Desperate so here goes:
I've shopped (audited and merchandised etc) on and off since 2011. I enjoy almost everything about this type of work. Here's the problem I have absolutely too much information and while trying to set up a day I find myself going through a never-ending cycle of checking board after board without booking many if any. I need to put this skill to work asap and was wondering if there was anywhere that could build a couple of routes for me starting as soon as possible. I don't know if I can post all this but I would even pay for this if it's possible. I live in Minnesota, am currently in Amarillo Texas until the end of the week when I have to get to Midland, TX to early Saturday and stay until at least Sunday afternoon. Then head home through Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa ending in the southeast corner of Minnesota.
Everyone here is so successful and I’m just lost even after a year of trying to start full regular routes. Please help!!

Have you joined any of the groups on mystery shopping on facebook? I find a lot of help there as well as here.

I keep my Facebook personal, won't allow MSing, always delete. Some try, but that's my time with friends and family.

If you join IMSC, members with route experience can ask to be admitted to the Road Warriors group. Schedulers post there all the time saying where they have hard-to-fill shops; route shoppers post about where they are going and what they want as in-fill shops. I do not know of any other such service. btw, at the IMSC shopper conference last week there were 2 different one hour presentations of developing and maintaining profitable routes. When you add in a full day of video training, used by most successful route shoppers to boost route profits, that made for a LOT of high value info and contacts.

Next IMSC shopper conference is in early November in Las Vegas. You missed the one with FREE video training, but there will be a day of video available for market price either the day before or after the Nov conference. The video market is growing faster than the number of truly skilled video shoppers, so routes that can include video can be the most profitable.

Thank you WalesMaven! Great information. So the conferences are worth the time and expense? Previously in my former endeavors, I adjusted to ”trial by fire” so honestly I hadn't even researched that thee than location and costs.
I agree with the video experience being crucial as I've seen the tides changing as well. Before last year this was all just a hobby. The routes I'm was mainly interested in to start with are trips I take anyway so profit wasn't as necessary as attempting to help with costs but I will look into icsm and hopefully find it more efficient and lucrative. Thanks again.

Airfare to LV is cheap; hotels are cheap; conference venue has many moderately priced dining opportunities, both inside and within 1 block. What's not to like? That is the biggest conference of shoppers of the year and many, many video MSCs will have tables (and owners and their schedulers!) on hand. Ans "continuing education" (and travel for it) is a legit business expense!

I do a lot of routes. I might can lend some expertise here:

1. If you build a route that long from scratch and try to look at EVERYTHING you will fail and fail miserably. You will end up taking junk shops because you will feel like you have to take SOMETHING because you've been looking and looking and it feels like you are getting nowhere in your route planning.

2. I tend to start with a base of shops. There are several ways of doing this. In the video world that could be anything from preplanned routes to sets of shops that schedulers like to give out all at once. I also used to build them around gas station audits but in reality whatever you like works. Let's say you like bank shops. And let's say between Amarillo and poopy oil smell town there are 20 banks that you can do for 1 company. You could start by negotiating a decent fee for all of them. Then you have a base to add to. You have a starting point. That's the biggest problem with the information overload you were talking about. No starting point.

3. Stick with lots of the same shops. Some people will disagree but I think they're dumb. You *could* say hrm I have a few days to get to Midland I'm going to take all the shops I can find in Lubbock. That requires emailing back and forth with all 76 MSCs with shops in Lubbock. On my routes I have a set type of shop that I like to do. So, back to banks. Let's say I really like doing Bank of Wales shops and I have a decent relationship with the scheduler. I might find all 6 BoW shops between Amarillo and Midland and see what the maven could give me for them. I just do that over and over until my route is full.

4. Keep tabs on your hourly rate. Once I have a base I figure out what my hourly rate is. Let's say I could do ALL of whatever my base shop was between Amarillo and Midland in 20 hours including drive time and reporting and those shops are paying a total of $240. Ok so I'm billing $12 an hour (NO WHERE NEAR ENOUGH FOR A ROUTE!). But let's say it is. So now when I look at the 10 Griffin's Widgets shops, I'll see how much time it adds to my route. So those 10 GW shops make it a 25 hour route. Since my average without them is $12 an hour I won't take them unless it's above that rate. So for those 10 GW shops I need to make an extra $60. Except really you need to be at $60 an hour to make a long route work.

5. Understand that you need to make $60 an hour to make a long route work. On average. There are some that might be better and some that might be worse. But it's a good base. If you work 8 hours a day at $60 per you are billing $480. You have to take hotels and food out of that. I figure $100 for hotels (and really should go up) and $30 for food. That puts you at $350 a day before you consider mileage. Knock off another $150 in vehicle costs and you're at $200 a day. For a 5 day work week that's $1000 a week, or $50,000 a year. If you're going to spend time away from home you should make at least that much.

Bgriffin, right on.

I lock in what I call an "anchor" shop -- one (or several) high paying shop (anywhere from $100-$400, depending on distance). Then I build the route around that.

The difference here is you're saying "I'll be in such and such on such and such a date; what shops can I find?" and I'm asking "Where do I need to go to build a route?" Two entirely different ways of looking at it. If I WANTED to be in Amarillo on the 15th, I would use your approach; but if I wanted to make MONEY, I would use my approach (or bgriffin's).

I suggest focusing on 3-5 companies that have shops where you regularly travel. I work with MarketForce, Maritz, BestMark, Alta360, and many others, but I get most of my "anchor" shops with those few.

I find PrestoInstaMap to be an invaluable tool; it'll show you shops all along your route on one page, then you can check the shops you're interested in and find out if you're registered with the right company and apply for the shops directly with the company.

BTW, I agree with the $60 an hour mark mentioned by bgriffin.

I will do a mix of shops -- but only shops I am already familiar with. I'll do U S Post Office, hardware stores, fast food, and gas stations.

And I ALWAYS (but ALWAYS) ask for bonus/travel pay/distance incentive, whatever the company wants to call it. I often get a no ("we don't have that in the budget right now" ), but then, I often get a yes (so a $10 plus reimbursement for a fast food shop turns into a $25 plus reimbursement shop; I'm absolutely driving right by the location, and I have to eat, so why not, LOL?).

And when you present yourself as a route shopper, many schedulers will add an incentive.

I've never done a video shop, but I understand they can be lucrative.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2018 04:01AM by ceasesmith.

Sorry, no way does anyone MSing earn what Bgriffin claims. All MSers video shopping or doing routes have a second income--retirement, social security, or emergency loans from parents. NOBODY makes 50k/year as a shopper after expenses. Bgriffin is representing that she/he makes as much as an IT manager at a mid-size company just from MSing. Not possible. The MS companies make it impossible. So dont be fooled.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2018 09:27PM by Big Billy Hill.

You are completely wrong.

I work full time in another field and can add about $2,000/mo. as a part time shopper. I brought in over $3,000 in April. I very much believe that @bgriffin makes as much as he claims. I've only been doing this a couple of years, but, by listening to him and a few other folks (such as @walesmaven), I have learned that money can be made doing this.

@Big Billy Hill wrote:

Sorry, no way does anyone MSing earn what Bgriffin claims. All MSers video shopping or doing routes have a second income--retirement, social security, or emergency loans from parents. NOBODY makes 50k/year as a shopper after expenses. Bgriffin is representing that she/he makes as much as an IT manager at a mid-size company just from MSing. Not possible. The MS companies make it impossible. So dont be fooled.

$100 a shop, lets say, us 30 shops a month fir $3,000. That is 8 shops a week at at least 2 or so hours each, 16 hours a week, 8 hours a day, that is sat and sunday. Must be super human as most video pays $35 - $50!!

As I work full time, I do a lot more day routes than overnight routes. I make sure that I bring in $40/hr. - but I don't have to deal with overnight accommodations. I've not been shopping nearly as long as as @bgriffin and others, so I am am still developing contacts.

As I am putting a day together, I'll look for either one larger anchor shop or several shops in the same vicinity with bonuses. I'll then seek out shops that are either nearby or along the drive. I first look at MSC's with whom I have worked and seek out jobs like what I have done before. I don't like trying out brand new shops (to me) on a route as this is an invitation for something to go sideways. As soon as I find something that is worthwhile, I grab it. I find that if I don't, I'll be suckered into spending hours upon hours searching job boards. I will also email schedulers and offer to do a shop that is along the route, but ask for a little bit of a bonus, especially if it's in a more rural area.

I personally don't like to have a route full of the same shop. I find that if I do more than two or three of one shop in a day, the details start to really blend together. I do much better if I have a route of several different types of shops. However, I do like to stick with shops with which I am familiar as this familiarity leads to efficiency - a necessity for profitable routes.

It's also imperative that you shop to your strengths. @bgriffin tends to avoid shops with narratives, preferring to do more simpler (?) shops. I, however, write reasonably well and type very quickly, which allows me to take advantage of the (often) higher pay that comes with shops with narratives. I am not so good at sitting in my car and filling quick form on my phone (which @bgriffin has said he's done). So, I might do six or seven shops in a day to bring in $400, whereas @bgriffin will tackle 20+ shops in day. We both do video shops: They pay is better and often the reports are much shorter (or non-existent).

Disclaimer: I am typing about @bgriffin's practices based off memory from his posts in this forum. I'll happily stand corrected if my memory has inaccuracies.

Your numbers are misinformed.

I had one route last month with three $200 video shops - they were a drive, but between my time onsite and the reports, they averaged just over an hour each. On the way down to the location, I added a five other video shops for another $370. In the town where I stayed, I added two bank inquiries for another $80. On the way home, I added a casino for $30.

One day after work, I picked up a $220 bank inquiry, Along the drive, I added seven gas stations at $17 each - plus reimbursement.

On a different day, I drove across the state and picked up one video shop, one bank and one casino for another $350.

That's four days and a little more than half my month's earnings. Otherwise, I consistently picked up a $50-$70 apartment on my way home from work.

And... Most video shops pay more than $50. I rarely do them for less than $60.

@spicy1 wrote:

$100 a shop, lets say, us 30 shops a month fir $3,000. That is 8 shops a week at at least 2 or so hours each, 16 hours a week, 8 hours a day, that is sat and sunday. Must be super human as most video pays $35 - $50!!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2018 10:40PM by MFJohnston.

Your numbers are different than mine, as I live in a much less economically "enchanted" area than you do. I resent the "misinformed" remark, however I always EXPECT it, as your information is far more informed than anyone else's.

You doubted my numbers. Your doubts about my numbers were misinformed. Resent it all you like, but when you challenged my numbers, the "misinformed" remark was spot on.

For what it's worth, my highest payments came from areas where the cost of living was a fraction of what it is in Seattle.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2018 10:52PM by MFJohnston.

People do not come here and talk about average anything. Just best and worse.

@MFJohnston wrote:

I might do six or seven shops in a day to bring in $400, whereas @bgriffin will tackle 20+ shops in day.

Nobody can do 20+ shops in a 24-hour period. Why? First, business hours being what they are, few businesses are open 24 hours. Given an 18-hour work day that's about 1-hour per shop, from 6am to 10pm. A shopper would have to net $137/day on 20 shops x 30 days on 600 shops x 12 months on 7200 shops to net 50k/year. Thats a net of $7 per shop after expenses. But nine hours MSing/day is realistiic, so $14 net per shop to make 50k--but its not possible to do 20 shops in 9 hours 30 days each month, so 10 shops in 9 hours @ net $14/shop 365 days per year is required to earn 50k net. Allowing for a 6-day work week then a MSer working 313 days/year needs $160 per day to net 50k/year, or $16 net per shop on 260 shops per month.

Problem for bgriffin is there is never, ever, any way, shape or form to schedule 260 shops per month that pay an average after expenses of $16 per hour. The reeason being that MS companies structure MS payments so that the MSer nets $6-8/hour, always keeping more for the company.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2018 11:01PM by Big Billy Hill.

Again, you would be wrong.

Gas stations, for instance, can often be done in 10 minutes. If you plan well and get several that are close together, you can do three or four an hour. The payment offered on job boards is generally a low offer. Somebody looking to do a route will contact the scheduler and make an offer to do them at $15 or $20 each. It is also true that many such shops never make it to job boards. Rather, they are offered to established shoppers. And, yes, they can be bundled at 100 or more at a time.

@Big Billy Hill wrote:

@MFJohnston wrote:

I might do six or seven shops in a day to bring in $400, whereas @bgriffin will tackle 20+ shops in day.

Nobody can do 20+ shops in a 24-hour period. Why? First, business hours being what they are, few businesses are open 24 hours. Given an 18-hour work day that's about 1-hour per shop, from 6am to 10pm. A shopper would have to net $137/day on 20 shops x 30 days on 600 shops x 12 months on 7200 shops to net 50k/year. Thats a net of $7 per shop after expenses. But nine hours MSing/day is realistiic, so $14 net per shop to make 50k--but its not possible to do 20 shops in 9 hours 30 days each month, so 10 shops in 9 hours @ net $14/shop 365 days per year is required to earn 50k net. Allowing for a 6-day work week then a MSer working 313 days/year needs $160 per day to net 50k/year, or $16 net per shop on 260 shops per month.

Problem for bgriffin is there is never, ever, any way, shape or form to schedule 260 shops per month that pay an average after expenses of $16 per hour.

No gas station can be done in 10 min, unless yoi cheat.

Wrong again.

Throughout visit: Make required observations as needed.

1. Pull up to pump. Pump $5 in gas.
2. Move car near air/water. Check air/water.
3. Walk into store. Visit restroom - wash hands.
4. Walk through store aisles, "looking" for a soda. Find soda.
5. Purchase soda.
6. Leave.

@spicy1 wrote:

No gas station can be done in 10 min, unless yoi cheat.

Take pic of MID go across street, take overall pic

That's not required for the shops I've done.

@spicy1 wrote:

Take pic of MID go across street, take overall pic

I have found zero gas station, brand shops, not bread, with no MID & overall requirement

@Big Billy Hill wrote:

All MSers video shopping or doing routes have a second income--retirement, social security, or emergency loans from parents.

This is simply untrue and in fact from the people I know who do video routes full time this would be in the minority. Also I have never once stated how much I make a year so I'm not sure why you pulled an arbitrary number out of thin air. I will say that I know shoppers who make more than that arbitrary number. I may or may not be one of them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2018 11:25PM by bgriffin.

@spicy1 wrote:

Must be super human as most video pays $35 - $50!!

Also completely untrue. The cheapest video shop I've done this year was $45 and the highest was $250.

NOT IN MY AREA!!!!!

@Big Billy Hill wrote:

@MFJohnston wrote:

I might do six or seven shops in a day to bring in $400, whereas @bgriffin will tackle 20+ shops in day.

Nobody can do 20+ shops in a 24-hour period. Why? First, business hours being what they are, few businesses are open 24 hours. Given an 18-hour work day that's about 1-hour per shop, from 6am to 10pm. A shopper would have to net $137/day on 20 shops x 30 days on 600 shops x 12 months on 7200 shops to net 50k/year. Thats a net of $7 per shop after expenses. But nine hours MSing/day is realistiic, so $14 net per shop to make 50k--but its not possible to do 20 shops in 9 hours 30 days each month, so 10 shops in 9 hours @ net $14/shop 365 days per year is required to earn 50k net. Allowing for a 6-day work week then a MSer working 313 days/year needs $160 per day to net 50k/year, or $16 net per shop on 260 shops per month.

Problem for bgriffin is there is never, ever, any way, shape or form to schedule 260 shops per month that pay an average after expenses of $16 per hour. The reeason being that MS companies structure MS payments so that the MSer nets $6-8/hour, always keeping more for the company.

I hate to quote this entire thing but this is......poor math skills.

First, I have done exactly 2 shops under $10 this year. Both were Planet Smoothie shops that paid a flat fee of $7 and both were within 100 yards of where I was going to be anyway. One was literally the store next door to another I was doing. I have done exactly 6 shops under $15 this year. All were Auntie Anne's pretzels shops and again all were within a few 100 yards of where I was shopping anyway. Both of those shops take less than 10 minutes total including report and included things I enjoyed consuming. So far this year I have averaged within with pennies of $70 per shop. Using your faulty math above that would come out to $18,000........per month. The problem is there are few "average" shops. Sometimes I do routes of very high paying shops where I might only do a few per day. Sometimes I do routes of lower paying shops where I'm doing 10 a day. Lower paying in the video world is $50, that's $500 per day.

The problem with wildbillfromcathage is that he wasn't able to make this work, then market force dumped him, and he's bitter. He supposedly makes $54,000 a year but he continues to come on here a couple of times a year to b**** and moan about how horrible this industry is and complain about people making a living. I don't understand why someone would do that when they make approximately the same as what they're complaining about and is supposedly so happy with their new job. It just. doesn't. make. sense.

@spicy1 wrote:

No gas station can be done in 10 min, unless yoi cheat.

You are simply incorrect.

I did three Chevron gas station mystery shops on Sunday. All three had a bonus attached that doubled the fee. All three were less than 10 minute shops. All three were locations I was literally driving past anyway. And all three paid $12 plus a $5 gas reimbursement. I completed the shops on their app immediately. $51 in income for half an hour of work. That's significantly above my $60 per hour goal. I also did not cheat.

@spicy1 wrote:

NOT IN MY AREA!!!!!

I have shopped in your area. You just don't know where to look. Less than 10% of video shops are placed on job boards.

Spicy, I don't know where you are getting the idea video shops are paying as little as $35. For several years I did have a local route at $35 per. Five shops, four hours or less including the reports. At $44/hour it wasn't the $60 bgriffin suggests, but I did sleep in my own bed

I find it rare for a video shop to pay less than $50 and they can go as high as $100 or more before a bonus. If anyone takes them for less they are doing a huge disservice to themselves and the video shopping industry as a whole.

You can't really argue about how much time a gas station shop may take because of the wide variety of brands, companies and requirements. I do know I have had plenty of them that were straight mystery shops taking only 10 minutes.