I have only been doing this for a year and a half. In that time, I have visited most local car dealerships that are shopped, gyms, assisted living, etc. These are all places that you can't really visit again. They would remember you. These are also the higher dollar shops.

The dining shops have rotations as do many other types. Coyle has told me they are following a "one and done" policy, so there's that too.

How do you mystery shop over the course of many years? Do you need to keep traveling farther from your home?

Banks, investment advisers, parking, new homes, storage places, oil change services, convenience stores/gas stations, apartments, among others.

Also, there is enough turnover in staff at many car dealerships,retail, restaurants, apartment rental companies, hotels and senior living jobs that the rotations will let you return in about a year or so.

Also, how many MSCs are you signed up with?

I have been doing this since 2005, and I stay busy.

Adjust your level of shopping to match the rotation schedule and arrival of new clients in your area...or travel more.

I average about 2 Coyle shops a month and rarely repeat clients. I'd say that 50% of my shops are new clients in the L.A. area and the others are based on me traveling to them. I have a group of local shops I do for other companies that I parcel out over the year, but after a dozen years of shopping in my neighborhood, I'm probably at 2 shops per week total when in high MSing season.

Yes; I could find other shops to do, but those would not be ones that pay/reimburse as well, so my time is best spent focusing on the lucrative assignments and finding other ways outside of MSing to monetize my available time. My average pay/reimbursement has also remained the same as I have culled back the undesirable shops, so I think it time, you may find you 'sweet spot'.

Financial circumstances change over time and you will find that there are times when you need or want to perform more shops and times when it is less urgent. I tend to shop less when it is less urgent so that I am in rotation when I need to generate more shop income. As for shopping the same salesperson, that is part of the art of shopping. You can be shopping the new model, a different item or product or your funds got 'diverted' to other expenses so now are starting your search again.

Most of the shops I do have rotations for the exact reason that wales stated. There are enough shoppable locations in my area. Also, if a shop has a high enough bonus, I will travel outside of my normal radius.

I shop my preferred food locations at different times each week, plus the rotation of employees is also a thing... never had a problem.

In addition to using different fake names (including fake maiden names), you can also use different email addresses and phone numbers. Just keep track of which name/phone/email combo you use for which company you are shopping. This works well with auto dealers and fitness centers.

Some shoppers also give themselves subtle disguises, but they have to be the sort of credible disguises that you can carry off well. Wearing caps or bandanas may work for some; wearing no make-up vs full makeup (complete with lashes and nails) may work for others.

Others just get used to shopping some of the same fast food and fast casual locations over and over, even though the management may know (or at least believe) you are the shopper.

You can gradually expand your geographic range, especially for shop with big bonuses. By expanding the range, it becomes easier to do routes.

If you're in a small town within 1-2 hours drive from a big city, you might be able to work a two-day route driving and shopping on the way to that city, shopping there, and shopping on the way back home--spending the night as part of a hotel shop.

You can take your car (or your friends' cars) in for service at all the car dealers within an hour of where you live. In addition to shop fees, you get reimbursed for regular maintenance that you would otherwise do.

Hope this helps.

Very true! One of the banks I shop has a rotation of 6 months. The "youngest" employee has been there for 3 years.

They know they are shopped. They probably know I am their shopper. They always hit all of the metrics. I always give them a great report.

ETA: as JAS stated in a different thread, you have to diversify: MSCs, types of shops, etc.

>>Others just get used to shopping some of the same fast food and fast casual locations over and over, even though the management may know (or at least believe) you are the shopper.<<



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2020 11:00AM by HonnyBrown.

For my fast food shops it is easy to get "caught" - You have to take photos all around the complex, including the area heading up to the window, plus you are hitting a timer at the window. The reality is that most managers likely have more to care about that think "you" are the shopper, and if you go at various times throughout the week or month to the same location you likely won't see the same person...

Also, many times the stores just see you as an "everyday" or "regular" customer. I shop the fast food restaurant store that I ate at for years on the way to work. When I go, they treat me like they always have... it is just that I have to put in a report...

(That restaurant has some of the best customer service in the chain, and commonly gets very high scores, even when I shop them at times when the main manager is not in)

I hold out on those cell phone shops, electronic store shops, and bank shops that don't pay very well until all of the other shoppers in my area have done them to the point of over-saturation that they can't walk into the location without the associates knowing who they are. And then the bonuses go up, and up, and then I snap them up. You know those $6 cell phone shops? I do them for $25+ each, and don't have to drive far to do them (10-20 miles). Those bank shops that start out at $12? I get $17-$20 for them. These are some of the easiest shops ever and can be done on an app, so it's ridiculous how much money you can make in an hour making a route close to home. I can't imagine ever doing them for base fee, though, no matter how easy they are, because I know I can get more. I don't do them very often and they are not my main thing, but it makes it super easy to add extra income for the month when they pop up. It's all about time spent on a shop. Yes, sometimes I will pepper in a higher paying shop that takes more time to do, but if I average out the time spent on a shop, it makes more sense to do a lot of shops that pay less but are so easy I can cram 4 of them in an hour, including reporting time. And then, there are always those online financial shops that pay $60+...talk about reporting in pajamas with coffee at my desk, so nice!

Definitely sign up with more companies to find more shops. You have only been a shopper for less than two years? Many of us who have been shopping for 5-20 years have found our groove. You will too.

Thank you everyone for all of the advice!