I did a lot of mystery shopping when I was in college and in between jobs - in the 1980's-2000. Ancient history. Pretty much before the internet. In those days, the pay was pretty good and the requirements were less stringent. Photographs were few and far between (no cameras on cell phones).

But now I'm retired and I've been doing some MS again in the past few months. But SO MANY of the jobs seem to be for such low payments like ten or fifteen bucks. Heck, by the time I drive there, do the shop, fill out the report, upload the photos - I've would have spent 2-3 hours to make ten or fifteen bucks. So I never ask for those shops.

Can ANYBODY explain to me how it makes logical sense for a person to do this kind of work? Obviously, the MS companies get people or else they would raise the fees. But I just don't get it.

My guess is because not many of us will drive to one location then back home to fill out the lone report for $10 or $15. On the other hand, if we are on a MS route and those $10 to $15 shops directly line up it is practically free money if they are quick and easy. Done correctly those type of shops can result in a gross profit of $20 to $30 an hour or more.

Working for 15.00 alone doesn't pay, but doing four jobs and getting 60.00 for a couple hours in a mall close to home works. Certain people like retired, Mothers of small kids, homemakers feel it works for them. Not everyone is in the work place, salaried with benefits. Many different reasons, but to answer your question as who would do this for 15.00, no one I know. I have been in our mall and why not pick up a couple jobs while I'm there and a lunch. I'm retired, so, better to do something than nothing. There are more jobs than the 10/15 ones. Had a nice 200.00 dinner, improves my lifestyle. This is not for everyone. Hope that answers your question.

edited to add: I do many grocery stores that I have gone to way before shopping. My grocery bill is cut in half, that's a good reason to do this. I also didn't say above, I won't drive the freeway for 15.00, but would go to my mall for 15.00. Who really cares what others think, it's 15.00 in your pocket and maybe a reimbursement.
Everyone has to find what works for them,



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/2016 01:08AM by Irene_L.A..

In addition to the point above, if you are also getting reimbursed for something you would be buying already in addition to the pay, then the value also goes up. Or if you were going to that location anyway for various reasons then getting the $10-15 is gravy.

I take 2 different stores( same parent company). Both shops pay between 10-15 and then there is a 15.00 reimbursement on top. I don't find the reports that difficult and I usually pick something up at the store that I can use for a future gift. I only take the locations that are in my town too.

Certainly needing to go to or near a shop location for personal business can also make a shop worthwhile. IRS does not let me deduct mileage to go to my bank or the grocery store, but if I have a shop in the same shopping center, I can deduct mileage to and from my shop to offset the taxability of my shop income.

One of yesterday's shops included stops to pick up animal feed, loss leaders at a grocery that is not shopped, sale items at a pharmacy that is not shopped and the shop itself. The personal errands added no more than 1/2 mile to the outing. I was gone for 2 hours with all my errands and the mileage allowance makes the taxable profit from the shop very small.

So while individual fees may not be stellar, with a little planning, even a fairly low paying shop can be useful. And in the case of last evening's shop, the shop was a Fast Casual so I got dinner handled for the two of us with very little out of pocket for the second diner. The report took less time than fixing dinner would have taken.

I do a lot that are $10 - $15. Gas station, grocery stores. I get reimbursed for something I need. I get paid besides being reimbursed. I work full time and the shop is between my work and home. Some of the shops are 2 pages with very little narrative. On the weekend I will do a route - like others have mentioned and gotten $80 - $100 and lots of gas or groceries. This weekend I am getting $102 in free groceries and getting paid $37 for buying them.

$15 shops are on the bottom of my list and need to be combined with several others on a route and have forms that are quick and easy. $10 shops are not worth my consideration unless they have quick and easy forms and I am driving past them anyway. Other than these two reasons, the only reason I can think of for why anybody would do a $10 shop is that they do not think their time and work as a shopper are worth more than $10. The days of driving to do one shop, return home, and submit it are long gone if indeed they ever did exist.

THIS I agree with. Hence, my other post looking for auto service shop MSC's (not oil changes).

I only do food shops. I sometimes take a low paying fee shop if it is on the way home from work.

I work full time and have a 45 minute commute in each direction (I live in the middle of nowhere!) I will pick up a quick shop for $10 or $15 if its on my way home. The town I work in is not a large town, but lots of places are shopped along my commute. Since I am passing it anyway, why not?

Did you read the other posts before offering this, "the only reason I can think of for why anybody would do a $10 shop is that they do not think their time and work as a shopper are worth more than $10."

@AZwolfman wrote:

$15 shops are on the bottom of my list and need to be combined with several others on a route and have forms that are quick and easy. $10 shops are not worth my consideration unless they have quick and easy forms and I am driving past them anyway. Other than these two reasons, the only reason I can think of for why anybody would do a $10 shop is that they do not think their time and work as a shopper are worth more than $10. The days of driving to do one shop, return home, and submit it are long gone if indeed they ever did exist.

Example:

XYZ Bank Account Open with MSC 1 - $100
XYZ Bank Audit with MSC 2 - $10 - 15
XYZ Bank Investment Inquiry with MSC 3 - $35

@LisaSTL wrote:

My guess is because not many of us will drive to one location then back home to fill out the lone report for $10 or $15. On the other hand, if we are on a MS route and those $10 to $15 shops directly line up it is practically free money if they are quick and easy. Done correctly those type of shops can result in a gross profit of $20 to $30 an hour or more.

I do a lot of $10-$15 shops, but ONLY when combined with some type of reimbursement. I usually try to combine them with other errands or a couple at a time so the driving time is worth it, but it is very rare I go more than 7-8 miles away from my house anyway. I also work full time, so this is mostly a way to lower my regular costs and get some restaurant trips as my restaurant budget is almost zero. This has been the highest month I've ever had for reimbursements, the carpet and couch was my fav, it really needed to be done. I just looked and for this month have 2 high end steak dinners, flat tire patched, oil change, 2 grocery store shops ($40 reimbursement for online ordering), 3 fast food, car wash, carpet and couch cleaned, pizza delivery, high end dinner, pizza restaurant, trip to the zoo and a Bloomingdale's/Chase online shop.

I am happily able to do them if they along they way on my route

I got a favorite shop of mine that sells pretty obscure, politically incorrect stuff... funny signs, posters, shot glasses, shirts. Pays 10$ w/ reimburse. Takes 5 minutes. Plus 5 minutes for paperwork. Easiest 10 bucks you will ever make...plus you get some cool free @#$%& as well

As you noted, times have changed. Technology is less expensive and more main stream. Mystery Shopping is better understood and easier to register for.

For me, it's simple math. I work retail full time. I prefer to get away from the job on my break. Last year I earned about $2,500 in food related reimbursements, mostly restaurant clients from fast to fine. Mixing in some basic merchandising and auditing, along my travel routes, I earned about $2,500 in fees.

Based on my experience with them, I do agree that the sub $10 fee only projects are better suited to routes or as add-ons. I only do them on a day off now. I do though understand how they work well for others. Just because I do not like something is no reason to disparage someone else that sees value in it.

I miss the $8 Q sub shops. The subs were so delicious and they didn't even give you a shop fee, but I managed to work the sandwich in with other shops in the area. So, yes. I will do shops that work out for my daily run.

And OP , when you say they used to pay more years ago, that was likely when technology was not as advanced, shops were snail mailed in, you could not send your report via the internet and you did not have 350,000 shoppers working for one of the BIG whales.

I do low end shops with reimbursements but I can certainly understand how someone with little income coming in that needs to pay their bills would take a $10-15 shop fee only. It can certainly add up to quite a bit more per hour income than an entry level job for $7.25 an hour in some states, especially after being able to choose work times and deduct costs which you cannot do on a regular job. There are also many that do not enjoy narratives which would cut out many of the higher paying shops for them.

I wish only to add one thing: as time passes and I become more proficient, and as technology makes me seem to be more efficient, it is easier and less time-consuming to do many jobs regardless of the job fees, costs, reimbursements, and bonuses.. (I do not refer to all jobs-- just some of them.) Do any other shoppers find that our portable devices have made it easier for us to do more of various types of work and end up with more net pay or profit? If so, are you more willing now to do the so-called low-paying shops now than you were in the past? Just curious... )

@Shop-et-al I agree with you. I have input a shop in my car right after doing it, so it is done very quickly. I do accept the low-paying shops with no problems.

Shop-et-al: I also agree with you. When I began mystery shopping, I had a dumb phone (my son's terminology). Once I got a smart phone, I found that I could accept (and even sometimes, look for) shops while out on the road. Occasionally I take my laptop along and submit reports using WiFi in McD's. And using Google maps on my phone has really made navigating faster and easier than when I used a stand-alone GPS device, let alone paper maps. There are a few shops which I even submit from my smart phone. BTW, my parents did some mystery shopping in the 1960's in the days of pay phones, carbon paper, and snail mail. And the average price of gasoline in the US in 1965 was $0.31 (I think that it was less in NJ.)

There is one more thing. I just scanned a major job board and noticed that people in my age group do not qualify for certain better-paying jobs. For example, I am too old for tobacco compliance jobs which pay at least $25.00 i am old enough to do better-paying bar compliance shops, but since I work very early in the morning I would probably slide off the bar stool or under the table simply because I am sleepy (which has nothing to do with the quality of drinks).

What's an old lady with lots of legitimate experience to do?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/2016 10:12PM by Shop-et-al.

OP asks, "Explain to me why anybody would do $10-$15 shops?" which in reality is not really a question but I quoted it as is.

The short answer: Because they can.

I don't see anything wrong in doing $10-15 shops, provided that you have the time to do them. I can easily accept phone shops for that price on an app such as I Secret Shop whenever I'm in an area where I think I can turn the shop over quickly, as well as do multiple assignments. Four phone calls in one hour + the reports make $60 per hour not look so bad, in my opinion.

And here's another reason....for us "newbies" that's about all we are offered. It is my understanding that we have to start on the ground floor and work our way into better paying shops. Hope thats sooner than later!

OP, I stopped MSing in 2006. At that time I was getting $20 for valet parking (30 mins) and $25 for an apt shop. I started back up in 2015. Those same shops pay $15-18 for valet parking (45 mins) and still $25 for the apt shop. Fees have either stagnated or declined for a variety of reasons that @isaiah58 mentioned and also due to the Great Recession of 2008.

Sometimes it seems that the fee gets conflated with an hourly rate. Just because the fee is $10 - $15 doesn't mean you're making that much an hour. You might finish the shop and report in 30 minutes in which case your hourly rate is somewhere around $25/hr. Then if you get a reimbursement for something you were going to do anyway, so much the better. And it can go the other way, too. I did one shop for $100 that had so much narrative that it paid me ~$13.50/hour. Live and learn.

You'll find that this topic of "who takes low paying shops" comes up at least once a month. Many people feel strongly that their way is the right way and everyone else has self-esteem issues. Nonsense. It's personal. Everyone who wins in this "game" of MSing has figured out a strategy that works for them, and they are generous enough to share their insight. Someone who can take what I would consider a dog of a shop and make it work for them deserves a lot of respect for their ingenuity and hustle.

I don't what my point is anymore....except to say that MSing has changed in the 20-30 years since you last did it. The fees, sadly, are probably the same, so now it's a strategy game. Get yourself a winning strategy and let us know how it's working for you. You'll get plenty of tips on this forum along the way. Good luck!

I live in the middle of no where so going to a big box store is easily 40 miles roundtrip. The grocery stores with the best prices are 60 miles one way. As another poster mentioned I can't take that mileage off on my taxes. So I build routes and the majority of my shops are $10 & $15. There are higher paying shops but the reports take forever and the shops themselves last at least 45 minutes or my favorite it's a two part shop.

I'm picking up a shop this weekend that's about 6 miles from my Dad's and I also need to return something. It only pays $10 & I can write the report at my Dad's place. If nothing else it pays for the gas. Driving to my father's home is 120 miles roundtrip. Because of traffic in San Antonio, I'll be on the road at least 2 1/2 hours.

I work my routes so I can take advantage of sales on groceries or anything else I may need. And those little stops give a much needed break as well.

Today I am going to the mall 10 minutes away. I have 3 easy $15 credit card shops, 1 $15 credit card shop with $25-30 reimbursment, $16 to eat a free lunch and a $15 menu check across the street. The reports are mainly uploading of pictures with little or no narative.

@ChrisCooper wrote:

OP, I stopped MSing in 2006. At that time I was getting $20 for valet parking (30 mins) and $25 for an apt shop. I started back up in 2015. Those same shops pay $15-18 for valet parking (45 mins) and still $25 for the apt shop. Fees have either stagnated or declined for a variety of reasons that @isaiah58 mentioned and also due to the Great Recession of 2008.

Sometimes it seems that the fee gets conflated with an hourly rate. Just because the fee is $10 - $15 doesn't mean you're making that much an hour. You might finish the shop and report in 30 minutes in which case your hourly rate is somewhere around $25/hr. Then if you get a reimbursement for something you were going to do anyway, so much the better. And it can go the other way, too. I did one shop for $100 that had so much narrative that it paid me ~$13.50/hour. Live and learn.

You'll find that this topic of "who takes low paying shops" comes up at least once a month. Many people feel strongly that their way is the right way and everyone else has self-esteem issues. Nonsense. It's personal. Everyone who wins in this "game" of MSing has figured out a strategy that works for them, and they are generous enough to share their insight. Someone who can take what I would consider a dog of a shop and make it work for them deserves a lot of respect for their ingenuity and hustle.

I don't what my point is anymore....except to say that MSing has changed in the 20-30 years since you last did it. The fees, sadly, are probably the same, so now it's a strategy game. Get yourself a winning strategy and let us know how it's working for you. You'll get plenty of tips on this forum along the way. Good luck!

To me, $15 to $18 for valet parking shop seems good. (I have never done one). Do they also add the tip and a parking fee (if any) into the shop costs?