Cerise states:

If you are in it for the money, you will never be happy. That principle applies for any job.

BOB'S reply:

I vehemently disagree with Cerise's opinion. I'm approaching my golden anniversary in self-employment and have both ALWAYS toiled strictly for money and been quite happy. As to my 10 yrs. in this industry, I, as with most others, have accepted work I regretted, but that's business.

Cerise comments:

But we shop because we simply like it.

BOB'S reply:

Who IS this "we?" It's definitely NOT shopper bob;I'm here for the cash! AND, while I shouldn't reference others, I'm just 1/2 sliver down from being absolutely certain it's not St. Louie Lisa.

Let's hear from other shoppers. Are you in the "we" category?

Bob, you know me too well I am in this for the money. I have never enjoyed shopping and prior to MSing would have rather had root canal than gone to a mall. It is why the philosophy of getting paid to do things we would normally do anyway does not apply for me.

Throw me in with those in it for the money. Like Lisa, I am not a mall rat. I find them slightly less noxious when I am paid, though.

Me three....in it for the money and dislike malls intensely. I don't mind outdoor malls and DO enjoy going there to shop occasionally. I'm the type of shopper (non-MS) who goes into the store to get what I need and promptly leaves the mall. I'm not a browser. Perhaps there's something to be said about mystery shoppers who aren't lovers of shopping. We don't spend our ms time browsing...just go, get it done, and go to the next one. My sister loves to shop and will go when she has nothing to do just to browse...YUCK. She would be a terrible mystery shopper b/c it would take her too long to complete the task and she would consistently want to look around at more stuff.

Mystery shopping has definitely been worth it to me. My monthly goals are usually met and have increased yearly. It brings in a lot of extra cash and I hope to do it until I'm old...er and gray...er.

I have been thinking of cutting back on companies that take's over 2 months to pay. I'm just really tired of the wait, but happy when that $$ comes in.....oh dear, what to do!!. My hope is many will do this, and they'll get the idea and up the pay period.....if there will never be a rise of living or gas cost, just give us the $$ sooner than later.

I find it worth it on many levels. I am retired and find it a great way to supplement my retirement income as well as generating some favorable taxable events. I spent 45 years in corporate America, so the opportunity to be my own boss and punch my own clock as well as call my own shots really appeals to me. Lastly, MS keeps me physically and more importantly mentally active.

shopperbob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Who IS this "we?" ...I'm here for
> the cash!
> Let's hear from other shoppers. Are you in the
> "we" category?

Most definitely not. I always consider the bottom line when taking on an assignment. It must have some intrinsic value to me, either directly or indirectly. There are a lot of visits out there that are not fun in and of themselves, but the money or goods I receive from them is.

I avoid shopping as a real customer like the plague. I hate crowds. I hate moving around in herds. My goal in life is to be a self-supporting hermit, and I am looking for a cozy cave with a few amenities. I can assure you, I would not be wandering around in the hideous world of retail hell if mystery shopping was not a means to an end.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2013 03:26AM by shopgal.

Hermits unite!

Oh, wait. Then we wouldn't be hermits. What a conundrum.

LOL, Bay!

It's all about the money for me -- but money in all forms: cash, reimbursements of things I need, and the money I DON'T spend because I think I can probably get it for free if the right shop comes along. My car needs a bath and I need a haircut and I WILL NOT pay for one!

Add it all up and it's quite the financial incentive. Side benefit of learning new things and I find I enjoy the role-playing. The routes get me in my car for some "me" time with an audio book.

I know myself well enough to know I will tire of this someday, but right now the tremendous variety of shops is staving boredom off.

Wow, don't castigate me! Let me clarify what I said before all sell me down the river! I was simply giving my humble opinion, as all do on this forum.

I said: "As with any job, the pleasure principle factors in. How much do you delight in it? How passionate are you about your job? If you are in it for the money, you will never be happy. That principle applies for any job. You can tell on people's faces who truly like/dislike their jobs. Look around you at other people in their employment."
Meaning: Corporate, Professional, Blue-Collar, Self-Proprietor, IC. If you truly love your profession, you really aren't in it for the money. You do your job because you enjoy it, and it shows. Everyone works for the money, that's a given. But you choose your profession for the love of the job, don't you? Or do you choose your job for the hate of it?

I said: "The question asked is it worth it? I think the answer is within each person. Can everyone in all areas of the country have the opportunities of $50+ shops regularly and constantly? I wonder about that. I'm not saying to stoop to $4 shops at all. That's a slap in the face."
Meaning: Of course we work for the money. No one works for free. And any of us will work for the best-earned dollar that we can get from the schedulers/companies in our respective areas.

I said: "But we shop because we simply like it. Each of us has learned a system that has become successful for us to bring in some type of income that supports us in a way that is fruitful individually to us. So ultimately, yes, it's worth it if we're still smiling at the end of the day and booking jobs."
Meaning: I didn't mean we "shop till we drop" as in hanging out at the mall. If we did that, we'd never make our timelines, would we? That's a ridiculous assumption on anyone's part. That statement meant we mystery-shop because we like to mystery shop. It is the job each of us has chosen to do. Each of us could have chosen other jobs, but we did not.

I said: "We are Mystery Shoppers. That's who we are. It all comes together in a circle to make it "worth it"."
Meaning: This forum was created for the betterment of all of us. All of us have come here to support each other and create a happy haven at the end of the day. Somehow, people have become known to each other online, they've joked with each other, they created "personas", this is their social network for Mystery Shoppers. It is who they are, in other words, it is who "we" are.

Geez. I like mystery shopping. I always did. I'm not a mall rat. I never was. Of course I'm in it for the money. But I chose this job because I like it over other jobs. That is my decision. Of course I do spread sheets and try to figure the best routes, etc. Just didn't think my post would be taken in another way, so I do hope this explanation helps.

CeriseMaross Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You do your job because you enjoy it, and it
> shows. Everyone works for the money, that's a
> given. But you choose your profession for the love
> of the job, don't you? Or do you choose your job
> for the hate of it?

I appreciate the time and effort you spent in elaborating on your original posting, Cerise. And I do agree with you to the extent that I would not be employed with mystery shopping if I hated it. I gave up my former managerial position of 13 years because I ended up hating what it and I had become, and yet I earned far more money during that tenure.

Even so, mystery shopping is not my dream job. But it does allow me to like myself again while working in a capacity that helps me to financially contribute to my family's well being.

I will dispute this: "Meaning: Of course we work for the money. No one works for free."


Ever hear of volunteering? I have done a LOT of work for free. Usually the FREE work is the work I do out of love. I've done a lot of work I disliked or even hated in my life, but it was work I happened to be good at and it paid well. I won't work FOR FREE doing something I hate, but I might have to do something I hate for money.

Ideally . . . I define "success" as being able to pay your bills doing something you LOVE. Doing something you love but not being able to pay the bills is not success. Doing something you hate but being able to pay the bills is not success. Combining the pay with the enjoyment -- it doesn't get any better than that.

I don't like mystery shopping. I am an introvert. This work takes me WAY out of my comfort zone. But I appear to have some small talent for it and it's dumped a significant amount of money in my bank account so I will continue to do it. The money helps pay for the things I love. So it's worth it to me to suck up my innate discomfort with human interactions, write a script for the roles I have to play, and soldier on. Because it pays the bills -- not because I love it. Because I really don't and I'd drop it in a minute if I didn't need the money so badly.

Not saying it isn't sometimes FUN. But we can have fun doing things we don't actually love.

"Ever hear of volunteering?"

Of course. I've been volunteering for more decades than I'd like to count. Starting with politics, Girls Scouts, Boy Scouts, pet rescues, La Leche, women's abuse shelters, cleaning the environment, Special Olympics, the list is endless...but I didn't know we were talking about volunteering? When I volunteer, that's from my soul. I've never considered it work, tho. It was pure love.

That makes my point. The things we LOVE, we will do for free.

We work for money to get the money. If we happen to love the work, it's a bonus, but the love isn't the reason we do it, it's the money.

I don't substitute teach because I love kids. I do it because I need the $100 a day I get for doing it.

shopgal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I avoid shopping as a real customer like the
> plague. I hate crowds. I hate moving around in
> herds. My goal in life is to be a self-supporting
> hermit, and I am looking for a cozy cave with a
> few amenities.


Me too, me too!! I wish I never had to leave my house & yard except to visit family/friends, or go somewhere peaceful like the ocean beaches. There *are* a *few* times I wish to do some "fun" shopping, but not that often.



> shopperbob Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> > Who IS this "we?" ...I'm here for the cash!
> > Let's hear from other shoppers. Are you in the
> > "we" category?


Another money-grubber here. (Hee!) Although I *do* enjoy what I do, really... but mostly because of the money I'm getting for doing it. It's better than other jobs because of the autonomy. The biggest joys are each time I learn new ways to maximize my efforts-to-earnings ratio, and each time I score a really good shop or a really good route. : )

Oh, and I might enjoy shopping more (regular shopping) if I had more disposable income to begin with!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2013 02:45PM by StormCloud.

Cerise,

I've read all of the replies to your original post, but haven't noticed any that remotely castigated you; they've merely been opinionated responses.

In a follow-up posting, you devote four paragraphs to stating what you had typed and then explaining what you meant. You're entitled to your manner of thought and, I'm relatively certain, all respect that right. We were merely rebutting, as is our right, your position.

In answer to the new and improved post, Bob is right that we did not castigate, we merely shared our opinions. This group is too diverse and it should come as no surprise that very few statements would apply to everyone. In fact, the only "we" statement that may not result in differing opinions is that "we" all want to be paid a reasonable fee and receive it on time.

I'm going to share another one regarding "choosing" this business. For most of my life it has been up to me and me alone to support myself. That does not always allow someone options. Jobs were chosen based on how well they would support me, not how much fun I would have. I ended up in the mystery shopping business after being automated out of a job. I was almost 50 years old and there was a little thing called a recession going on at the time. It left me with few options for employment and I found that it was possible to support myself through mystery shopping. Since I still have quite a few years left, if the right job or business opportunity came along tomorrow I would take it in a heartbeat. So no, there is no love of this business that is keeping me here.

To me there is a difference between having a fun job and having fun at your job. As a special events coordinator I loved my job and it was always fun even when working grueling hours. When in sales I hated the job, but because of my coworkers I had fun almost every single day.

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In fact, the
> only "we" statement that may not result in
> differing opinions is that "we" all want to be
> paid a reasonable fee and receive it on time.
>
> Since I
> still have quite a few years left, if the right
> job or business opportunity came along tomorrow I
> would take it in a heartbeat. So no, there is no
> love of this business that is keeping me here.
>
> To me there is a difference between having a fun
> job and having fun at your job.


These three points are very well stated!

For me, the job or business opportunity would have to be *really* good... again, as in dollars. If it was only comparable in money, I would keep doing this for the ability to set my own schedule and not have co-workers.

But I too have had crappy jobs, where I enjoyed my co-workers and had fun anyway!

If it were not for the 'housewives' who want an excuse to get out of the house, there would be no
mystery shoppers, or at least we would be paid more realistically for our time , efforts and expenses.

I used to do it for the shopping, now I wish I could say for the money, but that seems to be the invisible link in my world,
with gas prices heading up to 5.00....and no reimbursement for it, our pay is lower than usual.

wjesse Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If it were not for the 'housewives' who want an
> excuse to get out of the house, there would be no
> mystery shoppers, or at least we would be paid
> more realistically for our time , efforts and
> expenses.

Wow, not even sure what to say about the antiquated misogyny displayed in this statement. Anyone else?

I've been waiting to see how techman, MrC, Steve, Bob and the many other men on the forum react to being referred to as a "housewife." Meanwhile, I am with you and find it both antiquated and insulting.

Mysteryshopping is like putting coins in a jar....the pennies and coins don't mean much until the jar is full. I look at any shop--no matter how large or small adds up to $1200 a month for me(doing no more than 2-4 a week day. 75% may be free lunches, groceries, haircuts, oil changes, hotel stays) I like the flexibility to work when I want and even when I go on vacation--getting free tickets to events and dinners along the way. It is a portable job!

shopgal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wjesse Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If it were not for the 'housewives' who want an
> > excuse to get out of the house, there would be
> no
> > mystery shoppers, or at least we would be paid
> > more realistically for our time , efforts and
> > expenses.
>
> Wow, not even sure what to say about the
> antiquated misogyny displayed in this statement.
> Anyone else?


I would rather shop Ikea than touch that comment with a 10-foot pole.

Come to one of the IMSC conferences and learn from the people that do it every day. Your theory is sound, many shoppers don't take into account the costs associated with anything. There is no free lunch, everything has a cost associated with it, no matter how small or easy. single shops usually aren't the time and money. many shoppers create small routes to get the most out of the time and effort. Mystery shopping is definitely worth it if you are serious about what you are doing.

It is great to share thoughts on this topic. It should be embarrassing for some of these companies to pay so little for a disproportionate amount of work. What about the power of a group such as this to effect change? Until shoppers stop accepting low paying, high reporting assignments, nothing will change. If we accept low standards, we deserve what we get.

There are a lot of benefits to mystery shopping and a lot of costs. We all need to assess the costs and the benefits before we agree to perform a shop. $5 for a ff shop generally isn't enough even with the food reimbursement. Everyone's time is worth what they think it is worth.

MDavisnowell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We all do what we think is right for us.


This is fine, except that it hurts all of us. We are only as strong as our weakest link and a shop is only worth the least amount that someone will accept. We all MUST raise our standards or we will be doomed to MSPs not wanting to pay a reasonable amount. When we do shops for nothing or those that cost us (more time than we are compensated for or traveling beyond what the shop compensation will pay so that the travel isn't even covered), we are hurting ourselves and every other shopper out there.

MrsFrank Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
a shop
> is only worth the least amount that someone will
> accept.


Now you're catching on.