I object to the schedulers covering up for the low pay by using works like "Fun and exciting" or "yummy"

I don't mind this at all. When it is in the email's header, I know immediately to delete it and move on. Those headers save me time. If they are using this tact to pique my interest, I immediately know that the pay is below my personal standard. If they had a payment that would interest me, things like "bonus" or "$100" would appear in that header.

@Youllneverknow wrote:

I object to the schedulers covering up for the low pay by using works like "Fun and exciting" or "yummy"

It's all sales. I basically ignore anything that "sells me"

MFJ shares: MSC's are going to try to maximize their profits. One way of doing so is to minimize expenses. They are going to offer as little compensation as they can in order to get their shops done.
* Every one of us has different financial needs and situations. We are going to take jobs that work for us and help us to meet our needs, whatever they are.
* If somebody's needs are met by doing a job for half what I would do it for, that's good for them and the MSC. I can choose to work for less or seek out better-paying opportunities. Either way, it's not my place to tell the other shopper what do/not to do.

Bob's comment: That says it in a nutshell! Folks, try to think as a self-employed contractor, as opposed to an employee.

Sobroke - Social Security is not a government entitlement program. The amount of social security a senior collects is based on the amount of their wages withheld by the government over the course of their working career. They are receiving their own money that was withheld. The government kept all the interest earned on their money. Far from entitlement. You might learn something with a little research. We will all be seniors at some point in time if we are fortunate to live that long.

I agree Social Security is not an entitlement. I worked 40+ years for that check. I only do the cheaper shops when I am going right by them for higher paying shops with an incentive. I work on Amazon Mechanical Turk when I have time doing academic surveys besides mystery shopping. I am offended by that post, too.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/17/2019 08:32PM by mamaw22.

@bgriffin wrote:

@roflwofl wrote:

And I think 95% of the MSCs would probably be delighted to have all mystery shoppers who do it as a hobby and don't need the money rather than "professional mystery shoppers."

That's true for a lot, but I don't think it's anything close to 95%. For instance there is a major gas client who used to have a requirement that 50% of their shops were done by dedicated auditors. (full disclosure I don't know that it was 50%, but I'm fairly certain, I do, however, know there was a percentage) My 2 biggest end clients also have dedicated shoppers and they are very picky about who they are.

An evaluation can mean whether the person shopped will keep their job.

If I found out that the people evaluating me were doing it for fun, either has a hobby or for very little pay, I would be really ticked off. I would let my employer know how much I was ticked off. I would hope that my employer would be ticked off too.

Many places never change, I doubt they fire over one negative evaluation. I've done many retakes on a bad evaluation and jobs are always redone, poor shoppers don't have a long life in this industry. Sorry you feel so abused, time to move on and good luck.

Manner manners please

@calsim11 wrote:

Noted, but did I use your name?

I was doing an onsite visit and the contact asked me about the pay. The client proceeded to tell me that he was charged $85 for the visit. He was not happy paying that amount. Found it interesting.

@jameschicago I'm somewhat confused as to why you'd think that someone who would take a job for a lower compensation wouldn't be doing as good job of a job if they're not valuing their work at a higher rate. I've taken plenty of jobs for lower compensation and I put forth the same effort into those shops as I would shops that paid substantially higher. For me, it's about building solid relationships with the schedulers of the various MSC's and knowing that they could rely on me for a wide range of jobs. My willingness to engage with multiple shop types all while demonstrating the same effort and dedication has been advantageous in being awarded highly sought after shops.

I do agree with what some of the other shoppers stated earlier on this board. It's about aligning yourself with the right MSC's that give you the projects and pay you are seeking all while setting yourself apart from other shoppers.

If you're not happy with what you're seeing on the job boards, maybe you need to begin re-evaluating what companies you're registered with and the shop types you're seeking so you can begin making higher profits.

I absolutely CRINGE every time I see a particular gas station go for $4. What are these people thinking? It's absolutely shocking. Especially because they can increase up to about $30. How is $4 even remotely worth it?

I used to do a lot of those when Sam scheduled. I would get some really great fees. Now I only do a few every few months. Someone around here takes most of them at base or perhaps they negotiate a route. I don't know, but $4 is just ridiculous. It's not like the report is 5 minutes either. I can make more doing a quick Field Agent or Mobee.

I cannot figure out why someone would not know that social security is not an entitlement. I do not receive it but I will be happy to get some of MY MONEY back when it is time.

@cjbstar wrote:

Sobroke - Social Security is not a government entitlement program. The amount of social security a senior collects is based on the amount of their wages withheld by the government over the course of their working career. They are receiving their own money that was withheld. The government kept all the interest earned on their money. Far from entitlement. You might learn something with a little research. We will all be seniors at some point in time if we are fortunate to live that long.

@bgriffin wrote:

I have increased my profit every single year I have been a mystery shopper. Not necessarily by a lot, but by some every year. My after tax profit is roughly what I was making in the IT industry. You wanna talk about fees dropping, that industry is crazy.

If all you're doing is taking base pay shops off the board you're not gonna make any money. I ignore 99% of those and most people should too.

As for the end client knowing how much we're paid. Why should they care? When you hire a lawn care company do you ask them how much they pay their workers? I don't. I couldn't possibly care less. I want the best price for acceptable work. That's what they want too.

Well, I think that they should care because the evaluations can decide whether they keep or let go of an employee. I would hope that they would not want the people making those evaluations doing so as a hobby. Again, by definition, the lower the cost of the service, the lower the value of the service.

There is no way that a mystery shopper's evaluation can be judged as being accurate unless the entire evaluation is recorded via audio or video. I would not want to be evaluated by somebody who doesn't care about how much they are paid because they merely likes to drive around and listen to audio books. That is the reason that one individual gave as the reason that they are a mystery shopper.

One can say that it is obvious that the companies that hire the MSCs are happy with the evaluations that they are receiving. I would really like to read some of the evaluations that are written by the people who consider mystery shopping to be a hobby, or something that they do for fun. If the reporting is as good as mine, then I guess that I have no argument, and I should just shut up.

I am in the Chicago area. I do not want to break any rules by providing examples, but if you take a look at JobSlinger, and what is available in this market, I am curious if there is a difference from what you have available.

Are you negotiating for your fee?

@shopperbob wrote:

MFJ shares: MSC's are going to try to maximize their profits. One way of doing so is to minimize expenses. They are going to offer as little compensation as they can in order to get their shops done.
* Every one of us has different financial needs and situations. We are going to take jobs that work for us and help us to meet our needs, whatever they are.
* If somebody's needs are met by doing a job for half what I would do it for, that's good for them and the MSC. I can choose to work for less or seek out better-paying opportunities. Either way, it's not my place to tell the other shopper what do/not to do.

Bob's comment: That says it in a nutshell! Folks, try to think as a self-employed contractor, as opposed to an employee.

You are right. But, the fees have dropped so low that there is not much to choose from. I still have to pay to get around, and it takes me time to fill out the reports. I pride myself on accuracy. I don't want somebody to lose their job or be penalized because I forgot something, or made an error. If I were to be able to beam myself to a location for a shop, and then transfer my thoughts automatically in the form of a report, I would probably take the jobs that offer only $10-$15. Perhaps, I am just slow, but there is really no such thing as a simple job, for me. Thus, they involve time and a lot of thought.

I am not telling anybody what to do. I am stating that it is unfortunate that mystery shopping is being devalued. It isn't a tangible item that one can discount like something at a dollar store.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2019 07:28PM by jameschicago.

I'm afraid you missed my point. I'm sure there are many of the same shops that pay $5 for an hours worth of work in Chicago like there is everywhere. Instead of @#$%& about it I ignore those shops. I focus only on shops that can give me a decent income based on either the base rate or what I know I can get it bonused to. Most of my work is not bonused, but it is also not available off a job board for $2.35 an hour.

Why you are taking this out on hobby shoppers instead of MSCs that pay crap I don't know. Why you're letting it bring you down instead of finding good shops I also don't know.

@jameschicago
I do not have the problem you described. I did not have that problem when I was in Chicago last summer. Perhaps you should be seeking out other MSC's or developing skills within the industry to make you more in demand?

When I shop, I make an average of about $60/hr. (See a different thread.) I don't think that's too low....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2019 07:36PM by MFJohnston.

@roflwofl wrote:

@jameschicago wrote:

I wish those people who do mystery shopping for fun or whatever would find another means by which to have their fun. Furthermore, one would think that the mystery shopping companies would want their clients to think that mystery shopping is valuable by paying more money to the people who are doing the mystery shopping.

I disagree. I think those who are doing the work they love - not working for the money - may be some of the most detailed and dedicated workers there are. In many cases, I would say they are willing to spend an extra amount of time on preparation and on completing the report that someone who is concerned about how much per hour he is making would not be willing to spend. Not just talking about mystery shopping here, I'm talking about anybody who loves their job. And I think 95% of the MSCs would probably be delighted to have all mystery shoppers who do it as a hobby and don't need the money rather than "professional mystery shoppers." Most companies want "the average customer" who looks at a shop with fresh eyes rather than a pro who has done 20 locations of the same company and the same shop. Let's face it, there are some difficult, detailed shops that require high level performance, but most mystery shops are so easy anybody could do them.

I think that a pro should be able to evaluate each location with fresh eyes. As I have stated elsewhere, I would not want to be evaluated with my job on the line by somebody who is doing it for fun.

I think that it takes knowledge and skill to be a good mystery shopper, and thus it has monetary value. However, if the reporting done by the people doing it for fun is of the same quality as the reporting done by the people like myself, then I have no case.

I sure would like to see some of those reports, in order to find out.

(I have read this over several times, and I have just found a mistake that I had overlooked. I corrected it, but it just shows that I ain't perfect.)

"Hobby" v. "Professional" Mystery Shopping:
I disagree with the premise that folks who shop for fun put forth lower quality work than those who do this to earn a living. Consider:

* Most folks, when they really enjoy doing something, really put their hearts into it. They don't worry about doing "too much work for the pay." They simply get into the activity and do it well.
* As with any business, folks trying to do this for a living are trying to maximize profits - which involves minimizing time to do each shop. This creates a temptation to cut corners, harming the quality of the product.
* We have had "professional" shoppers on this board: Advocate shoplifting to offset what they felt were low payment; Brag about doing a "$5 report" when clearly more was expected; Promote not staying on site for expected amounts of time because "the payment wasn't enough." Hobby shoppers don't do this.

I am not saying that folks who do this for a hobby are higher quality shopper than folks who do this for a living: only that the the initial premise is incorrect. I would suggest that the quality of work each of us produces is largely an outcome of our personal work ethic and integrity, whatever our motivations for shopping might be.

I do agree that if large numbers of folks loved shopping as a "hobby," pay would decrease. After all, you don't have to compensate folks a lot for doing something they love anyhow. I am simply not concerned about this. Yes, some shops will be picked up by folks who love the experiences that come with the shop. (Think: Reimbursed fine dining shops with minimal payment). However, the majority of shops will not. Who wants to go apartment shopping for fun? Even if you do, you can do that without having to write up a report afterward - you can tour apartments without going through an MSC.

The compensation for many shops is low, not because we have hobby shoppers doing them, but because they are easy to do and easy to get to. Many have very short reports and are at locations that shoppers frequent anyhow. (retail stores, gas stations mystery shops, fast food, etc.). Higher paying shops are those that:
* Involve more work, especially narratives,
* Are located somewhere shoppers don't want to go
* Involve a specific skill (video, specific spoken language, written work, detailed role play, etc.)
* Are not generally considered a "fun" experience.

I understand that the trend in offered fees has been downward for sometime. Clients seek MSCs willing to get the job done for less. MSCs seek to maintain or improve the spread between what the Client pays them and what they pay the shopper. And I understand that there are those who accept shops at fees below costs.

What I don't like is when an MSC falsely advertises a fee as being a "high fee," or advertises that it pays $X when it really pays $Y with $X = $Y + reimbursement. It strikes me as unethical.

One shop which used to be offered with a $15 fee by one MSC and was often assigned with bonuses is now being offered at $10 as a "High fee." As the month progresses, the new MSC announces it paying a "High pay," significantly more than $10. That's with no increase in fee. They simply add the originally offered fee and the originally offered reimbursement to arrive at the newly advertised High pay of more than $10. They find the suckers. And while I understand people will work for those who pay little, it is sad that there are those who will work for those who pay little and are unethical at the same time.

Hmm. I was thinking that MSCs would be delighted if their shoppers demonstrated professionalism-- regardless of their US IRS tax status as hobbyist or professional. (I do not know the tax situation for shoppers in other countries. I apologize to them for not referring to them specifically in this paragraph,)

btw, how would you feel if, after you found out that a hobbyist had evaluated you, it was demonstrated to you that the hobbyist had applied the highest standards of professionalism to their work?

@jameschicago wrote:

@bgriffin wrote:

@roflwofl wrote:

And I think 95% of the MSCs would probably be delighted to have all mystery shoppers who do it as a hobby and don't need the money rather than "professional mystery shoppers."

That's true for a lot, but I don't think it's anything close to 95%. For instance there is a major gas client who used to have a requirement that 50% of their shops were done by dedicated auditors. (full disclosure I don't know that it was 50%, but I'm fairly certain, I do, however, know there was a percentage) My 2 biggest end clients also have dedicated shoppers and they are very picky about who they are.

An evaluation can mean whether the person shopped will keep their job.

If I found out that the people evaluating me were doing it for fun, either has a hobby or for very little pay, I would be really ticked off. I would let my employer know how much I was ticked off. I would hope that my employer would be ticked off too.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2019 10:59PM by Shop-et-al.

I keep scratching my head about all these people who do this for fun. I can understand a few who do who perhaps are bored with their lives but large numbers of people? Perhaps those who think there are large numbers doing mystery shopping for fun are believing the schedulers when they send out an email about fun shops. Yes, there may be a very few shops that I feel are fun...I am sometimes amused by amusement advantage shops but I am not doing them for fun. If I wanted to have real fun and did not care at all about the pay I would pay to get in.
And having mystery shopping being a hobby? If you are doing this as a hobby it is probably because you cannot or will not go to the bother of filling out the tax forms correctly. Maybe I am wrong and if so perhaps those who are reading this thread and do this purely for fun and take the shops with little or no pay because they consider them fun let us know who you are. I have never seen anyone in all the threads I read talk about shopping for fun. Are all those people embarrassed to admit that or is it that there really are not many doing this for fun. If you are a senior and looking to fill in some of your empty hours then you are not doing this for fun. You are doing it more for social interactions or for learning or for some other reason but I doubt for fun. So if you are truly doing this for fun and fun alone let us know. I, for one, will not shame you. I just want to learn how and why you consider this fun over some other venture like joining a meetup or whatever.

Intellishop in genersl pays very low. Now it's $5 pay and $2.50 reimbursement for a convenience shop/gas station.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2019 06:56AM by Niner.

It doesn't matter WHY someone is making observations, I.e. for a hobby or for the money, it matters that they are accurate. That is a function of personal integrity and work ethic.
Lifestyle shoppers are people who I suppose do it for fun, but most that I have seen on this board were extremely professional about it.

Dude, I think you are way off base in your characterization of hobbyists being the reason your shopping experience sucks. It's up to you to take responsibility for your own shopping experiences. Look for better paying shops, acquire some new skills, or find a different way to make extra money.

I personally love shopping. I usually make about $20 an hour, sometimes I make the coveted $60 and sometimes things don't work out so great and I'm toiling for $10 an hour. Whatever, it's worth it to me and that's what matters. If I were working a minimum wage job I'd be making $7.50. Today I'll be shopping for about 4 hours. If that were at a minimum wage job I'd make $30. Instead I'm making $62. I'm making $62 because I have learned to route shops and make the most of what is out there. That is 4 $12 shops and one $14. So these are very lowly shops. Little amounts add up as my paypal account could testify.

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

It doesn't matter WHY someone is making observations, I.e. for a hobby or for the money, it matters that they are accurate. That is a function of personal integrity and work ethic.

You hit the nail right on the head there, Coffee!! As a senior looking to supplement my Soc Sec, I do this on a very part-time basis (~ $200-$300/month), but I do it VERY seriously and with all the integrity I have inside of me!!
BTW, Original Poster, today I'm doing a merch job in an out-of-the-way place, for which I'm receiving an extra $15 mileage fee. On top of that, I was able to add a grocery shop on top of that, in that same general out-of-the-way place and got a requested $10 Bonus to do THAT shop!! SO.....I'm GOOD at what I do, and when I ask for a reasonable bonus, I get it! I'm satisfied with the amount I will end up with today, and definitely DON'T FEEL like the money I am earning today is absurdly low!! It may not end up as a $60/hr day, but it WILL end up at around a $20/hr day! Not too shabby!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2019 03:23PM by guysmom.

Personally, I figure out how many miles I will drive, divide by my MPG, and then decide if the shop is worth it or not - or could it be added in to an area I know I will already be in. Problems I'm finding is some of the shops are "apply" which means if I don't get the job when I'm going to be in the area I'm not going to go back just for one low paying shop. Would like to see more "instant assign" shops with these lower paying jobs.
And yes, I'm a Senior doing this because I enjoy it, it gets me out of the house, and I get some extra $$ to play bingo at the Native American Casinos - I average $300 to $500 per month and really enjoy it.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2019 03:33PM by lbtweety47.

I do not understand some of the repeated perspectives. Whence this? It goes something like this: Mystery shoppers may perform only mystery shops in order to be proficient and professional. All other skills gained over the years are irrelevant and do not contribute to the holism or to even one aspect-- the essence of professionalism-- of any shopper. Therefore, only persons who can perform enough mystery shops to make a decent living shall be allowed into the mystery shopping circle and be the mystery shoppers of the world.
[People who have/had other professions and are professional in their work must be excluded???]

And whence this? People who find that mystery shopping is fun are faulty.
[Only people who want drudgery can be mystery shoppers??? They shall not smile, appreciate, enjoy, or otherwise find pleasure in their experiences. All of life, including mystery shops, will be drear and dank.]

This? Hobbyists are not professional enough to perform mystery shops.
[Gee. All those part-timers who have larger lives have to be kicked out of the system. Goodbye, most of everybody.]

The lower the pay, the less careful people will be with the reports. Lower the pay and you get a bare minimum report.