Introducing Friends to Mystery Shopping
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Mystery shopping is not for everyone. Many people are simply not attracted to mystery shopping. Of those who try it, few last more than a couple of months or even a couple of mystery shops. I personally don't try to introduce people to mystery shopping because I don't need the competition. None of my friends and few family members know that I mystery shop.
It's better to not let many people know what you are doing if they live in your area. I feel the same way as roflwofl, I don't need the competition.
I mentioned it to my daughter for a nice dinner, she said no thanks, having to do a report after takes away the fun. Working full time she needs her time to herself, remember scheduling and building a relationship takes time. I have one friend here that loves getting perks and wanted it for her daughter who is a teacher and off all summer. I actually gave her Market Force's name (who I don't work for), and she thought the fees were too low.
Definitely not for everyone and most don't realize the work that goes into it if you want to make money.
Being a shopper, it works for me,,,,just part-time, and I don't really talk about it outside of inviting one friend to join me for dinner, she doesn't care about doing it, just enjoys her meal, drives and pays the tip.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2017 03:55PM by Irene_L.A..
Definitely not for everyone and most don't realize the work that goes into it if you want to make money.
Being a shopper, it works for me,,,,just part-time, and I don't really talk about it outside of inviting one friend to join me for dinner, she doesn't care about doing it, just enjoys her meal, drives and pays the tip.
Live consciously....
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2017 03:55PM by Irene_L.A..
shhhh. It's a secret!! I do not need people I know accidently blowing my cover, nor do I need the competition. It is called secret shopping for a reason.
MSPA Gold Certified 2003
I work full-time and shop to supplement our income because my husband is out of work (he won't mystery shop). My co-worker decided to do it to get some play money. She stumbled on one of my companies and took a price audit job I had done the past couple weeks (she snagged it first). She did this job two more times because I did a huge price audit for the same store both those times. Once I took that weekly job back and the scheduler asked if I wanted it automatically scheduled to me (heck yeah), my co-worker got mad. She acts as though I stole it from her even though I was doing it before she got into the game. I just ignore her when she makes snide comments. I'm shopping to live, not to play.
A lot of my friends and family know. I am proud of the small business that I have built. In hindsight, I wish I knew how to be quiet. I just get tired of talking about it to my wife... she is supportive, but doesn’t necessarily enjoy my stories.
A couple of close friends expressed a lot of interest. Neither has followed through on it after months of asking about it.
A couple of close friends expressed a lot of interest. Neither has followed through on it after months of asking about it.
Only my spouse and close friends (out of the area) know that I mystery shop. This is only a part time "fill in" gig for me. It allows us a few more meals out a week and trims our monthly expenses. ONCE IN A WHILE, we'll get the juicy $300 shops or all day amusement park shops and that's fine with me. I don't want to spend anymore time on it than I already do.
You know what??? You guys are sooo right. Who needs the competition. At first I thought it was selfish to think that way. I guess my friends lack of interest is good for me. Besides, I don't think I made it sound very appealing to them when I described all the steps in performing a successful shop.
Mystery shopping is a business with a finite amount of assignments. OTOH, "side hustles" like Uber have unlimited opportunities. Think like the guy who cuts your lawn or a painter. Neither recruits friends, i.e. competition, then gives them the tools to get started. And I promise neither of them feels the least bit guilty or selfish.
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
Some of my closest friends know what I do. At the same time, I know that some of the projects I put myself through will be something my friends wouldn’t dare to touch, whether it be the work aspect, the self-training one has to go through to obtain your own work as self-employed, the ‘go-getting’ attitude needed to be profitable in the business, etc.
Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
Only my parents, my husband and my sister know about it. My parents have come on a few assignments with me and they like it! They have no interest in doing it themselves, but they think it’s cool that I do and always ask where ill be shopping this week LOL. My sister and husband think it’s a little strange although they will come along occasionally to a dining shop. My parents are proud that I hustle in a good way, ha!
I have tried and most want to know about it but when they realize that there is work involved, they lose their interest....
Too many times to count. I can't even begin to say how many hours I wasted helping people who said they wanted to do this but never followed thru and did it. They love the thought of doing it - but not the work that comes with it. To them being a MS is doing something at some high end or exotic location/shop - when reality is far different. Or at least at the start until you establish yourself to a MSC. NOW: NO MORE! If someone says they wanna MS I tell them to sign up for MF and after they have done 5 shops to get back to me and I will give them many more to sign up with. Wanna guess how many people have signed up for MF, done 5 shops and gotten back to me for more? I think we know the answer! ............and like others - I am not real crazy about having more people in my area fight for the same shops I want.
@SoCalDude wrote:
Too many times to count. I can't even begin to say how many hours I wasted helping people who said they wanted to do this but never followed thru and did it. They love the thought of doing it - but not the work that comes with it. To them being a MS is doing something at some high end or exotic location/shop - when reality is far different. Or at least at the start until you establish yourself to a MSC. NOW: NO MORE! If someone says they wanna MS I tell them to sign up for MF and after they have done 5 shops to get back to me and I will give them many more to sign up with. Wanna guess how many people have signed up for MF, done 5 shops and gotten back to me for more? I think we know the answer! ............and like others - I am not real crazy about having more people in my area fight for the same shops I want.
Was that before or after they started low balling the shops because they lost their cash cow?
I give anyone who is interested Market Force's website. No one ever follows through. 
@2stepps wrote:
@SoCalDude wrote:
Too many times to count. I can't even begin to say how many hours I wasted helping people who said they wanted to do this but never followed thru and did it. They love the thought of doing it - but not the work that comes with it. To them being a MS is doing something at some high end or exotic location/shop - when reality is far different. Or at least at the start until you establish yourself to a MSC. NOW: NO MORE! If someone says they wanna MS I tell them to sign up for MF and after they have done 5 shops to get back to me and I will give them many more to sign up with. Wanna guess how many people have signed up for MF, done 5 shops and gotten back to me for more? I think we know the answer! ............and like others - I am not real crazy about having more people in my area fight for the same shops I want.
Was that before or after they started low balling the shops because they lost their cash cow?
Both. I give them the MF site and have them sign up because if they are unwilling to do a MF shop - knowing how short and easy they are - having them go to a place like CI or A-C-L is a waste of time because they'd never do that. Like the poster above me - it is a waste of time. My nephew is in his teens. He and his friends know what I do. One day one of the friends says he wants to MS. I say OK and give him the MF site. I wrote it down on a piece of paper and had it to him. He eventually leaves. A few hours later I have to go do something. I walk out to my car and find the same slip of paper with the MF site - laying on the ground. The friend dropped it. He never contacted me to get the site address again and the few times I have seen him since he has never mentioned it. People like him are the exact reason I do what I do - give people the MF site and once they do 5 I'll help more - knowing they never will and so the amount of time I wasted on them is seconds not minutes or hours.
So funny you guys say this about Marketforce! I have only told 1 friend what I do because she was down on her luck financially and wanted help and she isn’t in my area. I told her about the Marketforce site and not to let me know when she gets a few shops done and if she likes it I’d give her some more companies. She never brought it up again and never asked me again either! It seems like a lot of us have the same idea lol
The place we get our Business mail sent is like Mail Boxes, Etc, kind of place but it is a Hallmark card store. There are many people who work there and because I have been going there forever I know them all and they know me and know I MS. I have brought them too many Little Caesars pizzas to count because I didn't want them. There are some females there who just turned 21. I have told them MSC are BEGGING people their age to MS and do Alcohol and/or Tobacco ID checks. I tell them they can make more doing a 5-minute ID check shop than they can working 1 hour at the job they are at now. I tell them if they want to do it let me know and I'll give them the sites to sign up for. 5+ years later - still waiting for the 1st one. Seriously. My nephew turns 21 next Xmas-ish time and I am going to push him to do it so he can make easy money and not have to flip burgers or the like.
Very True!
The key to feeling like your "winning" in Mystery Shopping is planning. For example, a lot of the shops I perform on a regular basis are along the route to my regular job. So, after work I pop into the store, perform the mystery shop, and then head home. This one particular shop takes 30 minutes and it pays pretty good, now double that pay to get an hourly rate. I've just made more in 30 minutes than I make in an hour at my full time job. Plus, I like waking up in the morning and getting those PP notifications that I have received a nice chunk of change from performing multiple shops within the same time frame.
The key to feeling like your "winning" in Mystery Shopping is planning. For example, a lot of the shops I perform on a regular basis are along the route to my regular job. So, after work I pop into the store, perform the mystery shop, and then head home. This one particular shop takes 30 minutes and it pays pretty good, now double that pay to get an hourly rate. I've just made more in 30 minutes than I make in an hour at my full time job. Plus, I like waking up in the morning and getting those PP notifications that I have received a nice chunk of change from performing multiple shops within the same time frame.
Most of my friends wouldn't be great candidates for mystery shopping. One of them doesn't have the greatest writing skills (and has a good job so I don't think she needs to supplement her income), another close friend has a tendency to be late to everything so she would likely try to shop outside the specified time frame. If I did try to get them into mystery shopping I would be setting them up for failure.
They both have other skills that are not my strong suits. We each have our own strengths and not everyone is cut out for mystery shopping.
They both have other skills that are not my strong suits. We each have our own strengths and not everyone is cut out for mystery shopping.
@sensei wrote:
Most of my friends wouldn't be great candidates for mystery shopping. One of them doesn't have the greatest writing skills (and has a good job so I don't think she needs to supplement her income), another close friend has a tendency to be late to everything so she would likely try to shop outside the specified time frame. If I did try to get them into mystery shopping I would be setting them up for failure.
They both have other skills that are not my strong suits. We each have our own strengths and not everyone is cut out for mystery shopping.
I agree! Definitely not for everyone! I joked with my husband he should pick up some shops to bring in a little extra cash... he was like yeah right I don’t want to do that I hate shopping unless I have to lol. Also him and I both knkw his spelling and writing skills are terrible so he would really struggle. He served in the military and patience is not his strong suit so for all those reasons MS is definitely not for him!
Like your husband, I happen to hate shopping unless I either have to or someone is paying me to do it. OTOH, I like money.
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
Oh boy yeah I just had a friend ask me how to get started doing this. She has 2 little ones 2 and under and a husband who is away in the Navy. First thing she wants to know is where to find the ones that pay $50. LOL I'm like, uhhh you don't especially with zero experience and no you can't take babies along with you (for the most part at least). I will send her to MF but I think she will end up never checking it out. It's ok with me though, she lives in my city and I don't need the competition.
Basically same experience they all interested till you know they find out its work.
Now I am not saying that it isn't work but come on for the most part it is easy work. I wish I were young enough for the compliance shops easiest money ever.
Now I am not saying that it isn't work but come on for the most part it is easy work. I wish I were young enough for the compliance shops easiest money ever.
Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.
I'm about to age out of compliance. Bummer too because they often get up to $50 or more in my area! I have spotted a few that allow up to age 30, though. I'm going to be 29 so I might still find an occasional one on the boards.
MegglesKat
I have been working at this now for about 6 months; the first four months I just worked for one company--pay was low but I was able to group a bunch of shops together at one time, so they added up. I've now branched out and work for about 8 different companies--nice having more variety. I don't want to recommend this idea to friends in my area. I live in a rural area and there isn't all that much available to begin with; I don't need more competition!
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