I must have entered around the time when most Mystery Shopping transitioned to online reporting, since even in 2004 the companies I worked with were all online. Few required photos and the first ones I did with photos were covert gas stations. I saw dollar signs, and as a newbie, took a boatload of them, thinking, "Hey, this is great." I learned how to use my previously unused digital camera because of that. The camera broke on the 2nd or 3rd visit and I had to cancel, but the company graciously pushed them out to when the camera could get fixed. I can't recall the company name and had them listed as Kern shops because I thought Kern was a company. I think it was New Image Marketing with whom I still work. I found Volition and self-taught myself everything from reading, reading, reading. I did a lot of IKEA shops back then because they were the highest paying and were actually enjoyable with that company (not the current one). I drove far just to get a job with a new company. I bought fish food, not having a fish. I shopped for a company called G3 and actually got paid, unlike many shoppers who lost a bundle when they closed up without paying shoppers. I bought and returned a lot of sunglasses, went bowling and then found Market Force. I still work for Market Force, but I don't buy things I don't need any longer, don't do sunglasses anymore and rarely bowl. I've moved on to golf shops. I also did several casino shops right off the bat. I guess that broke me in real good. I had this clunky mini-tape recorder that I used in the casinos. I bet I could have been arrested for that, but innocense is bliss. Fees have decreased on some shops, like cell phone shops, but bonuses overall have increased greatly. Hey, back then, I didn't know what a bonus was for a long while. I'm still at it and hope to be for years to come.
The biggest difference I notice is that just about every shop now requires a camera, either for receipt uploads or site photos. Without a digital camera, a MSer would be lost.
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The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..
Mark Twain