How did you initially find out about mystery shopping, and how long ago? Were you suspicious or did you plunge right in? Do you remember your first shop?

I want to hear your early shopping stories!

I shopped banks using paper forms that were mailed to me...I filled them out and mailed them back.

Dang autocorrect.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/2016 03:40AM by JASFLALMT.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I shopped banks using paper forms that were mailed to me...I filled them out and mailed them back.

How did you find out about it, and how long ago was this?

I read an article in a magazine. I think it was Better Homes and Garden. It was 2001 when I first started shopping. Many companies had websites where shoppers could apply but few had reporting online at the time.

I started in the late 90s, early 2000s. I remember having to fax reports to Bare. I also did stuff for Jancyn and Kern. And shopped Shoney's directly for the company.

I started in the early 1990's. I saw an ad in the newspaper and was looking for extra money. I remember doing the paperwork by hand and mailing it to them.

I started in the early 1960s as a part time hourly employee when I was a high school student. The lady who owned the company found work from magazine ads, mimeographed off forms for us and sent us out to the field. When I decided to retire early I explored the internet and found that now mystery shopping was done as Independent Contractors rather than employees. And yes, I had questionnaires mailed to me to be filled out and returned, there were reports I faxed, there were reports that were phoned in and wowsers there were a bunch of companies you could enter reports on line and then mail in receipts or fax receipts.

I started in 2007. Jumped right in. Initially, I did not risk many dollars. I worked with the now defunct Franchise Compliance, who shopped Five Guys. I worked with Bare and Gfk. Was thrilling. The fun, and benefit, has not worn off.

I started in 2013, as cutting my hair started to turn into a chore, rather than a hobby. After getting paid for that first shop, I decided to explore further and ended up finding Market Force, Confero and Sentry Marketing as my major companies that year. As I learned more about the game, I turned the hobby into a decent side gig over the years.

I started in 2011 after an accident that made it impossible to do my job full time because of mobility issues. A friend had mentioned mystery shopping to me about 10 years earlier but I never thought too much of it. After a prolonged recovery, which included many hours in front of the computer, I started to research mystery shopping. My first job was at a Five Guys and I was sooo nervous that I sat in the car going over the guidelines for the 100th time. What I found was it was easy for me to remember all the little details and was even a bit of fun plus I got a cheeseburger and fries. It was a great way to get out of the house after being stuck for about 5 months. Now I have done thousands of shops - but sometimes I still get a bit nervous.

I was hit by a mystery shopper at my place of employment. I was recently promoted from a lower level managerial position to assistant general manager and a mystery shopper hit us with a revealed shop. I had no clue this was a thing! My company paid someone to come in, eat, mooch our wi-fi, evaluate our property, take photos, and then reveal themselves with a little piece of paper I signed to get her paid... and she does this all over town as a living? SAY WHAT? And she happened to give us a copy of the report... which had the mystery shop companies information stamped all over the bottom of the page. Cha-ching. I signed up and started shopping a restaurant in town and a grocery store. I then found out there were more companies out there and signed up for all I could with mixed luck.

I started in the mid 90's. I don't remember my first company but it used to be all gas stations and Burger Kings.

I started in the 90's doing videos read an article in Family Circle.

@bcm2016

I have question. Do you plan to use this information outside the forum? Everything posted here is protected content, can not be published

@isaiah58 wrote:

@bcm2016

I have question. Do you plan to use this information outside the forum? Everything posted here is protected content, can not be published

Nope, just genuinely curious! I'm not a writer for any publications.

My first two shops were a Bare bank shop and some fast food place. I knew immediately that FF was not for me and than banking shops were! That was September of 2005. I soon added Starbucks shops, tried retail P&R shops, and decided to do a lot of the former and NO more of the latter. By November I had been to an MSPA gold workshop and learned so much from the other shoppers' comments about tricks of the trade that I was able to become much more efficient and productive. I also met the manager of a small video shopping company and was wowed by the fees for their apartment shops. Since their office was only about 20 miles away, I was trained, one-on-one by him within 2 weeks and doing video shops within 2.5 weeks. Have never looked back.

BTW, when asked about MSPA Silver and Gold I say this: Silver was totally useless except to get me eligible for the Gold workshop. ALL of the useful things that I learned at that workshop came from other shoppers sharing their experiences and tricks of the trade, plus meeting the video manager. Ironically, at that time, and for many years thereafter, MSPA leaders (past presidents and members of its board) declared that video was not worth their attention or support. As far as I can tell, for many years I was the only person who leaped into video as the result of anything sponsored by or endorsed by, MSPA.

My short answers to your questions are:
Internet
8 years
No, and yes
I remember it vividly, even though I was still weak and under the influence of radiation.
Here is my story which is not so short:

I had my last radiation treatment for cancer in September 2008. Going back to my old job as a dealer in a cigarette smoke-infested casino was out of the question, and the economic depression eliminated my chance to return to real estate investing and bird dogging. My age and lack of ability to function for more than a couple hours at a time due to weakness from cancer and radiation, curtailed my options for finding employment.

I combined my writing abilities, knowledge of grammar, ability to observe and remember details that I had learned from my years at the casino pits, knowledge of computers and web design and operating my own businesses, knowledge I had gained from experiences of being alive for 58 years, and the refusal to stand at the intersection and beg motorists for their hard earned money; and I began searching the internet for ways to sell my writing. I worked doing surveys and and occasional focus group while still undergoing cancer treatment, but in November of 2008 I stumbled on mystery shopping while I was searching the internet for places to write for money and searching for survey opportunities.

I was not skeptical, because I researched and quickly learned that there were only 4 companies licensed to mystery shop in my state and mystery shopping was regulated here. Since there were only 4 legal companies, I was able to meet in person with my "boss" after an email, doing a test shop and sending a report, and filling out legal forms.

I remember my very first shop, and dove right in working as many shops as I could physically perform. My health quickly improved, and I managed 48 shops a couple months later in January, 2009. I averaged 63 shops per month that year, so I was basically full-time from inception. I signed up with a second company 2 years later and increased my workload a few months later when my bankruptcy was finalized. I am still full-time mystery shopping and averaged 85 shops per month last year, but my $$ per shop had doubled from what it was my first year. I plan to work full-time shopping until I am 70 and then cut down to part-time and hopefully enjoy Social Security repayment checks from Uncle Sam and doing only the shops that I really like and have time for; no more staying up past midnight writing long reports.

I completed my first shop November 20, 2008. There were no smartphones in those days, so all guidelines and instructions had to be printed and/or remembered. My first shop required me to go to a certified garage of my choice and pay them to set up a car per the instructions that the client specified. The setup included such things as removing some air pressure in one tire, lower the windshield washer fluid level, and other specified non-critical modifications. Then I was to take the car to have the oil changed at the client business location. Then I took the car back to the first mechanic to restore all the modifications that the oil change company did not catch. I had to write reports on both locations. My first job paid well (more than 6 times what the average shop pay was for that company in 2008) and I got a free oil change, but as I look back I think that shop was quite a mouthful for a brand new shopper's first shop. I am thankful that my scheduler allowed me to choose the shop and that she actually had the confidence to assign it to me. I did an identical shop at a different location about a week later.

I was watching Matt Lauer on the morning news and they had a discussion on Mystery shopping which I had never heard of, however I had just bought my first computer.....so, went online and learned about it, signing up with one company to learn, and wala, get paid to eat out, I was hooked....took a couple months
to get it down, then better jobs came my way, got my Silver Certification and had a somewhat career. I never
told anyone as I knew they wouldn't believe it, keep to myself and got serious. I remember how happy I was
when I got my first hotel in my daughters town along with a nice dinner.......funny thing, fees have gone down,
in the 10 years I've been doing it....just saying....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/05/2016 07:17PM by Irene_L.A..

@AZwolfman wrote:

Here is my story which is not so short:
I had my last radiation treatment for cancer in September 2008.

I found your story interesting and encouraging. I started MSing/Merchandising in 2005 as a very nervous newbie doing a MS in Blockbuster. I am now a breast cancer survivor (dx 2013/surg, chemo, rad 2014). Took time off for the cancer treatment 2013-14, and started early Soc Sec at 62 last year. I then decided just to do MSing after all treatments were done, since I can basically make my own schedule. When going through treatments and first recovering, there were some days I was SOoooo tired, that I knew I wouldn't be able to manage the merchandising work, and was grateful I could make my own schedule with MSing. Now I basically have my energy back, but still enjoy making my own schedule and choosing my own jobs. I do this part time now, and that works great for me. Thanks for sharing your story.

AZWofman, great story, congratulations on your winning battle against cancer, and I am so glad you found mystery shopping!

I remember that auto service shop! My location did not catch the low power steering fluid, LOL.

I did that also in 2003-5, and faxed my paperwork in but got jobs on the computer.

I started mystery shopping twice, once pre-internet and the second time post-internet.
Back in around 1985 I saw an advertisement in the local classified ads for a shopper. It was called a shopper but I can't remember what it said exactly. It was for Domino's Pizza and once a month I would order a pizza of my choice then telephone my report. It was the same basic shop that one would do now...was he wearing a hat, did the pizza taste good, taste greasy, etc, etc. I would then get a check in the mail for the price of the pizza. Each person was only allowed to be their mystery shopper for one year so once my year was over I became a dormant shopper.

A few years later I received an email purporting to be from Bare International. Being of a suspicious nature I decided to look up BI on the internet and give them a call. I found out the email was spam but I was also asked by the person I spoke with if I would like to apply to be one of their mystery shoppers...and as they say....the rest is history.

I heard about people being mystery shoppers and googled it. I did my first shop with a small expenditure just in case I got burned! I have been a mystery shopper for 3 months. I love it but I still get nervous with each new company I work for.

I have a friend, whose wife was into ing etc,. And I was looking for supplemental income that was dun and helped me learn some new skills. MS, became a great field of study for me. I value it very much and still get to do some fun assignments when I'm available.

However, I do not remember my first MS at this point. :-)

I was working for a fast food company, and we got mystery shopped, I learned of the company, they have since sold their company to a LARGE company, so I applied, was hired, back in 1981. I moved away and in 2004, I returned to find another company that bought out Shop"n"check, and went to work. I am still to this day mystery shopping for many companies and LOVE IT!!

Thank you for sharing your story! I have a friend mow, who is battling cancer an needs a miracle! MS is very good and fun!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2016 01:36AM by lmmb.

My first shop was off Craigslist !!! ( Of all places...)
They were desperate I was too I guess lol ... It was perfect! All I did was ask about some classes and enrollment. It was such a big fee I was hooked !! I have been shopping since this Oct. I wish more shops payed so well lol After that I did a car shop and with both of the shops they were a personal interest anyway and I learned a great deal I like to learn about something I'm interested in the shop so I think that is great way to kind of have adult homeschooling.

What companies do you suggest?

I was so skeptical of shopping at first. I was going to sign up in the early 2000's but I did not trust any companies. Each time I got ready to sign up with a company, somebody talked me out of it.

Not too long ago, I decided to look up mystery shopping online and find a company to try. I came across Coyle. I signed up for a couple of phone shops and got them. I completed them in a day and got good scores. I signed up for a hotel/restaurant shop and got it. I completed it and loved it. That was my start. I was only signed up with Coyle. I was still skeptical of other companies for a couple of months. One day I saw "MSPA" on Coyle's website, so I looked at the company list on the MSPA site and started signing up with other companies. It's funny because until you asked this question, I never reflected on the fact that Coyle was my first company. I really like Coyle and still love their shops. I am really grateful that working with Coyle helped me start trusting the industry.

I haven't started yet