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.

NONE of your opinions matter, if you people are working full time jobs (or living off a pension) MS on the side is easy. Doing it as your main income, that is a whole different story. The flood of shoppers keep the fee's low. The shops are out there, but pay nothing compared to the past. 15 years and counting for me, still making half decent money. It is a whole different game now. Watching job boards and making gambles for bonus work. Then a part time person takes a shop here and another there. Really screwing up routes. I know, there will be whining about complaining about PT MS's. But, OH WELL, I don't care !

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2025 03:39AM by claabe.

I could not say such. There are pretty much jobs around. I just do not wish to go far away from my home as I did 10 yeras ago or so. With gas way to high there is even waste of time just to think about such shops.

Ok, Gene, you can have your personal preferences, but the price of gasoline in the US is reasonable today when compared to historical data.

Calculate for yourself here: [www.bls.gov]
For example, in 1978, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States ranged from 65 cents to 71 cents./gal.

@gene wrote:

I could not say such. There are pretty much jobs around. I just do not wish to go far away from my home as I did 10 yeras ago or so. With gas way to high there is even waste of time just to think about such shops.

timeframes are meaningful

[www.statista.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2025 09:59AM by BarefootBliss.

i remember buying my 5.7 liter toyota tundra crew max in november 2007. gas prices shot to over $4 in 2008 in Caifornia. It's basically stayed that way since. So for the last 15 years there has been "minor" fluctuation in price, but to be around the same point 15 years later is not that terrible.

It sounds to me like you are whining here about part time shoppers taking your shops and messing up your routes. I am a part time shopper and in this posting I am not whining. However I do feel that for the clients to get a real look at what customers are seeing in the shops, having a mix of those who do 10-15 shops a day with those who do shops occasionally will give them a better feel for a real customer. I am not saying your view of the shop is not objective. A good shopper can be objective however you do not really resemble a regular customer of theirs esp in a rural side of the highway shop where they often get customers who have never been there before and never will be again. That opinion of mine aside I do feel for those of you who try to eek out a living doing mystery shops as your full income. I cannot imagine myself in that positiion.

@claabe wrote:

NONE of your opinions matter, if you people are working full time jobs (or living off a pension) MS on the side is easy. Doing it as your main income, that is a whole different story. The flood of shoppers keep the fee's low. The shops are out there, but pay nothing compared to the past. 15 years and counting for me, still making half decent money. It is a whole different game now. Watching job boards and making gambles for bonus work. Then a part time person takes a shop here and another there. Really screwing up routes. I know, there will be whining about complaining about PT MS's. But, OH WELL, I don't care !

@claabe wrote:

NONE of your opinions matter, if you people are working full time jobs (or living off a pension) MS on the side is easy. Doing it as your main income, that is a whole different story.

I have done both full-time and PT. I never made more than $50,000/year in fees.

@claabe wrote:

But, OH WELL, I don't care !

Clearly you do care. You have quite the pattern of negativity. It's probably the stress from the grind.

Bow to the all knowing...
Negative, really ? Not allowed to complain ?
$50,000, might be bad for you in Cali, but in Delaware, I lived very well. I averaged 45 to $60,000 from 2011 till Covid hit. Which flooded the market with new shoppers. I use to work in 4 states and D.C. Do a 2 or 3 day route with a hotel (5+ times a month) It has been 5 years now for doing that. I only work in 3 states now (Va. is very limited, so say 2 & 1/2). 98% of the work I do is in the fueling industry. Throw in some Wawa's/High's/BK and some merchandising (all of those, are routed with gas stations). I route stations, then someone will take 2 or 3. Which is fine, if they do them and not flake. But, after doing my route, those stations come back on the job boards Then, it is difficult to reroute them (then you are gambling on bonus's). BAY22, you are very condescending with your opinions, past posts about HSBRANDS I made, waiting forever 60+ days to get paid ! Which in this business, to me, is a bad investment.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2025 01:30AM by claabe.

@claabe

For the 50K you made the years before COVID...how many hours were you working to attain this figure? Seems like you were doing quite a bit of driving between states and overnights. I am just curious if you "netted" 50K or just 50K in gross fees not counting what you spent on expenses.

Everyone can do whatever they want. This is an industry that appeals to people who already have full time jobs and want to supplement and also to people who want it as a primary source of income.

I'm glad to have the full time job I have and not rely on mystery shopping. I could not handle that stress. Now when I retire, I'm curious if I will do more mystery shopping than I do now just because I will have so much more free time.

BTW, I'm not taking any of your gas stations. I did Customer First shops only and stopped that back in 2018. So I'm not the one costing you any assignments :-P

In the past, lets say the Seashell station (10 at $45 a piece) actual work hours, about 5 to 6 with report times. Now, of course a large station would change that. Real work hours, around 35 a week, depending where I was. I don't base my income on a hourly wage. I do work based on per mile. started back in the day, .30 to.35 a mile. Now, my base is .70. Great example, 210 mile trip last week. 8 stations at $55 each $440 (for 20 minutes each, including input) So 2 & 1/2 hours of real work. 210 miles at my base rate .70, I need to make $147 at the lowest. But, with this route, I made over $2 a mile. To me, a great day ! My net pay after filing taxes years ago was around $42, 000 or more. Filing together with my wife, miles, oil changes and other expenses deducted. The driving does not bother me (I don't really count it as work) I listen to my cd's all the time. New or older ones. 5 hours of driving, you can really learn a new album. 25,000+ miles is a great deduction. Having 4 kids, more tax advantages. Also, my Passat gets about 37-40 MPG. 5 gallons of gas = almost 200 miles I can drive, with little out of pocket. Last thing, 8 Seashell stations = 16 gallons of fuel. Call it 600 miles. Which in return pays for other trips. I understand working a full time job and doing some part time work. But, I enjoy the freedom of waking up and just not working, if I don't feel like it (due to having time to get things done) I also paid off my mortgage in 2015 (7 years early). I don't waste my money on dining out, drinking(only occasionally at home), fashion, etc. I cook daily and bake a couple times a week. There is no sales tax in Delaware and my property taxes are less then $1600 a year. Well. until they reassess property values. Purchased for $139,000, valued at $500,000 now.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2025 01:31AM by claabe.

Well, 2 adults making $50,000 each would qualify a person for low-income subsidized housing in many parts of California.

The complaining about people messing up your routes is wild.

Somebody grinding out 40 hours a week doing audits is fine. Thats not the typical consumer though.