I've been shopping for twelve years now, and I find that every year it gets harder and harder to make any money doing shops/surveys/audits. I think it is time to hang it up.

From day #1, I have learned that whatever the problem is with a shop, it is ALWAYS the shoppers fault.

My last shop with one of the "big" MSC's resulted with the Reviewer telling me the shop could not be accepted. I told them that I was 100% certain they would use my shop as it was. The problem was, the MSC wanted a receipt to verify my location. I said that when you use their app, the app verified the location, and I don't need a receipt. They insisted that without a receipt, the measly $8 fee would not be paid. I replied that my pictures are inbedded with the GPS and a date/time stamp. I said I signed in via their app, and I signed in with the vender log. I had three verifiers that I was at the right location at the right time. I told them that they could go ahead and pocket the money themselves and didn't have to worry about paying the shopper for their work because there was nothing wrong with the report.

They began to backpaddle when I accused them of taking survey fees and using reports without paying shoppers.

My latest, placing Netspend cards. I got four notifications to return to locations, all an hour drive from my home, because they said they were not set to plan. I returned to two today, then notified the company that I wanted to see the pictures of the third location because I didn't see any problems with the plan-o-gram. The third location was removed for a return trip when I identified I knew there was no problem there without a visit, but a fourth was added. I said I wanted to see a picture of the rejected location before I drove an hour to "reset." That is when I found that the company changed the information midstream... and they were sending me back to these locations to change everything because the plan-o-gram had changed from the start of the program. I told them the same thing. Nothing wrong with the sites... but if they aren't happy with my work, they don't have to pay me. I told them to use the money to pay someone else to follow-up because my car wasn't leaving the driveway again.

I did several bank shops last week, the MSC wants to know, did I record the interaction. Yes, I record every survey/shop I do. I am 100% certain my quotations/comments are right.

I realize it is a different world shopping now than when I started 12 years ago... now... you record everything... take pictures of everything with imbedded GPS and Date/Time stamp, use a GPS verifier, and provide POV with receipts or business cards (including date and survey number), use their apps, submit reports within minutes of completing shops.... and still... I struggle just to get paid for doing work according to what I contracted to do.

I think the MSC's are changing the plan too often on purpose... citing small, insignificant points for reasons not to use shops, and then pocketing the money... or covering their mistakes with the businesses they contract, and changing the plan midstream.

Whatever, I am no longer making money. I should not have to defend my every action with the technology I am providing.

I think I will hang it up at the end of the year and tell everyone who still shops... all the best.

The GPS verifer is another issue for me. I get why they want to do it. But since most of mine (if we are talking the same site/app) are several well shopped places, I end up sending them the receipt instead of the photo in front of the store. The app that does this also freezes and does not load. I currently have 4 in "review" status that i bet they will not pay out (or if they do only 2 of them).

But I started this year. But I am not doing this full time. I make enough to cover my bills and if I do a restaurant shop a free (or very cheap) day out. I also work several other jobs so this is my hobby.

This is very unfortunate. You're obviously a devoted and hard working independant contractor yet some MSC are apparently using you to the point of exploitation. But that's another big issue we as independent contractors must deal with. As you're now realizing we must prioritize, put ourselves first, take care of our own interests ($$$) and RESPECT ourselves. Last but not least, learn to say NO.

I'm wondering if the first shop you've described is an audit with The Source. If so, the guidelines CLEARLY state that shoppers can use the app to check-in OR submit a receipt for reimbursement of up to $1.25. That could've been a misunderstanding with the editor. Contact them. They're quick to respond. If I ever decide to take one of those $8.00 audits w/o PAD I will not bother using the app for check-in.

The situation with the NetSpend cards sounds like the MSC changed the requirements AFTER you completed the assignments. They wanted more or different information after you accepted the shop AND after you completed it!? I hope they pay you for the first shop and offered the extra they wanted as an additional shop! I've had only one experience with the MSC that contracts or subcontracts the NetSpend card placement. They decided to change the "shop" date. Their excuse was to put the blame on the shipper. FedEx attempted to deliver my package the afternoon the shop was to be completed. NO! I refused delivery. I was not available to do the card placement the following day. And Certainly not for $10, lol.

I think many of these MSC, especially the app based ones, are doing whatever they can get away with. They don't intend on paying everyone that completes assignments. Since many of them pay peanuts they probably get useless monkey work. They also can decide a pic has the wrong angle, too blurry, can't read product name, etc... Or they've simply "overbooked" assignments and need to re-review and filter some out for justification of nonpayment. Suddenly your pic angle for the latest shop is inadequate but was perfectly fine for an identical shop you completed and received payment on.

I'm sorry to hear that shopping with some MSC has been costing you money. It should not be that way and I hope you get things sorted out.

All IC's should put themselves first. Prioritize. Speak up. Know your worth. Respect yourself.

Thanks for explaining your experiences
And please let us know what MSCs have been giving you this trouble. Also let us know about the outcome. It would be very helpful to your fellow IC shoppers/auditors.


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I totally understand how you feel. I have been mystery shopping for about seven years and was hoping that a thriving economy would raise the fees but I have not seen that from the shopper's side. The fees have remained stagnant or even gotten lower. Yeah I will get the nicely bonused easy shop occasionally but that is not on a regular basis.

Know your worth. If you're not making what you feel you deserve, there is plenty of work elsewhere. I don't mean that to be rude, just that there are other options out there if you're unhappy.

I think treating mystery shopping as anything other than a hobby leads to stress and disappointment, which you can see from the various posts on this forum. The ones who do make money work an insane amount of assignments. The ones who most heavily depend on this as a primary source of income live in constant fear of late payments. When you step back and take the pressure off yourself, those concerns fall away and you can get back to earning a little pocket money and some freebies.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2019 03:07PM by swanderson.

Wow. No. I do not work an insane amount of hours. I live comfotably and debt free. It can be done.

I understand your frustration, as I have seen fee's go lower. I shop for the perks and although I made more money years ago, many business's have merged or closed, and most just don't raise their fee's. They do that because they can. I have gotten many wonderful meals and learned about different companies I used later, so, with all the newcomers that will work for lower fee's to get started, it does shove the older members out if your looking to make $$. I still enjoy my restaurants and getting my dinner at a place like BJ's Brewery which is three miles from home, suits me fine. There are many sides to MS'ing, and if it no longer works for you, give it a rest or pick jobs that work for you. I do agree we many times make less than minimal fee, and seeing a job you did for double the price a few years ago, is sad. I'm not willing to drive the L.A. freeways and with so many shoppers here, we hardly ever get bonused....but on the good side, I get to go out and improve my lifestyle, so,I continue to shop, even at my ripe old age, and am glad they still want me, bottom line, it is what is is.

Many years ago, at least 10, a shopper posted on the Volition forum she had grossed $100,000 the preceding year. The following is what I recall from the body of her post.

She was on the road 28 days a month. When either lodging or meal assignments were unavailable, it ate into her net. In addition, she had a partner, with whom she shared the pay, to compose the reports, thus lowering her estimated net to $40,000. In closing, she commented she would not repeat her experience for double the money; I definitely would not for quadruple the cash and seriously doubt even octuple would tempt me.

You also have to think in terms of geography and the cost of living. I do not need to make $100,000 a year. In my part of the Midwest, the cost of living is fairly low. In California, parts of NY, some beach communities in Florida, the D.C. area, etc. the cost of living is much higher. I also live frugally and when I was younger I saved and invested my money, so I am very comfortable. And a lot of people tend to live beyond their means. I am not one of them.

@shopperbob wrote:

...thus lowering her estimated net to $40,000.

Which is the danger of discussing gross income when running a micro-business, right?

All the talk of hourly wages and such is useless if you do not have a good grasp on your annual net, and how MSing fits best into your financial health. Obviously there are some who can make full time shopping work for them, but I am not one of them.

For anyone who's feeling burned out, or concerned about the true cost of MSing; I recommend taking some time away if it's not your main source of income. This is the busy time of year for my main career so I cut off shopping in October and won't do any shops in Nov/Dec. It allows time for all my credit cards to catch up with the hotel reversals and I can start the year with a fresh balance sheet, and not being owed any money (hopefully).

More importantly, as a lifestyle shopper, I get a clear view of my lifestyle with and without MSing in it. Yes, I'm spending more on dining out, but my home and office are much more organized. I'm sleeping regular hours, going to the gym more and eating healthier. I'm starting to miss MSing, but also realizing it's time to adjust my MSing goals for 2020. The less you rely on MSing for income, the more you can cherry-pick the best assignments and make it work for you....

@Ms.Baker wrote:

I've been shopping for twelve years now, and I find that every year it gets harder and harder to make any money doing shops/surveys/audits. I think it is time to hang it up.

Sounds like you've had a crappy week. I will say though, that I do this "full time" and make decent money at it. By "full time" I mean I work when I want to and don't when I don't. If I could perhaps give a small bit of advice, I would suggest taking a look at your shop selection. I don't do any of the shops you mentioned. Because they simply don't pay enough.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Wow. No. I do not work an insane amount of hours. I live comfotably and debt free. It can be done.

I'm curious what insane is to you. To me, 30 shops a week would be insane and pushing a full-time job, but make me less than half my 9-5 after taxes and expenses. "Comfortable" might be a stretch without 40+.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2019 06:55PM by swanderson.

I don't work very hard. I already had a few careers in my lifetime and this is a retirement job. So I would not do anything that would drive me insane. It's quite easy to do 50 shops in a week. It just depends on the shops. I can do 4-5 convenience store shops in an hour, including report time (reported on an app on my phone immediately after leaving the location). They pay $7 each plus a $4 reimbursement and there are a ton of them near home (more than 50 stores within 20 miles). I can insert post office shops that pay $12 each (also on my phone) into that route. So I can actually do 20 shops a day quite easily without working more than 4 hours, with 0 report time when I get home. I might add some merchandising visits in here and there on my little mini-routes and bonused shops from other MSCs, and it's pretty easy to make a great wage. Last week I did a car dealership that paid $150, though it was a little further away than I normally like to drive (it was about 28 miles each way). I found other things to do on my way there and back. Surprisingly, the report was simple and took less than an hour to complete. My day, including drive time and report time, was 5 hours and I made over $200. A few months ago I did some of those cell phone shops where you have to make a purchase and return. They paid $175 and both locations were within 20 miles of my house. You know those cell phone shops that pay $6? I get $25-$35 for them at the end of the month when the MSC gets desperate (reported using an app on my phone). I did a credit card opening shop that was done online for $200 a few weeks ago. I sat in my pajamas to complete it. I had to do a webscrape survey afterwards that paid $50, and I get paid $20 a month to monitor communications from the CC company. Three days ago I did an online loan inquiry shop that paid $60 and took about 20 minutes to complete (it was a soft pull so it did not impact my credit score).

Because I invested money when I was younger (and still do), I will have no money worries in my older years.
Additionally, my house is paid for, my car is paid for, and I have no credit card debt. I live frugally (my car is a 2013 Sonata), but since it only has 48,000 miles on it, I see no need to get a new car anytime soon.

This is exactly why California wants to turn all ICs in all industries into employees. Too much abuse and exploitation of ICs.

Ms Baker, It certainly sounds like you are having a hard time making a go of it. But the one tip I have is to quit working for the msc that you feel are unfair. The age old advice is to sign up for more companies. It seems your frustration has built to a level where your responses to these msc you are working for are accusative. And I understand how this can happen but lashing out at them may make you feel better but will probably not get them to listen. If these one or two companies treat you badly, then sign up for some more and avoid these. Of course you should hold your ground with the shops you already did and pursue the issue with the changes in rules. Perhaps you have already done this. There is lots of advice on how to arrange route shopping and I assume since you did those jobs for Netspend that are one hour or more away from your home that you may not live in a big city. If you find a need to redo then see if you can find other jobs to fill in during that one hour drive. I have personally not seen lots of rules changes in any of the companies I work for so there are companies out there that do not employ the tactics you are finding.
It also might be time to hang up on mystery shopping or at least take a break. The economy is much better now and there are many more job openings around then 12 years ago when you started. At the time you may have given up finding a different full or part time job but look around now and you may find some other work where you can stay close to home and still earn the same or more than you are earning now without all the hassle. I have a friend who was laid off back then and spent years sending out resume after resume and now, even tho she could probably find a better job than the one she finally took she just cannot look another resume in the face. But you might be surprised that other opportunities for you exist now.

JASFLALMT, it sounds like you've got this down to a science. Bravo!

@JASFLALMT wrote:

You also have to think in terms of geography and the cost of living. I do not need to make $100,000 a year. In my part of the Midwest, the cost of living is fairly low. In California, parts of NY, some beach communities in Florida, the D.C. area, etc. the cost of living is much higher. I also live frugally and when I was younger I saved and invested my money, so I am very comfortable. And a lot of people tend to live beyond their means. I am not one of them.

You have omitted that you are married and as you mentioned in another thread your husband takes care of the lion’s share of the bills. So, respectfully you can’t really portray yourself as someone who is able to get by and thrive with the cash you get from mystery shoppping.

It's true, my husband does take care of the bills (electric, gas, property taxes, etc. since we don't have a mortgage), but if it were just me, I wouldn't live in this 5.000+ sqft. house. I would downsize to about 1/3rd of that and get by just fine. Additionally, I have enough savings and investments where if I lived alone, I would never have to work again if I didn't want to. The money I make from mystery shopping goes into my Roth IRA ($7k a year of it) and other investment accounts, and the rest I spend on clothes, pedicures, vacations, etc.

I have been MSing for nearly two decades and am signed up with over 100 companies. It takes time and hard work to build relationships with MSCs and schedulers.

I also am a rep for a nutritional company and I do product demos and merchandising for several others. This type of work can pay a lot more than people think. It's a really great idea to branch out into other areas of market research if need be. Also, never forget that your time is very valuable and after you prove yourself to be a great shopper (or demo rep, merchandiser, etc.), there is no reason why you can't get more money. Sometimes you have to ask!

@swanderson wrote:

JASFLALMT, it sounds like you've got this down to a science. Bravo!

I am sorry you are having such a rough go of it. I don't blame you for being upset. The one company that you did the marketing/merchandising/auditing for, I know and they can be very understanding. I think when you are feeling better you should write to one of the managers/leads and explain what happened. Bad things sometimes happens in threes, so it just seems like a rough week, but I agree that a break is in order if you can afford one. Don't be so hard on yourself, shops are paying less for most of us, and sometimes its just not worth it. Be nice and treat yourself to something if you can. Life will get better, it usually does.

Did they change the guidelines midstream? If they did, that would explain a lot... For a different set of tasks, one reviewer remarked that there were no images for my shop. I could not restrain myself. I politely explained that the report could not have been submitted without images. It is coded to kick back the report until every question has been answered and every required image has been provided. For my own sake, I made a new set of images. There is no hope for profit. I can only hope that the substantial mileage is deductible. Tax guy will tell me about that. Meanwhile, I surmise that post submission, some of the moving parts wandered off to some fun (and possibly exotic) place from which they cannot be extradited and thus never be attached to my precise reports. I I love the MSCs, and I will leave it where the errant images are having more fun than all of us combined.

Anyway, I hope that you are feeling better now and can find some humor, some moolah, or maybe a new assignment type to try.





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2019 02:03AM by Shop-et-al.

I don't see how anyone could possibly live off of mystery shopping as the sole source of income, and frankly, I don't believe anyone would be able to pay for health insurance, car, rent, food, utilities, gas etc., on shopping money. With the average shop pay about 10 bucks, you'd have to do 100 shops a week to make 50K a year. And give up any type of life and forgo sleep. You'd go bat @#$%& crazy.

@rothers27 wrote:

I don't see how anyone could possibly live off of mystery shopping as the sole source of income, and frankly, I don't believe anyone would be able to pay for health insurance, car, rent, food, utilities, gas etc., on shopping money. With the average shop pay about 10 bucks, you'd have to do 100 shops a week to make 50K a year. And give up any type of life and forgo sleep. You'd go bat @#$%& crazy.

I guess less than 0.001 percent of shoppers support themselves solely on the income from mystery shopping.

The professional full-time shoppers tend to have other income sources from rental apartments or pension payments or a spouse with a job for example.

That said, if someone works hard and is able to get decent coin from mystery shopping they deserve respect.

Some people really work this. They work routes and/or travel the world. Their travel costs, mileage, and reimbursed hotel and/or resort costs help them at tax time. The charges made to their rewards credit cards give them points that they can use to pay off the card balances, travel, or obtain other perks that they may choose. The more expensive the room, the more points on the card. If they are completing enough gas station shops, they are getting some fuel for their vehicle or a portable gas tank with every shop. If they are completing grocery store shops, they are getting some money and some groceries with each shop. Sometimes they receive substantial bonuses in addition to known fees. On the plus side, they complete their scheduled work and are paid for it. This keeps them in the game. On the down side, it involves near-constant planning and adjusting to changes. For example, when clients end programs or change MSCs, shoppers may have to sign up with more companies or complete new or disliked assignments in order to maintain their desired income.

I do not plan to get to that level. I am scaling back, spending less time, and limiting the types of assignments that I complete. My income reflects this because I have not figured out how to be paid so much money per assignment that I could do a third of the work for three times the pay. haha. My negotiations have been successful for small amounts of money but not for the more appropriate big bucks. These negotiations are tiresome and time-consuming.I do not like them. I need to spend time in my world, not in the vagaries of this industry. But that is just me. People who love this are in a good place for them,

The OP described something that a) had not happened before in my experience and b) has not occurred in my more recent assignments with the same MSCs. I hope they will continue in this business, even if they make changes in their work style.They have twelve years of experience, which should be worth a great deal to some clients and MSCs.

@rothers27 wrote:

I don't see how anyone could possibly live off of mystery shopping as the sole source of income, and frankly, I don't believe anyone would be able to pay for health insurance, car, rent, food, utilities, gas etc., on shopping money. With the average shop pay about 10 bucks, you'd have to do 100 shops a week to make 50K a year. And give up any type of life and forgo sleep. You'd go bat @#$%& crazy.

rothers,
They are NOT doing any $10 shops. They are doing routes with huge bonuses.

I will do $10 shops if they take 15 minutes or less, including report time. I did a shop yesterday that took 7 minutes and paid $18. All I had to do was take 4 photos of a display at Best Buy, no associate interaction. I added nearby shops (within 2 miles), some with bonuses, all quick visits with no narrative, and made $40 per hour before taxes. I was able to report all of them on my phone except one. I only worked 2 hours (including drive and report time) because it was 25 degrees out!

And what about video shoppers? They are the ones who make the big bucks, they and route shoppers (or people who do both).

@rothers27 wrote:

I don't see how anyone could possibly live off of mystery shopping as the sole source of income, and frankly, I don't believe anyone would be able to pay for health insurance, car, rent, food, utilities, gas etc., on shopping money. With the average shop pay about 10 bucks, you'd have to do 100 shops a week to make 50K a year. And give up any type of life and forgo sleep. You'd go bat @#$%& crazy.

After deciding shopping might be a full time supplement to my retirement, this in 2003, I accepted, at the end of 2007, I had failed. I analyzed my situation, shifted gears and have succeeded. I am very part time, three $35 shops on 11/01, one $50 on 11/04 and nothing since. I do have one $50 for 11/19 and if the month ends there, so be it. To date this year, my high/low results are: March, with a single job paying $5+ lunch and Sept. at $507+ four meals for 15 assignments.

I haven't been mystery shopping for very long, but the one thing that I have realized that doesn't seem to make this worth it is the MILEAGE. When one works a regular job and travels, the company reimburses mileage. Right now that is $0.58/mile. If I do a 100 mile route as an independent contractor, that's $58.00 that I could have made if I was an employee. That money is coming out of my bottom line.

Unemployment might be down, but it's because there is so much contractor work out there right now. I doubt many people are factoring in the mileage rate when they calculate their hourly. The average Uber rate is $0.83/mile plus a few perks, but that's just one way. By the time you drive back from a far location you're losing money. This gig economy is such a rip off and people aren't realizing it right away. So they keep getting these newbies and they're working for $5/hour if they're lucky. Should be illegal really or have a huge disclaimer.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I have been MSing for nearly two decades and am signed up with over 100 companies. It takes time and hard work to build relationships with MSCs and schedulers.

I also am a rep for a nutritional company and I do product demos and merchandising for several others. This type of work can pay a lot more than people think. It's a really great idea to branch out into other areas of market research if need be. Also, never forget that your time is very valuable and after you prove yourself to be a great shopper (or demo rep, merchandiser, etc.), there is no reason why you can't get more money. Sometimes you have to ask!

@swanderson wrote:

JASFLALMT, it sounds like you've got this down to a science. Bravo!

In the last few years I have been adding more demos and merchandising jobs to my routes. It gives me more options for lucrative routes, and I enjoy the flexability.

Demos are out unless and until some of the rules are revised and include a larger number of workers.

1. When reasonable and possible during shifts, the worker can stand on their own approved, provided mat.

2. When reasonable and possible during shifts, the worker can sit on their own provided chair (or stool). I would need a chair. YMMV.