Tell me again why I keep Mystery Shopping???
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I got out of grad school in December and things on that job front here in Houston have been laughably stale. Plant strike = no turnaround work = big income hit. It's getting warm here, so that work season is over.
I guess not waking up to an alarm clock is a bonus. Shops scheduled? Check. Theater installs and trailer checks need to be done by this day or that day? Check.
Fixing to run out and make a few bucks on a couple of drive-by home inspections. Ten pictures and come back home. Maybe I'll move a shop over and grab a bite on the way back in.
Then do some moving.
That's my day.
I guess not waking up to an alarm clock is a bonus. Shops scheduled? Check. Theater installs and trailer checks need to be done by this day or that day? Check.
Fixing to run out and make a few bucks on a couple of drive-by home inspections. Ten pictures and come back home. Maybe I'll move a shop over and grab a bite on the way back in.
Then do some moving.
That's my day.
I've done it to get myself through school also. I'm looking for a permanent job and when I get one there will be no more mystery shopping for me.
I started out with shopping and now I have turned it into what I consider a permanent job. I schedule for GfK and I now schedule for Integrity Consultants.
Arguing with fools is like playing chess with a pigeon...
...No matter how good you are, the pigeon will s@^t on the board and strut around like it won anyway.
Not scheduling for ANY company.
...No matter how good you are, the pigeon will s@^t on the board and strut around like it won anyway.
Not scheduling for ANY company.
@AlfredB1979 wrote:
I guess not waking up to an alarm clock is a bonus.
I still wake up to an alarm clock on my mystery shopping days. I need to get an early start to have enough hours in the day to get everything done.
I've been doing this for 22 years, it's flexible enough to fit in around real jobs when I can get them. They're scarce around here and MS'ing helps the budget. I especially like shops like banks which have no cash outlay, especially useful with some companies which make up excuses to supposedly reject the shop so they don't have to pay you, then use the report anyway.
Her Serene Majesty, Cettie - Goat Queen of Zoltar, Sublime Empress of Her Caprine Domain
I also did it for extra income to help me through school. jpgilham helped me boost my income by almost double when I started three years ago.
I don't really need mystery shopping today, but I can't resist some of the monetary offers that ocassionally come. Oh, and I'm a sucker for Chipotle food... the long reports don't phase me (yet).
I don't really need mystery shopping today, but I can't resist some of the monetary offers that ocassionally come. Oh, and I'm a sucker for Chipotle food... the long reports don't phase me (yet).
I started over a year ago as something to check out. I got hooked. I love the flexibility although I rarely give myself any. I can go as hard or easy I want even though easy is boring. I'm going barn burner this month and hope to have 100+ shops completed by Sunday night. It will be the most I have done in one month and also the highest paying month on record for me. Will I stop and take two weeks off? Not likely!! so far 46 completed since the 1st, 10 planned tomorrow, 11 Thursday 15 Friday, 16 Saturday and three Sunday. I already have 2 on schedule for next week.
My goal is to schedule enough shops each month to cover my $165 car payment. I like having that number in mind when I am deciding which shops are worth the time that particular month.
I have been shopping for 8 years. I am retired business owner. I love that I can schedule and pick and choose whatever I want. I select the highest paying shops and wait for bonuses.
Here is an example of a short, small route for me. $24 includes a bottle of wine($6 towards wine), next stop, $24 includes a bottle of wine, next stop bank, $12, next stop bank $20. Total $80. Beautiful location, my husband drives, we stop along the way, yard sales, etc. We go out to eat sometimes at my expense, sometimes their expense. What could be better than that? I don't shop Mondays, Fridays or weekends, unless I get a big bonus. I only worked 6 days in April and earned $220.
Here is an example of a short, small route for me. $24 includes a bottle of wine($6 towards wine), next stop, $24 includes a bottle of wine, next stop bank, $12, next stop bank $20. Total $80. Beautiful location, my husband drives, we stop along the way, yard sales, etc. We go out to eat sometimes at my expense, sometimes their expense. What could be better than that? I don't shop Mondays, Fridays or weekends, unless I get a big bonus. I only worked 6 days in April and earned $220.
My regular job covers my every-month expenses with very little left over. My shopping covers those bills that pop up once a year or irregularly (car stuff like registration, taxes, repairs and maintenance; my son's birthday; tuition for some college courses I needed), and gives us chances to eat out and enjoy entertainment that we couldn't afford otherwise. Other than that, I let my shopping income accumulate as much as possible.
Being in Houston is a big plus as there are tons of shops. I try to make a run once a month to shore up on shops and make an outing of it at the same time.
U shop 2 get paid. Or did I read that wrong?
~
up, up, down, down, left, right,left,right, B,A, start.
up, up, down, down, left, right,left,right, B,A, start.
I retired from the State of FL in 2002 and took up Mystery Shopping. At first I was afraid I was being scammed and would not get paid, but this many years later and now I live in AZ (this profession in portable, don't you love it) and I am busier than ever. It is almost addictive. I still shop for: EPMS, Goodwin, Intellishop, Sentry, Marketforce (my favorite), BestMark, Maritz (another good one), Trendsource and I used to shop Gapbuster, Ritter and some others I do not even remember. One that I quit real quick (I do not even remember the name of the MCS) was the $4 grocery shops, they were a joke. Fortunately we are our own boss and can say no at any time. Which I do.
I love the extra money. I really enjoy it and I love to be able to go shopping with a little extra money to take my girls out to lunch with their friends, etc and not worry.
I first started shopping 15 years ago just to get some free dinners for my family. Last August I decided to try and do this as a part-time, possibly full-time gig. I have some health issues so a standard full-time position doesn't work for me. I'm currently working part-time but make decent money. I love the flexibility of making my own schedule. My plan is to continue growing this business and maybe never work for anyone else again.
I started years ago when I lost my job. I needed the income to pay for my living expenses. Although, in those days fees were higher and there were many different types of projects that paid well. I continue now because the fee income subsidizes my retirement income. Most of my projects today are well paid and are not posted on job boards. But this niche has evolved after years, paying dues and establishing relationships with companies as a reliable and dependable shopper.
Where in Arizona? I'm in Surprise. If you are nearby, you wanna do lunch? Lol. Sometimes I need a dining partner.
I started about eight years ago. Mystery shopping has kept the lights on, paid for medicine and co-pays and helped to raise two grandchildren. I don't do nearly as much as I used to, but am able to do as much as I want in the Phoenix area. Lots of work here as opposed to when I was back in Kentucky.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/11/2015 06:20PM by iblessyah.
I started about eight years ago. Mystery shopping has kept the lights on, paid for medicine and co-pays and helped to raise two grandchildren. I don't do nearly as much as I used to, but am able to do as much as I want in the Phoenix area. Lots of work here as opposed to when I was back in Kentucky.
@angelmist wrote:
I retired from the State of FL in 2002 and took up Mystery Shopping. At first I was afraid I was being scammed and would not get paid, but this many years later and now I live in AZ (this profession in portable, don't you love it) and I am busier than ever. It is almost addictive. I still shop for: EPMS, Goodwin, Intellishop, Sentry, Marketforce (my favorite), BestMark, Maritz (another good one), Trendsource and I used to shop Gapbuster, Ritter and some others I do not even remember. One that I quit real quick (I do not even remember the name of the MCS) was the $4 grocery shops, they were a joke. Fortunately we are our own boss and can say no at any time. Which I do.
Today I Will Choose Joy!
"Finally, whatever things are good, true, noble, lovely, of good report...if there be any virtue, if there be any praise...think on these things." ....It's a command, not a suggestion!
"Finally, whatever things are good, true, noble, lovely, of good report...if there be any virtue, if there be any praise...think on these things." ....It's a command, not a suggestion!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/11/2015 06:20PM by iblessyah.
wow, good for you @ Irequim. Do you mind sharing which part of the country you live in?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2015 10:03PM by amandad11.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2015 10:03PM by amandad11.
I do it to get myself out of the house. The money comes in handy too.
I mystery shop for the fun of it. I nice dinner at a restaurant I want to go to, a free hotel night, and free groceries are nice too.
I live in the midwest. Recent rain storms cost me a day and then some. Rather than try and see if I still get it done I may just do partial cleanup. Got 18 more done giving me 64. The distance is huge between whats left and dont know if I can make it work. But yanever know.It will still be a record month.
Arizona must be popular; that's where I am too. I've been shopping over 20 years and I'm disabled and get SSD, picking up a $10 bank shop was a lot of money to me at the time 20 years ago, plus I also got to buy little luxuries that I didn't have money for. I love EPMS (I've been doing their reports for 10+ years), and I think I had done 600 shops. They emailed me and told me I could now do just phone shops anywhere in the country. They pay on the 22nd and sometimes I pick up a couple of hundred dollars a month. For me now, I prefer to do merchandising over MS.
My husband is retired with a modest pension. I quit full time teaching and started subbing so we could have more flexability. Mystery shopping adds income while letting me still have the choice to take a week off here and there.
Mostly I pick up shops after work or when I am doing my own errands anyway.
Mostly I pick up shops after work or when I am doing my own errands anyway.
Mystery shopping is work to me, but I seem to be good at it and we need a second income at the moment. I don't really give a fig about free meals, as I'm a foodie snob, and prefer to eat whole foods I cook myself. But I will pick up a Penn Station if I"m out of town doing gas stations or whatever, and I appreciate that they are there.
I love the freedom, I'm not chained to a job. I can at any time, finish my scheduled work and take some time off. I can say no to jobs I don't like.
I'm really grateful to have found it and I value the MSC's and schedulers that I work with.
I love the freedom, I'm not chained to a job. I can at any time, finish my scheduled work and take some time off. I can say no to jobs I don't like.
I'm really grateful to have found it and I value the MSC's and schedulers that I work with.
Wow. That sounds like a full time job to me! Keep your vitamins handy! LOL!
OK, let's see:
1. I make my own schedule.
2. I have meals at places I might not be able to afford any longer. And I get to take someone else out once in awhile to a very nice place that they might not be able to afford (Have you figured out that I have a lot of "laugh lines", "crow's feet" and gray hair - well, gray roots anyway?).
3. It is nice to be able to send a good report when I have seen a very good effort. That person may not get a pat on the back very often.
4. It is also good to be able to share things that a client may not know is going on when they are not present. They deserve an honest report and it should mean better service for us all.
5. I like that I can "take it or leave it" and I have learned to do that.
6. I actually like most of the schedulers I have dealt with. Editors, too. I try to make life easier for them, because they make life easier for me. I have found most are just trying to do their job and that is all they want from me.
There are more reasons, but those are my primary ones. A little extra spice in my life... more or less "salt" as I choose!
1. I make my own schedule.
2. I have meals at places I might not be able to afford any longer. And I get to take someone else out once in awhile to a very nice place that they might not be able to afford (Have you figured out that I have a lot of "laugh lines", "crow's feet" and gray hair - well, gray roots anyway?).
3. It is nice to be able to send a good report when I have seen a very good effort. That person may not get a pat on the back very often.
4. It is also good to be able to share things that a client may not know is going on when they are not present. They deserve an honest report and it should mean better service for us all.
5. I like that I can "take it or leave it" and I have learned to do that.
6. I actually like most of the schedulers I have dealt with. Editors, too. I try to make life easier for them, because they make life easier for me. I have found most are just trying to do their job and that is all they want from me.
There are more reasons, but those are my primary ones. A little extra spice in my life... more or less "salt" as I choose!
@Irequim wrote:
I started over a year ago as something to check out. I got hooked. I love the flexibility although I rarely give myself any. I can go as hard or easy I want even though easy is boring. I'm going barn burner this month and hope to have 100+ shops completed by Sunday night. It will be the most I have done in one month and also the highest paying month on record for me. Will I stop and take two weeks off? Not likely!! so far 46 completed since the 1st, 10 planned tomorrow, 11 Thursday 15 Friday, 16 Saturday and three Sunday. I already have 2 on schedule for next week.
My Final number for 100 in two weeks...... 70 jobs complete(49 gas stations 5 retail audits and 16 Various Mys. Shops).
56 jobs left to do for the month(21 of those not due until the 20th next month) 28 due this week (24 stations( Variety bag), 2 grocery, 1 home improvement and 1 POP reset (plus any Field agent jobs along the way. Love that App)
And the grand prize for completing such ridiculousness?
1. My wife will stop saying that "You don't make any money doing this", for a month or two (actually she just trades that one in for '"We never do anything together"
2. Free time with my kids for Fathers day along with a couple of beers. and
3. The satisfaction of knowing that "Its all right! Always has been and always will be".
I have never enjoyed a job as much as I do being a shopper and do not think I could walk away from it now. I believe I am prepared for the next level of video.
I want to do a porsche shop with a test drive. I know there are Ferrari dealers in Orlando. Do they get shopped? Do you think you could shop yourself out of a job? Do you think I should switch to Decaf3?
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