price of
> entry. As you will read many times in these
> forums, the second time that you do a shop, the
> whole thing, report included, takes half as long
> as the first. The third or fourth iteration takes
> less than 1/4 the prep time and 1/3 or less the
> reporting time. If you have a very well paid job
> you may not want to spend your leisure time
> learning a new skill set.
I like learning new things. The low monetary startup cost is what has brought me here (see what I wrote above about starting another project). I'm willing to read and research. I'm not asking to be spoon fed. I'm just throwing the idea out there to see what sticks. I'm definitely not prepared to start developing a new site/app right now... but it's an idea that I'd like to think about and gather information to see if it would be financially viable. I would love to find a way to make my own money and quit working for someone else. I just need to find the right "thing" to sell.
walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> barnabas 1969
> You now really are insulting one of the forum
> members who contributes daily by sharing her
> knowledge with new shoppers. Since you are a pro
> at this sort of stuff, you might be able to find
> the detailed list of what Lisa keeps on her
> spreadsheet and how it is organized. This has
> been shared in many posts over the years. The
> forum has a search feature. I am sure that you
> can easily find and use it so see what Lisa
> recommends, based on her experience. In the same
> search, you will find the detailed comments of
> others who have created their own systems to meet
> their needs.
>
> Snide remarks to valued forum contributors will
> earn you a quick ticket out of here.
It wasn't a snide remark. It was a serious question. If people here are afraid to tell anyone else how they do things today (because they think it will help the competition), then trying to build a website/app that solves your problems would be hopeless. In order for someone (me or anyone else) to solve problems for you, I need to understand what you do today, what problems there are with the current process, and what you would like in the future.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2014 08:11PM by barnabas1969.
-------------------------------------------------------
> barnabas 1969
> You now really are insulting one of the forum
> members who contributes daily by sharing her
> knowledge with new shoppers. Since you are a pro
> at this sort of stuff, you might be able to find
> the detailed list of what Lisa keeps on her
> spreadsheet and how it is organized. This has
> been shared in many posts over the years. The
> forum has a search feature. I am sure that you
> can easily find and use it so see what Lisa
> recommends, based on her experience. In the same
> search, you will find the detailed comments of
> others who have created their own systems to meet
> their needs.
>
> Snide remarks to valued forum contributors will
> earn you a quick ticket out of here.
It wasn't a snide remark. It was a serious question. If people here are afraid to tell anyone else how they do things today (because they think it will help the competition), then trying to build a website/app that solves your problems would be hopeless. In order for someone (me or anyone else) to solve problems for you, I need to understand what you do today, what problems there are with the current process, and what you would like in the future.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2014 08:11PM by barnabas1969.
I think the point here - at least ours - is that everything here is provided free. We sell nothing here - we give it away to anybody who can read and has an internet connection. There is a free spreadsheet and you are welcome to use it or take it and build on it. Use it to create something you can sell. Most of us would not be interested in working free to help you build a product you plan to sell.
AND - you might think about how you will market this prodect if you build it. There are a lot of mystery shoppers, but how will you reach them? Free advertising for products costing money is not available on this forum. The other major mystery shopping forum, Volition, also would almost certainly not allow you to advertise your product.
And while we are on the subject of FREE, your questions are being patiently answered at no cost by two of the busiest and most experienced mystery shoppers here. They are offering their time pro bono to help you increase your knowledge.
AND - you might think about how you will market this prodect if you build it. There are a lot of mystery shoppers, but how will you reach them? Free advertising for products costing money is not available on this forum. The other major mystery shopping forum, Volition, also would almost certainly not allow you to advertise your product.
And while we are on the subject of FREE, your questions are being patiently answered at no cost by two of the busiest and most experienced mystery shoppers here. They are offering their time pro bono to help you increase your knowledge.
AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think the point here - at least ours - is that
> everything here is provided free. We sell nothing
> here - we give it away to anybody who can read and
> has an internet connection. There is a free
> spreadsheet and you are welcome to use it or take
> it and build on it. Use it to create something
> you can sell. Most of us would not be interested
> in working free to help you build a product you
> plan to sell.
I wrote a rather lengthy post above (here) explaining that I definitely intend to do some mystery shopping myself. Maybe I'll figure it all out on my own through reading stuff here and elsewhere... but if (and that's a big if) I eventually develop a site/app for mystery shoppers (and MSC's), it can't be successful unless I get input from people who have experience doing this job (mystery shopping). I know you have a lot of doubt, and that's understandable. But what if I actually created something that would really help you maximize your profits, save time, and minimize your expenses? What if it was so intuitive that anybody could use it, and it was easy to navigate? You have doubts... and those doubts are apparently amplified by the previous "IT professional" who failed miserably. I get that. But please, keep an open mind.
AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> AND - you might think about how you will market
> this prodect if you build it. There are a lot of
> mystery shoppers, but how will you reach them?
> Free advertising for products costing money is not
> available on this forum. The other major mystery
> shopping forum, Volition, also would almost
> certainly not allow you to advertise your
> product.
I just happen to have a very close friend who is one of the USA's leading Internet marketing guru's. He makes a fortune teaching others how to market things on the Internet, and he has offered to "hook me up". I think I have that one covered.
AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And while we are on the subject of FREE, your
> questions are being patiently answered at no cost
> by two of the busiest and most experienced mystery
> shoppers here. They are offering their time pro
> bono to help you increase your knowledge.
Yes, and I appreciate it very much. I'm actually very active on other forums where I freely provide lots of good advice and help to others with their technical questions. I understand how forums work.
I don't want to upset anyone. I'm just trying to find out if my idea would work. I'm surprised that I'm being met with such opposition. After all, if I create a product that saves you time and makes you more money, who would be opposed to that?
I hope that this discussion doesn't bias anyone here against me in the future when I come back asking for advice with mystery shopping. I want to assure you that I'm not just some guy coming here to sell you something with no intent on learning the business of mystery shopping. Mystery shopping sounds very interesting to me, and I will learn how to do it.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2014 08:50PM by barnabas1969.
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think the point here - at least ours - is that
> everything here is provided free. We sell nothing
> here - we give it away to anybody who can read and
> has an internet connection. There is a free
> spreadsheet and you are welcome to use it or take
> it and build on it. Use it to create something
> you can sell. Most of us would not be interested
> in working free to help you build a product you
> plan to sell.
I wrote a rather lengthy post above (here) explaining that I definitely intend to do some mystery shopping myself. Maybe I'll figure it all out on my own through reading stuff here and elsewhere... but if (and that's a big if) I eventually develop a site/app for mystery shoppers (and MSC's), it can't be successful unless I get input from people who have experience doing this job (mystery shopping). I know you have a lot of doubt, and that's understandable. But what if I actually created something that would really help you maximize your profits, save time, and minimize your expenses? What if it was so intuitive that anybody could use it, and it was easy to navigate? You have doubts... and those doubts are apparently amplified by the previous "IT professional" who failed miserably. I get that. But please, keep an open mind.
AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> AND - you might think about how you will market
> this prodect if you build it. There are a lot of
> mystery shoppers, but how will you reach them?
> Free advertising for products costing money is not
> available on this forum. The other major mystery
> shopping forum, Volition, also would almost
> certainly not allow you to advertise your
> product.
I just happen to have a very close friend who is one of the USA's leading Internet marketing guru's. He makes a fortune teaching others how to market things on the Internet, and he has offered to "hook me up". I think I have that one covered.
AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And while we are on the subject of FREE, your
> questions are being patiently answered at no cost
> by two of the busiest and most experienced mystery
> shoppers here. They are offering their time pro
> bono to help you increase your knowledge.
Yes, and I appreciate it very much. I'm actually very active on other forums where I freely provide lots of good advice and help to others with their technical questions. I understand how forums work.
I don't want to upset anyone. I'm just trying to find out if my idea would work. I'm surprised that I'm being met with such opposition. After all, if I create a product that saves you time and makes you more money, who would be opposed to that?
I hope that this discussion doesn't bias anyone here against me in the future when I come back asking for advice with mystery shopping. I want to assure you that I'm not just some guy coming here to sell you something with no intent on learning the business of mystery shopping. Mystery shopping sounds very interesting to me, and I will learn how to do it.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2014 08:50PM by barnabas1969.
Also, a lot of us make the reading of the long guidelines work for us. The first time you do a shop, you may feel overwhelmed but trudge through it. Sign up for the second one and third one and it will become easier each time. If you pick a client that has multiple locations in your area then you get more practice and if it's groceries, gas, etc., it is items you need anyway.
Shopping across Indiana but mostly around Indianapolis.
I started with Strategic Reflections and Second to None in the Nashville, TN area. Strategic pays slower (just received March shops) but they give you a deadline without a commitment to a specific day). They do [edited for ICA violation] shops, which are the easiest I have done. You print 2 copies of a 1 1/2 page questionnaire. Need a timer to the second. Start when you pull up to the drive up or to the counter in the dine-in. Order a sandwich, see if they upsize you. Then answer all the questions. Complete both forms. Go inside to the counter and ask for the manager. Review it with them. Have them sign your copy of the form and give them the other copy.
Take the copy home. Enter the data.
Pays $7 and $7 lunch/dinner reimbursement or $5.35 breakfast.
Take the copy home. Enter the data.
Pays $7 and $7 lunch/dinner reimbursement or $5.35 breakfast.
Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230
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