Pros and Cons of Video Shopping

Would love to know your thoughts. I have been contemplating this since the shop fees are higher but I am scared! Would love your Pros vs Cons!

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More About Video Mystery Shopping

Pros:

More shops available to you.

MSCs provide better support and communication.

Fees start higher.

Many shops require very minimal reports.

Cons:

High upfront cost.

You are on video so less room for error.

You won't get paid for a percentage of your shops due to equipment failure.

The equipment wears out and needs replacement eventually.

A large percentage of shops are one-and-done where you cannot shop them again or the rotation is really long so travel becomes more necessary.

Many of the shops require you to pose as someone with a high income, such as a home buyer in an upscale area, and you may not be able to do them with an old car or pickup.

Many shops require just as much reporting as a written shop.

I did an audio recording one to test the waters. This way, I could use a phone rather than investing in a wearable and see how it went.

It took 3x as long as expected but otherwise was OK. I found worrying about keeping my lies straight more energy-consuming than the actual process of lying. I don't think I would do one again for what they were paying but I'm not opposed if the price is right.

It also helps that I worked a phone sales job for many years where we'd be recorded for evaluation at random so I got over my concerns about that ages ago.

I was always happy to take video apartment jobs when the bonuses were big and the MSC provided the equipment.

However, each time I took one I was reminded of the awful online reporting experience that is EPMS. When they stopped sending out cameras, and faced with having to shell out $$$ for my own gear, I decided to end that phase of my shopping exploits (apartments used to be my bread and butter prior to shifting to gas station routes, when I could afford to wait on Cirrus payments).

But now I've learned of other types of video shops that are out there, and they seem more appealing than apartments in general (can you say burnout?), so it's got me thinking it might be worth the investment.

With Grace Hill having bought EPMS I'm trying to grab all the community standards gigs I can, and I can see where it would be advantageous to be able to do video shops for them. Their online experience is way more palatable.

Kinda leaning in this direction, especially with summer coming up and teaching income going down for 3 months.

Have synthesizers, will travel...

I have to agree Grace Hill reports are head and shoulders easier than EPMS reports.

I've only done one apartment video shop when they used to send out their equipment to use.

I used to do a ton of video shops when I mystery shopped some years ago and I found them much better to do than a regular mystery shop. Much higher pay and there was always plenty of work even though I did not return to one place twice. I would make a day of it and do three a day. You get back what you paid on the equipment pretty quick and of course you can claim the equipment on your taxes. This time around I don't do video shops because I don't want to travel to do them so I just haven't gotten into it again.

My issue is that most of the spy cameras are designed to look like menswear buttons. How do you pull that off as a woman?

@cherubino3 wrote:

My issue is that most of the spy cameras are designed to look like menswear buttons. How do you pull that off as a woman?

I bought a blouse with dark purple buttons, and a pack of black buttons the same size as the camera button and changed all of the buttons on the blouse to match the camera button. It only takes a couple hours. I added a button hole in the space where I took the button off, so the button cam would go through both layers. And then I took two buttons and sewed them together to put in that space so that I could still use the blouse for other things if I wanted (it was very pretty, purple with lavender roses).

MLZ, do you still do video shops? your thoughts on them?

Bare, I used to do a lot of them. I haven't done any video shops in a few years now. I don't have that shirt anymore, and I "outgrew" the pants that went with them, though I do have a very nice pair of dark purple pants, I could find a blouse and do it again if I felt the need.

Thank you all for the wonderful feedback

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