Helping friends become shoppers

How far would you go to help a good friend become a shopper knowing that they could compete with you for shops in your area?

I have a friend that has asked, but I don't see him going to the lengths I have to develop a business.

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I have had several friends and relatives ask me. Once I explained how much is involved none of them followed through.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

I HAD a friend that used to pick my brain, and finally said she'd like her daughter to do this during the summer, she's a teacher and knew I get "freebies". She would ask me questions every morning,even when I told her over and over I can't discuss details. I finally got fed up, and gave her daughter the name of Market Force who I don't shop for. Guess what, she doesn't shop, pay was too low. Why would I want her to get my restaurants.
Everyone thinks it's easy peasy, wrong.

Live consciously....

Everyone wants to know and thinks its easy. Almost no one wants to put in the work to do it successfully. I refer people to this forum if they are interested. There is more than enough info on here for anyone willing to put the time and effort into it to become a successful shopper.

on a side note you could always give them the fun and easy jobs the schedulers beg us to take.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

Before leaving my last city, I was feeding my friends pizza all the time for lunch. They all wanted to do it too. I told them the report and pictures weren't so bad and they totally should. I have schedulers calling me monthly trying to get me to do those locations but they are several hours away. The bonuses are bigger than what I get where I live now. I have told my friends to get on it and they all say they want to think about it, blah blah blah. They were all there to eat the free pizza, but no one wants to do the work.

Doing what I can to enhance the life of my family! I LOVE what I do

I refer them here and suggest they start registering at the hundreds of MS company sites. Emphasize the word "hundreds!"

My daughter's friend's mother expressed an interest in mystery shopping. As she had 3 young children, I knew she would not be able to truly compete with my shops, so I gave her the name of one msc. Then I find out that she passed that info on to her father, who was retired and had all the time in the world to mystery shop. I learned a lesson: if someone in my area expresses interest, they need to do their homework like I did. I'm not helping anyone out with info anymore.

I don't tell anybody in my town about my mystery shopping. I don't want them taking my shops. I have a grocery shop that I do all the time. I was out of rotation and a scheduler called me and said, "Dang, we can't get any shoppers in your town." I get the shops with bonuses! I'm not giving them any referrals

A friend helped me get started, but she lived in a different state. I tried to help a friend (again, in a different state) get started as she was begging for odd jobs because her fridge went out. She did one job and never again, to my knowledge. I spent hours online with her walking her through forms and stuff. It's my belief that it takes a certain type of person to be a shopper. I only have one friend who knows i'm a shopper and she is successful in her own field, I doubt she has any interest. I try not to tell anyone, for the most part. I don't want to create competition for myself and I don't want to go to all the trouble of helping them get started, for them just to drop it.

I tell anyone who asks that I don't need the competition. The very few that I did tell them how to start, scared them away! Most people my age don't know how to upload, download, open a Pay Pal account, checking accounts, set-up schedules, etc.

Little Red Hen syndrome

I never even mention mystery shopping to friends!

I love how people think mystery shopping is so easy and fun. It's not. It's a lot of work. My BFF is the only one besides my family that knows I do this, and she thinks it's cool that I get free food and products. She's expressed an interest before but knowing her, she would take one look at a report and quit. She wants the free stuff without the work!

@Jk1nole wrote:

How far would you go to help a good friend become a shopper knowing that they could compete with you for shops in your area?

I have a friend that has asked, but I don't see him going to the lengths I have to develop a business.

yeah my uncle SAID he wanted to earn money, but he never got off the couch.. same w/my sister and best friend. I'm not helping them out b/c they are all adults and have chosen not to try.. i no longer can afford helping out my 'friends' and 'families.'

When asked how easy is it? I always respond with 'Did you like writing essays in high school?', that's my job.'.

That question normally shuts them down. If that doesn't work, I ask 'do you get employee reviews every 90 days?' Guess what I'm up for a review for every shop, every day..

Oh and then I tell them it really is work. Want work? Show up and write reports. You're sick, tough tea bags. Get in the car and do it.

Do I live up to my ideals 24/7, NO! But I try to give it my best.

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning; the devil shudders...And yells OH #%*+! SHE'S AWAKE!

I give anyone who is interested the resources they would need to start this job. I don't see other people as competition. Besides, if you help people out, they will help you in return. There is enough work for everyone.

I mentored a friend. She successfully shopped for a couple years. She lives 2 hours from me, so really not competition. But I had a a scheduler call me and we worked out a route that took me to my friends' town.

I told her I was coming over to visit (on a MS'ing route). Her response really upset me: stay out of MY territory!

The kicker: she had done the route the month before, and was out of rotation. She couldn't have done them even if she wanted to!

She later apologized -- but that didn't take away the way I felt when she was so nasty about my route.

I think it's also important to share that you can be owed upwards of several $1000 at a time in awaiting reimbursements. I was approached by a friend of a friend who wanted to know more. I was honest with her and explained the work and money it takes to get started. No one I know ever wants to MS for the $10 retail visits which of course take no real money to pull off. Everyone wants hotels, upscale dining, large reimbursement shops... the "fun" stuff. So I told her what it takes and also why I do it and that it is worth it to me. It's not worth it to everyone though and she changed her mind about it quickly. I really wasn't trying to scare her, I just felt it was important to be totally honest.

Doing what I can to enhance the life of my family! I LOVE what I do

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2017 04:58AM by ShopSouthTexas.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

I HAD a friend that used to pick my brain, and finally said she'd like her daughter to do this during the summer, she's a teacher and knew I get "freebies". She would ask me questions every morning,even when I told her over and over I can't discuss details. I finally got fed up, and gave her daughter the name of Market Force who I don't shop for. Guess what, she doesn't shop, pay was too low. Why would I want her to get my restaurants.
Everyone thinks it's easy peasy, wrong.

I'm with you on this one. I gave a relative information about a company that I thought she could work for who would help out with formula costs... she said she wasn't interested and gave the companies information to another friend of hers who has been mystery shopping. AARGH.

Now, on another note, I have another first cousin who is so very driven. She had a baby the year she was supposed to start her masters. She is now a stay at home momma and I have helped her tremendously in knowing who to sign up with. She lives over 6 hours from me so no competition necessarily

She does great and is excited to earn $50 a week or so extra to help with whatever she wants and to get out the house. She picks up gigs she can take her son on with her. Plus, she gets some extra social interaction!

I've stopped telling anyone I mystery shop. I always tell them I do audits, on-site inspections, and photography on site when necessary.

MegglesKat

I told one person, once, because she talked to me about it first. I was out of state at the time. I would never, ever tell anyone in my own territory! I would help someone outside of my territory but I rarely see merchandisers outside of my area that are congenial. No one in my family would be interested. I moved to where I live now two years ago and haven't made friends that I hang out with except ladies activities like a majong club and a roller blading team. I had a friend and semi-business partner in Hawaii and we would trade work and do the two person shops together; I miss her. I'll hopefully be moving soon again, as soon as my house sells, and I will move to a much better area and have plenty friends and hopefully a mystery shopping team-mate! I can't wait!

I had told a few relatives such as my mom and (step) dad, my maternal grandparents, and my spouse but I don't speak about it to anyone else and if someone knew I used to, I just say it was too much to handle and got too tedious for the pay. I let on like I was better off working extra hours at a 9-5.

MegglesKat

I helped a friend sign up for her and her teenager to do some compliance shops-- my daughter is aging out of them, and I figured why not? Especially as there was virtually no $$ pit out or anything. She now does some kiddie attractions that I've put her onto as well, and I'm glad they can enjoy some extra activities.
Anyone else who has ever asked me anything about shopping hasn't taken even the next step needed to do it. I think my shops are pretty safe.

Kona Kathie

With exception of two friends that I have taken on a dining shop with me, I don't tell anyone that I MS. One was interested and said "Send me the info for the company." So I did. No follow-up. I think she wanted me to do everything for her, as silly as that may seem, lol. I no longer take friends with me, too much blah, blah, blah when I'm trying to concentrate. I now only go with DH and if he can't go, I don't go; we do fine dining and casual dining for date nights. He's much more in tune to what I have to do, helps me and doesn't make any faux pas. I truly can't see any of my friends being successful at MS.

If someone says "send me the info," they are doomed as a shopper.

I think there are a lot of unrealistic expectations. I have helped 3 people with information but none of them wanted to do the work for the pay, which I totally understand. One friend kept insisting that I should be making $1000/week instead of $1000/month. Maybe that would be possible if I could clone myself and be able to transport instantly to shops.

@teriraia wrote:

One friend kept insisting that I should be making $1000/week instead of $1000/month. Maybe that would be possible if I could clone myself and be able to transport instantly to shops.

When you find that special person who makes $1000 a week Mystery Shopping let me know. I would love to have a nice long chat to find out how. I do really good as a full time shopper and don't come close to that.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

I live in a big city where there is little bonus money so I am not worried about the competition for that. Also the minimum wage for an employee job is pretty high here so mystery shopping would not appeal to most people I know. But they do ask and I tell them about this site and also suggest MF like Irene does. I do work for MF but if I missed earning the $5 pay on one of their shops I infrequently do I would not mind. So far there is only one friend who is actually following through but she only does one type of shop which is the one I recommended to her. She loves them and thanks me every month when she gets her reimbursement and fees payment. After over a year she still thanks me constantly. I don't mind that she may have taken one or two shops I might have taken as she makes up for that in her sincere friendship and also her dire need for the extra money which I am fortunate not to have. Another friend told me about mystery shopping so I am passing it forward. That friend stopped long ago but now that she is retired I am suggesting to her to get back into it. There are so many available low level shops around here I do not mind.

@BuffaloNY101 wrote:

When you find that special person who makes $1000 a week Mystery Shopping let me know. I would love to have a nice long chat to find out how. I do really good as a full time shopper and don't come close to that.

Travel. Special projects. Good relationships. Smart planning.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

My motto is:" Keep the mystery in mystery shopping." Only two people know what I do, my mom and my bf. I don't even tell my dad because he has a big mouth. My mom and the bf are my guests on my high-end dining and hotel shops so I had to train them so I could put them to work.

^ Definitely the way to go because people will look up companies and shops and try to get them. Even if a person signs up with just 5 companies, and steals your Arbys shops, Big lots, and Subaru dealerships there goes ya income.

MegglesKat

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