Ideas For Remote Work: COVID-19 Workaround Thread

It certainly looks like we are going to be seeing a tremendous change in our industry (in the USA) within the next 2-4 weeks.

As COVID-19 continues its exponential growth, locations will be made temporarily inaccessible to slow the spread. Expect airports, casinos, retail outlets, restaurants and other places we normally go for on-site evaluations to be closed temporarily.

I’m mentoring a few shoppers off-forum, and wanted to start a thread for MS’ers who are looking for genuine (non-scammy) home-based gigs to keep busy in the weeks ahead. Ideas we’ve come up with included:

1. Home-based telephone customer service rep,
2. Nanny/daycare in-home,
3. Pickup and local delivery service.

Getting ahead of the shutdowns and quarantines is smart planning. Feel free to add your suggestions to the thread...

Edit: autocorrect

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2020 02:11PM by ColoKate63.

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I personally would be leery of #2 because kids are good little germ catchers/spreaders but YMMV.

4. Writing articles for blogs
5. Virtual Assistant jobs

Kim

Wanted to add: This is a very good idea for a thread since a lot are worried, myself included, as to how far this virus will spread. I'm worried about my parents who are in their 80s. Fortunately, my job that is my main source of income is letting me take my laptop home in case something happens. Those who rely solely on MS for income may need to branch out eventually.

Kim

Yes, not everyone wants to deal with a houseful of kids; however, schools and daycares will certainly be closing. Huge demand already on my Nextdoor and Facebook groups as parents try to do some advance planning.

#6 - Online resale: it’s an oldie but a goodie, there are so many platforms now, like eBay, Poshmark, Etsy, ThredUp... everyone will be at home and shopping out of boredom. Good time to sell!

Daycare requires a license and location inspections in most jurisdictions. Fire safety, hygiene accommodations, etc. loom large in parents' minds when selecting child care, even in such times as these.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

@ColoKate63 wrote:

Online resale: it’s an oldie but a goodie, there are so many platforms now, like eBay, Poshmark, Etsy, ThredUp... everyone will be at home and shopping out of boredom. Good time to sell!

Good observation, and that's a productive way to clear clutter from our lives. I have so many items that I have been meaning to sell when time allows. If I can work it out during the impending break, I might even be able to get rid of the storage unit I've paying on the past 5 years!

FYI eBay has been dead the last month. It’s a slow time, but I personally hope it picks up. I’ve been selling for 20 years this summer and am closing in on $60,000 lifetime sales.
But if you’re stuck at home, something is better than nothing. It’s like a 24 hour a day garage sale with no shoplifters.

There are many remote jobs that focus on SEO, but for the large search engines such as Google. The positions pay $12-15 an hour last I recall. It requires lots of learning to properly rate queries and ads, but if you have lots of extra time to fill in, you pay for what you work and it's remote.

Lionbridge and Leapforce were the major players back in the day: [www.outsidethatcubicle.com]

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

Did a search for Lionbridge and came up with this Forbes article. Definitely some good leads here...

#8: Any of these companies

[www.google.com]

And most of these (from today's blog):

[www.cnbc.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2020 10:07PM by ColoKate63.

On the other hand this might turn into a good opportunity in the nearer future for those who are willing to venture out. I really doubt that all stores will close. The larger airports will not close. There is a decent possibility that they might temporarily suspend their mystery shopping program both directly due to the virus and also due to expected losses to their earnings during this period. If you are in an area where there has not been an outbreak it might lead to more jobs and/or bonuses.

To me, this whole thing just further confirms that we all need multiple income streams in order to assure a safety net should something go haywire somewhere along the financial way. Can't mystery shop due to virus outbreak? Sell on ebay or etsy. They tanked? Sell drop ship products online. Don't like drop ship? Teach a skill on youtube. Don't like youtube? Teach an adult ed class on how to become a successful mystery shopper!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2020 05:57PM by Sandy Shopper.

Idea #9 - Housecleaning.

Not technically “from home,” but you’re avoiding most people.

In my area, cleaners get $25-50 (yes, $50) per hour.

I’m always seeing frantic requests on Nextdoor or Facebook neighborhood groups looking for last-minute cleaning help. I live in a suburb 25 miles out from the city center, and apparently housekeepers flake as often as ... well, beginning mystery shoppers.

Editing to add: vigorously cleaning burns 150-200 calories per hour. That’s a solid 2-3 hour workout if you’re avoiding the gym!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2020 07:05PM by ColoKate63.

Hopefully, anyone having trouble passing the exam and application process for Lionbridge, this will help:

[ratracerebellion.com]

@Tarantado wrote:

There are many remote jobs that focus on SEO, but for the large search engines such as Google. The positions pay $12-15 an hour last I recall. It requires lots of learning to properly rate queries and ads, but if you have lots of extra time to fill in, you pay for what you work and it's remote.

Lionbridge and Leapforce were the major players back in the day: [www.outsidethatcubicle.com]

Shopping Arkansas, Louisiana, & Mississippi.

Idea #10 - Social Media for MSPs

SO many mystery shopping providers (MSPs) need content for their blogs, their Twitter feeds, their Facebook, LinkedIn... who better to do this than a seasoned mystery shopper?
Looking on this forum, the ideas for blog posts and Tweets are everywhere!
If you have a favorite MSP, maybe now is a great time to drop them an email and suggest that you start handling their social media for them - for a fee, of course.
This would be something you could build on and carry through with post-COVID19.

Dog sitting at your own house. My aunt did this, had lots of repeat customers. Some pets don't do well in a kennel.
Rover.com (I think) helps find customers

@Tarantado wrote:

There are many remote jobs that focus on SEO, but for the large search engines such as Google. The positions pay $12-15 an hour last I recall. It requires lots of learning to properly rate queries and ads, but if you have lots of extra time to fill in, you pay for what you work and it's remote.

Lionbridge and Leapforce were the major players back in the day: [www.outsidethatcubicle.com]

I used to be a webmaster and was extremely good at SEO. SE alogorithms are something that are constantly changing, and you have to keep up with them. SEO is harder than it used to be, meaning it requires more time, but I'm sure I could school myself to get up to date very quickly if it were my only job.

@Sandy Shopper wrote:

To me, this whole thing just further confirms that we all need multiple income streams in order to assure a safety net should something go haywire somewhere along the financial way. Can't mystery shop due to virus outbreak? Sell on ebay or etsy. They tanked? Sell drop ship products online. Don't like drop ship? Teach a skill on youtube. Don't like youtube? Teach an adult ed class on how to become a successful mystery shopper!

Discovering the world of mystery shopping immediately BECAME my safety net when health forced me out of my job a dozen years ago. I believe that there will always be something I can do even if it is not my first choice.

Long ago, Norman Vincent Peale wrote that when there were no more options for income, the only acceptable thing to do was to decrease spending. There are job opportunities, but they would cause me to lose sleep. I need more sleep! I would rather slash my budget than lose more sleep! I am postponing frou-frou expenditures in favor of stocking up for my household and re-purposing my space. My storage unit is a better roi now because I can transfer non-perishables to it and free up space to keep more foodstuffs at home. This is cheaper than moving and allows us to be prepared for quarantine (which, for now, seems unlikely). After we have made these changes, it will be easier to add whatever job or jobs might be unavoidable.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

I came to this because of Obama Care and my hours going from 60 + hours a week down to 25 or less.

Well it was a good run. I shopped for 21 years. I’d say 95% of my shops are gone for now.

eBay is picking up. Luckily, I’m an essential employee. I’ve got full time regular work no matter what.

@SoCalMama wrote:

Well it was a good run. I shopped for 21 years. I’d say 95% of my shops are gone for now.

eBay is picking up. Luckily, I’m an essential employee. I’ve got full time regular work no matter what.

That's awesome!

Oil and gas has taken a huge hit, so unfortunately, sometimes, no matter how valuable and essential you can be to your work, it's not guaranteed to stay. I'm definitely nervous to things over the horizon with my main project closing out.....

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

@Tarantado wrote:

@SoCalMama wrote:

Well it was a good run. I shopped for 21 years. I’d say 95% of my shops are gone for now.

eBay is picking up. Luckily, I’m an essential employee. I’ve got full time regular work no matter what.

That's awesome!

Oil and gas has taken a huge hit, so unfortunately, sometimes, no matter how valuable and essential you can be to your work, it's not guaranteed to stay. I'm definitely nervous to things over the horizon with my main project closing out.....

Police, fire, medical and public utilities are all going to be fine though.

Plumbers, Electricians, HVAC people will all-weather this out. Especially with all of the TP being out of stock. Will have plugged pipes due to old socks and t-@#$%& going down the toilet. Electricians because the TV has to stay on HVAC people because we have to stay cool or warm depending on if this stretches into July or August or next winter.

Grocery stores in my area are hiring. Food delivery for online ordering may be a good idea for those who are not in the high risk.

*****************************************************************************
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain

I would set it up that they prepay and send you a pix of who will be there to get it. Then when it gets delivered that you stand back and get them to pose for a pix and then they have it and you have proof. I just got a Fed-Ex package of my cancer drugs and this time they said the I did not need to sign for it. The drugs go for about $6000.00 for a month's supply Thankfully I get assistance with that. Plus with my bad ticker, I think I am going to cancel the rest of my shops this month and see how it works.

The transportation industry is trying to minimize contact with people to protect their drivers so people won't be touching their electronic boards for signatures when possible.

Kim

For those that have their main incomes being affected, please, please try and double check what the protocols are for your state. My mother is in the food service industry and since she'll be out of work for essentially 8 weeks, THIS QUALIFIES FOR UNEMPLOYMENT in Colorado. Out here, the delay to begin receiving anything after submittal is around 4 weeks.

So please jump ahead, even if your particular area hasn't hit any quanrantines yet. I'm crossing my fingers for everyone to make it through this hard time.

Also, if you ARE in a position to be able to assist your loved ones affected by this for work (in my case, my parents), please do what you can to help support them, even if you guys are rather private about your financial situation.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

I did 40 gas stations in February with a required $5 purchase at each. Bought a single $5 hand sanitizer, Lysol, or wipes at each location.

Made “Coronavirus Care Packages” for my extended family and mailed them out two weeks ago. They thought I was nuts, but not now, lol.

I just finished writing up my last EPMS report today. Never thought that I’d be sad to see the work go, but I truly am.

Going to install luxury vinyl plank and paint my home interior the next six weeks. After that, probably paint the exterior, maybe.

Then we’ll see; I think that this will be 18-24 months until we’re out from underneath.

@SoCalMama wrote:

It’s like a 24 hour a day garage sale with no shoplifters.

There are shoplifters. They are just more brazen, and make you pay shipping too.

@ColoKate63 wrote:

#6 - Online resale: it’s an oldie but a goodie, there are so many platforms now, like eBay, Poshmark, Etsy, ThredUp... everyone will be at home and shopping out of boredom. Good time to sell!

But with so many jobs cancelled, will those bored people have money to buy non-essential items?

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