Thank you for your prayers. I'm sure I need all I can get.

At the bottom of this page, you will find a blue link to a list of mystery shopping companies. It would be good to start signing up with a few every day as you have time. There is probably a lot more work available in your area than you think. The New Shopper section has a lot of information in the first few threads. This forum is good to learn how to do things, and it is a good place to post if you are having a real problem with an MSC such as not getting paid for accepted reports.

This is not the place to settle your disputes with the MSCs when your work has not been accepted. Every unaccepted report is a learning opportunity, and you can communicate with each MSC to find out exactly what they want. It will be necessary to approach them in a controlled and friendly manner if you hope to achieve good results. Being aggressive and insulting will only get a shopper deactivated. If you want to work, you need to get along with the MSCs and find out how they want things done.

You have brought multiple complaints to this forum bashing multiple mystery shopping companies. Instead of hearing what you wanted to hear, you have heard what you need to hear. You accuse those of us who defend these companies of working for them. You don't comprehend that we have good relationships with the companies we work for. If you want to make money, you need to work with these companies. Your enemies will not assign you work. Your enemies' friends will not assign you work. The acquaintances of the friends of your enemies will not assign you work. This is the way things are in the world.

Again, thank you for your prayers. Prayer is good. When you are praying you are at peace.

And if you think mystery shopping is going to pay your bills right out the gate . . . you need to be more realistic. Very few people actually do this for a living. Most have other jobs or sources of income, a working spouse, retirement income, etc.

I have made about $450 a month since I found this board. I made $98 the month prior to that. I have other sources of income, inadequate as they are. It takes TIME to get good at this. I totally credit this forum with teaching me things that made me more productive and enabled me to increase my income dramatically.

I learn one new shop at a time for the most part. Tomorrow will be an exception; I have two "new to me" shops on the list, all the others are things I have done before. I try not to bite off more than I can chew.

I record EVERYTHING because I have a horrid memory. My first shop I had to interact with the clerk three times before I remembered to look at her name tag. I've gotten better at that. When I get a shop assignment, I print out the instructions and read through them, picture myself doing the shop to make sure I understand. When I get to the location, I READ THEM AGAIN. Sometimes I write things on my wrist (hidden by long sleeves) so I don't forget things.

If you are not willing to attend to the details, follow the instructions, fill out a thorough report, and learn from your mistakes, you WILL NOT MAKE IT HERE. Mystery shopping isn't for everyone. And if you're putting the pressure on yourself to make this your sole source of income in six months' time you'll be in a rubber room before you achieve that.

So go get another job -- flipping burgers if you must -- and do this on the side in your spare time.

You ask for a list of the shopping companies? Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click the link. They're all right there. Start with the list on the right side of the page, which has the ones who have been talked about the most. That's a good place to start. I tend to add companies when someone has mentioned them in a positive way.

But chill out and stop being so frantic about this. Not getting paid for a $10 shop is not the end of the world -- it's an education, but you need to take the lesson and learn from it instead of arguing how unfair it is. It's only unfair if you did EVERYTHING you were supposed to do, when where and how you were supposed to do it, and submitted a comprehensive and well-written report, ON TIME, and uploaded the required pictures, receipts, business cards or whatever, formatted as required, using the required browser if necessary. If you didn't do all those things and your shop was denied -- then it's totally fair.

And if just reading that list gave you a headache ... this isn't for you.

I have many shops you don't hear about and for which I am paid. I mention the few who have not.

As for your suggestions - good ones. It can not be an only source of income unless one is prepared to drive all over the place, stay with friends and family and work, work, work. It can be a good second income. I already know that. One month I made around $800 and felt I was doing great. For a shopper that is good - but those months are not that frequent from my experiences anyway. There are not many jobs in this area. I have worked retail and ran one car in the ground driving to and from Houston. Of the 100 shops - how many do you actually work for?

You may have many shops that are accepted,but you see unwilling to take any responsibility for any possible errors and your rejection rate seems high to me. When you don't take the time to reflect on what you could do better, it makes it difficult to grow no matter what the endeavor. None of us are perfect. Most of us have had a rejected shop along the way. I have been shopping for 4.5 years. During that time I have had a handful of shops where I either had to clarify some or go back and reshop. On some of the reshops, I thought it was fair and on the others not exact, but that was a very limited number and I got paid. I firmly believe that the tone you use when interacting with others impacts their willingness to help you out. I am willing to spread a lit honey in order to get paid.

I have only had three shops I completed where I never received payment. One was my error, another I felt was an issue with the company and I will only shop there now when bonused, and the third was a shop for Freeman Group. That wasn't rejected, just never paid.

Sometimes we have to jump through a few hoops, but for me this business is more good than bad.

I make it a point to suggest shoppers keep this as a sideline and not a full-time income. However, you are wrong in stating $800 a month is as good as it can get. I know part-timers who consistently make more than that a month and I've made more than that in a week. At one end of the spectrum are occasional shoppers who enjoy having a meal reimbursed and at the other end are people who support themselves with MS. This is your business and it shares aspects of starting any other small business in that it takes time to grow.

$800 a week - where do you live? Also do you video and photo as well? I don't have a video so that could cut into the profits? However $800 is not clear profit if one has to use their vehicle and I assume you do. That is another consideration. Maritz told me they have reps who drive up and down the East coast and stay with friends and family to save $$. I can not do that. I have responsibilities which keep me from leaving my home for weeks at a time.

You assume way too much by saying that $800 plus was not pure profit. You also are being awfully short-sighted by not appreciating the tax deductions for that mileage. Yes I do video, but those weeks are far more profitable. I travel, but certainly not every week and trips may range from one night to two weeks.

Instead of judging us and mystery shopping from your very limited point of view, read the forum and find out the many possibilities that are out there.

cheryljane Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Of the 100 shops - how many do
> you actually work for?

I'm assuming you are referring to MSCs. Of the 100+ companies I am signed up with, I have a core group of about a dozen that I regularly work with. So say about 10%. Another 25% I pick up assignments from on a more infrequent basis. Other forum members probably have percentages that vary. Yes, it seems excessive at times to have to sign up with so many MSCs. But it pays off eventually. It might be that an MSC that you initially signed up with way back when that had no available assignments in your area lands a new client in your locale. It could be that while you are still proving yourself to an MSC that they are not giving you access to everything that might be available. Or later on you might find that a project you rejected for some reason is now something you would like to try.

Keep the questions coming!

"You assume way too much by saying that $800 plus was not pure profit"


After reading that I assume that everyone has put their boots on!

Any accomplished route shopper would be able to turn an $800 profit in a week. If you think that is BS, then you have not learned much about the ways to maximize income from full time MSing. I know Lisa and know that she is a real "Road Warrior," when it comes to assembling routes that pay very well.

As for how many of the MSCs I shop for regualry, of the 150+ that I have signed up with? Maybe a max of 20 in any month; usually only 4-5, since I do video routes. But, for instance, in Feb. I will do 22 shops for a company with which I have been signed up for over a year and have never before had a shop from in my area. If I had not been signed up with them, I would have missed a $1400 route! You never kow when the options from any MSC will change with a new client!

Ladies and gentlemen this board should be about us helping each other not sniping at each other. Lets try to remember we are all in this shallow pond together in a way. I have been helped multiple times on this board by multiple people and I'm happy to return the favor.

Please keep in mind it takes less physical effort to ignore a post you do not like than type a nasty reply.

Amen. I never meant to suggest $800 is not pure profit but asked was it? As for the $800 a week - even my friend in Houston who referred me said WHERE? She wants to know.

If you and your friend put in the research and effort, that is reasonable...

Cheryl, you have made a positive step by choosing to listen. Now understand that we all make mistakes, we all forget things in guidelines, we all have equipment failures. How you handle any of those can spell success or failure. We are not here to jump on any bandwagon bashing an MSC because someone thinks they were done wrong. We can help you distinguish the problem and if it is your mistake show you ways to keep it from happening again. When good MSCs really do turn bad, this forum in general and the owner in particular have proved to be a powerful voice.

Mystery shopping is not an easy gig and it is not a get rich quick scheme. It is a business and can be your business. One thing we all need to do is get over thinking like employees and thinking it is "not fair" that we are not getting a raise. We work for ourselves and the MSCs are our clients. The business being shopped is their client. Some things we cannot change such as certain locations having less shoppers and being generally more profitable. Other things are well within our control. There is more advice here, for free, than you could ever find in the myriad of books offering to help you get started, for a price. You have the access to some people with decades of experience who basically donate their time to help others become successful. Mr C summed it up nicely when he said to do some research. Feel free to ask questions, but think about how you would want to be treated if you were giving up your precious time in order to help someone else.

In the end you may find a way that MS works for you or you may not. If it doesn't, nobody will hold that against you. Like any other business, it works for some and not for all.

Lisa states:

Mystery shopping is not an easy gig and it is not a get rich quick scheme. It is a business and can be your business. One thing we all need to do is get over thinking like employees and thinking it is "not fair" that we are not getting a raise. We work for ourselves and the MSCs are our clients. The business being shopped is their client. Some things we cannot change such as certain locations having less shoppers and being generally more profitable. Other things are well within our control. There is more advice here, for free, than you could ever find in the myriad of books offering to help you get started, for a price. You have the access to some people with decades of experience who basically donate their time to help others become successful. Mr C summed it up nicely when he said to do some research. Feel free to ask questions, but think about how you would want to be treated if you were giving up your precious time in order to help someone else.

BOB'S reply:

The above paragraph should be read by all who visit this forum, but most definitely required reading before anyone is permitted their first posting. Please pass my opinion to the owner, Jacob.

Thanks! I have worked a number of home businesses and learned quickly who is a good candidate and who is not. One of the top Mary Kay reps lives in my hometown. She got where she is through hard work but she also married to a doctor so it didn't matter if she made $$ right away. She worked 7 days a week and soon caught the eye of HQ in Dallas. The cream does rise to the top.

cheryljane Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dear Miss Lisa,
>
> How many shops would you consider a reasonable
> number to be signed with?
>
> I am signed with a dozen or so but about half
> never have work in my area of the earth.


Cheryljane if you do not have EVERY company signed up for you see here you are not signed up for enough. A dozen is not even enough to start the process.

"Any accomplished route shopper would be able to turn an $800 profit in a week"

I would be willing to bet 99% of those so called "accomplished shoppers" are on some kind of government assistance too! I mean what a crock of you know what! These "accomplished shoppers" not only are making $800 a week profit but they have all day long to sit in this forum and jibber jabber out nonsense and lies!

Insulting accusations aimed at productive, contributing forum members will get you a one way ticket, Moby.

You do the fuzzy math ladies and gentleman. Ms whale not only makes 800 dollars a week mystery shopping but she also has the time to police and post in this forum all day long! This clearly is a case of 2 plus 2 adding up to 19! It took her less then 20 minutes to come in here and defend her lies even though she is out there making 800 dollars a week. Notice she is threatening or promissing to have me banned from this forum for exposing her fraudulent claims. Liar liar pants on fire!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/2013 02:41PM by MOBYDICK.

FRUITCAKE.

Out of the ball park. Not a clue. That elevator doesn't reach the top. Not a full deck. Immature. Hopeless and helpless. Behind the door when the brains were passed out.





MOBYDICK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You do the fuzzy math ladies and gentleman. Ms
> whale not only makes 800 dollars a week mystery
> shopping but she also has the time to police and
> post in this forum all day long! This clearly is a
> case of 2 plus 2 adding up to 19! It took her less
> then 20 minutes to come in here and defend her
> lies even though she is out there making 800
> dollars a week. Notice she is threatening or
> promissing to have me banned from this forum for
> exposing her fraudulent claims. Liar liar pants on
> fire!

I have taken the forums advice and signed with more agencies. I just had a notice today about a shop however I don't fit the age criteria. I guess it is possible to make $800 a week. If one has a lucrative route or many phone shops they can stay at home or use their lap top when out and about. I would like to make $800 a week. That would be a blessing.

Good for you! It will still take a while to build your business and remember there is no consistency with mystery shopping. We all have our banner months while others are slower. Some really long-time shoppers do have regular quarterly or monthly routes, but it takes a lot of time developing good reputations and relationships to get there. Routes don't have to be multi-day monsters driving hundreds of miles. You'll get the hang of clustering shops so you can maximize your profit. Keep good records of everything so at tax time you can also get the maximum benefit from your deductions.

Several yrs. ago on Volition, a route shopper, whose name I don't recall, shared her prior yrs. earnings of in excess of $100,00.00. The problems, though, and as I recall, were that was gross, she had an assistant who wrote the reports to pay, her on-the-road time averaged 28 dys. per month and, according to what she stated, she often worked 12-14 hr. dys. In addition, if she couldn't find lodging/dining assignments, she incurred those expenses for she and her helper. That life certainly wouldn't appeal to me, BUT, remember the old adage?

I'm not suggesting the above is what all road folks experience. As for me, I'm quite content to be a day route person and home at night.

Cheryljane, good for you for signing up with more companies. As you get set up with more and more companies, more work will open up to you. Rural areas can often be quite good. I do a lot of day routes up to 65 miles one way from home and they work out well for me. With effort, you can build a reputation as a thorough and dependable shopper and more and more good things will come your way. I don't make $800 a week but I don't work at this full time. I do put in a lot of hours but a big portion of them are at home in my jammies and socks with a cup of coffee. The time I spend out of the house and on the road is not bad at all. I look at it this way. Whatever I make is more than I would have made if I don't work. Of course, I try to pick the shops and routes that will give me the most money. I'm not interested in working for peanuts but I know I'm not going to get big bucks doing this part time. What I want is a good return for the time invested.

I have no doubt that with the right companies and applying yourself with discipline you can earn $800 a week. I don't think this will come right away, but I believe it can happen. It's not a probability for everyone but it's a possibility for those who work at it and refine their methods to become more and more effective. Make the possibility work for you. I'm in your corner. If you need help, ask on the forum and if I have an answer for you, I'll respond. Best of luck and thank you for the attitude turnaround.

I set myself a goal back in October of $200 a month. I made $450 each of the three months after that and will come in close to $400 for January, maybe more since there's still 8 more days left this month. I've made most of my goal for the YEAR in just four months.

If you set a reasonable goal, and focus on it, you will BEAT it. So set a reasonable goal of, say $300 a month if you have another job and $800 a month if you don't. That's $200 a week; 20 $10 shops; 2 shops a day for a five-day week. You can do that. Only try to do it as 5 shops a day for 2 days to save on the gas, with days off in between (don't do routes 2 days in a row yet). I never drive to shop unless I'm already going there or someone is bonusing me the gas money (for the out of town routes).

Within a few months you will find yourself picking and choosing because the opportunities will open up for you. I really believe the MSC's only show the cheap shops to the newbies because I am seeing a LOT of lucrative stuff now and I wasn't seeing ANYTHING over $10-15 my first month or two shopping. I considered those cheap shops as paying my dues, proving my reliability, and developing my skills. I've done shops from $5 plus meal reimbursements to $125 bank shops and could have gotten some $175 cell phone shops (five visits required) if I'd had the TIME. (I have other work I have to work around)

I signed with 21 today. Several I learned part of a company I had already signed with so they had me on file. One company out of business - so that should be deleted from the list. Will hit the Ds tomorrow.

Way to go, Cheryl! It's a lot of work getting signed up, but it's worth it. I've set up my list in a spreadsheet, and I have one column to put in dates for my last contact with an MSC. If things are slow, I start working my list by checking the job boards for MSCs I haven't done anything for in awhile.