Hi,

I have been a mystery shopper for about a year and a half and I enjoy performing the shops but have a hard time finding good companies or shops in my area. I live in San Diego area. Any suggestions?

Hi

My name is Phil Harth. I have been mystery shopping for about 6 months now. Although I have not been looking for jobs for the past few months. I do plan on becoming more active. Jacob's E Mails have been very helpful. Because of him I am planning to register to as many companies as I can. My experience so far has been generally satisfactory. I have done restaurants, gift shops, automobile dealerships, apartments and sporting good stores among others. I did have one restaurant shop that the company liked, unfortunately I had to wait 4 months to get paid and then only after I called corporate headquarters of the restaurant. The other problem of course is the high price of gas here in California. It is now over $4.00 in some areas. OUCH. Finally on a personal basis I am 69 married and retired. I do take my wife along on some shops

Hi my name is Tomikaand i have been a mystery shpper for abou 2 months. I am a college student trying to make money. If anyone have any idea on business that have shops that get paid weekly or biweekly please let me know.
Thanks

Hey My is Loniesha and I have been a mystery shopper for about a week. I haven't got to do any shops just yet but I can't wait to do one. Im a college student in need of money. Does anyone want to help me get started?

Read the first few threads of New Shoppers. And start with some easy shops.

Hi I'm just thinking about doing some mystery shopping. I got ripped off about a month ago so I know you have to be careful. I'm a disabled widow and sure do need some extra money! Any suggestions on how to get started will be appreciated.

Hi:

My name is Laurie and I have been doing mystery shops for about 8 months now. It started off slow but no I am busy. I average about 4-6 shops a week. I am enjoying the work very much. I would like to do more but I live in Canada and it seems alot of the companies only do shops in the United States. Is this common?

My understanding is that there are a number of companies that shop exclusively in Canada and some that shop both countries and some that shop worldwide. The ones that come to mind immediately for me that do USA and Canada are Service Intelligence and GFK. I signed up with a company that only seems to do Canada, Sensus. Jobslinger.com works for Canada. You might sign up and see if by putting in your postal code you see any listings. The jobs you see will be gone more than likely, but it will give you a lead as to what companies have had shops in your area within the past couple of months to sign up with.

HELLO I'm Anna Marie, I'm married have 3 girls, 2 boys, 15 grandkids. I live in Henderson, NV, suburb of Las Vegas. I am new to this am very skeptical, because I have put out enough money to get into this type of work. I am willing to work but not be used. I am very easy going personal. Love to be around people. Have worked with the public for many years. Have worked as cashier, security, gift shops, retail, food demo, doing apartment evaluation an managed a motel,including all positons from maintance to bookkeeping. I love a challenge. But I refuse to pay to get work. So can you help me. I have spent all day today reading different areas on your site to find all info that I can.

If you have been reading in the New Mystery Shopper area then you know already that you do not need to pay a penny to shop. Your equipment needs as a mystery shopper are minimal and you probably have what you need to get started already just in equipment for personal use. You can pay a company to send you leads to companies to sign up with or you can just find those companies on the list here or at other shopper forums. You can pay for certifications, though they are not necessary to shop and the only recognized ones are from the MSPA, so bronze etc. from places like Shadow Shopper are basically useless.

Once you have read through the New Mystery Shopper threads at the top of that forum, do ask any questions you may have about specific stuff. We are here to give you a hand up but the initiative is yours. Good luck and enjoy shopping! You won't make a bundle, but there are some advantages beyond hard cold cash. :)

Hello all,I'm a newbie but haven't done any shops yet but I do have questions.I have signed up with a number of companies and have been some job lists.One shop that interested me was at a home improvement chain that was rather complicated - it had quite a large number of instruction pages. This shop would have taken some time to complete and the write a lenghty report. I don't have any problem with this except the pay for this shop was $5.00. Is this normal? I realize that mystery shopping is not going to make me rich.but do companies really expect shoppers to give service of high standards for such low compensation, or is that just a test?

Yes, they actually do, sometimes $4, but you don't have to take those shops. Most shops run $7-20 if not bonused.

Part of the deal dhcwings is that the home improvement chain and the well known coffee chain and a number of other major "name brand" places systematically pay poorly. I suspect that the name brands can negotiate a really low price with the MSPs (mystery shopping companies) because they have so many locations across the country that it is an overall very attractive client for the MSP to "snag". If they make $2 per shop, that is a big chunk of change. On the other hand, most shoppers know the place and are near the place, so if they can get a shopper to do the job for $3 less than originally planned, that means the MSP makes $5 per shop and that is an even bigger chunk of change. The MSP really risks very little because if your shop is unacceptable, they won't pay you, so they are willing to take on lots of newbies with low prices and if they eventually get in a bind, will bonus the jobs to make them attractive enough that a more seasoned shopper is willing to go do them.

I think the one I laugh about the most is a sports equipment place where you have to talk with some absolutely insane number of sales people in a whole lot of departments. The fee starts off at half of a pittance and sometimes climbs to around $40. Even at $40 it is really not worth it for the number of interactions involved. And here is the kicker to me. You are supposed to always stay anonymous unless it is a reveal shop. If you are "discovered" to be the shopper you will be forbidden from shopping the location again and may be forbidden to shop for that client at any location. When a "normal" person goes into a sports equipment place they are looking for particular types of items--softball equipment, exercise equipment, boating and fishing equipment, tennis equipment, etc. They do not go check out equipment in 7 to 10 different sections of the store. How easy would it be to spot as a shopper a person who did go make inquiries all over the store?

Hi, my name is Barbara and I'm relatively new as a shopper. I have done several apartment shops and banking shops. Reading the above experiences has answered some of my questions, but still I'm curious, isn't $7 to $15 awfully low to travel to a location (especially considering the price of gas), complete the shop, then spend sometimes as much as an hour to complete the report? That averages out (at best)to less than $5 an hour (not even counting the cost of gas). My question is how do you find the better (higher paying) shops?

Yes it is, Barbara. This is why a shopper needs to develop a sense of those shops that work best for them. Each of us must develop our own personal criteria for viability of a shop that fits our geographic location, fuel efficiency of our vehicles and in the end, the benefit of the shop to us. That is what makes us a business instead of something that we just do for fun.

For me there is little thrill in "doing" a gas station, no matter what the job requirements and pay are. Certainly $4 + $1 in gas + $1 inside purchase pays poorly and offers me little of value. A gas station that pays $5 + $5 in gas + $1 inside purchase is an improvement as it is not a totally unrealistic gas purchase, but it is still no bargain unless the shop is on my way AND requires very little observation and very little report. There are some $12 and $15 gas stations that I will do because I know the report and can do it quickly, can pick up a not totally ridiculous amount of gas and they are along a route where I can stop and do personal errands anyway. It makes the trip tax deductible business mileage instead of just a personal errand run.

Similarly, there are shops that to me just make no sense at all to me. If you want me to go into a store, spend 15-30 minutes looking around and making a small purchase--with reimbursement to only a couple of dollars--that needs to pay reasonably well because in my area 15-30 minutes in a smaller store would be very noticeable as most customers are in and out in 10 minutes or less. If you want me to do a purchase and return, the only possible benefit to me is the fee and this kind of shop is, IMHO two shops rather than one and needs to be paid accordingly.

I will do unreasonable looking shops when I am inquiring about a product I really am personally wanting to learn about. I have done that with sewing machines and flooring and window treatments, etc. Now that those purchases have been handled one way or another in my personal life, I no longer do these shops except for the fee, so the fee alone needs to make them worthwhile.

As for finding better (higher paying) jobs, with some MSPs once you have done shops for them you may be able to view more shops on their job boards, you may be given self-assign privileges or they may call you with shops that aren't on their job board and/or are bonused.

Hello all!!! My name is Rachel, and today is my first day as a mystery shopper. I'm 18 years old and have just graduated from high school. Mystery shopping appeals to me because I eat out, watch movies, shop, and travel OFTEN!! I'm ready to get started as a mystery shopper. Any tips are appreciated :}

Rachel, there are lots of shops for young shoppers! You are too young to be able to do the underage drinking ones until you are actually legal age, but there are lots of shops to see if salespeople are checking your age for purchase of some video games or purchasing cigarettes. We wouldn't want you to get started on either habit, but they are jobs. And of course you are eligible for many many other shops where age is not an issue. Welcome and have fun with it!

hello i just started to be mysteryshopper have my frist job in june so wish me good luc thanks

Welcome! Hope your job goes really well! If you have questions about it, don't hesitate to ask. Remember that your ICA prohibits mentioning the specific client and the specific mystery shopping company in the same thread, so be generic--ask, for example, about the gas shops with ABC mystery shopping company in a thread about ABC mystery shopping company or start a new thread asking about the client by name without naming the shopping company. Rather than quoting the actual verbiage of the instructions, "Stand on your head while doing 3 back flips", ask how others have dealt with the acrobatic component of the shop.

I have done Mystery Shopping off & on for many years and I love it! The freedom to choose when you work and what you work on is a big plus, not to mention that you get paid to do so. I find that if you print your instructions and read them carefully before your shop you should have very little differculty. Always take your paperwork with you to refresh yourself before your shop but remember to leave anything that might identify you as a Shopper out of sight or in your car. If you are identified as a Mystery Shopper most companies won"t pay.
I am looking forward to a long and fruitful association with this Forum.

I'm new to mystery shopping, and i have not had any jobs. I'm a stay at home mom with a nine month old son. I was wondering what is the best company to work for, and how do you find the jobs.

Visit the section called "New Mystery Shoppers" on the index page of the forum. There are threads stickied to the top of that forum that give you the basics.

HI! I am new to the shop stuff. I have been doing surveys for years. I am a full time student and student loans are not looking pretty around now. I have 2 young children (5 and 4yr olds) and I would like for some daytime shops that can bring in some extra cash.

Welcome Pslr2301! Wander over to the New Mystery Shopper area for information on getting started. You will need to watch the shops you sign up for because some--not all by any means--want you to shop alone and sitters can get expensive fast. I would encourage you though to make your first few shops solo outings if at all possible while you get the hang of it. Later your kids can be introduced to the "big secret" and even help you out with some observations, but they need to not say a word about you mystery shopping.

Hello my name is Alicia and I have been a Mystery Shopper for a few months. I was very weary about trying it due to a lot of scams. But I have been fortunate in the fact that the two places I have worked with so far have all been legit. So if you are just starting out or do not know about them...the two I trust are [www.cybershoppersonline.com] and [www.shopper.customerperspectives.com]

My name is Suzanne. I have done Mystery Shopping in the past and just getting back into it again. Have been in real estate for many years and made good and big money.....would like best jobs that pay well and in short time frames. This will be my only source of income for a while....counting on it working well for me and you. I left a highly populated area and now am living in a smaller town and area...so hoping the good jobs will still be here as I begin Mysterm Shopping again. Open to any suggestions from anyone on how to get the best paying primo assignements. Thanks.

Read the sticky posts at the top of New Shoppers.

hi my name is brenda, i just sign up,so i am very new to this, but i love to be the very best mystery shop. can you give me some idea to began and what to look for, i really appreciated it, thank you

Hi everyone. My name is Bonnie. I am in Alabama and am pretty new at this.I would appreciate any good companies to sign up with and good suggestions on how to become a good shopper.

hi i am new to this . willsomeone tell me how to get started?