I have lurked for two months and shopped for one month. I thought I'd pass along my biggest lessons to other newbies!

1. Do not accept a shop unless you know you're going to be able to complete it when you say you're going to do so. I'm pretty sure there are shops at this point I am not allowed to do because of my cancellations, rescheduling, etc. at this point. Your reputation is the best free certification you can get and if you're a procrastinator like I was, it's gonna suck.

2. Actually and thoroughly read the guidelines. I've missed that one detail and it sucks for just about everybody, but especially me.

3. Do not do 50 shops in 2 months(or, if you do, at least see #1!)! Sign up with as many legit and recommended companies as you can. My behemoth figure comes from not signing up with enough companies initially and thinking ($) for a gas station 20 miles away, with a required purchase, and no reimbursement, while I have no car, was a good thing far too many times. Not to mention, this really causes the first two issues.

Thanks so much for all the fascinating stories and good advice spread on this board! It was love at first click.

Welcome to the Board!

Hi, I am new too. I am noticing some places are crazy with reading while others are okay. I am in the process of signing up with different companies now. Which companies have you had the best results from if you don't mind me asking.
Thanks!
Heidi

Heidi,

I'm a newbie too, but I've already learned a couple of things.

1) Scroll to the bottom of this page, and click the link that says "Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies".

2) Also at the bottom, click the link that says "Mystery Shopping Company Discussion", and read the ones with the highest number of posts. Ignore people who whine about anything except not being paid... and if they didn't get paid because they didn't follow instructions, then ignore those too. The most important thing is... getting paid... on time. The second most important thing is... finding a company that has jobs in your area which you are willing to do.

Just my 2c. Take it with a grain of salt. I'm a newbie too. I haven't done a single shop yet... but I have two scheduled for this weekend.

Oh... and READ the instructions before you do a shop!

And... FOLLOW the instructions!

Finally... be punctual, concise, accurate, and honest.

Hi Barnabus1969,

I have done a few shops and have noticed there can be a crazy amount of reading involved. But I don't mind. I figure the more information I have the easier it is to do the shop. The first car one I did took me forever (2.5 hours between the actual shop, survey, and instructions.), but I learned a lot from it. And my second one took about 1.5 hours all together.

I am signed up with two companies right now, and both seem to be okay in the discussions, the completes are nominal. I just have to hope that it works out. I am signing up with more as I go through different discussions today. (An actually semi-free day, very rare for me at times.)

Thank you for your words. I will keep them in mind. I will take and help I can get.

Heidi

Lethe, Do you feel that 50 shops in two months is too many or too few?

I'd like to get up to 100 shops per month myself... I'm a long way away from that (my first shop was April 2nd), but I'm inching my way there.

Scratch that. I guess I need 200 shops per month. ...but I've got to get to 100 first and I'm inching my way there, by gumbo!!!

Instead of a goal of more shops, make your goal a higher per shop fee

Great advice again, Lisa!!!

100 shops would be great! I work full time though, Any full time workers here getting close to 100 shops?

Wow, 100 feels like a lot for me, personally, at this time. Agreeing with Lisa, less work with more money is the goal. One of the better pieces of advice I read was to set the number you will work at and DO NOT GO LOWER, no matter how close, how fast you'd finish it, how delicious, etc. Admittedly, I break this rule sometimes, but someone said to become the change today you wish to see tomorrow.
LIJake, 50 doesn't seem like a terrible lot, but it depends on the details. Around here, 50 gas stations results in a cool half-grand and 50 apartments is four times as much. One involves longer reports, longer shop time, etc. The other requires a purchase, more shops to do overall, etc.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/21/2014 09:45AM by Lethe2779.

I can't be picky right now. I just moved back to my hometown, and lost my job of two weeks that I thought I had. I have no income whatsoever except borrowing and MS. God always takes care of me no matter how sticky it gets, though. I have just gotta keep plugging.

It would be hard for me to see a full time job and 100 shops but I'm not saying it couldn't be done. I don't have a W2 job and 100 shops is a busy month. I did 34 April 12 through 18 and that seven day period was cracking for me. I took off the 19th and 20th for Easter and hit it hard again today with eight shops. I don't work that hard all time but this is a great source of supplemental income.

Where are you located ?

35 miles west of Fort Worth, Texas.

Hello everyone! I medical mystery shopped for about a year and a half and then quit to focus on full time school. I just did my first shop in almost two years. I want to get into video shopping. Does anyone have any advice?

smhasandras,

First, welcome!

For advice about video shopping you might like to start by going to the New Mystery Shoppers area here and reading the topic on audio and video shops.

In addition, for recent discusiions about what video newcomers need to know, just use the "search" function here for "video" and set it to the last 30 or 90 days.

Then, is you have specific questions, just start a new topic in the discussion area about the topic.

Enjoy!

Thanks, walesmaven. I will follow your suggestions. I am in Elizabethtown, PA (between Hershey and Lancaster) but I used to live in DC and MD. I know there's plenty of good mystery shopping in that region.

Hello, Jeff here in San Antonio. I began mystery shopping in July of last year and enjoy the experience, the money, and the "undercover"-ness of it all. I do about 45-50 shops a month and have learned to self-regulate what I sign up for, and when I can do it.
I have learned some things along the way, and might throw them out here for others to use, if you feel they are worthy.

1. Go wide. I work with about 45 companies. Don't know if others have fewer or more, but I find that the more companies you have to search "job boards," the better. I have relied heavily on Jobslinger and Volition for finding MS companies, and finding out what they specialize incommunicating with several firms (I started with about 8-10 other firms that don't offer shops in Texas, being primarily East Coast or West Coast players).

2. DEFINITELY sign up for email notifications. I now check my email about every half-hour. I know there must be about 3 or 4 competitive MS right here in my very own area of San Antonio, because when I delay in opening a post and checking that firm's job board -- if there's 25-30 Texas locations a company needs shopped, two or three that might be in my area are usually gone within an hour of receiving the email.

3. Calendar, Journal, and Log. Can't stress these three enough.

When you take jobs from so many companies, it is vital you don't overbook a time slot, or that you don't find yourself at point A at 10 a.m., and then at point B 45 miles away, and find out the shop only pays $8 plus reimbursement -- you'll burn more gas than you'll earn money to pay for it.

3A) "Calendar" is great for grouping shops in a certain region of town, and for knowing where you have to be, when, by when, and what company you are working the shop for.
I "group" my shops accordingy. For instance, I am driving to San Marcos, Texas on Saturday, a round-trip of about 120 miles, to help my son move into a new apartment.
Along the way, I am going to: 1) do an Exxon Station gas audit in one town, for one company; 2) perform three shops -- a shoe store, a clothing store, and a haircut, all with different MS companies -- at a huge outlet center up there; 3) perform a car dealership shop with a fifth MS company; and 4) take my son out to Texas Roadhouse for a reimbursed dinner, for the same MS firm that I'll be doing the car shop for.
Not only do I get to help my son, but I'll piled up $48 of shop fees, earn $38 of reimbursed purchases (a six-pack of new socks, a T-shirt and a haircut) -- and I get to take my son out to eat a meal that will also be totally reimbursed.

3 Journal. It's important to make notes to, and for, yourself. If a shop just seems to be more work than it's worth, note that. Record your mileage; if you make more than $600 a year from a company, you'll get a W-2, and have to declare that on taxes. Most companies take no taxes out of your pay, so the mileage "buffer" helps me soften that tax blow.
Miles are deductible, especially if you live in a highly urbanized area where traffic stops-and-starts wear down your miles per gallon. The IRS wants not only total miles, but they expect you to log monthly mileage, with odometer readings to prove the month's beginning and end.
Just get in a habit of doing this. Keep the journal in your car; every time you get in, get the journal out. Make it a habit; it'll help you come tax-time, if you end up shopping for a five-digit income this year.

3C) Log. Log, log, log. You MUST know who is paying you, and how much, in order to track your wages. I use a double-bill system -- my Calendar includes: job, job address, job chore, MS company, and a "fraction" I use. The fraction consists of "payment over report due time." Here's an example of a shop I did yesterday (April 30):
CLEAR line, SA airport, Terminal B.
5 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 25/12 plus reimb.
Verify International.

The "25/12" means I got paid $25 for that shop, and that I had 12 hours' time to get the report turned in. Nothing burns your more than doing the work, and then having it cancelled because you thought you had 24 hours to turn in a report, and it was actually 12, or 8 or something.

Then LOG your shop. My logs look something like this:

4-30-14 Verify International-CLEAR line Airport Due: 4-30/12 $25+parking fee Pd. on XX date

Never sell yourself short. I have caught at least four companies in the past 10 months that unintentionally (at least I hope it was unintentional) "shorted" me money on a shop. This is especially true when a company offers "bonuses" or "rush" payments in order to get a shop done by the end of the month. ALWAYS record; and always print out a copy of the online receipt or pay page, if you can.

I hear a lot of people whining about reasing so much. But if you ever sign professional contracts, every single line of copy is important. I have had a MS thrown out because I came up one picture short, because I misread the directions. I had a "shop and compare" study thrown out, because I did the shops in the reverse order from what they specified ... on about the sixth page of the instructions. Often, MS companies repeat themselves, over and over and over and over, in the instructions. Learn to filter what you read.

Hello, Jeff here in San Antonio. I began mystery shopping in July of last year and enjoy the experience, the money, and the "undercover"-ness of it all. I do about 45-50 shops a month and have learned to self-regulate what I sign up for, and when I can do it.
I have learned some things along the way, and might throw them out here for others to use, if you feel they are worthy.

1. Go wide. I work with about 45 companies. Don't know if others have fewer or more, but I find that the more companies you have to search "job boards," the better. I have relied heavily on Jobslinger and Volition for finding MS companies, and finding out what they specialize incommunicating with several firms (I started with about 8-10 other firms that don't offer shops in Texas, being primarily East Coast or West Coast players).

2. DEFINITELY sign up for email notifications. I now check my email about every half-hour. I know there must be about 3 or 4 competitive MS right here in my very own area of San Antonio, because when I delay in opening a post and checking that firm's job board -- if there's 25-30 Texas locations a company needs shopped, two or three that might be in my area are usually gone within an hour of receiving the email.

3. Calendar, Journal, and Log. Can't stress these three enough.

When you take jobs from so many companies, it is vital you don't overbook a time slot, or that you don't find yourself at point A at 10 a.m., and then at point B 45 miles away, and find out the shop only pays $8 plus reimbursement -- you'll burn more gas than you'll earn money to pay for it.

3A -- "Calendar" is great for grouping shops in a certain region of town, and for knowing where you have to be, when, by when, and what company you are working the shop for.
I "group" my shops accordingy. For instance, I am driving to San Marcos, Texas on Saturday, a round-trip of about 120 miles, to help my son move into a new apartment.
Along the way, I am going to: 1) do an Exxon Station gas audit in one town, for one company; 2) perform three shops -- a shoe store, a clothing store, and a haircut, all with different MS companies -- at a huge outlet center up there; 3) perform a car dealership shop with a fifth MS company; and 4) take my son out to Texas Roadhouse for a reimbursed dinner, for the same MS firm that I'll be doing the car shop for.
Not only do I get to help my son, but I'll piled up $48 of shop fees, earn $38 of reimbursed purchases (a six-pack of new socks, a T-shirt and a haircut) -- and I get to take my son out to eat a meal that will also be totally reimbursed.

3B -- Journal. It's important to make notes to, and for, yourself. If a shop just seems to be more work than it's worth, note that. Record your mileage; if you make more than $600 a year from a company, you'll get a W-2, and have to declare that on taxes. Most companies take no taxes out of your pay, so the mileage "buffer" helps me soften that tax blow.
Miles are deductible, especially if you live in a highly urbanized area where traffic stops-and-starts wear down your miles per gallon. The IRS wants not only total miles, but they expect you to log monthly mileage, with odometer readings to prove the month's beginning and end.
Just get in a habit of doing this. Keep the journal in your car; every time you get in, get the journal out. Make it a habit; it'll help you come tax-time, if you end up shopping for a five-digit income this year.

3C -- Start a log. Log, log, log. You MUST know who is paying you, and how much, in order to track your wages. I use a double-bill system -- my Calendar includes: job, job address, job chore, MS company, and a "fraction" I use. The fraction consists of "payment over report due time." Here's an example of a shop I did yesterday (April 30):
CLEAR line, SA airport, Terminal B.
5 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 25/12 plus reimb.
Verify International.

The "25/12" means I got paid $25 for that shop, and that I had 12 hours' time to get the report turned in. Nothing burns your more than doing the work, and then having it cancelled because you thought you had 24 hours to turn in a report, and it was actually 12, or 8 or something.

Then LOG your shop. My logs look something like this:

4-30 Firm ABC-Chase Bank ODP 6596 FM 78, SA Due: 4-30/12 $9+ meal rreimburse Pd., XX
4-30 Company XYZ-CLEAR lane Airport, Term. B Due: 4-30/12 $25+parking fee Pd., XX date

Never sell yourself short. I have caught at least four companies in the past 10 months that unintentionally (at least I hope it was unintentional) "shorted" me money on a shop. This is especially true when a company offers "bonuses" or "rush" payments in order to get a shop done by the end of the month. ALWAYS record; and always print out a copy of the online receipt or pay page, if you can.

I hear a lot of people whining about reasing so much. But if you ever sign professional contracts, every single line of copy is important. I have had a MS thrown out because I came up one picture short, because I misread the directions. I had a "shop and compare" study thrown out, because I did the shops in the reverse order from what they specified ... on about the sixth page of the instructions. Often, MS companies repeat themselves, over and over and over and over, in the instructions. Learn to filter what you read.

I shop 25 to 40 shops a month. No week-ends. I save Monday and Fridays for good bonus paying shops. I make a route. It is very rare for me to shop one location in a day, unless it is 5 to 10 minutes from my house. I live in an area that has lots and lots of shops.

Example: Hairdressing appointment, my own, 2 banks on the way and lunch at a nice location for a MSC. I do not shop any fast foods, no mobiles for under $30, no shops under $10, I won't shop a car shop for under $30 or more, usually more. I am not new to Mystery Shopping. Sometimes those high end restaurants are not worth the time and energy.

smhasandras Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks, walesmaven. I will follow your
> suggestions. I am in Elizabethtown, PA (between
> Hershey and Lancaster) but I used to live in DC
> and MD. I know there's plenty of good mystery
> shopping in that region.


Hi, smhasandras! I live near you, sort of - in Shippensburg, PA!

100 shops/month is 5 shops/day for weekday shopping only. I have that goal, but I have the time. A lot will depend on how far you have to drive to do the shops. I'm in a fairly rural area so I generally have to drive to get to shops. I figure if the pay/time is worth the drive. Most of my shopping days are 8 hours with drive, shops and reporting, but generally 1-2 hours of that is drive time. I've been taking about 5 shops/day 3-4 days/week right now. I'm getting some emails from schedulers with bonus offers so if those get to the point I can cover my target pay in fewer shops, that's really the ultimate goal.

Cheers, everyone!

Am a newbie too! I thnk this can be so much fun.

Great suggestions to be a better Mystery Shopper is greatly appreciated.