I have been shopping for almost 2 years & have been recently thinking about how much easier my life would have been had I discovered Mystery Shopping years earlier.

I had always been aware of MS but thought it was a scam until one day I was reading a financial blog where the writer had been a shopper himself and he explained the process. I immediately applied to several companies and began shopping.

When I was younger & making minimum wage, it was very difficult to make ends meet. I rarely ate out or did anything extra because I was trying to save every penny to buy a house. Little expenses add up (a $5.00 fast food meal here, a $2.00 coffee there - I tried not to waste money on things like that)

Thankfully, with age, my financial situation has improved. But even now I appreciate the extras that I am able to have with this job. There are no free meals - it does take time to do reports, etc. But I would gladly have traded that back in the day for even a fast food meal which I would not have bought for myself.

I just wish I had known about MS earlier and then I could have invested some of the money that I spent on food, oil changes, gifts, clothing, etc. into more profitable things. I probably could have been retired by now. O.o

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/2015 10:48PM by Bonnie888.

I feel like you too. I did not know about this until a few years ago. Like, what planet was I on?

Interesting you should mention this, February 4 marked my 22 year anniversary as a mystery shopper. Back in the day when we got our assignments by phone and wrote a report by hand and mailed it back to the company. The pay was low back then too.

I tried it about 10 years ago after I got laid off and was on unemployment but never got off the ground. I don't even remember how I found out about it -- want ad in the paper I suspect. I remember driving to a Wal Mart to do something for $5, doing the math, and deciding it was a huge waste of gas. then when I tried to do the report someone else had beaten me to it somehow. I probably missed a step about applying -- it was so long ago I don't remember anything about it except that it cost me more in gas to get to that Walmart than the fee I was trying to earn.

I only got back into it a couple years ago because James_Bond told me he was doing it and told me about the MSPA website. I did a handful of local shops I found on their shop board, then found this place and learned that there was such a thing as "bonuses" that made it feasible to shop outside this small town and the rest is history.

I'm taking a bit of a break right now to try to restore balance in my life since taking the part time job but I will probably start shopping one day a week again after tax season ends. It's an addictive thing -- I find myself getting restless to do a shop and I don't want my skills to deteriorate (no, not talking about the skill of "breathing" -- the other skills).

Don't know what would have happened if I'd started it 20 years ago. Probably nothing, since I was in southern California then and from what I've heard here there is a lot of competition for shops there and the fees rarely go up much.

I would have made a huge difference for me. I have always had a second job of some sort, and I would have enjoyed mystery shopping much more. I'm making up for lost time. I had my first 1,000 month a couple of months ago, but it was very tough in addition to a full time job and it probably won't happen again.

I also wished I had known mystery shopping long before my husband became ill. He would have been very supportive.
Had I known myshopping when I was holding my very stressful job, I would have been calmer and more organized.

Mystery shopping saved my sanity when my husband was diagnosed with untreatable ailment. It taught me to be independent and stronger. Now, I am not afraid of challenges. I have adjusted to freelancing and widowhood.

I learned about mystery shopping 40 years ago when I worked part-time as a checker at a Kroger while I was in still school. I was mystery-shopped many times. I am still kicking myself for not getting started with it years ago!

I became a mystery shopper while on maternity leave. It was one of the reasons that I was able to go back to my real job after maternity leave and fire them to stay home with my baby. My husband told me that if I could make $500 a month doing it, we would be able to for me to stay home. I was hooked and still am, almost 5 years later. I just wish I had discovered this site earlier =)

That is a good point, Shoptilyoudrop, this site is fantastic. I'm not sure how I ran across it, but I didn't know about it when I first started shopping.

I have learned so much from reading here. In fact, I rarely take on a brand new (to me) type of job without first checking here to see what other shoppers have to say.

For months I avoided Ross shops because I thought: Count over SIX HUNDRED PIECES OF CLOTHING? In several different departments? Seriously? But then I read other shoppers comments & realized some of them actually enjoyed the shop. There are several locations that I drive by anyway, so I tried one & realized it was actually pretty easy, considering the report.

I also mustered up the courage to try the Papa's delivery shop (the easy photo one), thanks to reading some of the posts here & because I couldn't resist the bonus. I have since done several & love that I don't have to drive anywhere to get paid.

believe me.... being a single mom, struggling, wished I would have known about mystery shops. too... would have lighten the load a bit with expenses.... one creative way to make money...
funny thing is, when asked by friends, and relatives, they really are not sold by the idea, like my reaction before....

oh well... opportunity knocks, and best to answer