Is it just me or are there less jobs available in the last few months? I wondered if it's because of the influx of tik-tokkers selling mystery shopping packages so there are more shoppers than there used to be.

I wouldn't say the tik-tokkers are the cause, just a symptom. As more and more people move to gig work, whether it be ride share, food delivery, grocery delivery, online tasking, or whatever, they are more likely to be exposed to mystery shopping through various social media aimed at them and have the flexibility (and financial need) to do it.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) it pays marginal rates, and still requires a bit of experience and specialization to make it work well as an ongoing endeavor. I still see cycles where someone all of the sudden starts grabbing shops in an area, and then a couple of cycles later they lose steam or go away. So we're not at armageddon. Yet.

I stopped shopping at my home turf. I have found since 2020 that the good jobs are all taken as soon as they hit the job boards.

I have had some good luck here in Phoenix with a string of lucrative IPSOS shops at an electronic retailer. These trio of simple shops were $30, $50 and $60 and to this day I don't know why they payed so well but I'm not complaining. Fast Forward to June and I am not finding many shops available and those that are are not paying the juicy fees I made just a month ago. Not only that, but I feel I know my worth better now and many low paying shops I just pass on these days unless it's for a new MSC I want to try out. Mystery shopping now funds Vanguard ETF's for me at Fidelity - it's not survival money as I have a halfway decent job (FINALLY) - but it would be nice if there were more shops to pick from.

@morocco77

You are taking my Phoenix shops :-P Stay at the airport! You still working there?

I believe it's the economy. There is a rotation of places that have gone out of favor such as Olive Garden. And there are places that have improved in capturing customers such as Texas Roadhouse. Then we have the overhang from the pandemic where places have permanently closed, changed policies (such as added service fees), and the sharply increased inflation (including wages) from the last administration that will never go away unless there is DEflation (highly unlikely).

The bottom line is Americans are watching where they spend their money and spending it carefully. As a result, MSC clients have less of a need to survey customers and inquire about how their operations are run with mystery shoppers. It will come back as the economy improves and competition heats up again.

Don't we get a post about not much work available at the beginning of every quarter?

There were thousands out there before I self-assigned them all.

I like big routes, I cannot lie.

No. I have not noticed less jobs in the last few months, but what I have noticed is that I seemingly see a post similar to this every month. I have been coming on this site for about six years and as far back as I can remember about once month there is a post about the scarcity of jobs etc., and it's because of this or that. Well, with the exception of the Covid year, my income has been consistent. Things change. I have had some bread and butter shops I used to that are no longer shopped. They just disappeared after several years. Guess what. I have new bread and butter shops now. Adaption is the key. You never know when a company will decide to forego mystery shopping. It will happen. A door closes, open a new door. If I didn't, then yes, I would probably say jobs sure are scarce now, but I would be wrong. There are lots of jobs out there. We got to expand our horizons.I have learned that shops are here today and gone tomorrow. Your favorite, go to, bread and butter shop probably won't be here one day. I move on. Adapt. Change. I am not banking on certain bank shops I do to be around forever. I have no idea how long Kroger will be shopped. My favorite gas station shops my disappear tomorrow, but all of these and more are readily available now. No, I see tons of shops. Now I will say this. It could be regional. I live in SoCal where cities large and small, inner and suburbs, from the valleys to the mountains, from the desert to the sea, the beach cities to the inland empire, host an abundant supply of resources.

@1forum1 wrote:

No. I have not noticed less jobs in the last few months, but what I have noticed is that I seemingly see a post similar to this every month. I have been coming on this site for about six years and as far back as I can remember about once month there is a post about the scarcity of jobs etc., and it's because of this or that. Well, with the exception of the Covid year, my income has been consistent. Things change. I have had some bread and butter shops I used to that are no longer shopped. They just disappeared after several years. Guess what. I have new bread and butter shops now. Adaption is the key. You never know when a company will decide to forego mystery shopping. It will happen. A door closes, open a new door. If I didn't, then yes, I would probably say jobs sure are scarce now, but I would be wrong. There are lots of jobs out there. We got to expand our horizons.I have learned that shops are here today and gone tomorrow. Your favorite, go to, bread and butter shop probably won't be here one day. I move on. Adapt. Change. I am not banking on certain bank shops I do to be around forever. I have no idea how long Kroger will be shopped. My favorite gas station shops my disappear tomorrow, but all of these and more are readily available now. No, I see tons of shops. Now I will say this. It could be regional. I live in SoCal where cities large and small, inner and suburbs, from the valleys to the mountains, from the desert to the sea, the beach cities to the inland empire, host an abundant supply of resources.

This.

Plenty of work, I just became more picky and hate those stupid phone shops. I will do them at the end of the round when they actually pay some money. I prefer to do less and make more.

It hasn't been a good month for me but I was on vacation. I lost my momentum and took a breather. The jobs are there, I just look at them and say.. meh, not today.

I’m busier than ever. Not sure why.

Is this supposed to be based on analytics or feelings? The best way to determine if there are more/less/same is take your shops completed number total YTD and compare to previous years at the same point in time. Might not work for everyone, but I consistently do the same types of shops and do not venture out of that lane unless some absurdly high payment is being offered.

While some companies might stop shopping, there are others that start up. I know someone was worried the chicken finger shops were not posted going forward (at least for now), so that could be a loss for those that counted on them (unless they resurface or end up with a new MSC).

Like @1forum1 says, you need to adapt (if you are relying on this as income). I do not rely on it as income and can be selective with what I take.

YTD, I'm at 223 shops completed. That is higher for me than last year at this time. I have not "whored" myself out for less money just to complete more shops. With a FT job, wife + 2 kids, I'm still averaging more than 1 shop per day.

@Datagirl wrote:

Plenty of work, I just became more picky and hate those stupid phone shops. I will do them at the end of the round when they actually pay some money. I prefer to do less and make more.

It hasn't been a good month for me but I was on vacation. I lost my momentum and took a breather. The jobs are there, I just look at them and say.. meh, not today.

Same here DataGirl... I think I’m done for the month. Just did a route of apartment shops that took me up to the Texas panhandle. I found enough of the packing peanuts to pay for gas and a stay at the most disgusting Red Roof inn ever.

I believe the uni-sex word you are looking for is promiscuous.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Is this supposed to be based on analytics or feelings? The best way to determine if there are more/less/same is take your shops completed number total YTD and compare to previous years at the same point in time. Might not work for everyone, but I consistently do the same types of shops and do not venture out of that lane unless some absurdly high payment is being offered.

While some companies might stop shopping, there are others that start up. I know someone was worried the chicken finger shops were not posted going forward (at least for now), so that could be a loss for those that counted on them (unless they resurface or end up with a new MSC).

Like @1forum1 says, you need to adapt (if you are relying on this as income). I do not rely on it as income and can be selective with what I take.

YTD, I'm at 223 shops completed. That is higher for me than last year at this time. I have not "whored" myself out for less money just to complete more shops. With a FT job, wife + 2 kids, I'm still averaging more than 1 shop per day.

What I've learned in the 10 plus years of mystery shopping is that things change. Here are a few things I've learned:

Gas station MS-Audits usually go quickly in the second and third quarter, less so in the 1st and forth. Certain brands go quickly. One on the MSC website all but disappeared early, then a slew of shops showed up in the secon week of June. Bonused a few pesos. I did 30 of them bonused $5-$35. They are the easiest shops to do and take about a 1/2 hour total from start to report submission.

New shops seem to take a few months for mystery shoppers to find them. So generally they are bonused better. Then they are not.

I have not particularly noticed less shops but I have noticed a lot less shops I am willing to do for the pittance they pay and the length of time I need to drive to them. My area must have lots of shoppers as the close to me ones are gone to the early birds who wake up at dawn. Most of the shops pay so little that with drving time between them I would end up earning less than the federal min wage and way way less than the min wage where I live which is based on the high cost of living here.

Nope. Always busy, Always choosy.
I work full time. I do shops at lunch, after work, on my days off, and when I travel.
No cell phones. No banks. No gas station audits. No apartment tours. For me, they don't pay nearly enough.\

Banks pay more than those customer first shops :-P

Those stagecoach teller shops are an easy $15. The phone calls are an easy $25 for not even leaving the house. I agree on the cell phones, gas, audits, and apartments.

I'm not interested in pretending to be interested in most retail things. If it's something I need to research or am interested in, then I consider it.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2025 10:55PM by hbbigdaddy.