I was going to say. There is a ton of high end restaurants and hotels in your area!

squireparty Wrote:
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> I live in Phoenix, Arizona, a metro area of four
> million plus people, and I don't get all the shops
> I apply for. Far from it. I suspect I have a
> great deal of completion as just this past Sunday
> I received emails from two MSCs urgently seeking
> shoppers for shops with nice bonuses attached to
> them - and they went lightning fast. All I can do
> is check the boards regularly, do the best work I
> can, and hope for the best.
>
> Anyone living in Phoenix or thereabouts though -
> I'm not your competition for high end restaurant
> or hotel shops, nor will I do auto shops. And I
> rarely will do or apply for targeted shops. And
> I'm passing on assisted living facility shops,
> too. I also have been willing to show my face in
> some dicey areas on the West Side when I thought
> it was worth my while to do a given shop and have
> gotten some nice bonuses for being willing to show
> my face on the West Side - doesn't seem like I
> have much competition there nor do I worry about
> posting this here about my West Side shops as most
> people are not going to venture over into this
> area.

I never really knew how big this industry is! As a Realtor for a giant chain, I knew we were shopped but thought it was an "inside" deal. Ha! I recently found out who the MSC is!

A friend in Fl began shopping and her stories intrigued me...I think after 30+ years in real estate, I've had enough but don't want to stop being active.

In October, I began signing up and accepting easy, low paying shops. Little did I know that bonuses and higher fees would show up if the shops sat there for awhile.

My competition must have been surprised to see all of those USPS shops grabbed up at $10! Now I know if we wait, the fee goes up to $15 and they are SOOOOO easy. There are never lines, I can be in and out in 5 minutes and the report takes 5 minutes. Now the trick will be to see who holds out the longest! Sorry Jersey Shore Shoppers!!

I think my competition locally is a male. The local bonused cosmetic, intimate clothing and wax shops are just sitting there.

This is off topic but does anyone really do those "blood draw" shops? Holy Ravioli!!!

what is an ardent report a new subject to me

My sister mostly. She finally got started so she's been quicker to grab things the last few months as my full time job has taken over my life. That's OK. Rotation kicks in and she won't be picking up much this month so I'll fill my weekends with extra spending money. We are in competition only because there are so few in our area.

Only a handful of shoppers here know where I live. I don't share that information freely. A few new shoppers posted here a few months ago and I knew they were around my area. They wanted information as to who does what. Sorry. I'm not saying.

I'd like to meet mary, lisa and Austin mom.

Just because....

surfsider Wrote:
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> what is an ardent report a new subject
> to me

Ardent Services is a MSC that requires a certain level of narrative on their reports. It's not for everyone, but I have gotten addicted....

i know more HOME HEALTH associates than MS

i'm hoping to meet one soon who's moving to CO

I have met one local shopper online, and we converse freely. We've been helping each other but we dont live really close.

I live in North Dallas. There are more shops that there are shoppers. And we I expand my area, I can pretty much pick and choose. I don't mind meeting local area shoppers and sharing information. If I was in an area with only a few shops, I might feel different. I don't know.

I am glad that we at least have this forum to share information!

I would love to know other mystery shoppers in my area.

The knowledge I could gain about dos and don'ts, priceless.

Find a couple of shoppers that do my crazy routes and would be willing to coordinate the shops that have the cant shop within so many day limits. I'd buy lunch, maybe even dinner.

I believe it might be more profitable over the long run.

MaryAnn

i know someone had a little clique last summer. I couldn't get shops on my normal routes, let alone in my own neighborhood. They could only shop every 60 days. That would be a negative for reaching out.

Since I'm still new, im going to say I have a naive outlook.

I know another shopper in this area. We actually worked at the same "regular" job for a few years, and last month I ran into her working at her new regular job, while I was doing a site evaluation. We hug and stuff. I know of another shopper, whom I have followed. He does a gnarly job at a certain convenience store and talks about the reports to the employees. I hate/love to follow him on that convenience store, and it makes me glad that the employees will have to clean that mess up! What I don't like is that the employees resent me. I can't help it! I am a compliance freak! Especially at convenience stores. Sorry for typos, not so good with on phone typing.

Speaking of theatre audits...the rotation on those in my area is 540 days. Jees-louise!

I ran across one in my neighborhood at a gas station. He had just done an audit, so he was freely discussing what he does with the manager at that location.

Did he know you are a shopper?

BeachBumess Wrote:
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> Did he know you are a shopper?

Nope.

And I forgot one. I stood in line to give my LOA to the associate at a gas station, and the person just in front of me in line was auditing it for the convenience store, or something else. The poor manager must have thought there was a conspiracy against him! So there we both were trotting around, photographing it from different angles. ("Why is there someone with an orange vest and clipboard in your photos?"

I'd love to meet NYC shoppers, particularly if they did fine dining and needed a guest who'd chip in with observations and some cash.

I bring a friend and my husband sometimes, but they're both lowsy at observations, though my friend pays me the tip in cash, knowing I'm going to have to go home and write a report.

I am sometimes curious who else is shopping my area. When I first started, I used to waste my breath when co-workers and people at parties asked how they can get involved in mystery shopping. Now I view them as potential competition, and reveal very little. Nobody ever actually took my advice in the past anyway.
My husband started mystery shopping, and it helps with the expenses. He started noticing how we were able to dine out, and how I hadn't paid for groceries in two years. He started asking questions how to get involved and I gave him advice on my favorite companies. It also helps to have someone to talk to who can relate, and we do spot shops for each other as well. He happens to love bank shops, me, grocery shops are the way to go. I'm glad both of us shop.
I wonder if anyone here is from Northern NJ.

@jillmarie13 - Can you tell me which companies do grocery shops? I'm signed up with those that shop Publix and Winn Dixie. They do not pay much or reimburse much. How do you get your groceries for free? I know you can't say which grocery stores you shop, but the MSC's that do these types would be great to know!

Over the years, I have done mystery shops at ShopRite, Giant (Landover), Giant (Carlisle), Acme, Pathmark, Genuardi (while they were in business) and a few others. There is no way that I could ever have gone years without paying for groceries. With the required bottom of the cart item eating up a big chunk of the meagre ($10 to $15) reimbursement, the only thing I didn't have to buy for years was toilet paper and paper towels. Reimbursements must be higher whereever jillmarie13 lives, or she and her husband must eat like birds. [I did have a shop in a wild bird feed store a few months ago. I got 25 pounds of wild bird seed reimbursed.]

Honestly, in my area I think most of the competition out there that I don't know personally are dummies and flakes. Mainly because I have had schedulers on several occasions call me and complain about other shoppers, lol. I know there are a handful of good ones out there but I think its the reason I am able to get such high bonuses in a city that should have quite a few more shoppers in relation to it's population size.

Any other shoppers in Cleveland Ohio?

Until my Ardent training, I had never met another mystery shopper except for my niece. She was my (amazing) partner in an all-day beverage upsell shop at Universal Studios Orlando a few months ago. I had broken my arm the day before and she was a HUGE help. We had tons of fun and she has begun MSing herself.

Turns out the Ardent shoppers I met during training live a couple hundred miles away from me -- I road-tripped down south so I could attend the training. And my niece is about an hour from me. So I don't know any other MSers in my city.

I'd love to meet other Central FL MSers. I've many times thought about posting a thread here inviting local MSers to join me for lunch one day. But where the heck would we meet where we could talk openly???

I've only been MSing for about 7 months, so I'm a newbie and MA Smith, like you, I may be naive. But if I were to meet other shoppers who live in my city, and one of them told me they really like XYZ shop, I'd be less likely to pick that one up. Or if XYZ were one of my faves, too, I'd offer to alternate months.

I don't like feeling like I'm in competition with other MSers in the area. I'd much prefer if we were to work together. There have been plenty of times when I've turned down a shop, even a bonused shop, because none of my usual dining partners were available. It would be great to be able to call on a few local MSers and see if one would be interested in joining me for lunch or dinner.

I still have a TON to learn, so I'd appreciate the knowledge I can glean from more experienced shoppers. And I've been around the block a time or two, so maybe I can offer insight that would be helpful, too. By comparing notes on shops we've done for the same client, we might improve future reports for both of us.

Ultimately, I figure if I do a great job and am a responsible shopper, I don't have to worry about competition. When a plum assignment comes around that will never hit the job board, the scheduler will contact me directly and offer me the job. Can I tell you how excited I was when that happened for the first time recently?!? I didn't even realize that was a thing!

Sorry I am late to posting- Marketforce.

It's not that I get every dollar reimbursed- it's that I haven't gone grocery shopping without it being a "shop" in years. Cut down on my bill a lot- I don't earn much at my job and am a savvy shopper even when I'm mystery shopping.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2015 09:17AM by jillmarie13.

I know of one other shopper in my area, but she doesn't do apt shops - my bread and butter. I offered to take her with me on one of them where it was allowed just so she could see how it goes. She said she would rather have a colonoscopy! However, I have seen some apt shops disappear from the board, so I think there is a third. That's not many, I know, but this isn't exactly a major metropolis, either! I have a good relationshop with the scheduler, so I'm not too worried about it. There seems to be plenty to go around.

If anyone in Chicago or Northwest Indiana ever wants to get to go out for a cup of coffee or something when/if we cross paths, PM me by the way. Would be cool to get to know some of the other people playing this game.

There was one time... A couple of months ago, during the cargo van shops if anyone remembers those, I was at a dealership and the man next to me was joking about negotiating his cargo van purchase. Late in the evening. Could have been a coincidence, but given the timing I have a feeling he was working on that project.

I am new at this and have only done dine-ins (3) so far. I would love to have some contacts in my area who might like to meet and help each other. I'm in the Greenville, SC area.

I got a local friend started when her unemployment benefits ran out and she was unable to find a job. She hit the ground running and has been getting by. Any time someone would call me with a job I couldn't or didn't want to do I'd send them her way. We've done routes together.

She knew there was one other shopper in town but also knew he only did gas stations. But I can tell someone else is up here because the Little Caesar shop gets taken and she told me she hasn't taken it. But most of our work has always been out of town; there's not much here. Now that I'm working part time in a store, I'd like to catch some of the local shops just to keep my hand in the game but they seem to get snatched up pretty fast.

I can just hope they burn out quickly, not expand into my friend's normal shopping areas because it will drive down the bonuses and neither one of them will profit if that happens.

In Phoenix, I know where squireparty and iblessyah are based so I try to stay out of their immediate areas. And I know gypsymonkey is in Phoenix for the winter. But from squireparty's post apparently we have some areas where we don't overlap -- most notably, I am seeking out the senior living shops because we will probably have to put my dad in one soon, and squireparty avoids those.

It's interesting how each of us has our own preferences; my friend does tons of gas stations but I don't like them at all, some of my preferred shops (cell phone audits) she won't touch with a 10-foot pole. She'll do the "try to wire money illegally" shops and I won't touch those. So it works out great for us to share the territory and do routes together. But I'm sure not happy about there being a third shopper up here. Hopefully they were a summer resident and gone now.

I live in a small town and I am sure there is another shopper here. I don't shop locally, but there are never any shops here to speak of. Someone has the market cornered. He/she is welcome to them as far as I'm concerned. I get a kick out of driving 50 miles to score a big bonus.

The small town bonuses are great! I am surprised that some of the smaller towns really don't have one or more shoppers since there isn't a heck of a lot to do in these cities in the first place.

Call me crazy for saying this but I'm actually happy that there are other shoppers in my area and other places I frequent.. There are times where either I've done a specific shop way too often or cannot do the shop. Atleast when someone takes that shop, those targeted emails stop and the more important ones are easy to spot :-)