@bgriffin wrote:

Driving 45 miles to a job that pays $15 and hour for 8 hours is fine.
Driving 45 miles to a shop that pays $15 is not fine.

Oh yes, I understand this. So far I have not had to go that far and apartment shops paid enough to be worth the trip. For example, this week I did a shop that was a half hour away. It paid $75. Took and hour and a half to shop and complete survey.

Now I just need to add a few more shops while I am already a half hour away.

@ShopperSavvy Not sure of your exact location, but I used to live about an hour from Boston as well, in southern NH. I did not shop full time and pulled in an average of $1800 a month (not including reimbursements). I averaged 82 shops a month.There are major bonuses available if you are willing to go to rural towns. I made at least a third of that shopping banks and credit unions (no outlay). I regularly worked for 15 companies when I lived in NH, although I was/am signed up with over 100.

@nhgirl1970 wrote:

@ShopperSavvy Not sure of your exact location, but I used to live about an hour from Boston as well, in southern NH. I did not shop full time and pulled in an average of $1800 a month (not including reimbursements). I averaged 82 shops a month.There are major bonuses available if you are willing to go to rural towns. I made at least a third of that shopping banks and credit unions (no outlay). I regularly worked for 15 companies when I lived in NH, although I was/am signed up with over 100.

That's exactly where I am. I can shop Nashua, Manchester, Salem and northern MA. Boston eventually.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2018 06:55PM by ShopperSavvy.

@ShopperSavvy wrote:

For example, this week I did a shop that was a half hour away. It paid $75. Took and hour and a half to shop and complete survey.

Now I just need to add a few more shops while I am already a half hour away.

So let's say this shop was round trip 50 miles. You have to take into account your cost of getting there. You might think it was "worth it" but depending on your car that 50 miles cost you somewhere between $10 and $25. Let's split the difference and call that $15 because it makes the math easy. That means your net on that shop was $60. Now let's take another $5 off that for your portion of FICA that an employer would pay. Now your profit on that shop is down to $55. It took you 30 minutes each way plus an hour and a half to do the shop. That's 2.5 hours of work, or $22 per hour. Sounds great right? You would have to do this 2.5x a day every day in order to equate to a full time job at $15. And that would leave no time for finding shops, reading guidelines, and keeping up with paperwork.

I know $20 an hour sounds good, but you can't make a living, even compared to a $15 an hour job, billing only $20 an hour for your work. We all have different requirements but my target is $60 an hour in income. I don't always get it and my average is lower, but that's my target. That does not mean my revenue is $120,000 a year. When being self employed there are so many unbillable hours and there is only so much work you can do that pays well enough.

A mortgage (or rental), car payment, and health insurance will put you over 20K without any other expenses. Self employment tax is over 15%. The best way to make it is to travel. That might prove hard for a marriage and/or children at home. When you are single and all the kids have grown your options increase. If I traveled as often as some do I think I would live in an RV. No point in having three bedrooms and a yard if you are on the road more than home. It is a non traditional lifestyle. You have to try it to find out if you want to do it long term. Sometimes something in between part time and full time with frequent traveling will work better.

@ShopperSavvy I would suggest adding Hooksett/Concord to your travels if you can. It is less traffic than traveling into Massachusetts and just as lucrative, if not more so.

Shoppers are unique, and shopping is not formulaic. Here are a few ideas about the real you that might influence work decisions that you make. How old are you, and how much well-paid work is available/denied to you because of your age? How much rest do you need, and when do you need it? What personal interests can you accommodate in addition to your shops? Are your trips only work, work, and more work, or do you sometimes enjoy personal activities in addition to your shops?

answers, not more questions, plz

You could put some numbers in a hat, shake it up, and pull one out and be just as close as any of us.. but it really depends on the area, your travel, the fees, and so on.

Set aside at least 15% of all your earnings just in case to take the bite out of taxes. I'm guessing mileage will bring you down on your taxes, but when you're combined with a spouse it could go up drastically.

My last three years were all over the place depending on me.
1) $3,500
2) 34,800
3) $9800

of course, for most of that time, I had a job but I did get laid off the better part of a year last year so I shopped full time. I learned quite a few lessons about balance after separating because I was working too much and being gone from home too often. It wasn't just trust that was an issue -- but 90 hour weeks are not healthy.... We're all good now and I pick up 0-10 shops a week on the way to and from my regular 9-5.

Best thing to do is get into a groove. If you're jobless, at home, and stuck -- make sure you set up spreadsheets to track everything from mileage (also get a mileage book) to expenses and tolls, and all shop receipts, etc. If you were to sign up with 2 companies per day, after a couple or four months, you'd be signed up with pretty much every big name mystery shop company and mystery shop or retail app there is and could see from there what is in your area, how often, what it pays, etc.

Seriously, set aside 15% and don't think of it as cash payments. And if your tax liability gets jerked way down due to mileage, then woohoo I went negative one year on mileage... actually, 2 years since I didn't include some of the early years working where I was all gungho over $5 fees and $12 in free groceries 10xs a week.

Browse these threads and scoop up all you can. Oh, and be prepared that there can be misinformation and cranky humans behind some of these keyboards.

G'luck!

PS it's more fun with a glass o' wine in your hand.

She likely doesn't know the answers to those questions yet because she hasn't been shopping long enough to make those determinations. And those values can change in the span of a couple of years anyway.

Hey, I resemble that remark. Except for the misinformation. Everyone knows that I know everything (smirk)

@MountainCacher88 wrote:

Oh, and be prepared that there can be misinformation and cranky humans behind some of these keyboards.

Bonus money can be where it's at, too if a company is in need at the end of the month or quarter. \m/ I had a call about doing blue banks... there are six near me within a 45 minute drive of each other.

"How much would you need to get these done by months end?" ... I didn't really want to shop so I said I'd need at least a $75 bonus on each one.

Well, guess who got the shop fee + $75 each bank -_- "oh, awesome, I'll set it up for you to finish by XYZ date"

so for $84.50 a bank, I started around 10 AM and ended just after 4 PM with reports and all. Nice little $500+ day and the reports were 10 minutes each, tops. Rare, yes, but awesome when it happens that way. Usually, it's more like... Breakfast at this joint for $15, lunch at another spot for $12, Furniture shop on the way home for $15 for a big ole $42 day... and no miles but on the way to-from the regular work route.

And those are pearls of wisdom from a youngster who doesn't think she knows it all but she sure knows a lot :O)...she is not a typical millennial.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

She likely doesn't know the answers to those questions yet because she hasn't been shopping long enough to make those determinations. And those values can change in the span of a couple of years anyway.

Are you suggesting that the OP, who is an adult and has raised a child, does not know how old they are, how much rest they need, and whether they have any interests outside of mystery shopping or not?

@OP: We are not always so disagreeable. Sometimes, after food and drink, they are downright companionable. Those are good times. Good times. I believe in you. You know how to figure out a lot of this stuff by yourself. If you can raise a kid without an owner's manual, you can develop a mystery shopping adventure or career without one. The point is for you to ask and answer the relevant questions that will guide you to your avocation or full-on mystery shopping career. We are not here to predetermine or or proclaim how you shall think about anything or what your shop choices must be. We can only share from our wildly divergent experiences, which stem from our wildly divergent personalities.

Oh good lord. At least SEA isn't asking questions again.

Is she still talking in circles and using a lot of words to say nothing?

Yes

@OP: see how easy it is to push their buttons? You, of course, will not be so easily manipulated when performing your assignments. You will not cave to flattery or other attempts to provoke certain responses. Good for you!

I was (not so much now, bummer) getting a ton of car maintenance shops that really helped offset wear and tear. That's something to keep an eye out for. When a shop pays for any thing like oil change and tire rotation, a tire, a set of brake pads, fluids, top-offs, state inspections, etc. those are excellent ways to knock off some of your bills and routines -- plus, it makes the $0.545 a little better than it already is. Find shops that can pay for your household items and it's icing on the cake. I love getting groceries, toiletries, stamps, free post on my eBay and Etsy sales, stocking stuffers, gas, and on and on with shops. And of course, you can always set your parameters to what you will take. I don't like to get lunch for a $4 fee, but if the hubby is working long hours, I might go grab it and surprise him with a meal. Maybe I saved $12 on the lunch+ the $4 fee. Same with pizza... don't usually want to deal with pizza for $5 but if it's a weekend and there's beer to be drank, I may go ahead and do that and knock it out in my spare time just for the treat of the usual $18 cost with delivery.

That's something else Mystery Shopping can help with.. if you're spending mystery shop reimbursements on things you'd usually spend your spouses pay check on, you'll likely notice an uptick in funds that can be allocated elsewhere. With me shopping, we noticed we could put more towards car payments because... for some crazy reason, we both decided it'd be a good idea to get into that kind of debt. I only have 11 more payments Wahoooooo. He has about 70 more. 0_o



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/2018 02:35PM by MountainCacher88.

I envy you people who live in areas of dense settlement on the East and West coasts, where you can drive through half a dozen large population areas in a single day. I'm in the Austin area, and I can pick up jobs in San Antonio now and then when there are enough worth doing on a weekend day. There are a few small towns around us, but like Austin and San Antonio they must be heavily shopped by other people in the area since I rarely see any with decent bonuses. Beyond that, I could be driving for 3+ hours before I even reach a town worth visiting (Houston) and all the other little towns closer than that never have more than one or two shops to do in a day and even those are rare to find with decent bonuses or "make an offer".

For the most part, though, I shop just for a few extra bucks in my retirement account at the end of the month so that I can get out of the full time job in about 15 years instead of 20+. I'm cracking about $400 a month from fees on average, but I mostly stick to shops where I don't have to interact with other people too much more than normal. Being a severely shy person makes it hard to do the shops where you have to pretend to be buying things and they want you to hold a long conversation with a sales person.

Shopguy, if you're holding down a "real" job and making an extra $400 from shops, you're doing great!

I love Austin. My stepdaughter lives there. What a fun city! I have family all over Texas. My nephew lives San Marcos. My brother is in Houston and my cousins are in Beaumont and San Antonio...Texas does have a lot to offer and there's something nice about the wide open spaces. Don't envy us too much...

I love Austin in too. I'm there at least twice a year. Lots of money to be made there as well, not sure what the problem is.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/2018 06:51PM by bgriffin.

Mystery shopper me: Hi, can you help me? I've been having trouble with my laptop and I think it's time to get a new one. Can you tell me about these? I think renting one may be the way to go for now... oh yes, please tell me more.

Real me: NO I DONT NEED HELP!!!! GET THE ASFASDF AWAY FROM ME. I just want to look at all these things in private and not be nagged by you -_- I want to stand here and silently read the back of every box, text my husband pictures, and leave the store without you speaking to me. I also want to use a self-checkout machine because... also, I don't want you speaking to me.

griff, I think someone putting in 40 hours or possibly more and then managing to make an extra $400 a month is doing pretty darned good. I don't know how many shops I would get done if I had a regular job...probably not very many.

@MountainCacher88 wrote:

Mystery shopper me: Hi, can you help me? I've been having trouble with my laptop and I think it's time to get a new one. Can you tell me about these? I think renting one may be the way to go for now... oh yes, please tell me more.

Real me: NO I DONT NEED HELP!!!! GET THE ASFASDF AWAY FROM ME. I just want to look at all these things in private and not be nagged by you -_- I want to stand here and silently read the back of every box, text my husband pictures, and leave the store without you speaking to me. I also want to use a self-checkout machine because... also, I don't want you speaking to me.

MountainCacher88 is my spirit animal.

My main reason for wanting to do this is to NOT have to work with the same people day in and day out.

"The people" - Sybil

I don't care how feisty you all choose to get. Fight among yourselves while I go pop my corn. BRB.

Did I miss something? Where was the fight?

@MountainCacher88 wrote:

Bonus money can be where it's at, too if a company is in need at the end of the month or quarter. \m/ I had a call about doing blue banks... there are six near me within a 45 minute drive of each other.

"How much would you need to get these done by months end?" ... I didn't really want to shop so I said I'd need at least a $75 bonus on each one.

Well, guess who got the shop fee + $75 each bank -_- "oh, awesome, I'll set it up for you to finish by XYZ date"

so for $84.50 a bank, I started around 10 AM and ended just after 4 PM with reports and all. Nice little $500+ day and the reports were 10 minutes each, tops. Rare, yes, but awesome when it happens that way. Usually, it's more like... Breakfast at this joint for $15, lunch at another spot for $12, Furniture shop on the way home for $15 for a big ole $42 day... and no miles but on the way to-from the regular work route.

I wish I had some of that generosity. That company called me for just one of those banks a few days ago and wouldn’t even say yes to a $5 bonus!!!

I haven't said anything, just enjoying the banter, but location does play a big part in making money. My city is a non bonus (for the better part), I do many reimbursements and don't do routes, so that leaves me out of BGriff 's big bucks. I wish I could get 75 for an Apt., around here its a cool 35.00. I work for food, better than standing on a corner, just kidding. Restaurants, food, oil changes, a hotel and a bit of retail (upscale darlin) add a bit of cash and fills the bill for me. Since I summed it up, rural and routes seem to make the bucks...your welcome. My advice would be: dig in sign up and do the work, no need to ask, work hard and with a little luck that $300,000+ BGiff talks about is duable......

...in about 4-5 years time (more if it was me). If griff makes $300,000 a year than he is going to be my new sugar daddy.