Throughout this forum I see people talking about how cheap the MSC's have become, how the fees have dropped and so on, but the question should be why!

I have noticed through the years that more and more people are getting into this adventure, and as I am sure some of you will agree, this has both positive and negative results as a whole.

IMHO one of the biggest negatives seems to be the fact that people are willing more and more to take shops for free meals only, or next to no pay. Because of this fact, what incentive do the MSC's have in offering more compensation? "Why pay $20 for a shop if I can offer $6,00 and usually not have a problem getting shops done"?

Of course I have also seen the posts from people stating how desperate some MSC's become when the end of the month comes and no one has taken their shops, so a $6 shop gets a $14-$30+ bonus added to entice us to take these shops. Do you think the MSC's are losing money adding these bonuses? 99% of the time the answer is NO!

A $6.00 shop that turns into a $20+ shop still makes the company money, just not as much.

As long as we are willing to do this work for next to nothing, the MSC's will continue to drop rates and it is only us shoppers to blame for that.

I got into doing MS'ing because I wanted to make a difference, it sure was not because of the money. Yes the money makes it worthwhile (or at least used to) because I need to feel I am being compensated for the work I do, but there has to be a point where it is just not worth it. By the time you take into account the cost to travel (yes usually minimal but still a consideration), the amount of time it takes to get to and from the location, the amount of time you must spend to complete the shop and the amount of time to enter your report (which seems to be longer and longer as of late) what is the final value of your shop? $1.00 an hour?

All the years I have been doing MS'ing I do believe I have helped to make a difference, proof of that is in changes I witness myself in a lot of the places I have shopped. That does give me great satisfaction in knowing I actually made a difference for the better. Unfortunately as of late I am taking less shops and will be at the point I will just stop because I am getting tired of being treated like the MSC's are doing me a favor by allowing me to shop for them and not valuing my work enough to show it.

For the record, the lowest shop rating I have ever received was an 8, and that was because of "an issue with an image" I submitted which as usual I was never able to find out what the issue was. My shops are mostly 10's and 9's, I do take great pride in the work I perform.

What are your thoughts?

Being so new to this, I'm obviously not qualified to comment on any actual changes in the industry - I can only surmise what happened. However, I can say that when I signed up it was with my eyes open. I had a clear goal of what my "hourly wage" should be per job, and how many hours I wanted to spend MSing. I also wasn't surprised by the low fees. There is no vetting process when signing up. MSCs can't tell if you're a flake or superstar, so they keep their risk low with low paying shop fees. And I'm sure that the introduction of technology helped to changed the industry. It became cheaper to conduct business (no more long distance calling, paper, postage, etc.). It also allowed for a lot more people to have access to MSing - both superstars and flakes.

On a slightly different angle, as a newbie I would LOVE to know how the MS process worked prior to technology (and I'm in my 40's so I do remember life before electronics. LOL). How did one get assignments? Was the wait time to be paid longer because of snail mailing or faxing reports? How did communication about issues on the job happen when we didn't have smart phones and were locked to a land line (anyone remember payphones)? How difficult was it to plan routes without GPS and Google Maps? When I was searching the forum one day someone referenced a thread from the summer in which long time shoppers talked about "the good old days" of MSing. I have tried to find it, to no avail.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2015 02:46PM by KimRod.

Hello Sandman,
I am not sure what kind of a response you are looking for because I am a new shopper, and I am selective of the shops I take. All industries are looking for ways to cut cost, and new shoppers are one of the ways they can do that. I do not take shops for food, but I would if it was a restaurant I liked going to, or I could get a free pizza to feed my family for dinner. I just did a Hardee's shop that paid $10 and a sandwich combo, that I barely ate. However, I was doing another shop in that town, so why not add to my income for the day. I think, mystery shoppers have been an old breed, and the new shoppers are coming in. College kids and housewives trying to make a few extra dollars. So, people need to realize it is happening in every industry. At least, there aren't people from India taking the jobs. I see that quite often looking for work on line.

Hi Sandman. You have to remember that mystery shopping is a very fluid industry. Fees can stay low because shoppers will take them. Why? Because some don't have a reference to the higher fees; some will work for food; and some like the fillers. Not everyone does it as a career.

I'm with KimRod: being in my 40s, I'd also like to know how mystery shopping was accomplished before technology was in every household.

The fee structure drops can be traced to the economic issues few a few years back. When a lot of people were out of work, they were willing to take shops for just about anything, and free food was a way to get by.

When I started, purchase/returns were a rare thing and you often got to keep a lot of the clothing from retail shops. Fees were higher and that $$ went further. I don't think that shoppers can do that much to influence the fees, but if the economy had some boom years and unemployment hits some new lows, MSCs will be forced to raise prices to stay in business, and the clients will be less worried about spending $$ on shops.

As far as the $20 shop goes, the MSC probably looses money on that, but makes it up by completing the entire contract for the client.

I think some other shoppers can probably speak better regarding the 'good old days', but I learned about MSing when my mother took me on shops as a kid. I would help her to type up the reports using carbon paper and mail them in. I think most of the scheduling was done by phone, then.

Hey Sandman,

I don't usually like taking shops with such measly pay or no fee in additional to reimbursement, unless it's something I really like.

Do you think that the proliferation of free online reviews like Yelp could be affecting the low pay? Maybe more people know about msing now too? Just some theories.

I think a lot of what you see is that a shop comes onto the market at $X with $Y reimbursement and over the years X may decline while Y tends to go up. About 10 years ago I was doing a shop for $X with a $Y reimbursement that these days is $X-1 with $Y reimbursement. The shop has not gotten simpler than when I first did it, though for a while when it was still at $X it got significantly more intensive. The real issue is that the $Y reimbursement does not buy nearly what it bought 10 years ago and the basic $X is worth a lot less because the price of gas, insurance and maintenance has gone up. I have seen only one company that raised the fee on a shop without increasing the requirements--but that just means they don't have to get to much higher negotiated bonuses because the base rate now appears reasonable.

The client is the one stuck in the rut here. I suspect many MSPs are still reluctant to push for more for themselves or for shoppers because the economy is still not thriving.

So I find other shops that pay better that haven't become long time staples where the price has drifted lower and then the value been hauled lower by inflation.

The same arguments about avoiding reimbursement only shops have been made since the first day I found a forum more than a decade ago. There even is/was a group anxious to have you 'sign the pledge' that you would accept no shop that had a fee of less than $5. This forum every once in a while has somebody pop up with the notion we should form a union to 'force' companies to pay more. Meanwhile, as someone pointed out in another thread, more and more shoppers are being solicited by Market Force through receipt advertising. So the revolving door keeps turning and only a small percentage of those who shop ever find a forum.

I agree with a lot of the things everyone has said. I did not mean to sound so cynical. I am 55, and I just got a college degree. The new media technology has enabled crowdsourcing where bits and pieces of jobs are being done for very small fees. There is a new group of younger executives that have new ideas and are most likely applying them to mystery shopping. Flash made a good point that companies want more services for the same pay. Plus, the price of groceries and going out to eat is getting outrageous. Ten years ago, you probably could have gone out to eat for $10-$20 less, and that would be part of your shop fee. Where, now you get the meal and $5.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/2015 11:44PM by breestjon.

I am making a lot more MS'ing money now than I did 10 years ago. I am also working for different companies, different clients and higher pay than I did 10 years ago.

What you are talking about us unilateral. Commissioned sales associates are working harder and longer, against more difficult commission structures. Salaried employees are getting less hours, while companies contribute less towards benefits. Insurance companies are covering less and charging more.

If I ran a MSC I'd do my best to find the least I have to pay while maintaining a level of quality.

People like me that are making less than years past, there are many of us, are willing to leverage our time to make up some of the difference. Now that it's easy to find out about MSing, more of us are participating. The misnomer that Mystery Shopping is just a scam is gone, there is the MSPA and places like Sassie. I'm sure the seniors here on the forum can track it's related growth.

@breestjon, you make a good point, however, if you look more at the food shops, not FF but sit down types, they are paying only for a meal and you are told what you have to order as a minimum, and although it looks like it is decent reimbursement (ie: up to $40 reimbursement), when you look at the places these are offered, if you went alone and only ordered the required items you meal would not even be covered. Some also require you to take someone with you for that same fee. So unless you are planning on going to said place anyway, all you really get for your work is a discounted meal.

I know, before you jump out at me, for a lot of people this is OK and fine with you/them. And I have no issue with this, it is just not my type of shop at this point.

Only on very rare occasions do I find there is there not adequate reimbursement for two people while ordering all required items on a reimbursement only shop where two persons are required. Most frequently even after the tip at whatever required level we still have not exceeded the reimbursement. So I really don't know who you are shopping for, Sandman. ACL had one shop within the past year or so in my market that did not completely cover. The stack of them I do monthly we almost always spend a couple of bucks under the maximum reimbursement. Spies in Disguise used to cost us a buck or two, but it paid a $5 fee. Service With Style generally covers and it pays a $5 fee. I'm thinking my way through companies we have done and where they pay a fee they are more likely not to completely cover the requirements. Of course we aren't ordering the most expensive on the menu, but we aren't reduced to buying off the kid or Senior menu either in order to stay within budget.

@isaiah58, I fully agree with you about running an MSC (or ANY business for that matter) it is good business to pay low and make more. However, if I am a brick and mortar store, I can not hire someone for $6.00 an hour in the USA unless I break the law! Why are there laws for that? I would bet you $100 if it were legal, and a company like McDonald's decided to hire people for $2.00 an hour, people would take the job.

So just because something is smart from a business standpoint (cheap labor), does not make it a great thing. These same companies that can't beat the labor laws are doing what, taking their production to other countries that are paying their staff rates that have never been seen in the USA before. If you are not aware of what these people are paid, you should look into it you would be amazed. I do not see out prices going down even though these companies are cutting their labor expenses sometimes by 50%, to them this is "Good Business".

Again I will not give my opinion on overseas outsourcing, I will leave that to each of you, but at the end of the day, as an Independent Contractor there are no regulations or guidelines or laws on pay, that is up to us what we are willing to accept.

If they dropped the minimum wage laws in the USA, yes, every company will take advantage of it (Good business, right), so then where would that leave you? Of course you do not have to work for that company, that is your choice, but it every company does that... Welcome to MS'ing

I still love doing it, and always will, but just figured this was a good place to give my 2 cents worth (or is that 1 cent due to inflation?)

@Flash, I love it, the kids or seniors menu

The current shops in my area are higher end joints, in casino's or high end restaurants. And they have a requirement for 1 or two specific items, plus alcohol.

For the heck of it I went to the restaurants website and looked at their menu for pricing, and the required items cost much more than the compensation was and you would also have to bring a friend.

Just to be a little funny here, Groupon as example is a place a lot of businesses go to in order to offer discounts, sometimes up to 50% off a specific dollar amount. So you buy a $20 credit for $10, wow great, but then you notice you have to be a party of 2 minimum and can only use 1 discount, and you must order at least $40 worth of food to use the certificate. At the end of the day the real deal is at best...25% off your bill, but for the restaurant they are generating a lot of business they would not have had for only $10.

It is just mindset, but in some ways these types of shops are the same exact thing, the MSC's are generating additional business for these places. Just like Groupon, except now you have to do your report.

Waiters make below minimum wage, if traffic and/or tips are bad, they work for below minimum wage. Now, if they received free food on top of their pay plan they would be happier. Working for reimbursement is a choice, not a requirement.

By the way, anyone see the new Arby's shops?

@Sandman1048 wrote:

@breestjon, you make a good point, however, if you look more at the food shops, not FF but sit down types, they are paying only for a meal and you are told what you have to order as a minimum, and although it looks like it is decent reimbursement (ie: up to $40 reimbursement), when you look at the places these are offered, if you went alone and only ordered the required items you meal would not even be covered. Some also require you to take someone with you for that same fee. So unless you are planning on going to said place anyway, all you really get for your work is a discounted meal.

I perform fine dining shops so I am getting reimbursed a lot more than $40.00. In most cases, the reimbursement covers all of the required food and alcohol requirements along with tax, tip and valet. I tend to be a heavy tipper if I receive excellent service so at times I will go over the alloted amount but that is by choice. Some FD shops pay a shopper's fee along with the reimbursement. If I just wanted a discounted meal, I would buy a Groupon or Living Social deal and not have to write a report.

Too bad you aren't in my area to leave shops behind. I find that they work quite well for me. No out of pocket and usually enough in the doggie bag at least for lunch the next day or frequently another dinner for two. If I was losing money at it I sure wouldn't be doing it.

I would estimate that 90% of the dining shops I do pay some sort of fee. I take the remainder because they are convenient, or easy, or I was planning to eat at the restaurant anyway.

I don't recall any shops NOT offering a fee when I started out, though. I think ACL may have set the groundwork for that and others followed.

When I was a rookie, I used to do a lot of fine dining shops and I don't remember seeing reimbursement shops only. Nowadays, many of them are reimbursement shops only or even 50% reimbursement only.

I've found that dining shops generally cover the meal, no matter if it's a reimbursement/fee or reimbursement only. If I am required to have another person go with me, then I expect a reasonable reimbursement for both.

Dining shops not withstanding, the business model of each individual shopper is what has to meet the requirements of their particular area and likes/dislikes. I have been shopping just over a year. 3/4 of the shops I do are bonused. I don't do fine dining, or hotels. I will pick up a FF if it's well bonused and in an area I"m going to be shopping anyway. That usually covers my real lunch with a bit left over. That doesn't happen often. BUT I have more work than I can do.
If your business model is outdated, start looking for new and different shops. Find out if there are companies in your area your not signed up with. Forget about the good old days and start having fun again. Do things you've never done before.
And, good luck!

I have evolved from
'omgwthitthhhiiiiisssss?!?!?'

to

'I like this. I need to try more shops. I also need to hibernate. I should do more shops before the annual blizzards so that I can afford to replenish my art supplies. Maybe I will create a masterpiece whilst snow piles higher around me.'

Seriously, I still like this business. I add new types of shops and repeat some old ones. I love bonuses but will work without them. As stated elsewhere, I rearranged my world to reduce my need for revenue from this business. This reduction spares me from some of the potential risks associated with shopping.


This business is both egocentric and objective. We all work it as only we can and, somehow, we gather objective data for consideration.

@Sybil2 wrote:

I am making a lot more MS'ing money now than I did 10 years ago. I am also working for different companies, different clients and higher pay than I did 10 years ago.

I, too, am making more money overall than I did a decade ago. While there are a few shops that have gone the way of the ACL shops, most of mine have actually increased. I understand the OP's concern, however, and sympathize.

I wonder how many shoppers are dependent upon this business and how many can take it or leave it...

I am one of those 'take it or leave it' shoppers. I don't even know how long I've been doing this. Maybe 25 years off and on? I guess that makes me an old timer. I remember doing post office shops for 10 dollars each, eating at Chilis with folks for a 40 dollar reimbursement and many others. The checks would all come via the mail, before paypal days. I remember sending in my audits via snail mail. I did discover the companies via the internet. I think companies average out each job so that even a 20 dollar payment averaged over thousands of jobs is worth completing the requirements of the contract.

With technology, companies are able to solicit feedback from customers quickly.

I think I discovered mystery shopping during my Point N Click/Freeride days. Ahhh, those were the days. No shopping, just clicking and you got free stuff!

RobinMarie, I miss Chili's!


MSCs, as every other business, has to deal with attrition, flunks and flakes. New shoppers are necessary to keep business afloat. As new shoppers gain experience they realize their worth.

Reimbursement only shops. Really have to be worth it. I don't mean going to a restaurant and ordering from the mid to bottom of the menu, being required to take pictures, and report a novella.

Oil change, car washes, dry cleaning, carpet cleaning, grocery shops . . . love em. A penny saved is a penny earned.

Fee only, with no out of pocket shops - wireless, banking, housing, automotive, insurance, home stores, credit cards, donations . . . yes, when carefully screened.

Sandman1048 - I think 2 cents now costs a nickel. ;-)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2015 06:27PM by charlene4047.

charlene4047, You are so right, BUT, it may cost a nickle but it is only worth a penny

Hi Sandman1048,

The economy is stable now and not where we were years ago. Governmental employees and beneficiaries (such as Social Security Retirement) do not receive high Cost of Living Adjustments. For specific people in certain groups this may not be true. Consider my sister was a graphic artist during the early and mid 90's. She made $300 to $1,000 a job. The job usually was a couple of hours. Computers came along in the mainstream and specialization occurred. For common graphic arts projects employees did the work. I have seen many do it yourself make your own catalog or flyer people in business. Think of all the templates in publishing programs and word processing. On the other side of the equation are computer people. If you speak to a computer person it created more opportunity for more money. Graphic artists are not computer programmers. Computer programmers specialized into becoming web designers and similar type jobs. Essentially the same thing happened with mystery shopping.

Another factor nobody considers is that with the access to the internet and access to the population who uses it. In the 90's mystery shoppers were far and few. Now people can work a few hours a day, week, month or year. Many people want to work part time. There are college students, homemakers, disabled, retired, graduating high school, veterans and so many other fine groups not considered before the internet. There is real competition out there.

I do not understand how people think saying shops are low paying will work in deterring the competition. Some people normally are customers of the businesses they mystery shop. If they are paid to eat it is a good deal. They just have to give their opinion. In the end they improve a company they already like to do better. Nobody ever considers the motivation of other people. There is a mystery shopper who does elite type jobs at hotels and fine men's clothing and such. I bet he does not rake in the bucks but certainly saves many thousands and lives an elaborate lifestyle. What if you are poor, retired and/or disabled? You can layout money for reimbursement. Money saved is money earned. Retired people are in no rush but do need to budget their resources.

Have a nice weekend. Good luck in your endeavors.