bgriffin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> > 5) Why do people buy a gym membership and a
> lawn
> > service when they could get more exercise doing
> > their own lawn?
>
> Because I enjoy going to the gym to work out. I
> do not enjoy mowing my lawn. In fact there is
> probably no other home associated chore that I
> detest more.


I'll make you a deal... I'll mow your lawn if you'll vacuum my house..... I actually bought one of those robot things to vacuum my house, that's how much I hate it, but it doesn't get the corners and edges and keeps getting stuck under the furniture. But I also bought a sheep to mow my lawn too. I guess I'm just lazy all over.

Uh. Hardwood floors FTW!

Leasha1975 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi! I also have a file folder that I keep anything I've printed for
> the shop and receipts broken down by month. What
> do you do? Do you have any tips?

I keep all the paperwork for the shops and save them in a filing cabinet by MSP. When I want to do a particular shop the next time I check my file and take out the old paperwork. Many times it is still valid or with a handwritten note can be used to update it to current status. That saves on paper and ink costs.

When I get a tablet or laptop I'll save even more on paper and ink costs by not printing the paperwork at all. Technology is wonderful, yes?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/2014 10:23PM by vlade5394.

Hi ,

I am about to receive a phone call for an brief interview for the position of an on-line mystery shopper .. I am shaking because I want to get this job , I really love it and I don't want to mess this opportunity . Also my main concern is working with Xcel and the tracking columns . If someone can specify detailed the entire process it will be highly appreciated
I got some good informations on this website , is like a very good beginner guide , but I still can't get on with this Xcel although I have vast experience in Pc .

Anyway I will get back soon with my interview result , hope is not a scam

Thanks guys !

There are some pretty good Excel tutorials on YouTube. You should find them pretty easily if you google for them.

jorjel88 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi ,
>
> I am about to receive a phone call for an brief
> interview for the position of an on-line mystery
> shopper .. I am shaking because I want to get
> this job , I really love it and I don't want to
> mess this opportunity . Also my main concern is
> working with Xcel and the tracking columns . If
> someone can specify detailed the entire process it
> will be highly appreciated
> I got some good informations on this website , is
> like a very good beginner guide , but I still
> can't get on with this Xcel although I have vast
> experience in Pc .
>
> Anyway I will get back soon with my interview
> result , hope is not a scam
>
> Thanks guys !


There is at least one online mystery shop company that is a scam. what is the name of the one you have the interview with? word of warning, do NOT agree to pay anything up front and if they say they're mailing you a big fat check up front, then yes, it is a scam.

I've never heard of anyone doing a phone interview to hire a mystery shopper. Generally, you sign up on line with the company, you get a confirmation email back with a link to log in. You log in, look for a job in your area, apply for it, go do it, and get paid. That is the normal order of things.

I hope you come back and tell us who it is so we can give you more advice but this sounds odd to me.

I think jorjel88 may be confusing a phone training with a MS interview. There is one MSC that I work and they require phone training prior to performing their hotel shops. And they use Excel to submit their reports.

Hi ,

Thank you for your advices guys . I have received a phone call , is 100% genuine . A Head of HR Services London , recruits Secret Shoppers for a big USA company who now extended their services in UK . The interview was so short , around 10 mins and she told me that I will get an answer if I am accepted or not . But if I am , then they will send me to a special training in September and they will also provide credit cards and there will be no worries regarding the payment for the goods purchased online . I worked as a waiter in two coffe-shops and I have not had much to say about my experience , but I am optimistic as much as I can . Hope they will get back with a positive answer

I will keep you posted . If anyone has any recommendation for this kind of job somewhere around London , it will be much appreciated .

Thanks again and all the best !

What's the difference between providing credit cards and providing cash or a cheque up front? As Spock would say, "A difference that makes no difference is no difference." Since you haven't named the client, please name the MSC. This sounds like it could be a scam. And since you would likely have to show ID with the credit cards, if it turns out they're bad, you're on the hook.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2014 08:37PM by James Bond 007.5.

You know when the little hairs on the back of your neck go up...

I agree with James Bond 007.5. Something still does not sound right to me.

EDIT: @ jorjel88, do you actually live in London? And this company says that they a located in London? I think some more research is needed before you commit to anything.

And it appears that we have gone off-topic from the original thread.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2014 10:17PM by Shop2LiveinFL.

How often has anyone seen a US company turn over recruiting of mystery shoppers to a headhunter? Never maybe? It sounds like a new twist on an old scam.

Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The true beauty of the Excel spreadsheet is that
> you can add columns if and as there is more you
> want/need to keep track of. I make a 'workbook'
> in Excel with one page per month and I can feed
> totals then to a recap sheet. I keep track of the
> mileage with each shop as well as the dates of the
> 'window' to do it as well as the date when it was
> actually performed. I separate out 'fee',
> 'bonus', 'reimbursement' and also keep track of
> unreimbursed expenses where they may apply (i.e.
> it was a fee only shop with a purchase
> requirement, there was nothing at the location I
> could purchase for the reimbursement amount or
> less, the specifically required purchase(s)
> exceeded the amount of reimbursement). I then
> have one workbook per year and it makes a tidy
> bundle for tax work.
>
> One thing I started doing a couple of years ago
> was to run a calendar down the left side of the
> page showing date and day of the week so that as I
> see jobs available and add them to my schedule I
> can readily see what I already have that day or
> can select a date to do the job when I will be in
> that part of town.
>
> I also created a column to number my jobs with my
> own 'job number' so that as I manipulate the
> spreadsheet for various purposes I can always
> return them to the order in which they were
> completed with no issues.

Sounds like my spreadsheet. It has undergone changes over the years as I have added more information and my yearly spreadsheet with individual tabs for the months also contains tabs that I use to maintain a database of the most common locations of gas stations (by company), restaurants and retail stores including phone numbers, hours of operation, nearest major road or interstate exit, etc. I use the totals gleaned from these reports to file my Schedule C each tax year.

Leasha1975 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi! I'm a new shopper that just started this
> month. I've done about 15 shops and have about 15
> more that I'm committed to performing. So far,
> I've just created an excel spreadsheet where I
> list the shop, date, time, company, pay, reimburse
> limit, actual spent, how I'll be paid, and a
> checkoff for when I do get paid. As I get more
> and more shops on this list, I'm wondering if this
> is the best way to track it all. I also have a
> file folder that I keep anything I've printed for
> the shop and receipts broken down by month. What
> do you do? Do you have any tips?

Welcome! Always glad to share my input to new shoppers.

Since you're new, it's best to get yourself ahead of the time stay organized from the start.

1. I, as have many shoppers on here, use Excel spreadsheets to keep track of their assignments. My spreadsheet keeps in track of the following: Scheduled date, client and assignment name, mystery shopping company, assignment ID, address / phone number of location, mystery shopping company scheduler contact, etc. In addition, I strongly suggest you also keep track of fees, expense limit, actual expenses and how much you actually received from the MSC when you get paid. I'd also use this to keep in track of the miles used to travel for the shop.

2. One suggestion is to sync up your folder structure of your digital file with your spreadsheet (if you choose the digital route). I found it difficult to track simply my date and mystery shopping company, thus I "assign" my own "project number" for every single assignment I do. Ex. If I did an assignment for a restaurant, I'll assign this particular assignment "MSP001"; it's unique to this assignment, so it's easily traceable. So in my hard drive, I also have a folder I would name "MSP001." Inside this folder, I'll copy over THIS assignment's guidelines, questionnaire, my scanned receipts, my notes, audio recordings, my actual report submitted, any correspondence in regards to this assignment, the check from the MSC for this assignment, etc. You get the idea. The point is the treat every assignment as its own project. Yes, it'll be time-consuming sometimes; however, when a MSC follows up with you or if you're checking to see if you got paid, you can easily navigate using this structure. Plus it'll come in handy come tax-time. For the actual paper receipts, I also write down on the back my personal project number, "Project 001," for easy tracking and just throw it in a shoebox.

I try to limit the amount I print. So if you're wondering what I do with guidelines, reports I submit, etc. They're all digital and I save them in their appropriate folders. In this day and age, I can print all I want to PDF and it would all fit in my pocket (USB jump drives). Take advantage of technology.

3. I use a similar spreadsheet and file structure for filing other mystery shopping-related expenses that can be useful come tax-time as well.

4.Take advantage on the calendar on your phone. I use the one on my iPhone heavily as I have a busy schedule as it is as a full-time project engineer. ANY time I am assigned an assignment, I immediately log this into my calendar. If it's an assignment I applied for, but haven't been assigned, I still mark it in my calendar, but list is as "PENDING."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2014 11:18PM by Tarantado.

I use a free online invoicing program and my calendar. When approved for a shop it goes on the google calendar which a reminder is set in case I need it! After the shop is complete I use the invoicing program to record the shop income and reimbursement and record the expenses. Then I set the due date according to when I expect payment by that company. Finally I get reminded when a payment is late and I can go check out why the payment has not come through yet.

I do not actually send the invoices to the companies. I simply use the invoices as a recording tool. It really makes it easy to do quick look up and it automatically spits out any data I would need - such as which companies I've worked for the most or which I've made the most income etc.

The only thing the invoicing company I work with does not have is the mileage feature. I used another a while back which also tracked mileage automatically, but they started charging so I switched. I simply use an app on my phone to track mileage now. Sort of annoying as it is not in one place though.

You need to create a tutorial video.

Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The true beauty of the Excel spreadsheet is that
> you can add columns if and as there is more you
> want/need to keep track of. I make a 'workbook'
> in Excel with one page per month and I can feed
> totals then to a recap sheet. I keep track of the
> mileage with each shop as well as the dates of the
> 'window' to do it as well as the date when it was
> actually performed. I separate out 'fee',
> 'bonus', 'reimbursement' and also keep track of
> unreimbursed expenses where they may apply (i.e.
> it was a fee only shop with a purchase
> requirement, there was nothing at the location I
> could purchase for the reimbursement amount or
> less, the specifically required purchase(s)
> exceeded the amount of reimbursement). I then
> have one workbook per year and it makes a tidy
> bundle for tax work.
>
> One thing I started doing a couple of years ago
> was to run a calendar down the left side of the
> page showing date and day of the week so that as I
> see jobs available and add them to my schedule I
> can readily see what I already have that day or
> can select a date to do the job when I will be in
> that part of town.
>
> I also created a column to number my jobs with my
> own 'job number' so that as I manipulate the
> spreadsheet for various purposes I can always
> return them to the order in which they were
> completed with no issues.

I have a excel workbook that on the once sheet i house all my logins (usernames and passwords...you would think they would allow the same guidelines...).

The next sheet is my "master worksheet" it houses a running list of the shop date, shop desc (five guys minneapolis, etc..) the MSC, the payment, expense limit, actual expense total due, amount paid, expected pay date and mileage. On this sheet i then have some stats on Total contracted, total earned, total expenses, total mileage. Then i have it by month that highlights earned for the month, expenses for the month, shops completed for the month and some fun stats (ROI, avg shop rev, avg per day rev, etc...) then I have a graph that stays up to date with the shops completed showing a year overview of how much i have been paid, earned and my expense. I am a data girl so i love to look at it every so often to see the trends that may exist in my shopping (i have a year over year comparison built in so i can see what i did last october vs now).

All of my shops are filled in from the following tabs. I create a tab per MSC. So Bestmark has a tab, market force has a tab, etc...this helps me so when i enter how much is being paid by the MSC or want to evaluate what is missing i can look at them as a record without going through my massive list. It helps me capture what each MSC is doing individually.

I am sure most of you are aware of this, but please don't forget backups. Flash drives come in large data sizes now. Backup, backup, backup, and often.

And backup your backups. Not only am I backed up on USB drives, I'm also backed up on a 1TB external hard drive.

My shop log is housed on Google Drive. Would you all consider adequate backup? I don't see Google shutting down any time soon.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2014 07:53PM by MPorter3112.

Just my opinion, any cloud storage can potentially be hacked.

I live within a couple of miles of the coast in an area prone to hurricanes. The backups on USB drives travel with me. The 1TB hard drive spends most of its time in a bank vault. In the event of a hurricane, it gets mailed to my accountant in another state.

MPorter3112 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My shop log is housed on Google Drive. Would you
> all consider adequate backup? I don't see Google
> shutting down any time soon.


Mine is through Excel and backed up to Google Drive. Honestly it is more for convenience when I am out and about (on my phone) than anything else. I can easily pull it up and enter in the actual reimbursement amount, and mileage, and cross the shop off my To-Do list immediately after my shop.

Thanks annelehman for the tips on Carbonite. I've had it for 3 yrs now, and it does work great. It took awhile to reload my new computer, but...............
I didn't realize you could suspend backup until done on the computer. I will try that.

As for tracking assignments: have to re-read and work on that. Not well versed in Excel. I use Google calaendar, and sort by due the same day or multiple dates. Get an e-mail every morning I can print out.

Otherwise I use Quicken to keep track of expenses, payments, etc.

i use an old fashioned day planner. when i get paid for the shop, i simply put a line through it.

Made an XL program for it.