Hello All,

Over the last year I’ve gratefully consumed information provided in this forum. Please consider this post my belated thank you for all of the insight, wisdom, knowledge, thought-provoking questions and discussions, guidance and assistance that you have provided directly to other shoppers (and indirectly to me). I have learned so much about the joys, challenges, adventure and complexity of mystery shopping from your comments. I am a better mystery shopper for my exposure to this virtual community.

As a part of my thank you, allow me to share just a bit of what I’ve learned:

1. Mystery shopping is versatile and can be designed to fit the unique needs of each individual shopper. Do you!

2. Learn the art of negotiation and ask for bonuses. The worst response you can receive is, “No.”

3. Every MSC has its own strengths and limitations (fees, types of assignments, clarity of instructions, etc.). Prioritize what is most important to you and plan accordingly.

4. Completing a shop is only one small part of your mystery shopping tasks. Give yourself lead time (to review guidelines, plan routes, etc.) and lag time (to complete, review and submit reports).

5. If at all possible – find some joy and value in your mystery shopping experiences!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. The lessons you have shared are acknowledged and received!

PS – A special thank you to Jacob for having the vision to create this forum. I am much obliged.

I would love to see this post become a "sticky"!!!!

No need to say anymore! Thank you for your insight! I could never have said this better myself.

RCR, agreed. Hope you'll hang out, invest some time, and pay it forward. That's the very best part of this forum.

This forum has been what really got my business going more efficiently. I do not think that I would be nearly as successful if it were not for all the information that I have gleaned from this site. You have to look at times but there are many p-earls of wisdom to help you make more money and be more confident in mystery shopping. Still have to do the work but at least there is tons of information here about where to start. So a big THANK-YOU from me.



Mod note: Changed that one word that always consternates the forum.

This forum ROCKS!!!

Agreed. I didn't discover this forum until I had already been shopping for a few years, but have learned quite a bit from reading. I've only recently started posting, but hopefully I'll have the opportunity to pay it back by sharing something that helps others out.

This forum is a great place for research and any questions. There is an enormous amount of knowledge and information here and always a place to go to for a quick answer to a question. Although I have been shopping for years and only on this forum a few months I have learned a great amount of new information from this forum. Also a fun place to unwind and get a laugh.

RCR--You have learned well, grasshopper.

I have people who envy my life, the perks I get, and the flexibility I have. It's times like those that outweigh lengthy reports, complicated scenarios, dealing with city traffic to get to and from shops, picky editors and snippy schedulers. It's been a wonderful life. I've learned how to get around in my new hometown through shops, and more importantly my bank account, family and friends have all benefitted from some shop or other. Thanks for acknowledging the help you've gotten from this forum. You made some wise suggestions too!

I just want to say "ditto"! Thank you!

Thank you for being there when I need to pour out my thoughts in the wee hours of the morning. For being there when the MSC's website has gone asleep and I am waiting for it to wake up, so I could complete my report before the 12 hours/24 hours deadline. (This post will get me docked for 2 points at least by Proofreader 6.)

Thank you for the kindness and patience of some posters who willingly give advice on how to resolve some mshopping issues which for me at that time, felt insurmountable. Thanks to the posters for not using this forum as an outlet for something negative against their fellow posters. Thanks to the posters for remembering that we are all in this together and as a community, we can get the most of our mshopping experience and have the respect and maintain the trust of most MSCs.

Thank you for leading us to hopefully a better and more successful mystery shopping career.

Special thanks to Jacob.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2014 07:02AM by risinghorizon.

This forum has made me laugh, and it has provided valuable tips and advice. I am grateful to all of you who don't mind sharing their wisdom to help shoppers.

Thank you to everyone who shares their insights and experiences. It really helps.

I am thankful for the friends I've made through the forum and now have personal connections with as well as the ones I'll meet in the future.

This forum is a wealth of information. I have learned so much here and still am learning.

Thank you all for your wisdom and wit. Yeah!

Could not have done most of it without everybody's valued assistance which is deeply appreciated...

Thank you Jacob for creating a fun place to come and read the questions, suggestions and most of all the funny and weird stuff that happens on shops.

It definitely helps you feel more like you are engaged in an actual "profession" when there are so many other pros out there to swap tips and stories with.

Thank you! Time to move on with this thread.

Your first post in a year of lurking. Get your feet wet and post by paying it forward.

Oh no! Time to move on does not mean it has to end negatively. What's wrong with lurking?

How would the board exist if every member only lurked and never posted?
Why not share YOUR experience to others?



risinghorizon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oh no! Time to move on does not mean it has to
> end negatively. What's wrong with lurking?

I agree totally. I spend a lot of time reading the posts. I should answer them too...

I do not visit the Forum regularly but I reply when I feel like replying and I can make time. At times I want to reply but I just can't find the time to do so or the atmosphere has become very unpleasant.

But the operative word per Jacob is to contribute positively to the Forum. I think lurking is preferable to using it as something else. When the thread becomes unpleasant, time to concentrate on the shops and lurk. There is enough stress in the shops and our day to day living.

Okay, I am another "Lurker". I have read a lot of posts that have helped me, but honestly didn't think I had anything new to post. Most of those who have shared these great messages have done mystery shops for far longer than me.

I am now entering my 7th month of shopping. I do it for the pleasure of a dinner out with my hubby (we are both retired and this is a nice avenue for that) or maybe a good car wash, etc. I don't make my living at it, but as you may have guessed by my first remark, it helps us to get out and maybe get something for sharing our experience. I rarely get bonuses, since I just recently figured out that if I asked, I might actually get one... that was thanks to this forum!

All of that said, I will add my "Thank You" to you all. I have learned and continue to benefit from what you share. Maybe I will have a tidbit to share someday.

This Forum is great! I just wish it had started a LOT SOONER, it would have been so much help. I started Mystery Shopping in 1994, my first shop was a theater, which I totally loved. After several months, my husband saw how much fun I was having making money, he stated performing shops also. Yaw, are sooo... Lucky, when it was not on the internet, and it was a few years before the marketing companies smartened up and started using the internet. Before it was my phone calls from the companies to see if we could do a shop, and overnight the paperwork and after the shop we called in a brief report after the shop (after we left the location), then we completed the report and overnighted in. The reports were much simpler in those day, the pay was generally $7.00 to $10.00. Well, every little bit helped pay the bills. We were performing shops for 15 years. We were able to do a lot of the theater later started shopping the Multi-screen theater and we would both do the shops to be able to cover three or four screens showing the same show but at different times. We still do some of the shops, 3 years ago I cut back due to the high price of gas, and I had started working a full time job. Now we are both retired and starting to pick up more. So we are back and I found this forum and feel it will be great hearing all of the feedback on all of your experiences. I am sure there has been a lot of changes.

PS we had at least a dozen companies that we shopped regularly, and hit several as they needed extra help, we also took calls that we would excepted at least one hour and driving time and to get the paper work downloaded. Hey, we liked the BONESES. So keep up the good work and have fun!! The pay really does add up if you can get several shops of the same type at different locations, or that you can lay out the route and hit them all in a timely manner.

I am so happy to see that us retires, have found a way to get out on the town and not cost us an arm and a leg. In 15 years I think that my husband have been able to tie a dinner and a movie (NOT an OPEN COUNT) about 3 or 4 times. We think if we get the free dinner we can afford the movie, at least it the cost of living slows down.

Glad to welcome you to live of the shopper, just be sure you enjoy your work. It there are some types of shops that you hate, just do not take them. There will always be shops, the businesses and top level management have to know what the customer see when they visit their stores, etc. We were doing gas stations, generally my husband, he likes doing these.

PS I love grammar and spelling checker, and I sure use it.

Wow the pay has not changed that much since 1994?? That was 20 years ago and I am still doing jobs for $7-$10 - no raises for mystery shoppers and you can forget about cost of living.

So, is there anyone else out there who gets bothered when they go to a restaurant and are not mystery shopping it? Or to the grocery store? Or other places?

Yes, to the above and I wish Metro North Railroad was shopped among others such as Trader Joe's.

Getting to the point now where I don't want to pay for anything anymore, really...

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/2014 12:03AM by Arch Stanton.