Hello and good morning! This is my first post here, though I've been reading for several days. I'm a stay at home mom looking to increase our income a bit, and have started to sign up with mystery shop companies. Within hours of signing up I got an offer on a job to do a mystery shop, with a reveal and then a full audit. I accepted it, even though the pay was low because I wanted to get my feet wet and try it out. Well, I got the paperwork and MULTIPLE checklists, along with the list of required photos and the 12 page mystery shop portion and this is ridiculous. I've already called the scheduler and left a message that I need to decline the job after seeing the amount of work involved for the little pay.

Is this normal? Or is it just because it is an audit as well? Because if it is par for the course, then I need to look into doing something else for extra income. Between prep time, the actual job its self and then my final report, I'm looking at at least 4 hours of work.

This is leaving me with a pretty bad taste in my mouth for something I thought I would enjoy doing.

I often had similar thoughts when I first started out. The truth is there are good, bad, and ugly shops, and you perhaps got stuck with one of the bad ones. After a while, you can tell which shops are worth it to you and which are not. But don't throw in the towel without giving it go. You may find you like it.

And read the posts on this board about beginning mystery shoping. They're invaluable for beginners.

I think you have the same shop I signed up for, and am doing in a couple of days. I'm dreading it. I was definitely staggered by the list of photographs required. My theory is, that anything I sign up for I'll do, unless it's physically impossible. That way, I'll learn how the system works. I'll learn what's harder than it seems, and what's easier than it seems. I'll have experience on doing something, so that, even if I'd never do it again for regular pay, I'll be able to realize that it's worth it, (or not worth it), for such-and-such a bonus. And, I won't have burned my bridges with a company that might offer me other things that I'd like better.

It may be the company that you signed up for to do the shop. Some start out offering shops for ridiculously low amounts, so low that the idea of anyone doing a decent job on it for the amount of money offered is laughable. From the point of view of the company though, I suppose they figure why pay someone x amount of money if they can get it done for much less. My answer to that question: because you get what you pay for. It's the same argument behind outsourcing.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2013 11:02PM by Snoopy4678.

Some of the gas station shops, when you look at the pages and pages of requirements look pretty intimidating but you get into a pattern. As long as it's not the one where you have to fill out the audit form and give it to an employee before you leave, you can get in and out quickly without missing details and photos. Some want a couple gallons of gas, some want $5 in gas, some want only an inside purchase, and once you have made that your digital camera is your eyes. After time, you will just get in the habit of snapping the station overall price sign, pumps, pump toppers, canopy up close and from two corners, building, counter, applications, gift cards and restrooms. Some shops have a few extra and you can highlight that on your list as you go for the route- counter with an employee is one, main sign from the pother side is another. It seems like a lot of pictures but if you take two of everything plus pictures of anything you notice that is off- paint the wrong colour, filth, handwritten signs, stuff like that, you will have it as both a record and you'll have the photo. Snap, snap, snap, scribble a few notes regarding infractions, employee names and any extra data that the shop asked for, and you are on your way. Most gas stations shops want the same basic information with a few tweaks here and there.

These were some of the first shops I took (gas station mystery shop and revealed audit). For the amount they were bonused up to, they weren't too bad. I have gotten to where I prefer fast food though.

The OP seems to have left the building.

Well, I might as well follow up on my first mystery & full audit shop, since I mentioned it above. It went well, I think. The 38 pages of guidelines and questionnaire were staggering, but I can see that if I did it on a regular basis, and knew what I needed to do, it wouldn't be bad. (I'd be doing less standing there, scratching my head, and saying: "That trash container doesn't seem to be on the list of approved colors--oh, yeah, I guess that 'stucco colored' covers a multitude of pastels.")

I also lucked out in getting one in a very nice part of town. It only had a couple of glitches--just enough to make me feel I'd earned my money. (For my first time, if I hadn't found anything wrong, I'd have wondered if I knew what I was supposed to be looking for.)

I've been watching for more, but haven't seen any. I'm wondering if it escaped from a route, somehow.