@ChrisCooper wrote:
You're definitely on the right track with signing up with more and more MSCs. There are plenty of posts on this forum of folks making $1,000+ per month. Many folks on here do this as a living and profitably. Have you taken a look at the New Mystery Shoppers section (link is at the bottom of every page)? Read through there and some of the other "pinned" posts for specific experiences from shoppers. I do this PT, so I can't speak from experience, but if you're willing, the work is there to be done. Make friends with the schedulers :-)
@bgriffin wrote:
What do you consider a living wage? I do this full time and live comfortably. I also live in a low cost of living area. I could not afford to live in manhattan.
Edit to add:
Thank you for asking the question in this way. Many people with the same quesrions tend to ask how much we make instead of is it possible.
@LisaSTL wrote:
You may need to adjust your thinking when it comes to how much you need. "Full time" is a misnomer when it comes to this business. Nobody can count on 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year and there is no such thing as paid vacation, sick leave or benefits. Instead you need to look at your expenses, both business and personal, to set some monthly and yearly goals. Don't forget to include taxes and ongoing expenses for things like training, travel and equipment you may want to invest in to increase your income.
The best thing you can do now is continue to add new companies while monitoring what is generally available. As you look at shops keep in mind rotations that will limit your future earnings. For instance, over a few months you see 100 apartment shops through Ellis that could earn you $3,500 to $6,000. While the potential of $1,100 to $2,000 a month will be great, you will not be able to complete those shops again for 18 months.
@JASFLALMT wrote:
You might also want to look into merchandising. That's something else that you can do part time that pays much better than minimum wage (in most cases). I do both and it works quite well for me.
@SteveSoCal wrote:
You also have to consider the rule of declining returns when you double or triple your current workload.
@JASFLALMT wrote:
chicks, there is a merchandising section on this forum. Acosta and Advantage are two well-known companies that start out paying around $10.25+ an hour (as an employee) for part-time work and you might be able to start out higher if you have retail experience. There are many more companies such as SPAR, Focus on Service, etc. There is a website called World Alliance where you can register your profile and companies will contact you. I think they also have a job board where you can look for jobs in your area. I do a lot of grocery store resets because I really enjoy that in particular and they generally are an all day thing when they occur, but many merchandisers make shorter store visits to pharmacies for project work such as setting up displays, POP, and other tasks.