In reading various threads, I see people referring to doing several assignments in one day. I'm just curious how you manage to do that. The shops themselves don't usually take very much time, but the reports are what eat up the clock for me. It seems that most of them want a summary of everything that happened. That always takes me close to an hour or more per job. Are you maybe doing shops that don't require summaries? Or am I just really slow?

Hi Pampet. For me, I only load up on shops I am familiar and experienced with. After a few times, I know what to look for, and more importantly, what the client is really looking for. That makes my reporting time very efficient, and I can get 6 or 8 shops done on a Saturday if I want to. When I first started out, I'm sure I sent extra time reporting useless information (the walls were blue, the carpet was tan). I wouldn't try stacking too many shops with a new client.

For me, mystery shopping only makes sense if I can schedule more than one shop per trip, particularly if there is any distance involved. I aim for just one shop with a long narrative and then add any easier jobs as fillers. Gas stations and fast food locations are ideal for that.

@kenasch wrote:

For me, mystery shopping only makes sense if I can schedule more than one shop per trip, particularly if there is any distance involved. I aim for just one shop with a long narrative and then add any easier jobs as fillers. Gas stations and fast food locations are ideal for that.

That makes sense, but so far I haven't found a company that has many fast food shops here. Also, we have an electric car so we rarely go to those. I get what you mean though, so I will look for "quick" shops. Thanks!

As you do this for a while you will find you can knock out more than one Report/Shop in a day. I have found that you learn what assignments take longer, and which have the most required narrative and you learn to balance those with less demanding assignments. As others have said above you also get quicker with practice. The first time you do a particar shop will always take you the longest amount of time.

Some companies say they want a detailed summary but really only want bullet points (written in proper sentences of course,) others only want 'no' answers explained in the narrative. Others want both 'yes' and 'no' answers covered. As you learn what each company wants, you learn where you can cut seconds or even minutes from the reporting time. As you become more proficient and knowledeable you can take on more shops in a day.

For example, I know a Chipotle shop takes just under 2 hours for me to complete. I would not tackle it the same day as I'd tackle an ACL restaurant shop, because those also take me 2 or more hours to complete. However a Fast Food shop or Fast Casual shop takes me 15-25 minutes (depending on the client) to complete. So I will schedule other shops around Fast Food shops, even a Chipotle or a ACL restaurant shop!

I also find, reporting each shop as soon after as possible also cuts down on reporting time. Because it takes less time to recall relevant details. I report one shop before starting the next. I do not think most Seasoned Shoppers do this. But it works for me! I also have another source of income, so I do not do this full time.

I do not think I could complete nearly as many shops as some do in a day. My limit so far is 3. I make mini routes, to save on commute time now that I live farther from the city core. But I doubt I will ever expand beyond 2 or 3 shops in a given day.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2015 04:54AM by Lady Marius.

I don't do the FF and I don't usually do the gas stations. For me banks are quick shops, though I don't do them for all MSCs because some of them have much to long and tedious a report for the amount paid. I do grocery stores and the current MSC offering the bulk of them in my area has fast reports.

As you shop you will find those clients and reports which go very quickly for you and those you will watch the boards for when they post to grab more than 'your share' of them. Not all shops for a particular kind of client are created equal, not all MSCs require the same for reports. Dip your toe in and around and you will find your optimum balance.

I have done 4 shops in one day that's about the most I have done, one was a detailed ACL one the rest were easy 2 coffee shops, 1 convenience store so the reports were fairly simple. I am having a hard time trying to get all the dates to line up, there are a lot of shops at my local mall but some have date ranges that don't match up, I have one this coming Monday and another one next Monday, it would have been nice if they all lined up. I have requested another shop with another MSC at the mall so if they assign it to me hopefully I can do two on Monday. I wish most MSC can let you move the dates around online yourself w/o emailing the scheduler and waiting around to see if they respond and the make the change for you. So far the only one where I can move the date around myself is on isecretshop for NWLPC, have not done other MSC on isecretshop so don't know if the other MSC lets you move the dates.

Companies using the Prophet system usually have you select a date and time but it is also easy to go back in and change a date and time. Market Force also will allow you to change dates, though their window of choices is pretty limited.

@Flash Thanks for the tip, I just went to check since next Monday's shop is with Prophet but the only other option is Sunday the day before so still doesn't help. Oh well, good thing mall is not far and maybe I can see if I can pick up another shop or so next Monday maybe a cinnamon sweet or a pretzel or maybe Lululemon...

I can generally write up the shipping shops in 10 to 15 minutes each. There is one bank teller shop that takes me less than 10 minutes. Most bank shops are pretty quick after the first one. Then there are some which take more time, and I don't do them often enough to remember how long they are. I have done up to 15 shops on a weekend, and reported them all. But. I have to be careful when selecting them. I got dropped by MF for being "too easy or too hard and we can't tell you which" about 4 years ago, so I rarely have any quick FF shops, but that is fine with me.

@aayaey wrote:

@Flash Thanks for the tip, I just went to check since next Monday's shop is with Prophet but the only other option is Sunday the day before so still doesn't help. Oh well, good thing mall is not far and maybe I can see if I can pick up another shop or so next Monday maybe a cinnamon sweet or a pretzel or maybe Lululemon...

Check Prophet again tomorrow. Sometimes the allowed dates for rescheduling change as the shop gets closer.

I used to be a journalist so got accustomed to turning out narratives under a short deadline. I plan out my route, gather the tools I'll need and hit the road. The most I ever did in one day was 17 shops and none of them were phone shops.

The most I ever did was 12 in one day--and three were apartments with moderate narrative.

To the original poster: Save this post and reread it again in a few years. If you stick with MSing, you'll be chuckling to yourself when you look back at this. You'll get quicker in shop performance and reporting as well. This is meant as an encouragement.
As with any new job, routine, or habit there is a learning curve and optimization process. With time you'll find what works for you in terms of reporting, note taking, memorization.You'll be conducting a shop and doing a report in your head as you'll know what the report/ MSC is asking for.
In the beginning, concentrate on one type of shop you like/enjoy/find easy to report on. Once you have mastered that, challenge yourself with new types of assignments.

Different shops have different memory and writing requirements. Once you find the ones that are easiest for you, you will be able to do more of them or combine them with others. On a good paying day I might do several gas stations, 1-2 big box stores that are well bonused because they are in a less shopped area, and I might fit a bank or two in there. One thing I do is make notes after the shops, and when I get home to report them, I report them in the order I shopped them.
I don't have a problem with narrative but I'm not crazy about it. So my personal preference is shops that are heavy on pictures and light on narrative.
Everyone finds their own sweet spot... the shops you like with enough other shops to make the money worthwhile.

I did 10 shops last Friday.

The key is really two-fold. Scheduling and execution.

It would be great if one company would offer you 6-10 shops on a route that you could drive to and complete all in one day. Don't count on it until you have such a relationship with schedulers. For most situations we have to assemble the shops that work as a route. I often start with one high paying shop or perhaps a group of two to four from one company that are in an area that I know has other opportunities. From there I add other shops along the way or nearby. It is important to know details about the locations, driving times, traffic, and of course how long it takes to do each shop. Knowing these things make it easier to fit in a lunch shop at a particular place in your route, or taking other shops with a similarly small time window. I search the job boards or perhaps reach out to schedulers to get opportunities. Last minute checks of job boards that allow self-assignment also helps.

Turning to execution. Use mapping software/apps to plan the best routes. Get in and get out quickly. Take great notes before the next shop. Avoid personal shopping stops and other unnecessary delays. Get home (or to a WiFi location if you use a laptop) to report the shops.

As you gain experience, it will tell you both what is available in your area and what you can do in limited time frames. Good luck!

A lot of good advice given. One more hint and that is worksheets (cheatsheets). For the type of shop that I repeat often such as banks and gas stations I have a detailed worksheet so that I don't have to try to remember all the details of each shop at the end of the day. I could look at a worksheet a week or so after the shop and know who I spoke with, the key points of what they said, their name and what they looked like, the material they gave me any and details needed to complete the report. The bank worksheet is less detailed than the gas station worksheet but both consist of mostly check marks or one word memory joggers. The worksheets are works in progress as requirements change or I have a new approach.

Hi, Pampet. I sometimes do several shops per day, but when I do, they tend to be shops I've already done and/or located very closely to each other. I think most of us are registered with multiple MSCs, and obviously, they tend to schedule shops where we can do them. It will be harder to complete multiple shops per day if you live in a non-urban area, if you have transportation issues, or if you have major scheduling conflicts (e.g. taking care of kids, other family members, or multiple pets, full-time work, frequent personal appointments, et cetera). Also, some clients and MSCs allow for longer periods of time during which you can fill out a report. Some want the report in 12 hours or less, others will give you a day or more. Some even allow you to complete the report while still on-site via an app, though if you try to get one of these, be aware that people sometimes report problems with the apps and that this may, unfortunately, affect your payment.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2015 08:40PM by OceanGirl.

@vlade5394 wrote:

I did 10 shops last Friday.

The key is really two-fold. Scheduling and execution.

It would be great if one company would offer you 6-10 shops on a route that you could drive to and complete all in one day. Don't count on it until you have such a relationship with schedulers. For most situations we have to assemble the shops that work as a route. I often start with one high paying shop or perhaps a group of two to four from one company that are in an area that I know has other opportunities. From there I add other shops along the way or nearby. It is important to know details about the locations, driving times, traffic, and of course how long it takes to do each shop. Knowing these things make it easier to fit in a lunch shop at a particular place in your route, or taking other shops with a similarly small time window. I search the job boards or perhaps reach out to schedulers to get opportunities. Last minute checks of job boards that allow self-assignment also helps.

Turning to execution. Use mapping software/apps to plan the best routes. Get in and get out quickly. Take great notes before the next shop. Avoid personal shopping stops and other unnecessary delays. Get home (or to a WiFi location if you use a laptop) to report the shops.

As you gain experience, it will tell you both what is available in your area and what you can do in limited time frames. Good luck!

I've been using mapping programs to do exactly this, but it can be quite time-consuming. Does anyone know any websites or apps for which you can enter multiple addresses, and it will automatically just loop them for you?

I do it the primitive way. I copy and paste the addresses into a text program such as Word. I use maps.Google.com to look up any I have question about where it might be. Now I am ready to start sequencing and pasting them into maps.Google.com for the route. If I have any hiccups that would require backtracking, I delete that address and put it in where it makes more sense. It is a little awkward and is generally necessary only when doing shops out of my general area, but it works.

Bing maps is free and easy to use.

I will frequently do 6-10 shops a day. Most I have ever done is 25-30? All drive thrus.

The trick is to get a whole bunch of the same shop or a simple shop and make it worthwhile that way.

Example of an easy day:

USPS
Gas Station
Gas Station
USPS
Casual Dine
Gas Station
USPS
USPS

I've mailed all of my eBay stuff, topped off the gas tank, loaded up on gum and protein bars and ate some healthy food at lunch. Usually about $100 in fees plus reimbursement. Simple stuff.

It's all about planning and foreseeing what's ahead of you.

When planning a route, there's nothing wrong planning things well-ahead of time. When you do this, I hold back from taking on shops I'm not familiar with yet. As other stated, it's best to stack on more shops you're familiar with than not. My favorite kinds of routes are when I can take out 10-15 shops (even as many as 30 in one day) of the same client / project. This way, your focus is on maintain consistency. From personal experience, I'm able to work most efficiently taking this direction as I can maintain a certain focus on a project and adjust with each location I shop for that day.

There is an option in MapQuest that allows you to ask for the order of stops which results in the shortest time or the shortest distance. You need to select this option, "Allow MapQuest to re-order stops." I often do the ordering myself in areas I am familiar with, and allow MapQuest to do it in areas farther afield.

Here is a very simple method. It works well for small towns which are miles apart and for stretcbes of highway with multudinous interchanges fairly close together.

Start small. Schedule your favorite shop. If energy and time permit, add more shops. In time, you will identify shoppable places and accurately guage times. Then, you can vary your work-- if you want to.

Consider that some fast food places are plenteous and often bonused. What is shoppable in your part of the world?

Wow! Thanks for all the pointers and information. I am retired and do mystery shopping to make a bit of extra cash and to keep my skills sharp. If I do 3 shops (and reports) in one day I consider that a lot. I admire those of you that can do way more than that and maintain your sanity. I was mostly curious about how you could deal with lots of jobs in one day, and you all enlightened me. Even though I'm not a full timer, I learned some more from those of you who are, so THANK YOU!! Have a great week, everyone!

@Cettie wrote:

I used to be a journalist so got accustomed to turning out narratives under a short deadline. I plan out my route, gather the tools I'll need and hit the road. The most I ever did in one day was 17 shops and none of them were phone shops.

6 was the most I have done in one day, they were audits and about an hour apart. 17 is amazing, do tell. How do you get that many done? At just an hour apiece that's 17 hours of work. I hope the pay was worth it.

Kean, some of the shops are EXTREMELY fast. I've had a few which lasted less than 8 minutes, and the write-ups only took about 15.

Also, some shops (e.g. phone calls, web shops, or in-home services) can be done from home. I sometimes get up an hour or two early to nab shops outside my own time zone. In some instances, you can do that.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/2015 06:35AM by OceanGirl.

Presto is great as it is live jobs available on a map.