Hi! Still pretty new in Mystery Shopping. Can anyone offer advice on organizing so many different mystery shop companies please? I've signed up for quite a few & wonder how does eveyone keep up with the certain requirements and rules of every company? Some companies quiz you & their pay out dates, ways to pay you, and how to report a problem & what can get your contract with them not as considered or acceptable for higher pay, they are all so different & specific in what they require for you to be an good shopper to them. I appreciate how different every company is but man it can be quite a lot for even a handful of companies for you to remember them. Can anoyone help with how to organize these companies & their differences in rules please?

Ex: "so-so mystery shop company wants you to tell them how many oz of beverage you were given & your report to be turned in in a matter of 5 hours after the shop completion & that you write down one or a few sentences of how the bartender greeted you in conversation."

Ex b: "hi-hi mystery shop company wants you to have the report written in a matter of 12 hours after the completion of the shop, but they want you to remember rhe clothes the server had, were they neat, pressed, and presentable & was hygiene acceptable as far as hair, bodily smell, and uneccesarily bad breath for the brand chains image, and if the I saw the server give someone else more pours of liquor, alcoholo, etc than the usual count & if I could count my pours for service & possibly how the server is servicing someone else"

This is the differences I talk about & want to organize for myself about each company so I can work with them better & keep hold of eaches requirements for the shopper (me)

Believe it or not, my system is super simple -- and not vulnerable to power failures, broken electronics, etc.

I have a binder full of college ruled notepaper.

I have one page for each company, in alphabetical file order.

I have a separate sheet labeled with different types of shops (fast food, gas stations, hotels, etc. ), and I cross-reference on that page to companies that offer those.

Each company page allows me to build my history with that company -- whether or not they bonus, are helpful with routes, treat us well, etc. I also note schedulers' names, phone numbers, etc., under the company, so I can develop a somewhat personal relationship with the schedulers.

Simple, effective, easy to update.

Younger people seem to rely more on spreadsheets and such, and electronic stuff. But I'm old school -- and it's actually easier to pick up the binder and jot notes than to turn on my pc or haul out my laptop.

I love tech, but I love old school more. It is practical and probably reflects my personal learning and working preferences. A combination is helpful because there is always some way to manage the work regardless of where you are at any moment and despite any challenges that might be present momentarily or frequently there.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2022 04:09AM by Shop-et-al.

Excel spreadsheet, and email. New folder, "MSC" - main folder, add a folder for each company you work with. Keep important docs in each company folder, delete as needed.

I think you will figure it out over time. I have been shopping since 2003. I signed up with a crapton of companies only to find out many don't have shops in my area. Then after awhile, you see the shops being posted and realize some of them just are not worth it. So out of the 100 or more I have signed up with over the years, i probably work for maybe 10 of them consistently now.

Thank you!! I dont think putting a lot of effort in electronics is best for me either truly

Thank you so simple!

I focus on different shop types and don't worry about MSCs. For each job I create a "cheat sheet" in a word processing program detailing the requirements I need to remember. Before doing the job, I can print out the sheet and take it with me. Of course I need to review guidleines periodically and update the sheet. I have never found a need to organize MSCs. Two types of shops within one MSC can have widely differing requirements, bonus opportunites, reporting deadlines, etc.

I have an Excel workbook that has evolved over time. I used the sample spreadsheet in the New Shopper's section as a base.

The first tab is a summary of totals from the following worksheets.

The remaining tabs are the MSCs with the shop details. The name, mileage and pay are linked to the summary sheet.

The last sheet is all of the MSCs and their details, including pay terms.

@ceasesmith wrote:

Believe it or not, my system is super simple -- and not vulnerable to power failures, broken electronics, etc.

I have a binder full of college ruled notepaper.

I have one page for each company, in alphabetical file order.

I have a separate sheet labeled with different types of shops (fast food, gas stations, hotels, etc. ), and I cross-reference on that page to companies that offer those.

Each company page allows me to build my history with that company -- whether or not they bonus, are helpful with routes, treat us well, etc. I also note schedulers' names, phone numbers, etc., under the company, so I can develop a somewhat personal relationship with the schedulers.

Simple, effective, easy to update.

Younger people seem to rely more on spreadsheets and such, and electronic stuff. But I'm old school -- and it's actually easier to pick up the binder and jot notes than to turn on my pc or haul out my laptop.

This works well for me.

Type of shop and go!

Read the guidelines before each shop. (Or look for updates to shops you have done a million times)
Figuring out if you need to pay attention to how many ounces a drink is, turn in a report within 5 hours etc isn't always the same even within the same company. Each client can (and does) have their own requirements.
Yes, there is quite often a typical 'theme' for each MSC but don't count on that.

Your examples aren't talking about company rules, they're talking about shop guidelines. Read the guidelines and make a cheat sheet for each shop. Then after the shop leave the parking lot and jot down notes on the cheat sheet. As for pay dates, etc. you're mostly going to work for a dozen or so companies even though you're signed up with far more. You'll soon learn the essentials about each MSC.

Thank you for the help!

Excel