@ShopperSavvy
Some of your other questions...

Routes and filling out reports: I do not go anywhere without my laptop, cell phone and video equipment. I use my cell phone for navigation, taking quick pictures, and audio recording any shop that I can. This allows me to do more shops in a day without being worried about forgetting important details. I always build in down time during my routes as I want to be able to deal with bad traffic or anything else that gets thrown my way - such as a desperate scheduler calling with a highly bonused shop nearby. When I get that down time, I find a coffee shop, fast food place, etc. to sit down, review guidelines, memorize phone numbers and write reports. If I can't find somewhere with WiFi access, I use my phone as a hot spot. I generally have several reports to finish when I get home.

Car Maintenance and Gas: If you have a reliable vehicle with good gas mileage (I get 26-31 mpg), most of your maintenance consists of oil changes. You should never have to pay for an oil change. I was paid $40 this week (plus reimbursement) to one on video. I don't mind doing this every three months - or two months.... You might also be able to find shops for other service needs. One company has been offering enough money to service Cadillacs that I thought about finding a colleague with one and asking if I could borrow his/her car for the sake of getting its oil changed. (I've seen service shops specific to GM, Ford, Chrysler, Mercedes, Subaru and a couple of others.) As for gas, there are billions of gas station shops. Unless bonused, they do not pay well. However, they are quick. I will sometimes pick up a cheap gas station shop on a route. I know I'll need gas anyhow, so I simply shop one. I might pay $30 to fill my tank, but the shop will pay $6 and reimburse another $5. After all is said and done, I spend an extra 5-10 minutes on my route for effectively knocking $11 off my gas expenses. Of course, if said gas station has a bonus attached to it.... I have had a few of routes with 5-6 gas stations on which I got reimbursed for all the gas I purchased an returned with more gas in my tank than when I left.

The key to routes is planning. I do not commit to a route unless I have enough shops to make it worth my while. Most often, for me, this starts by picking up a high paying shop ($75+) and adding shops of $30 or more along the way. Aside from the occasional gas station, I rarely do shops for less than $30. The exception would be if I am already shopping at a location and a $20 shop is located in the same parking lot. As I commit to my route, I list out all my destinations with any time constraints they might have. I then establish the order in which I would like to do them, generally starting with the furthest one from home. I'll usually leave for the route an hour or two before I need to be at my first stop so as to avoid heavy traffic and give me time to sit with some coffee near that first location while I review details - such as shop guidelines, addresses or phone numbers I might need to memorize, etc. I also like to check my email at this time to see if there are any schedulers suddenly offering bonuses along the route that day.

As you read, you'll find that there is a lot to learn from how some folks on this forum organize themselves. I've only been doing this for a couple of years, but can honestly say that the knowledge I've gained from folks such as @walesmaven, @bgriffin, @LisaSTL, @roflwofl, and a couple of others has been extremely valuable. I have certainly put my own personality into my work, but the underlying truths learned from experienced folks are at the foundation of my business.

Audit Ace,
The people who are doing 5 shops a day, 5 days a week, are not taking very many shops as low as $20 unless they are the type that can be done 10 in a day!

I have to ask:
With how many companies have you signed up? About 5 to get my sea legs for now. I don't want to overwhelm myself at first.
How far are you willing to drive? Currently I go up to 45 minutes depending on the pay. I have been aiming for $20 per hour but I am happy to hear you are doubling that lately.
Do you live in a rural area? I am lucky to live between 3 cities. One is 10 minutes away and the other 2 are only a half hour. Additionally, I'm only an hour from Boston, where I would love to do a hotel shop.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2018 04:25PM by ShopperSavvy.

Signing up for more companies will not overwhelm you. You only take as much work as you want. You have to keep in mind that any MSC can suddenly lose their client and you won't know if another MSC picked them up unless you are signed up with them as well. Tackle about 2 or 3 MSC applications a day and you will be through the list in no time at all. Plus, you can build routes that way and pick up shops for different MSCs that are only a couple of miles from each other. I do little day routes where I drive about 20 miles and can do 5-10 shops of varying time length in an afternoon and make $100. I like to leave around 1 p.m. and be home by 5 to cook dinner, though depending on time specific shop requirements sometimes it's a morning route instead.

I am signed up with about 100 companies. I add a couple of companies any time I am bored and think I should be earning money - or if I hear about a company that might have something great to offer. I keep pretty busy, so I don't tend to sign up with more than or or two new companies every two or three weeks. In the month of March, I did work for twelve different companies - 32 total shops (not including whatever I might add tomorrow.

If I have a full day I can set aside for shopping, I'll drive 250 or 300 miles from home - if the price is right. I live in the Seattle area, but many of my routes take me through some very rural areas - these areas sometimes have shops with very happy bonuses. I did one such shop with a $150 bonus last weekend. High bonuses tend to come from working very well for a company over a period of time. There are two or three companies for which I have done quite a bit of work who call me when folks flake on shops and leave schedulers and project managers in a dire position. They know that if I agree to do a shop, it will get done and they will not need to ask for additional information. For example, I was contacted yesterday to complete three $35 shops with $50 bonuses on each. I will do one of these shops after work each of the next three work days (They are M-F only). All three are about five miles from my house.

You should be able to find PLENTY of work in your area.

OK, I hear what you all are saying about signing up for more companies. I will take the time to do that this weekend. I'm sure that once I am signed up I will see if they have much to offer in my area and I will be able to narrow it down.

Routes. I need to make routes. I will take this one day at a time until I feel confident I can do 2-3 days and then work my way up.

Banks and parking are both jobs I have never done but after reading here I see that I need to do more research on them.

I can't do hotels more than once a month or so but I really want to do them so I will look into that. Any kind soul with advice can PM me. I'm in New England.

I think I'd be good at videos. The apartment company offers some so I could give it a try. They don't pay much for the job but they lend you the equipment so I could give it a go. (Are you using your own equipment?)

Sounds like I should get a small laptop instead of a tablet. I liked the idea of the tablet because I can pull over on the side of the road. However, everybody has wifi these days so I can pretty much go anywhere and get my work done. Plus, a keyboard is useful.

This thread has been helpful. I wasn't really sure what I was asking when I asked. I wasn't looking for a number so much as "is this worth my time?" I guess.

Thanks for all the help. I read it all and took it all in.

Oh, and am I crazy to think this way...

I WILL keep all of my car records and miles for tax reasons.
However, I think a fair commute to work is 45 minutes. So I do not consider (mentally, I guess) anything under an hour and a half of driving to be putting above average wear and tear on my car. I'd do that for a 9-5 anyway, likely making less per hour.

Most people doing video are using their own equipment, but sounds like a great way to "cut your teeth" by borrowing the equipment for the apartment shops. That way you can decide if it's for you before spending the money on equipment. I think since you live close to cities, parking shops in downtown areas where you can walk around on foot and do other shops is a good way to go (especially since warmer weather is on the way). A laptop will always be better when you have shops that require narrative. Typing a lot on a tablet sounds like a PITA. I do hotels for a treat for me and hubby. Some MSCs who do hotels require a LOT of detail and they can be time consuming, but it's fun. I probably only do those about 4 times a year, other shoppers who do long distance routes do hotel shops that don't require a ton of detail and work around the hotel area. If you live near 3 cities you can probably do small routes close to home and not put much wear and tear on your vehicle. You can make this whatever you want it to be, it just takes time and effort getting yourself there.

I'm glad this was helpful.

You probably want to decide what your objective is. For instance, I am looking to make money, so I avoid perfectly good shops that are primarily reimbursements - such as fine dining and hotels. Some folks are looking to do "stuff" that they might not otherwise be able to do, so they go to fancy restaurants and high-end hotels. You'll also want to try a variety of shops to find out where you are most comfortable, what you do (and don't!) like, etc. I don't mind writing, so I gravitate towards shops that require narratives as they are often accompanied by better compensation. Other folks hate writing reports, and will avoid narratives in favor of doing more quick shops.

If you want to maximize earnings, apartments, banks, and (sometimes) car dealerships or casinos tend to offer nice returns. Video is where the best money is. However, you likely want to make sure that this is for you before you invest $300-$400 in the equipment required. Some companies will loan you equipment as you start experimenting with video shops.

I would be very happy to make $600 per week. That's what I would make if I worked 40 hours at $15, which is what I would make through a temp agency or as an admin assistant. That way I can feel good about myself, how I spend my time and what I bring into the household.

You can do that - especially if you get into apartments. I just checked my most used MSC in your area and they have plenty of work - including an $85 ($95 if you have your own equipment) video shop and several written apartments at around $70.

@MFJohnston wrote:

You can do that - especially if you get into apartments. I just checked my most used MSC in your area and they have plenty of work - including an $85 ($95 if you have your own equipment) video shop and several written apartments at around $70.

I did well with apartments last week. It's what got me wondering how much I could realistically do. The tough thing with them is you can't really plan a route. You have to call the same day and you're never certain when you will actually be going out until you can reach somebody in the office. It can take 2 days to reach a person and then they tell you to come the next day.

You do not *have* to visit the same day. You are *encouraged* to visit the same day. When I make my first call, I make sure that I have time that afternoon to make the visit. If I don't get through, I do something else. Once I get through, I make the first available appointment with the target.

@AuditAce wrote:

Anytime I see big incomes e.g., $20k+, I have to think the shopper isn't deducting direct expenses from the total income.

You would simply be wrong.

$20k isn't what I would call "big income", LOL.

@ShopperSavvy wrote:

Oh, and am I crazy to think this way...

I WILL keep all of my car records and miles for tax reasons.
However, I think a fair commute to work is 45 minutes. So I do not consider (mentally, I guess) anything under an hour and a half of driving to be putting above average wear and tear on my car. I'd do that for a 9-5 anyway, likely making less per hour.

You are crazy thinking this way.

First of all, that regular job is paying your half of your FICA. They are also likely subsidizing medical insurance and other benefits that you don't have as a business owner.

Secondly, it's likely you will put more miles on your car mystery shopping. Sure a 45 minute commute is fine for a 9-5, but that's for 8 hours of work. To make the same as you would for 8 hours of a normal job you will almost always have to drive more.

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.

@ShopperSavvy wrote:

I would be very happy to make $600 per week. That's what I would make if I worked 40 hours at $15, which is what I would make through a temp agency or as an admin assistant. That way I can feel good about myself, how I spend my time and what I bring into the household.

$600 per week as a business owner is not the same as $600 in a regular job. Your expenses are higher and do not get the benefits you get from employment. If you want $600 in income you need at least $1000 in fees and likely closer to $1200.

There are some decent paying bank shops out there that you definitely could integrate into your routes. And some of them may be very close to home. Try Ath Power, Informa, Sales Quality Research, and Pinnacle.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

There are some decent paying bank shops out there that you definitely could integrate into your routes. And some of them may be very close to home. Try Ath Power, Informa, Sales Quality Research, and Pinnacle.

Thank you!

@ShopperSavvy wrote:

How are you going all over? How is it worth the travel expenses?
Thanks

It is much, much easier to make money travelling than it is staying in a small geographic area.

Oh, so I just looked and apparently SQG does not have anything in your area right now...but that doesn't mean that they wont sometime soon. I just finished up a project for them last month and right now they don't have anything in my area, either, but the project I just finished paid pretty nicely. Looks like Pinnacle has some stuff in MA. And Ath has a TON of stuff in MA right now.

Don't forget to factor in rotations, especially on those apartment, most especially on the video assignments and banks and hotels and extra especially on the ones where it is a targeted shop and there is a legal compliance issue being investigated; the ones where cash is the objective have much longer rotations than primarily reimbursement shops.

@bgriffin wrote:

@ShopperSavvy wrote:

How are you going all over? How is it worth the travel expenses?
Thanks

It is much, much easier to make money travelling than it is staying in a small geographic area.

I love the idea of this and my husband would support me 100%. Right now I will start small. I am going on vacation in May though and have already scouted a few shops for while I am there.

@spicy1 wrote:

Don't forget to factor in rotations, especially on those apartment, most especially on the video assignments and banks and hotels and extra especially on the ones where it is a targeted shop and there is a legal compliance issue being investigated; the ones where cash is the objective have much longer rotations than primarily reimbursement shops.

I have no idea what this means. Like I'm 5, please.

Rotations meaning you can't do that location again within a certain time frame, and some actually are "one and done" meaning you can't ever video shop that location again.

Targeted meaning you are shopping a specific person, but if you have done apartment shops you already know that. Compliance would usually be a cash integrity kind of thing, such as a bar shop where you are watching the bartender carefully to make sure he isn't pocketing cash (like not ringing up drinks but taking the cash for them).

There is often a minimum amount of time you have to wait between shopping the same location a second (or third, fourth,...) time so as not to reveal you as a shopper and/or to make sure that different shopper perspectives are being given. Therefore, the MSC has to have different shoppers visit a given location each week, month, year, etc. The amount of time you are required to wait between visits is referred to as the "rotation."

For instance, it is common to have to wait a year (or more) between visits to the same apartment community.

If you use the search feature on this site and look back through the history (all dates) you can find a lot of good reading. Have you checked out the new shoppers section of this site yet? A lot of good info there, too.

The term "rotation" in the MS world means that a client may require a time gap between repeat assignments. So if the "rotation" is quarterly, you would only be able the shop the ABC deli once per quarter. With shops where longer interactions may make the shopper more memorable, like apartments or new homes, or a long bank/financial services interaction the rotation may vary from one year to "one and done." It is up to the shopper to keep a list of the new home sales agents or apartment leasing agents that they have shopped, becasue counting on the new MSC that just got the account with Smith Construction to know that you shopped Mary Brown last year, when the rotation is now 2 years, can be a losing proposition. I have been doing new homes and apartments since 2005, so I get to reshop folks who worked fpr "Brown Construction" at one subdivision 5 years ago, again at a new subdivision. If she remembers me I can always say that my plans changed due to a job change before, but now I am ready to buy.

Okay, I have been dilly dallying around long enough today, off to work I go. HAGD, all!