Long time lurker, first time poster 
I've been working in the "on demand economy" since August, 2017. I started out by clicking on one of those "Make money on your smart phone!" Ads on Craigslist. I was desperate and willing to try anything to pull in some money.
I told myself to try it for one of their pay periods (three times a month at that time) and then make a decision about whether to continue. I ended up making a couple hundred bucks over 11 days and decided to stick with it. It was a lot of work for the money. "Audits" that would really be merchandising assignments. Merchandising that would really be sales calls...
I expanded to other gig apps, including Secret Shopper and I Secret Shop. These introduced me to actual mystery shopping assignments. I have contracts with a few dozen MSPs on ISS.
I was introduced to MSPA certification and this forum through those companies (I don't recall exactly how). MSPA registration resulted in direct recruitment by dozens of additional companies.
I've recently moved to an area that is centrally located between some underserved areas. It has made mystery shopping a steady source of income during the off season of my "regular" job.
My current regular job is an event bartender and is seasonal.
I have 20 years of experience in customer service in the food and beverage industry and I have been shopped many times (my last perfect score earned me a $50 Amazon gift card) Doing mystery shop work has made me better at any job I do. Partly because I have learned that there is no position, no field of work, safe from being evaluated. Mostly because it has given me a greater understanding of the importance of brand consistency in the customer experience. I have a better understanding of why the details matter-even when they seem silly or inconsequential.
That is the long version of my introduction.
TLDR: Hi y'all, thanks for having me!
I've been working in the "on demand economy" since August, 2017. I started out by clicking on one of those "Make money on your smart phone!" Ads on Craigslist. I was desperate and willing to try anything to pull in some money.
I told myself to try it for one of their pay periods (three times a month at that time) and then make a decision about whether to continue. I ended up making a couple hundred bucks over 11 days and decided to stick with it. It was a lot of work for the money. "Audits" that would really be merchandising assignments. Merchandising that would really be sales calls...
I expanded to other gig apps, including Secret Shopper and I Secret Shop. These introduced me to actual mystery shopping assignments. I have contracts with a few dozen MSPs on ISS.
I was introduced to MSPA certification and this forum through those companies (I don't recall exactly how). MSPA registration resulted in direct recruitment by dozens of additional companies.
I've recently moved to an area that is centrally located between some underserved areas. It has made mystery shopping a steady source of income during the off season of my "regular" job.
My current regular job is an event bartender and is seasonal.
I have 20 years of experience in customer service in the food and beverage industry and I have been shopped many times (my last perfect score earned me a $50 Amazon gift card) Doing mystery shop work has made me better at any job I do. Partly because I have learned that there is no position, no field of work, safe from being evaluated. Mostly because it has given me a greater understanding of the importance of brand consistency in the customer experience. I have a better understanding of why the details matter-even when they seem silly or inconsequential.
That is the long version of my introduction.
TLDR: Hi y'all, thanks for having me!