Hi everyone!
Just wanted to share my shopping experiences with those of you out there that are new. I have been mystery shopping on and off for the last 3 years. Lately, I have been doing it more frequently than in the past. I am signed up with more companies than I can count. However, most of the work I do comes from about five select companies, as their pay rate is higher and they provide the most of the type of assignments I like to do. I prefer to do property/apartment/hotel shops. They require a little longer narratives, but it general only takes about 1-2 hours time commitment overall to complete the jobs and they pay 2 to 3 times as much as other jobs, so I end up making about $10 to $20 an hour. I am very selective, so I don't generally do any shops that pay less than $10. When I started in the business I obtained the free list from volition.com which provided a description of the types of shops and the area where most companies had assignments. It was tedious to fill out all the forms, but it gave me enough companies to work with to learn the business and decide what type of shops I preferred to do. Now I primarily do assignments for EPMS, shop n chek, About Face, Corporate Research International and Shoppers Critique. If I want a free meal or need an item from another type of retailer, I go to my list and do a search for those types of shops. Most of the other companies I am signed up with will send me emails on a regular basis of what assignments are available in my area. I usually receive the highest ratings with the companies I work with, so they will call me when they have an emergency assignment or need an experienced shopper. GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!

Your situation sounds great. I really believe it depends on where you live and far you are willing to drive. With gas prices today, I'm not driving far from my home. I have registered with dozens of companies. Most of which do not have anything close to my house. Its very frustrating, because I love mystery shopping so much. I don't have much of a choice, so I basically take whatever jobs I find. My favorites are the bank assignments, movie theaters, and anything where there is a food reimbursement.

Yes the companies email me constantly about jobs but they are over 10 miles away if not further. Plus I've done some of the same exact jobs over and over and over again. There is a rotation issue also.

But, I think its awesome. I would give anything to do this full time. The small amount that I've made since April is going for my daughters future school bills. Every little bit helps.

Good Luck.

I am fairly new at mystery shopping only about 3 months for me but i really enjoy it I am signed up with about 3dozen companies so far but most of my assignments are for 3 companies so far. I did one for csi but don`t think i will do any more for a while . they are so picky about spelling and punctuation and so forth makes me feel like a school girl again. they dont pay all that much either for the amount of work you have to put into it. i had heard they are a really good company but so far I dont see it.I like gapbusters because the pay twice monthly and they are very prompt with the pay.