That is really cool!

I just have an aversion to time clocks!

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I moved to Ohio from Florida in 2001. I moved in with my boyfriend and his four children. I was a massage therapist in Florida but Ohio required additional school for licensure. I needed immediate work. I saw an article in a magazine about mystery shopping. As the internet developed, so did my opportunities.

You know, I have always wondered what the heck your screen name means....still not sure about the JAS but, FLALMT = Florida Licensed Massage Therapist?

Suddenly it just got a lot brighter in my room.

I wanted a way to subsidize my expenses... In my case, it was my haircut. For years, I cut my own hair, but wasn't feeling it that weekend. So did a quick search and decided to take a stab at mystery shopping, after doing some initial research on it.

After that, it expanded to food.

After that, it was history.

Pizza. Domino's Pizza to be exact. That and being a college kid. Over ten years later, I'm still eating pizza, albeit usually in a suite, on an upper floor, away from the elevators, brought up to the suite by room service, served up on really expensive china. Really fortunate and appreciative of the opportunities mystery shopping has provided me.

@Tarantado wrote:

After that, it was history.

I wasn't aware history was mystery shopped.....

@bgriffin wrote:

@Tarantado wrote:

After that, it was history.

I wasn't aware history was mystery shopped.....

Oh yeah. I prefer recent history shops --1980s vintage-- because I still have the clothes. And the big hair

You got me, chigirl. Walesmaven is the only forum member who ever has known my real name because I've actually met her in person, but it was at an IMSC conference. She might not remember my real name (we drank wine together) and she met quite a few people over that weekend, but I think she will remember my face when I see her again .

I also used to work in a restaurant that was MSed. I was the lucky recipient once. So I knew there were legitimate companies. Fast forward a few years, when I became a mom, I was looking to supplement my income without having to take too much time away from my kids. I found mystery shopping and never looked back. It has helped my family a lot.

Mystery shopping allowed me to raise four kids by being at home when they got on and off the bus every day, and be home with them in the afternoons until they were old enough to be left alone for a few hours. Mystery shopping kept me from constantly having to ask my spouse for money to buy groceries, haircuts, and gasoline. Mystery shopping paid for some fast food and pizza for those kids...though I felt so bad because that was back in the day when they used to make us mangle and dissect the pizza until it was nearly unrecognizable (how much longer before we can reheat and eat the pizza?). And in case you are wondering, I cooked at least 5 or 6 nights a week and they ate lots of fruits and vegetables ):. One of those four children supplemented her income in college by mystery shopping. Many years later, their dad and I are still together and I am still happily shopping!

I remember my mom used to shop, or do surveys, for Shoney's in the Midwest. Also, has anyone ever considered - or actually did - start their own MSC?

I remember them

I started with a company in 1996 that involved weekly data collection but also had other projects. We did resets, a little merchandising, POP placement and a few mystery shops. The data collection was at least steady income but my favorite was merchandising and mystery shopping.

Back in the early 90s, my mom ran into a person who was a mystery shopper and the company was actively seeking new members. Mom told me, and found out one of the company's clients was Whataburger. I lived in Dallas at the time, and ate Whataburger a lot. I called, they sent me a shop, soon I was doing several a month and got referred to other companies. It started as a way to get free Whataburger, then found myself at quite a few restaurants, retail shops and even hotels.
I moved from Dallas and basically went on a 16-year hiatus from shopping until an old recruiter kind of out of the blue emailed me last year looking for a person to do a shop.

I got into online surveys and product testing which led me into mystery shopping. When I became disabled I increased mystery shopping and now do it full time.

I have no idea how or why I became a mystery shopper. It was many lifetimes ago, or so it seems. I followed links. I registered. I started MS'ing and improved. I am now much better at this than I am at BS'ing. bwahaha.

I continue to do this occasionally in order to have some observing and writing skills. It is always interesting, if not wildly adventurous as it is for Cettie or deeply moving as it has been for other shoppers. It's all good.

I was interviewing for a retail opportunity, and two of the three managers talked about their expectations as respects being mystery shopped. It was one of the first items that my new group drilled on when I started.

My first shop was a few months later, opening a new checking account. I've done quite a few shops since then, scenarios I think I would be good at, or am curious about.

As some other income streams have dried up, this one works out well to fill in the gaps, and gives me a reason to get out more than I would otherwise.

I owned my own business in several of the malls and in Boston. When I retired I wanted to keep my mind going.
I like my own time and hours, never worked 9 t0 5. I shop for manicures, pedicures, facials, and massage. I shop mostly banks and the airport now, mostly bonused shops. I have been shopping for 9 years now.

I was retired and moved up here (downsizing), so, being bored to death, I saw Matt Lauer talking about Mystery shopping (never heard of it). I did a bit of research and went for it.
I kept myself busy, not really being excited, it was a long road uphill. Finally I started seeing decent jobs (so to speak), and nine years later, still doing it, but in a smarter way.
Keeps my brain working, and my tummy full!!!!

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

I was retired and moved up here (downsizing), so, being bored to death, I saw Matt Lauer talking about Mystery shopping (never heard of it). I did a bit of research and went for it.
I kept myself busy, not really being excited, it was a long road uphill. Finally I started seeing decent jobs (so to speak), and nine years later, still doing it, but in a smarter way.
Keeps my brain working, and my tummy full!!!!

Today bought a coffee and a blueberry muffin, Pretzel with cheese sauce, Fried chicken.
Is there healthy food on any of the shops, lol.
Irene this is the perfect job for a retired person I agree.

I don't think Panera bread is shopped anymore. so healthy no.

Adore and Buffalo....yes, there is healthy food. today you can order anything the way you like it. BJ's salad's (light on the dressing or on the side), burger (no mayo or wrapped in lettuce), let me count the ways. Problem is I'm now addicted to going out.

I'm an old lady. Majored in accounting and no wanted an old lady working in an accounting firm. Then again I moved to TX right after a major fiasco and no one would hire someone who majored in accounting. I still don't admit that I majored in Accounting to most people. i couldn't get hired at a convenience store after the Enron beeswax.

That being said, I love what I do most of the time. I believe MS people provide a valuable service for the companies I evaluate and their customers.

I signed up for my first shop to get my oil changed because a friend showed me how I could get reimbursed.

My story is a lot like Cettie's. Over 20 years ago I saw an ad in the want ads. Answered it, started doing it for one company (no computer input or self assigning then). I am still doing it for a lot more companies now. I love doing it.

I retired and was looking for something to do that was flexible and interesting. Found a book about MS at a garage sale, read it within a day and was shopping within a week. I'm a newbie with a couple dozen jobs performed to date. Best one - banking account opening with good pay, worst - grocery store with too many interactions and little pay, Still trying new gigs to see which I like best. So far so good!

I remember why I started. Now there are days, that I only want to get out of bed and do it.

Then there are the days, when I say at 4 am.., What Was I Thinking?

It always works out by the end of the day.

I do focus groups and decided to look for more focus groups to sign up with. In the process, mysteryshopping came up. So I decided to get up off my a@! and get out. The rest is history.

I am a big believer in multiple sources of income. I work for two different agencies in the field of education and also privately. If my billing gets lost for one agency and I need to resubmit, at least I have a check coming in from that other agency and from my private clients. I love getting the extra little mystery shop check every so often. I check all of my bank accounts daily and I just love seeing those numbers go up!

I started obsessing over samples in middle school. I had hundreds of usernames and would get many samples every single day, to the point where my mail carrier scolded me and told me he knew what I was doing and it was illegal. ha! I slowed down to a more normal amount with the sampling, but began using other sites to get gift cards (and gift certificates back in the day!), coupons, checks, etc. I just love working from home or doing a little something outside of my field to make a little cash/receive goods. Even if I lost all of my jobs, I could eat all of my meals at Starbucks, Whole Foods, and Dunkin Donuts for a bit! I have so many gift cards for those places from racking up points over the years.

When my fiancee and I decided we were going begin saving for a co-op, I started making a list of all the ways I could cut corners and also earn a little extra money. I did a google search for ways to make extra money and mystery shopping was included on that list. I remembered my manager of a retail store at my job in high school telling me that she did mystery shopping and it was really fun. I did some searching and signed up with the company that seemed to be the most reliable from reviews I found.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/2016 10:15PM by mlzg.

I worked in retail for over 10 years, so I knew they existed. When it came time to start a family and it was decided I would be a stay-at-home-mom, I knew that ms'ing was something I wanted to do on the side. It was funny having to explain what it was to family members who have no retail experience.

But I loved (and still do) getting merchandise for free or heavily discounted. My first year of ms'ing, all our Christmas gifts were from my mystery shops! I also loved being able to treat my (then) husband to a nice restaurant meal, again courtesy of ms'ing. I just needed to coach him into not revealing myself.