The word FOODIE applies to many, but not all.....some will take JITB, but not treat themselves to a good meal, then don't knock those that like to eat well and enjoy good ambiance, food, service for a report...my suggestion to the complainers is do Ikea, they pay if you have patience......(sorry, I had to)...:I'd never put down any job if it fits into your schedule and lifestyle.

I did Ikea. It was the one job that did not pay me, even after a great score on the report. Watch out for that MSC.

@Niner wrote:

I did Ikea. It was the one job that did not pay me, even after a great score on the report. Watch out for that MSC.

My point, plus hours of work with no return.

I haven't had a $250 meal yet, that would be great! My best meal was $90 brunch with mimosas. I would happily do that again, but I have to wait 4 months. There are not enough high value meals near me. Fast Casual, sometimes I go over my limit and still have an hour of reporting when I get home. I will say some are worth it and some are not. You usually have to do a MSC once to find out how detailed they are and how picky they are.

I would never tell another shopper not to do a certain shop. Even if the shopper does not like the food, or thinks it is second class, they still need some skills. Many shop tasks are the same as for more complicated meal shops. Why forfeit all skills while waiting for a more complicated shop? What is the harm in learning or maintaining the basic skills while earning some sort of fee and getting some sort of a meal? And, what could be wrong with being near other places that might have shops on the same day? To each shopper their own, I say!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2019 10:23PM by Shop-et-al.

That MSC has never failed to pay me - though I have had to chase payments on a few occasions... Have you contacted the owner?

@Niner wrote:

I did Ikea. It was the one job that did not pay me, even after a great score on the report. Watch out for that MSC.

This was from the end of last August. Nothing. Is the owner's name on the website?

If MFJ had to chase payments! Well you sure should try a little harder, I hate the idea of someone getting stiffed on pay. And thanks for the warning, I won't shop for MSCs that don't pay willingly. I got screwed years ago by Hilli Dunlap.

I have just sent you a PM. I can't include the information in this thread as a client has been named.

@Niner wrote:

This was from the end of last August. Nothing. Is the owner's name on the website?

I'll take reimbursement food shops with no pay all day long (within reason, of course). Reimbursement means I am getting free credit card points, no taxable pay, and a meal or three. I just did one tonight for $25 reimbursement. It was enough food for three meals.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2019 09:03PM by callinectes.

A tad of background, my son had to be driven to do a service mission at our closest Latter-day Saint Temple for two years. The weekly visits were not planned, and I was grateful to some wonderful schedulers who helped me work restaurants! Sometimes we had enough leftovers for breakfast and the 5 or 10 dollars added gas to the tank. It was worth purchasing one meal at a few locations, splitting it between the two of us and being full! We had a place to sleep overnights with our sleeping bags, and shower, so food and gas were our "out of pocket" expenses. Without these work locations, it would have been hard. During that time, i also was able to receive funding to get my ServeSafe certification! What an eye opener for the food evaluations! So, i appreciate a great meal, and doing a simple report and getting reimbursement is a blessing!

Hello....Id just like to say that I love Mystery Shopping. Of course I've done less than 40 shops in 3 years and certainly haven't made any $'s to write home about but I think it is a great deal of fun! I figure as long as I'm not taking any time away from something more productive I could be doing than what does the amount of pay matter? I signed a friend up and we had a blast calling each other agent 36DD & 38DD.
I recently became unemployed and thinking about organizing some routes and clear enough $$ to pay some bills through the Summer before I'll need to get serious about employment.
I just skimmed over a few post and to anyone that doesn't take the restaurant shops serious enough... well...let me tell you. In my young years I worked fast food as well as dinning, I've saw first hand what can go on behind closed doors. I take these very serious and wish I could make my own questionnaire.
OK this is why some companies will e-mail and say, 'our clients are looking for a short narrative.' Before I close I did also want to say that I see 100's of people on their phones constantly doing something and not even making $1.00 an hour so how can they insult someone for doing the same think and at least making some $$'s.
This is the first time I've ever posted anything anywhere, so you must realize how much fun shopping is to me. Everyone, Have a great Day!

@dmorrison4038
I like your positive attitude. You should do well with increasing your mystery shopping.

Obviously dining shops that offer pay + reimbursement are desirable, but I'm fine with reimbursement-only shops as long as they are restaurants I enjoy.

Texas Roadhouse shops (haven't seen any of those in awhile) are easy, and that is one of the few places I mystery shop where I will eat on my own dime. Well worth the amount of reimbursement given the quality of the food and the nature of the report. Freddy's is another place I will gladly visit on my own, so a reimbursement-only shop with them is fine by me.

I try to get any Habit lunchtime shops I can, but they go rather quickly as they are usually self-assign. In my area (Western US) there are always Cafe Zupas shops, and they pay generously + reimbursement. The reports are a bit involved, but nothing too crazy. I've done enough of them that my modus operandi is well-established and I can crank out the narratives rather quickly.

I've done a few of the high-end places (Fleming's, Monaco Hotel) and, while the reports are more involved, getting a top-notch fine dining experience in exchange for a couple of hours' work if acceptable.

Dmorrison - You should do well with mystery shopping. Read the forum to get an idea of what kinds of shops you want. If you haven't already you may want to expand your horizon with merchandising. There are a few here that do that also. I find the dining shops the most fun and enjoyable, especially at places I like to eat at.

The more the MSC pays me for restaurant shop, the more I write. Not much pay, not much detailed information for them. These MSC’s need to understand that you get what you pay for!!!!

Pub and Grill chain. Otherwise, it would be on the Gentlemen's Club thread ;-D

Thank you for the encouragement. I am familiar with merchandising, I was in retail management for many years. I do not see any available tho. I live is a rural area and search within a 60-mile radius.
May I also ask about the assisted living shops, is there any way I'm able to view a sample report before I obligate to an assignment?

As long as you are signed up with the shopping company, ask them to send you a sample report. Not all companies will do that.