How did February end up?

Now that the month is coming to a close, how did everyone's February end up?

At least in the east, and especially Florida this month,
it seems many shoppers took the month off,
since I've been inundated with requests to
pickup last minute shops for the last week or so.

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Hard to say for sure since I have quite a few video shops pending. Weather will be final factor as to whether they will be income for February or March. Regardless, I made bank even if it ends up being less than a banner month.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

This was a banner month for me, even though I am doing very little this week. Just catching up with oil change and hair care, both overdue, and some groceries. Between Feb 4 and last Friday I did 34 videos, including 3 short routes, plus a few things that I would have to look up because it's all a blurr.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Much better than the last couple months.

I have been getting dozens of emails per day desperately looking for shoppers to fill end-of-the-month shops. However we're under about 18 inches of snow right now and I don't know ANYONE who's venturing out!

How did yours end up?

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.

50 shops, 926.72
18.53 per shop, 82% fees,
18% reimbursement

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.

Better than January! Actually, my best month ever. 34 shops, $549, with 85% of that being fees.

Worst February I've had since I started mystery shopping.

_____________________________________________________________________________
"Between stimulus and response, there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom."
~Viktor Frankl

39 shops $1,600. 95% comissions 5% reimbursements. Not a great month for me.

Both Jan & Feb were sucky but then I've been more discriminating particularly since the price of gas went up. I won't do any shops for less than $15. There are a lot of shops on the boards for less than that and people are snapping them up so I figure they really need them more than I do, perhaps.

too many people focus on the few "big" msc's out there. Their good to use to fill routes in with bonused shops, but no one should use them as their main msc's.

It's the smaller "botique" msc's that usually only have one or two clients where the real money usually is, plus usually better attention to service where you are not treated as just a number.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2013 04:42PM by CAscotch.

scotch: You average $80/per shop?? Please share your magic.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2013 04:42PM by CAscotch.

shopgal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Worst February I've had since I started mystery
> shopping.

Me too. 26 shops. I usually average 40. I'm thinking the reasons for my decline are:
-bad weather
-illness
-Chicken Littles snatched up many jobs
-I'm getting pickier about what jobs I'll do
-Out of rotation for certain jobs

We'll see. I have a very busy next few days. I have a few shops that could end up in February but may bet pushed to March depending on whether I can reach my targets today.

I'll close the month with a new record for me, but I have one more run to make tomorrow to do it. I'll close at $467 in fees, $35 in gas/bonuses, and about $100 in reimbursements, $18 of which were useful to me (I count a meal as worth $2, $4 if it's Five Guys, $10 for casual dining). I usually do about $450 in a month.

I have four merchandising gigs tomorrow, a Five Guys, and paying back the last payday loan. I'll be checking today to see if there's anything else I can add to the route since I'm driving 200 miles roundtrip to do it. But either way, a new record for me. 30 jobs, which is about normal for me for a month.

And this was a short month. And I wasn't TRYING to MS much this month. Lots of local stuff with no gas outlay for me.

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I pray it does not occur that the last thing I did before I died was vacuum the house or eat broccoli.

Phoebe70 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 26 shops. I usually average 40. I'm
> thinking the reasons for my decline are:
> -illness
> -Chicken Littles snatched up many jobs
> -I'm getting pickier about what jobs I'll do
> -Out of rotation for certain jobs

Probably the same reasons for my own decline. Last year I did 67 assignments in February, and about the same the year before that. This year it's only 43, which is pretty damned depressing.

On the upside, I already have 18 scheduled for March. I am so hoping next month will be an improvement.

83 video shops (78 retail, 5 new home) on a 5,250 mile route through eight states: GA, FL, AL - then NM, TX, AZ, UT, CO.

Before travel and hotel reimbursements, about $6,450.00.

I'm pretty happy, but a little homesick. I have been traveling 23 of the last 27 days. And March is looking busier.

The real money, if this is what you care about, IS in the small boutique firms that hire shoppers for long long video routes.

The project I'm on now is handled by 3 F/T video shoppers. I'm the newest one and am doing the least right now.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2013 06:18PM by ColoKate63.

techman01 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> too many people focus on the few "big" msc's out
> there. Their good to use to fill routes in with
> bonused shops, but no one should use them as their
> main msc's.
>
> It's the smaller "botique" msc's that usually only
> have one or two clients where the real money
> usually is, plus usually better attention to
> service where you are not treated as just a
> number.

This.

February was my best month mystery shopping in my 6 months of being a secret shopper. I was really pleased with the bonus pay for shops at the end of the month — it helped a lot. March really took off, especially the first 2 weeks, so I am optimistic.

For me February was my 2nd best month ever since I started in late 2010. I was only about $10 short of my previous record, and I had most of it in the first 17 days. I was able to make $998 in fees, an additional $164 in what I consider useful reimbursements (groceries, oil change, farm store stuff for my dogs), and an additional $259 in additional reimbursements.

I missed two really nicely-bonused shops that was my fault for not seeing the e-mail & applying in time... and then I couldn't apply for another two really high-bonused shops because I was out of rotation. Which really kills me, btw!!! Could've had an all-time record month if I'd been just a little bit more on-the-ball.

Then there was one really nicely bonused shop that I got, but then before I went, I got an email saying that they had accidentally over-booked shops and didn't need the one I had been assigned to be done anymore. *sigh*. Aaand, one more shop I just couldn't take because I was already booked up with shops, and my only free afternoon I had to take one of my doggies to the vet.

Practitioner of the Nerdly Arts.

I did much better this month due to booking several bonused shops. Normally I don't see or get offered those so I'm happy. So basicly, I worked less and made the same amount of money.

I'm in the $200 range.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2013 08:44PM by hudge95.

Lower then normal BUT I didn't feel like looking and doing much!

About $400 this month. It's about double what I did in January, but I did a few apartment shops this month.

Silver certified with a PV-500
Shopping Michigan and beyond

Not as good as January, but I'm still pleased. My final total is $638.76 in fees plus $48.59 in worthwhile reimbursements. Thanks again to all the great posters on here for helping me learn this business! This is turning into a fun & lucrative side job for me.

I'm not too happy with my February. Though I was able to spend time with my family that came in from out of town, I missed out on a lot of the Mardi Gras/Super Bowl bonused money that was floating around in New Orleans. Oh well. I guess some money is better than none. March, look out, because I'm going to make it a record month.

Little lady shopping Southern Louisiana & Mississippi.

I added three more shops and totaled out really close to $1,000.

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.

$3016.65 plus $225.43 reimbursements across 124 assignments. About 25% was from one long road trip. Well, long for me - 700 miles or so.

That is absolutely awesome, pcs!

Practitioner of the Nerdly Arts.

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