The ones I'm talking about are 50-60 items, pays about $8. The last one I did about a month ago, had me in two departments the whole time and took about 40 min. I kept having employees come by asking if I needed help or otherwise eye-balling me. I was worried they thought I was shoplifting!

Question: How do you do these without looking suspicious? I tried hopping between one dept and the other but that just seemed to draw attention. Staying in one department until done also seemed to draw attention. What's the trick?

Question: Pay- Seems like $8 isn't too much for the pain that they are. What do you guys think? Seems like that's all thats being offered in my neck of the woods. Should I grin and bear it just to get the job?

Rule of thumb: If you try the job and don't think it is worth it, you are under no obligation to do it again.

Realistically, you cannot stay in a store 40 minutes without drawing attention to yourself unless the store as absolutely huge and/or you are filling a shopping cart with a fair amount of merchandise. Realistically, you cannot really check 50-60 items without filling a shopping cart with merchandise unless you are going down a rack of clothing.

If you decide that otherwise the shop is worth it to you, grab a cart. After you have checked a few items, put something in the cart that would be super simple to return to the shelf. Then check some more items and add something to the cart. Check a few more items and put back one of the items you selected. Check some more items, add an item to your cart, etc. etc.

As soon as you feel you are being watched you will begin watching them watching you and that will indeed alert them to watch you as a possible shoplifter. On such occasions I tend to put large objects in my cart that I could not possibly slip in a pocket or pocketbook to try to allay their concerns and I take my note pad OUT of my purse and casually leave it on the kiddie seat of the shopping cart or in sight in an outside pocket of my purse. I am going to be making notes and my pen stays clipped to my note pad. I stay out of my pockets unless I need to transfer small scraps of paper with notes from them to the outside pocket of my purse and keep my purse visibly zipped. I then go about my business.

hudge I saw that shop and said "no way in hell." was that 40 minutes PLUS report or 40 minutes including report? Either way, I thought the pay was WAY too low.


hudge95 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The ones I'm talking about are 50-60 items, pays
> about $8. The last one I did about a month ago,
> had me in two departments the whole time and took
> about 40 min. I kept having employees come by
> asking if I needed help or otherwise eye-balling
> me. I was worried they thought I was shoplifting!
>
>
> Question: How do you do these without looking
> suspicious? I tried hopping between one dept and
> the other but that just seemed to draw attention.
> Staying in one department until done also seemed
> to draw attention. What's the trick?
>
> Question: Pay- Seems like $8 isn't too much for
> the pain that they are. What do you guys think?
> Seems like that's all thats being offered in my
> neck of the woods. Should I grin and bear it just
> to get the job?

If this is one of your beginning attemps to mystery shop, I would suggest that you skip this, it will only turn you off to the whole process. How many companies are you signed up for? What general neck of the woods are you in?

I do not think it is worth it by any means. I once had my husband and daughter try to help me, and after an hour by the 3 of us (therefore a total of 3 hours worth of work), we had only found a small fraction of the items.

Carol

cynb Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If this is one of your beginning attemps to
> mystery shop, I would suggest that you skip this,
> it will only turn you off to the whole process.
> How many companies are you signed up for? What
> general neck of the woods are you in?


Well, I've been MS off and on for about 12 years. Price audits are new to me, though. I wasn't sure how much a job like this should go for. I'm thinking $8 is too little.

Oh and yeah, 40 min just for the in store portion. Entering it in the computer was another 15 min. Yuck....

I had a scheduler call me on another one of these jobs this evening. He's like, how much will you do it for? I go "$100!!" He just chuckled....

cynb Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If this is one of your beginning attemps to
> mystery shop, I would suggest that you skip this,
> it will only turn you off to the whole process.
> How many companies are you signed up for? What
> general neck of the woods are you in?


Oh, and I'm in California. I've signed up for about 4 companies. I get most jobs from MF, though.

NOPE. Doesn't sound like its worth it at all, but if that's all thats available in your area then...

hudge95 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cynb Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If this is one of your beginning attemps to
> > mystery shop, I would suggest that you skip
> this,
> > it will only turn you off to the whole process.
>
> > How many companies are you signed up for? What
> > general neck of the woods are you in?
>
>
> Oh, and I'm in California. I've signed up for
> about 4 companies. I get most jobs from MF,
> though.


OKwe all tell people sign up for as many MSCs as possible.
Download Roboform = free. And then wait to get offers. Sign up for at least 100 if you want to get into this business. You will have to wait a while to get established. Just the way it is. CA depending on where should be a good area. PM me if you want.
cyn

i turn down all shops from the purple people eater unless they are trailer checks... those are the only ones that are worth it... the rest... no thanks...

if you like merchandising check out castforce.com they pay so much better and the jobs are much much easier...

and if you havent already these three sites cover by my estimates 80% of shops
www.archondev.com
www.jobslinger.com
www.msjobboard.com



hmm... time to check that ol beast and see if the trailer checks are still around... and see if they have any... been a while... *hums*

Most store employees know that were coming. They just don't know when. I find it impossible to complete a price audit covertly. If they continuously question my presence, I just tell them straight up. I'm on a covert price auditing assignment.....Now I know we're not supposed to do that, but it makes the assignment alot less stressful. And the store employees always understand and leave me alone. Works for me.

I will do the ones in the drug stores. 50 items and the store only carries about 20 of them. They tend to only carry one brand of food stuffs and they ask for competing, so they just get crossed off the list. Did one yesterday and was done in under 20 minutes. The problem is when they throw in bizzare items like nude compression stockings and bath seats. Don't have a clue to locate them.

I tried a grocery store once and that was difficult. Too many items in too many asiles and the lists are very unorganized. They don't keep like product together like paper towles or brands together like the many types of beauty products that tend to be clustered.

Sure does sound like a nightmare!

cooldude581 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i turn down all shops from the purple people eater
> unless they are trailer checks... those are the
> only ones that are worth it... the rest... no
> thanks...
>
> if you like merchandising check out castforce.com
> they pay so much better and the jobs are much much
> easier...
>
> and if you havent already these three sites cover
> by my estimates 80% of shops
> www.archondev.com
> www.jobslinger.com
> www.msjobboard.com
>
>
>
> hmm... time to check that ol beast and see if the
> trailer checks are still around... and see if they
> have any... been a while... *hums*
Yeah I just went back to checking cert's jobs but wow how cheesey. Whatever happened to the paid for movie tickets? Trailer checks are around.

I only do them if they're close to home or another job. I did one in a drugstore which consisted of a snack food audit. Two employees came to the aisle after I'd been there a while. I said I volunteer at a retirement home & was gathering price and availability information for the residents who can't get out who gave me a list of what they like and would want me to buy for them after they knew the price. The employees never questioned me and even helped me locate a couple of items.

cvb42jeb Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I only do them if they're close to home or another
> job. I did one in a drugstore which consisted of a
> snack food audit. Two employees came to the aisle
> after I'd been there a while. I said I volunteer
> at a retirement home & was gathering price and
> availability information for the residents who
> can't get out who gave me a list of what they like
> and would want me to buy for them after they knew
> the price. The employees never questioned me and
> even helped me locate a couple of items.

CVB:

What a great cover! Thanks for sharing!