Although I have shopped off and on for years, it was never my only source of income. When I first started, it was to get out of the house when things were slow at my day job. I'm an editor (not MS) and writer, often but not exclusively technical. Mystery shopping was both a break from the grind of the other and to fill in the schedule when things were slow. Early on, my focus was on hotels (i.e., funding travel), retail, and restaurants, as high end as I could schedule. There are a lot of perks to be had in the MS business, but sometimes earning a living gets in the way of enjoying the perks. I started back again during covid, and this time it is more of a side hustle to earn what I can. Of all the jobs I have ever done in my life though, while the pay isn't the highest, MS has the potential for the most awesome perks. However, earning a living frequently gets in the way of enjoying the perks, and you realistically have to pull enough ahead to enjoy that aspect of the business. Nonetheless, sometimes it is time to move on from just about every job there is, otherwise I would have been full time at it a long time ago. For now, it suits me just fine. I've been making a little extra, and once more eyeing those perks. PS: I have also learned that a ten-foot-pole list can do wonders for your sanity in this business.
How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg?
"Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg."
-- Abraham Lincoln