I agree there are reasons for taking some lower paying shops. I disagree with the term greedy and the story you used to illustrate greed in comparison to mystery shopping. Your story was about fraud. Brian's idea was for small business owners to value their time and hold out for pay that is commensurate with the work involved. The expectation of adequate compensation for goods or services cannot be defined as greed.

I don't necessarily feel client and MSCs are greedy, after all we are all trying to make a profit. However, the term greedy could be more closely associated with them when they continue to lower fees and expect more work while the cost of living for the independent contractor is going up. Why would they be more deserving of a higher profit margin?

I have to say that I expect to be paid decently for my time, but I don't expect $25 shop fee for a shop that takes 10 minutes. Yesterday I was taking my husband out to a show. Directly across the street was a pretzel trailer and I found a shop there that offered $8 with $5 reimbursement for a pretzel. The shop itself takes 30 seconds and report is literally about 8 minutes. I was able to have my husband wait in the car while I shopped and then we walked across the street to the show and had a free snack while we were there. Because I was shopping at this location I was able to deduct my gas for the trip as well so the shop was definately worth my while though it was fairly low pay.

I do try to not take the lower paying jobs. But sometimes it just makes sense. The other day I had an errand 35 miles away. I took 3 jobs (3-5 minutes each in store) that paid $6 ea on the way to and from my errand. The $18 paid for the gas, the mileage became deductible, and 3 family members got a free candy bar. Win-win.

There's a difference between a $5-$8 job and a $5 job that has a nice reimbursement to it.

$8 cell phone job is not equal to a $8 fee & $10 reimbursement grocery store job.

I'd agree to not take a $5-$8 job. Complete waste of time. You'd be better off clipping coupons at home to save on your grocery bill.

I have taken low paying (simple, fast and easy) shops that can be grouped together. Three or four shops completed in one hour can equal 15.00 to 20.00 tax free money plus reimbursement is a blessing, to this former career woman that is now a stay at home Mom. A positive can do mind set will do wonders in this industry!

@OhioSerendipity wrote:

I have taken low paying (simple, fast and easy) shops that can be grouped together. Three or four shops completed in one hour can equal 15.00 to 20.00 tax free money plus reimbursement is a blessing, to this former career woman that is now a stay at home Mom. A positive can do mind set will do wonders in this industry!

Tax free or pre-tax?

I am always learning from you, the other shoppers! Huzzah!

Recently I learned that one aspect of profiting in this business involves the interface between my my unalterable schedule and the shops' unalterable schedules, aka due dates.

If I must go somewhere, I must. There may or may not be shops that I can do on the given date or in the designated place. If I can do any shops, I will. I have learned to take whatever jobs suit me to/at/from where I must go. Sometimes the very same job pays considerably more or less depending upon the shop's unalterable schedule aka its due date which may be soon or have passed or be weeks away.

Am I worth considerably more or less based upon the variable payments for the same job?

Is anyone?

Of course not.

I simply have the occasional opportunity to earn extra money to pay for my events. As luck, skill, and timing improve, I get more money AND education AND enjoyment from my shopping experiences.


Another thing I have learned is that each shopper is unique. Each shopper is willing and able and available in his or her own way for these jobs. Each shopper has an individual level of confidence in his or her ability to perform certain assignments and some learn in different ways and at different paces. Some need nurturance while others need their freedom and independence. It's all good-- as long as we let it be good for all of us.

I took a bunch (about five) of $3 to $5 supermarket loyalty signage audits for a gas station chain, when I could make a decent "mini-route" out of them. I justified it by saying it beat the hell out of sitting around the house getting paid $0. At least once I was able to combine one or more of those with a higher paying shop, which was even better.

I also will take the 5-8 dollar shop that is on the phone app if I am already in the area. These phone apps usually pay within 48 hours and the reports are very easy. I can then take the money I get and front the money for a shop to pay for dinner the next day or some gas for my car.

Good Luck to you mate



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2015 05:18PM by Xzodx.

"… is another man's treasure." Back in the day, when I was single and had a 70-mile each way commute, I would look for a quick shop to do each day. $5-7 and a coffee, one or two a day, was like gold because it was a wee bit extra to help with the cost of the commute. Sometimes I would get foxy and pick up ten c-stores in a city I wanted to visit on a Saturday, and pick up two weeks' worth of the energy drinks I liked so well. The reports were a cinch, and the fees did not exceed the mileage to get there.

I like doing a bunch of phone shops. Especially when I am sick or can not leave the house. I can knock them out in no time and still have the rest of the day. If you can knock out four or five in a hour for a couple of hours that is not so bad or the lower paying ones 10 in a hour.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2015 05:15PM by Xzodx.

I laughed out loud at the thought of getting buzzed on an ACL shop. They cap your drinks to the extent that I come home and pour a drink to clear my head and start writing the report. I won't go to bed till the report is done. Then I can sleep in.

To wake up in the morning and have a report waiting for me is no way to start the morning. I am *NOT* a morning person. Once I finish the report, I can pour another drink and know it's behind me.

Everyone has a different perspective on how they view the work flow process.

Scanman, I was nervous! It was my first dinner shop. I slammed down a good sized very dry martini up on an empty stomach, at the bar, before the teensy appetizer came out. Had another one with dinner, which took 45 minutes to be delivered. Then drank my partners glass of red wine. Most of my friends say I can drink them under the table ~ not that night! Glad you got a laugh tho ;~)

I will take shops that pay $5 and $8 sometimes. It all depends on where I am and what I'm doing. If I'm already going to be someplace where one of these $5 shops are, what's the harm in taking it? I'm already there and most of the time these shops tend to be fairly easy. It's an easy $5 that also sometimes has a food reimbursement.

Plus, new shoppers have to be able to build a reputation and these types of shops make it easy to do. I started my mystery shopping "career" with $3, $5 and $8 shops. When you do a good job and are conscientious, those shops lead to higher paying shops.

Now, while I won't get in the car and drive long distances for a single $5 shop, I will still take them if they make sense for me.

If building a route, those lower paying shops can make a difference in the day's income.

The shops are ok, but I hate a long repetative reports. Over and over again asking the same thing and wanting me to say it in another way. I have only been doing this for 5 months, I keep hoping I will get better and Much faster at the reports to make it worth it. Not sure that is going to happen. Maybe there is a secret that I haven't found out yet.

I do understand what he is saying, because us as Shoppers do a great deal of work. We have to do reports that include other things and all our reports has to be graded if it is not written properly we are not getting paid. So I believe a shopper should be getting better pay but if we continue to accept those low payments instead seeing a increase in shop payment there will always be a decrease. We shoppers are professional people and love what we do so we should be reward for our work.

If you like movie shops, maybe you'd like Traler Checking. They pay significantly more than $5.00 and sometimes involve watching movies, sometimes just checking previews or advertising.

why not....sometimes its for experience or its just cause.......lol....but I do wait for the $15 bonus to be added by the end of the month.....hehehe

When I was new I took four dollar shops, I learn how to write a good narrative, and I was able to build a reputation with the company. Unfortunately, the company was sold and now they seem to want everyone to work for four dollars all of the time and I just can't do that.

If you are going to complain about these shops, then just stop doing them. For the whiners and complainers why in the world are doing mystery shops anyhow?

I needed a bag of Wint O Green Lifesavers desperately in the boonies if NH so I took a $7.00 shop and self assigned in their parking lot.

@parkcitybrian What do you care on who and why folks take the $5-$8 shops? I actually started in the business taking $5 to learn more on how to follow guidelines, how to write a report, what time frame to expect compensation, etc. I thought that it was a good way to learn the business. And you know what? I'll still take the $5 shops if I deem it worth my time and energy to do so.

I find that as a newbie to mystery shopping, these shops help me to learn and to build my confidence. I was recently called by a scheduler and asked to do a Lowe's shop which I hate. After I hesitated, she offered a bonus and asked what it would take for me to do the shop. Not knowing I could do this, I meekly responded "five dollars?" She said hold on she would have to get it approved and a minute later told me that yes it was approved for double the fee. Double the fee? I only asked for five. Lesson learned. I also did a shop that paid ten dollars, and later on picked up two more that paid forty dollars each, they were all at the same company, but the last two were from a different scheduler. Another lesson learned! You have to crawl before you can walk!

@Sybil2 wrote:

They always laugh when I say that they would not want to edit my buzzed report.

You mean like this: "I dwank 4 martinis then the waitwress called us to our tab-ble and we orderrred stake and shwimp. It wuz goo-oood...but now I have a bad heada-ke from the booooze."

There is (in most areas) a surplus of shoppers and potential shoppers. Rates are dropping because so many people want to Mystery Shop. Also more and more companies are using receipt surveys/other means to measure customer feedback. The MS C don't need to pay anymore because if Shopper A won't take it then at least one of Shopper B-Z will. It is somewhat sad but very true. Also experience can count but it won't get you a better rate--There are 3 companies I have been shopping for since the early 90's..I make the same rate for a job as someone who wasn't born yet when I started shopping for the company That can be hard for me to think about. There used to be a lot more recognition programs/shopper rewards but those seem to be going away

My car has never had it so good this spring. It has been getting regular car washes to get rid of all the winter salt on the roads as the snow melts in Wisconsin. I've gotten three car washes free with a $6 fee over the last two weeks and each time my car was really dirty. I take the jobs I can get!

To do a shop paying $8 I would have to be passing the location on some other kind of business and it would have to be the simplest shop in the world. I Draw the line at $10, and usually don't take one that pays that little.