I just completed my spreadsheet for my shopping income/expenses for 2022 and confirmed what I'd been thinking. Most of the shops that I've done for a half dozen or so MSC's aren't worth the trouble.
So, I've decided to scale back to doing Kroger shops only for the coming year. They keep me busy enough for my retirement lifestyle with an occasional "road trip" doing remote orphan stores with healthy bonuses. I see that I had roughly $4300 in grocery store purchases reimbursed, which makes my wife verrrrrry happy! I spread the purchases out over our own needs, some baby essentials for my daughters family and the occasional food pantry donations. Right now, our pantry is pretty well stocked!
The gas stations, fast food joints and other restaurants and hardware/building supply stores take too much time for too little pay. I would have kept the Sonics for road trip lunches, if the old MSC hadn't lost the account.

I am scaling back, too. I raised the minimum fee I will accept, and will refuse shops with confusing guidelines, or the kinds of guidelines that are almost guaranteed to out the shopper.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/02/2023 12:18AM by Susan L..

My very part time hourly gig pays me more than I ever got from mystery shopping, and the hours seem to be flexible enough to meet my needs. Other than the random Five Guys or Texas Roadhouse shop that Hubby requests I probably will do very few shops this year.

Yep. Already in the scaled back camp...since the start of the pandemic / endemic. As other have stated, it's not worth the hassle for the same fees that don't move up with the "transitory" inflation. A few fees were raised, but they are the exception.

Yes many are simply not worth my time or trouble.

I scaled back also. I only do jobs if I am right there for my own reasons. And I feel like it.

I have scaled back, but not by choice. Most of the restaurant and car shops I used to complete are now gone. I have not seen a supermarket shop in the past two years either.

I am scaling back as well. I will do the Kroger shops and some merchandising. If a bonus makes a shop worthwhile, I will pick it up. The rates have not kept up with inflation at all on most shops. When I see they are paying the same as six years ago, I say nah. If the reports were simplified, it would be different.

@JW....

what fast food places are you doing that take too much time? the Panda Express are very simple. I don't do them for less than $15 pay. $15 or higher. The online and drive-thru shops can be done in under 5 minutes (in person). The 5G takes longer, but I don't touch those for less than $30 pay.

I agree I wouldn't bother at the starting rate on either of those. I have never done a grocery store, nor do I intend to. I saw requirements for one awhile back and I had to interact with several departments and employees. Not interested in that. I want "quick hitters" with minimal interaction for decent (or higher) pay.

Ever since the airport shops essentially got eliminated at Denver, I scaled back completely. I actually prefer the GNPD program I’m in now to cover most what I prefer to get out of my side work…. Trying new things with the flexibility of picking them and aiming high on reimbursements (helps keep my AGI below certain thresholds to keep my tax liability manageable).

I still snag any $30-50 Market Force shops just because the hourly rate of them justifies it, and sometimes other food shops. Other than that, if it isn’t those credit inquiry shops, I’m essentially one foot out at this point.

What is GNPD?

I switched from my years as a failed full timer to a successful situational shopper in 2007 and have never looked back. The job either fits one of the three categories I have established or I pass on the work.

I hear you on some of the guidelines that would "out" the shopper. I offered feedback to one such company and was told "So do you want me to remove you from the system?" I replied no, I would like you to forward my comments to someone who might be able to receive them. They pay huge bonuses and still, no one picks them up.

@ceasesmith wrote:

What is GNPD?

Global New Product Database. It’s a Mintel product that I ended up getting recruited for by their coordinator. The product is a database for clients that are interested or have a need to research a variety of products in stores and online. So lots and lots of data entry, pictures, etc. for my role. But it’s a lot of self-paced work that I found to be enjoyable.

My last teaching gig (local community college) paid extra for teaching extra classes, so I drastically scaled back my ms type side gigs in favor of the much more profitable teaching of extra classes.

Since retiring from teaching in November 2020 I have jumped back into the side gigs that we all do, but with conditions. My main condition is that my vehicle will not move unless I make $1/mile. In 2022 I made $2/mile on average.

In 2022 I quit a movie theater cardboard standee/display assembly job (pretty good money, but too physically demanding for this old man!) and was removed from the doctor's office brochure display replenishment jobs by Customer Impact after I wanted to give up one unprofitable route, but they removed me from all 4 routes that I did for them (bummer, oh well).

It seems like everyone here is doing some good analysis of their side business activities and are setting their own set of policies and guidelines for the work that they will do and won't do. Seems like entirely sound strategies to me. Good luck to everyone out there in 2023.

Honestly, this discussion is really helpful to me because I was starting to wonder about this for myself and whether I need to make adjustments to my shopping for 2023. Outside of the disproportion between shop pay and job requirements, I have also felt that parts of the shopping experience have been "stale." Maybe it's just the MSCs that I'm shopping and needing to branch out to new companies for new opportunities, or I've been consistently taking on the same work to guarantee the best pay. Either way, I definitely feel as if 2023 is going to be a year of change for my work as a shopper.

Good luck to everyone else in 2023! Wishing everyone a prosperous and productive year.

I wish the MSers in my area that compete with me for Kroger shops would scale back! ????

I am way less active than pre-pandemic. Not worth is to me if I have to drive or get there. That's most of the battle. I do a few jobs when it is convenient to me which are few and far in between. I do actively perform fine dining when the reimbursement and restaurant is on par. However, not doing $200 or less fine dining shops. The no fee or $10-15 fee is minutiae and not a consideration of mine.

Interesting discussion. I haven't even considered scaling back in 2023. Of course, in the last months, I have already scaled back on schedulers and MSCs who don't respond to multiple inquiries about whatever issue and then give you flake citations and nasty reprimands about something that you did wrong on a shop, and it never would have been wrong if they had also done their job and responded to your question about the shop problem. I have also scaled back on (eliminated) MSCs and schedulers who routinely leave out major details in their recruiting emails that would impact whether I would even take the shop. I have long since scaled back on MSCs who continuously lower the fees on shops, and then can't understand why nobody wants to do them. I don't fool with schedulers and MSCs that include threats in their shop recruiting either. I also don't take shops that ask me to pull out my wallet for schedulers who play any of the above games that make whether or not any given shop is accepted a game of roulette. I also try to pass on any shops that have the potential to reflect negatively on me as a person if I happen to run into the folks I shopped again later. Picky. Picky. I probably left something out, but after all that, 2022 was a good mystery shopping year for me, actually the best ever. I am loving the work, but even mystery shoppers need good healthy boundaries. Life and work are both better that way.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/03/2023 01:44PM by GinnyLynn.

Pay rates and shop availability have scaled me back. Not my choice. Previously, I had no intention of retiring from MS, ever! I don't think the industry will be around much longer.

sestrahelena opines--I don't think the industry will be around much longer.

Bob's thought--I definitely agree there will continue to be fewer MSCs. As to clients, shopping is an excellent opportunity for the oil companies to inexpensively monitor their stations; realistically, I do not see that ending. I also think fast food will survive. Add in new home sales and apt,, I am guessing the industry will morph into niches.

It seems most of today's shoppers are narrative averse. With that knowledge, I raised my fees and had my best year since 2012.

I have some retirement things to deal with in the new year. But until those things get cleared up, I still need to shop more than recreationally. That being said, there are schedulers that I choose not to deal with. And companies that I would rather not work for. There are schedulers who used to be friendly and helpful, but are considerably less so lately. But I still like them and have no problems working with them, I just do my best to not have to ask for anything from them, as often as possible.

I doubt I'll ever really stop mystery shopping, even if all of my retirement issues get worked out to my advantage. But it'll be real nice to have a small, but reliable paycheck every month again. I might even be able to fix the forking Jeep. Lol

Many stores where I have worked as merchandiser and/or shopper will close within the next few years. Available locations will be fewer and farther between. It will become more difficult, and probably impossible, to cobble together lucrative shop/merch days. It's okay.

Did you say JEEP? (Just Empty Every Pocket)

@Morledzep wrote:

I have some retirement things to deal with in the new year. But until those things get cleared up, I still need to shop more than recreationally. That being said, there are schedulers that I choose not to deal with. And companies that I would rather not work for. There are schedulers who used to be friendly and helpful, but are considerably less so lately. But I still like them and have no problems working with them, I just do my best to not have to ask for anything from them, as often as possible.

I doubt I'll ever really stop mystery shopping, even if all of my retirement issues get worked out to my advantage. But it'll be real nice to have a small, but reliable paycheck every month again. I might even be able to fix the forking Jeep. Lol

Well, 2023 is starting out busy for me. I scaled back a last year when I stopped being a regional manager for a MSC (scheduling/ editing/ client relations) to focus on getting my kids to/ from softball/ baseball/ basketball/ student council/ boy scouts/ etc...
Did 40 shops yesterday, 7hrs & 131 miles = $400 gross profit. Will do the same thing today, but with a few more miles and again on Wednesday...
My January is as busy as ever.

Lucky Girl- Just curious- how did you ever do 40 shops on one day? The reports must be easy as that is an awful lot of work for one day!

@SueW70 wrote:

Lucky Girl- Just curious- how did you ever do 40 shops on one day? The reports must be easy as that is an awful lot of work for one day!

The shops, including report take less than 5 minutes.

I’m scaling back.

I’m only going to do $45-$50 5G shops, USPS shops when I make an eBay sale, Flight shops when I’m flying for work.

Gone are the ink shops, Jersey Mike Shops, Hook and Reel shops, grocery shops, Home Depot shops etc.

I’m sure someone will snag them up.

I've only recently started.....but does 5G really go to $30? Maybe it differs by town? By me, the highest I"ve seen is $18 and I did 2. They just bumped the fee to $15 on a few - - but with gas, etc - not worth it for me at $15. $30 - I'd take them for sure.

Wow I have been shopping for a long time…never had a shop and report that took 5 minutes. Guess i am just not lucky. Wish I knew what shops were so quick to do and report

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2023 03:08AM by OldmanJames.