So in the "Mystery shopping profit" post we were discussing profit. I was amazed to see that there were people making over $1000 in pure profit per month. I wondered what I was doing wrong, but @Jenny Cassada assured me that these types of shoppers are very well established and get premium shops.

This definitely reassured me but has me thinking now. Are there really shops out there that we are not seeing? I was always under the impression that any shop that was available is on the boards or sent via email. Don't get me wrong, I do get calls for bonuses but they are shops that are on the board already. Not shops that I can't see.

If there are shops that I can't see, that means that there is more money to be made! The question is HOW do you get these premium shops that are invisible to virtually everybody?

I've been under the impression that some of the better shops that get big bonuses are in difficult to reach locations. I've been personally reluctant to travel far and really cannot, due to medical issues. I'm okay with that and shop locally only.

Having said that, a second impression I get, too, is that these shops are not that common. They do go to a select group of "elite" shoppers. Or, they'll go to shoppers in areas with no other competition.

Many people have also reported ms-ing for years and not even getting basic bonuses and seeing fees stay flat or go down! And these are loyal shoppers who do good work and have gone out of their way to help out.

Location may be a big thing. Maybe you could be the best shopper on Earth, but if you live in an area with lots of shoppers willing to do them for low fees, then you can't really get good ones?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2019 01:35AM by shoptastic.

Do any of these elusive shops involve art supplies? Trips into nature? Sunscreen? If so, let me know.

People love to brag about getting offered shops before they go on the board. That happens, but they aren't always the highest paying. You get paid more through bonuses, which usually involves some negotiation and doing shops you don't want. They're all sitting on the board. If you can map out a route that covers a big chunk of their locations, you have standing to ask for enough money to get it all done.

That said, I don't see $1,000 profit as a big deal, even if you're just staying close to home. I guess it depends on where you live and how much time you put into it.

$1000 a month is not all that hard. Yes there are special shops and projects that never hit the job boards. I have done a few in my time but make my bread and butter from routes and bonuses. It does not matter where you live there are hard to fill shops and shops you can get bonus on by just asking. The we don't bonus some msps will say is a lie. All MSPS who stay in business have to bonus or they would not complete all their shops.

@Kristylynnr
1. Most of my bonuses come from companies that everybody on this forum has heard of. Some of the most frequent (and best) bonuses come from companies about which folks complain.
2. I seek out locations that are remote and ask for bonuses - especially when shops have been on the board for a while and EOM is approaching.
3. I get paid well for video.
4. If you want to get the higher payments, you have to be willing to do the shops that other folks don't want: Long drives, long narratives, video, etc.

@1cent wrote:

People love to brag about getting offered shops before they go on the board. That happens, but they aren't always the highest paying. You get paid more through bonuses, which usually involves some negotiation and doing shops you don't want. They're all sitting on the board. If you can map out a route that covers a big chunk of their locations, you have standing to ask for enough money to get it all done.

This really depends on the MSC. Some of my favorite MSC's either don't have job boards or don't advertise certain shops on their job boards. But, yes, there are good bonuses to be had by working the job boards.

@Kristylynnr wrote:

If there are shops that I can't see, that means that there is more money to be made! The question is HOW do you get these premium shops that are invisible to virtually everybody?

In my case, MSC's that needed certain types of shops done (that I had completed well for other MSC's) contacted me.

@BuffaloNY101 wrote:

$1000 a month is not all that hard. Yes there are special shops and projects that never hit the job boards. I have done a few in my time but make my bread and butter from routes and bonuses. It does not matter where you live there are hard to fill shops and shops you can get bonus on by just asking. The we don't bonus some msps will say is a lie. All MSPS who stay in business have to bonus or they would not complete all their shops.

I probably should try for local bonuses more.

I used to (it worked for BWW - I got big bonuses on multiple locations and then they stopped the program at that MSC). I don't know why I stopped searching and asking.

I sometimes forget to do this for shops no one takes and expect the MSC or scheduler to just magically up the fee in an email. They often do this, but perhaps not always and a shop can go unfilled. Or, maybe it goes to you elite and initiative-taking shoppers?

I guess it takes additional "work." At least, in the beginning, you have to scope out these places. That how I found my $30 BWW (on top of the fee and reimbursement) and $58 Five Guys (on top of reimburse) in the past. I actually spent good time scoping the job boards and seeing what never got taken locally. Both the BWW and FG were in weird or undesirable locations.

I did notice that my $58 FG stopped soon after. I wonder if they started calling other shoppers to take it cheaper. You could still get a bonus at that location, but it dropped precipitously.

I think it's the additional work and time you have to take that made me stop or forget to do this....that and the fact that I felt schedulers would probably try to take those big bonus places and sell them cheaper to other shoppers and I wouldn't consistently get that price anymore. I just resorted back to my bread and butter grocery shops and routed drive-thru shops to do them along with.

One thing with grocery shops and drive-thru shops - they are rarely bonused - but they are always there and they meet essential needs.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2019 12:41PM by shoptastic.

Yea all this makes sense. Being a great mystery shopper helps and doing shops that no one wants to do, traveling longer distances and asking for bonuses to do so, along with video shops. I haven't seen many video shops out there.. I'll have to look further. You guys are so helpful. I need to just pick 1 shop that no one wants to do, ask for a bonus, get over my anxiety and get it done. I'm sure once I get used to it, it will make those types of shops way easier and I'll be more known to those schedulers and be contacted often. More work is definitely required on my end. The money is there, I just gotta be smart about it and search for it.

I sometimes wonder if the reason they don't advertise what they're willing to pay on the boards even when no one takes the job is that they don't want people to expect those big bonuses regularly?

E.g., what if BWW had $30 bonuses (on top of all regular fees/reims) and FG had $50-60 bonuses on the boards all the time. Maybe people would see that and demand or wait for them regularly?

I was contacted about a new project. They were looking to pre-assign before the jobs hit the boards. They want two interactions, a specific time of day, and a purchase and return. All in one shop, for the grand sum of 12:50.
Sometimes those "not on the board" shops aren't all they are cracked up to be.

Kristy,
Most video shops are NOT on job boards. What they want is for shoppers to make a test video to show that they have the right equipment and skills. Then that shopper gets put on the list of qualified video shoppers and starts to get emails for video shops. The exception is EPMS which, last time I looked, would loan video equipment for their shops. That gives a shopper a chance to experience the equipment and skills, without first investing $400 or so. BUT, their "training" in the use of the equipment is minimal.

IMSC runs video training on line for a modest fee; sometimes even for free.

I see! Yea I have seen them with EPMS but that's it. I guess I'll have to start with them, I just wasn't really interested in doing apartment shops. But my question is, if they are not on the board with the other companies, how will I know which MSC even has them?

Kristy - You have to roll the dice & sign up with many MSC's. I got my sister in law signed up and one time we were talking on the phone. We were logged in to a particular MSC site at the same moment and she only saw about 75% of the shops that were available for me to pick. If you happen to know for sure a particular company offers shops at the place you want to go, you can send the scheduler a nice note asking what you would have to do to snag a shop.

@Shop-et-al wrote:

Do any of these elusive shops involve art supplies? Trips into nature? Sunscreen? If so, let me know.

I'm not sure if this is what you meant by art supplies, but in my area there is a shop for a place that sells art supplies. It's shopped about once a quarter and there are 3 locations in my area.

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

I was contacted about a new project. They were looking to pre-assign before the jobs hit the boards. They want two interactions, a specific time of day, and a purchase and return. All in one shop, for the grand sum of 12:50.
Sometimes those "not on the board" shops aren't all they are cracked up to be.

I just saw that today. That would take a few hours between travel, the report, the interactions, and the return.

@Monk-N-Nut Yea you're right. I guess the very best chance you have is to sign up for as many MSC as you can. Only then you will see everything that's out there.

Thanks!

@nixkit wrote:

@Shop-et-al wrote:

Do any of these elusive shops involve art supplies? Trips into nature? Sunscreen? If so, let me know.

I'm not sure if this is what you meant by art supplies, but in my area there is a shop for a place that sells art supplies. It's shopped about once a quarter and there are 3 locations in my area.

Yes. There are shops out there that are never publicly available. And yes, you (and anyone) can work your way into these shops with time, positive attitude, hard work, accurate and detailed reporting, patience and dedication.

The amount of time it takes to get there varies tremendously and the path isn’t the same for everyone either.

It took me five years of MSing the basic stuff that we all see on the boards before I got my first big “invite” into a special project.

I still occasionally do a regular MS - I am doing a fine dining shop from ACL that is available to many shoppers on their boards next week as I want to take my mom out as a thank you for helping with child care this summer.

The vast majority of the shops I do are not listed on the boards (but are for large MSing companies that most probably shop for and nearly all are aware of) or for small boutique companies that are invite only.

That said making $1-$2k a month in profit isn’t making much of a difference in my overall income. I have a full time job and I’m the only wage earner in my Household. I live in an extremely expensive area of the country (Seattle) where I need to make about $200k a year to keep up my families’ lifestyle. MS contributes at most 10% of that...

To others, $1-$2k a month may be more than half of what they need to live comfortably.

You can make this amount with shops that are readily available. And in fact that may be the far superior way to do it. In order to make the shops I do work I’m regularly floating $10-$20k on credit cards. I have to be able to absorb those kinds of losses if something goes sideways (obviously I hope that won’t happen but having to float these amounts for months is a regular occurrence due to slow reimbursement cycles).

Also if airfare points or hotel stays don’t appeal then my style of shopping isn’t for you.

That’s what makes this industry so amazing, that it can be whatever you want it to be. My path isn’t everyone’s. Read posts from wales, or MFJ or bgriffen and you will see success that is different but meeting their individual goals just like mine meets what I seek.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2019 07:40PM by MickeyB.

@MickeyB Very good point! I want so much to make this type of income per month. It would help a lot. And I want so badly for my path to be like the next person's as they seem to have gotten it easily, but I know it just won't be. I have to find my own way. I'm confident that I will get there with time. Shops that used to be so challenging for me are now cake. One step at a time .....

Kristylynnr, I really doubt that any of us got it easily. Sure we talk confidently here now that we've been at it awhile. My first shop I was terrified and I'm still terrified sometimes. I just do it anyway.

@CoffeeQueen You're right. There are some shops that terrify me even though the money looks great. I know I need to just do them. Today, I signed up for my very first bank shop. I'm so scared. But I want to try it out and show myself its not that hard and build up to the better ones!

You can do it. Just push on through. Every new type of shop scares me. You are not alone.

@CoffeeQueen Thank you!!!

Definitely it was not quick to get from where I started (in 2000 - with a Cheesecake Factory shop!) to where I am now. I have been keeping records since January 2007 and my shopping in January 2007 was very different.

In that month I did 40 shops, $1511 in cash profit, and $188 reimbursements... That's very different than today for me.

@MickeyB If $1511 in profit is where you started from than I aim to at least be that lol. Where are you now if you don't mind me asking in regards to profit?

@Kristylynnr wrote:

@MickeyB If $1511 in profit is where you started from than I aim to at least be that lol. Where are you now if you don't mind me asking in regards to profit?

No, that was figures from 2007, I started in 2000. I did not keep records back then - but if I had, it would have looked something like this:


2 shops
Cash Profit: $5
Reimbursement: $50

LOL ohhhh!! That's funny. I see what you mean though. You came a long way!!! Congrats!! I strive to be like you.

You have to have a good relationship with a scheduler. That's how I get my shops before they hit the job board.