I am new to this but been following each & every post gathering as much info as possible..i need quick money like every body else NOT JAIL TIME.I currently live in philadelphia.If there are shoppers here that dnt mind sharing info on getting the right assignment to feed my family plz assist

Welcome to the forum, MUSTAFA. Mystery shopping is not really quick money. After performing a mystery shop, if the shop is performed correctly, and if the report is accepted, the mystery shopping company pays. Depending on the company, payment generally takes between two weeks and three months.

The first step, after reading and planning your business, is to start signing up with mystwry shop companies. A great list of companies is at the bottom of the page.

ok I thank u for replying 3 times....i am completely in the dark wen it comes to this but i dnt mine puitting the needed time in....the way i see it if i apply 2 the right one's than once the money start coming it'll be rolling from there. I am more than intrested in this i like how everyone share what they went thru,,,, accomplishment ,,,,,likes don't like,,,,,the whole thing...just wanna make sure my moves or jobs or assignment ain't for nothing......so onces again thank you...are these company for phila also

There are lots of posts for you to look at for that information.

The fastest money that I have made is through phone apps. If you have a smart phone just download some apps (search "mystery shopping" in your app store)

Depending on the area there should be some good, fast shops for you to do. It' s not a lot of money but in a place like Philly you could get a good start.

Good luck

If you need help feeding your family, please look into food stamps. They pay a lot faster than mystery shopping companies. It takes time to build up a mystery shopping business -- lots of time. It has a learning curve like any other job, and it takes time to build your reputation up to where the lucrative jobs start showing up for you. And one thing you need to practice as part of that learning curve is to learn to write well and avoid the "text speak" abbreviations like "plz" and to use proper punctuation and capitalization. The higher paying jobs generally require a certain amount of narrative, so the better you can learn to write English well, the more opportunities you will have to get the good shops that pay decently.

So find another way to feed your family while you learn the skills to be a good mystery shopper, but this is not a fast way to make money by any means. But try Kathee's suggestion of the mystery shopping apps on the cell phone -- particularly Gigwalk and Field Agent. The jobs are usually easy, but not always plentiful, and they usually pay in a couple of days, sometimes the same day. But they are priced with the assumption that you're already in the area, so you don't incur travel expenses getting to them. If you have to drive 10 miles to make $5, you're not going to make much after paying for the gas.

I would first suggest signing up with easy companies like Marketforce.

I would also suggest working on your writing skills.

thank you everybody,especially for being so honest.I really didn't think anyone would respond back,so I am more than happy.so I have some work to do.once again thank you......listen MARKETFORCE ask for my SS# is it safe to put that type of info..

Can I make a few suggestions MUSTFA?

Put a space between periods. (Like this) instead of Like this.Ok?

You need "capital" when you shop. You need money to make money. You will pay for the shops and be reimbursed later, much later than a regular two week check job. --- You can take bank shops and cell shops, which require no money up front. (Others too but it's near bed time, so I'm sleepy but others can chime in on "free" shops, like apartments, car dealerships shops.

You need "start up costs" like a printer, printer ink, paper.

You need to drop the cell phone text lingo when you post here. Practice getting that out of your system because when you have a 500 character narrative, you don't want to slip and type "cuz" instead of "because."

You might consider getting a regular job to pay the bills while you explore Mystery Shopping on the side. You may find, as many have, that mystery shopping does not pay all of the bills. Just keeping it real and honest...............

I agree with everyone here. Take advantage of the fact that your country has food stamps.. use them! It took about six months before I started making an income off of mystery shopping. This is not to discourage but to be realistic.. it's not something that happens overnight and requires a great deal of time, effort and drive. All of which I don't doubt you have, by the way. Check out the list at the very bottom of this page (Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies) and start from there. Best wishes!

I agree that mystery shopping is most definitely not 'quick money' in any way, but it is an enjoyable way to make some income over time. You will need money to begin with, imho, but after that the money starts to come in. Good luck.

To the OP
There are a lot of low paying shops you can preform over the telephone. There are free no upfront costs shops such as cell phone shops, banks, apartments, car dealerships, and insurance. There are also grocery store sops which hey you gotta buy anyway so its basically free. Jobslinger.com can give you a list of shops in your area then you know which companies to sign up for. I would take a day 8 hours starting at the top of the list of our page of MSPs and signing up with as many as you can. Once you get your feet wet and if you have the ability to travel you can start traveling to shop say 100- 300 miles one way. Anyway don't want to overload you with information. Any questions people here can answer or feel free to PM me.

Mystery shopping is definitely NOT a "quick" way to get money. While it's a decent way to subsidize your costs, you'll need some extra $$$ upfront to enjoy the benefits of mystery shopping.

With regard to putting your social security number on Marketforce, Most companies will not pay you without your social security number on file. They need to report the money they send out to the IRS and you need to report the income.

I agree with what others have suggested. It is imperative that you brush up on your writing skills to avoid editors marking you down for errors or, worse yet, your report being rejected. If your report is rejected, you will not get paid and all of your hard work will be for nothing. You might consider investing in a book to help you with writing and grammar. The internet is another good resource for writing and grammar as well. If you have questions, feel free to PM me.

Shelly Wrote:
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> With regard to putting your social security number
> on Marketforce, Most companies will not pay you
> without your social security number on file. They
> need to report the money they send out to the IRS
> and you need to report the income.

When I started out I was very nervous about giving out my social security number. I came to this site 3-4 times and asked if anyone else worked with that company. One time people told me the company was "iffy" and the others were fine. I work a great deal with Marketforce and they are a reputable company. Go ahead and give your SS# to them.

Some companies require a writing sample to check if your grammar and spelling are up to par. So the text speak must be deleted in your writing sample and your reports. If you make over $600 they usually want your social security number and I have never had a problem giving my social security to reputable companies. Beware of the scams! When you first start signing up you will probably receive some random check in the mail which will look real - they are not - do not cash it. When I started I needed some money up front and did not see any profits for 2 months until the checks started to come in. Some MSC's pay every 90 days (too long for me to wait) and some pay monthly. There is one company that I know of that pays every 2 weeks. Sign up for lots of companies on the list and be prepared for a learning curve. It took me a few months to start feeling really comfortable. Good luck - this forum is a great place to find most of the information that you will need to become a successful shopper.

As a former English teacher, I would recommend the book "Painless Grammar". I also recommend listening to the Grammar Girl podcast. There are many reliable sources for grammar, but these have been the most popular with my students (middle school through adult) over the years.

nhgirl1970 Wrote:
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> As a former English teacher, I would recommend the
> book "Painless Grammar". I also recommend
> listening to the Grammar Girl podcast. There are
> many reliable sources for grammar, but these have
> been the most popular with my students (middle
> school through adult) over the years.

I am an English major and I tutored high school student's for five years or so years. I have "Painless Grammar" and highly recommend it as well. I have never heard of Grammar Girl podcast, but will check it out. Thank you!

how do find shops close to home I live in branson mo.

Grammar girl is also on a web site.

Most companies do not report what they pay you unless it is over $600. That is not reimbursement, just what they pay you.

I agree with the experienced people who are telling you that you need some capital. I usually have $400 to $600 of my own money out there and I am probably average in that respect.

Remember how you slid by in English classes in high school? You will pay for it now. I suggest Kahn Academy, a free online source of learning. You need it.


4

I would also recommend keeping an accurate log of which shop you did the work for, what shop it was, the reimbursement amount and the shop pay amount. Also, keep a record of your mileage. While the MS may not pay for travel, you might need it for IRS purposes. Think of this as a job and that you are your own company. Keep receipts for EVERYTHING. Even if you find you don't need it, you still have it. Better be safe than sorry!

The last thing you want is for a job to get rejected because your writing is atrocious. That's a lot of work to go through for nothing. if you want, you can post a quick writing sample here that we can take a look at for you. Most companies like you to describe your last dining experience or something. Take a couple paragraphs and post that here. We'll be happy to let you know if it will pass muster.

Try getting a quick job in the meantime such as washing dishes in a restaurant or cleaning an office. You could also carry washing supplies and ask people in a parking lot if they want their car washed. There are all sorts of quick jobs like that that you can take while looking for a "real" job. You can mystery shop as well. If you have children in school, perhaps you can drive other people's children to school and keep them in the afternoons until their parents arrive. I know a woman who has done this for probably 25 years. I understand that PA does not have as good an economy as certain other areas of the country, so you may have to be creative in your job ideas.

Ask your local library to get a book named "Edit Yourself." It is a good, fast way to improve one's writing. There are very few (if any) shops that have reports consisting of Yes/No checklists anymore. They all seem to want at least some "explanation" entries that require writing a description. It helps if it really makes sense, has correct spelling, and isn't overly wordy. Unlike this response!

Check into merchandising. Its harder work than mystery shopping but you will get more hours and the reports are easier.

Hoju Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The last thing you want is for a job to get
> rejected because your writing is atrocious. That's
> a lot of work to go through for nothing. if you
> want, you can post a quick writing sample here
> that we can take a look at for you. Most companies
> like you to describe your last dining experience
> or something. Take a couple paragraphs and post
> that here. We'll be happy to let you know if it
> will pass muster.

I would be happy to take a look at your writing samples. If you would like me to do so, PM me.

jlbowman Wrote:
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> how do find shops close to home I live in branson
> mo.

I am in St Louis and regularly see shops posted for Branson, Springfield, Monett. You just need to sign up with several companies. Start with jobslinger (jobslinger.com), create a free account and do a search around your zip code. I just logged in and saw jobs From Service Excellence, Gfk, Sutter, Intellishop, Bestmark, North Fork, Shoppers View, ath Power, Feedback Plus and Bare. Seems like Marketforce always has jobs in every area.

Am new and based in Nigeria, I will like to use this avenue to let you guy/companies know
that we offer mystery shopping service in Nigeria www.dscafrica.com

Thanks all.