I've been doing mystery shopping about three weeks. This is my fourth. The first week was just a lot of listening, reading, learning and signing up for companies. Then for two weeks it was like I had a lot of opportunities. All of my reports were done on time. I got ratings of 9 and 10 or 4 and a half out of 5 and no deductions. For the past two days I haven't seen any opportunities.

I have some projects that I was already assigned to coming up for the weekend, but nothing until the weekend.

Do you all get lulls?

Yes. Enjoy them.

Indeed there are lulls. The first three days of the month were a total of 15 shops, then two days off, then two shops, then one shop and one shop. Tomorrow is 2 shops. Thursday is 2--3 if we choose to do a dinner shop that day instead of Friday or Saturday. One shop Saturday (if we do the dinner shop before that). Nothing so far Sunday and then Monday is chaos. That is just the way it is with shopping. And generally the shops are loaded to the front of the month so most housework gets pushed to the end of the month.

Since I noticed that there has been a lot more pressure recently to schedule shops at the beginning of the month, I have been doing what I can to push anything I can to the back side of the month.

I guess I've gotten pretty good at it because I booked the back half of the month and the early stuff for last week, but woke up Monday morning and looked at my schedule, then realized I had this week off. Wow!

It's been so nice the past two days not worrying about reports or having to be a certain place at a certain time. I let a request for an emergency shop just slip on by today. Why ruin a peaceful week?

I agree with Mert. Enjoy the lull. So far this week I've fixed the outdoor lighting, put new tires on the car and cleaned out the rain gutters....and it's only the 9th!

Tomorrow I'm planning to spend my own hard earned money at the grocery store, not ask any questions, chat it up with the checker and not visit the restroom. Oh...the simple pleasures of a week off!

I think its called, "Taking your retirement in installments." :^) I'm looking forward to free time later in the month when it will be more predictably pretty to get some things planted out into the yard, getting the citrus fertilized and pruned and setting out more tomato plants. For the present it is just enough free time to work on controlling household entropy. And when I have a day off I do NOT spend it in a store

I hate the new trend to load everything possible up front. Although I understand why some MSC's do this and can't blame them for it, I dislike being treated as if I would flake, and I dislike the chaos of having too much to do at one time.

If I am not crunched for $, I love the time off. LOVE the time off. I was on the phone with my friend who I got into MS'ing this weekend. We were talking about my birthday, which is next month. She asked what I was doing that night. I said, "I don't know, what day of the week is it? I bet it'll be during the nights I teach (and, of course! It is.) But my bigger concern was my next comment. I said, "I know what I am NOT doing! I am NOT MS'ing! I'm going to go out and relax for my birthday, and not have to worry about any reports due on days on either side of it. I'm going to eat in a restaurant without having to time it or write about it!"

:-)

I have found the third week of the month is the slow one for me. MSC do indeed try to schedule everything in the first two weeks, the third is slow and the last week it full of emergency last minute of flaked by other shops.

It's feast or famine around here, the slow periods insterspersed by frantic activity are the norm and I've been at this 16 years.

Ah, Cettie. Run off to another forum, eh?
The shopping around here has dried up for the most part. I am part time, I know, but it is hard to get $200 in fees a month. I've been making the quota I set for myself, but it is hard. If it weren't for last minute end of month shops being bonused, some months I wouldn't make it. I miss the old $600-a-month days.

And look out behind you!!!! There's a goat coming full speed!!!!!

..And he has a toilet on his head !

And right outside the PO, someone started ranting at the goat like a possessed person, and the goat got scared and took off!

This has been my busiest month this year, however, the last week things are always a stand still. I do my paper work, and scheduling then, and pick up a job here and there.

Irene_L.A. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This has been my busiest month this year, however,
> the last week things are always a stand still. I
> do my paper work, and scheduling then, and pick up
> a job here and there.


Lucky you! I am jealous. The first two weeks of this month were insane then all of a sudden nothing, zilch, zero, nada. Finally today I have had schedulers freaking out and wanting me to do an insane amount of shops in the next two days. I don't want to, but I have to make up for the week with nothing going on.

I take it back, this month (May is sloow), nothing but restaurants and no shops. I'm laying back and enjoying no work....$$ is not coming in with mystery shopping this month.

I've stayed busy. Have a series of Assisted Living sites, one client and 5 competitors going on. Lengthy, involved narrative reports with lots of comparison to the client's facility. Keeping me busy and will pay good when I'm finished.

Also have been picking up college bookstores when they are bonussed high enough. I've done some at $40 - $50 for really easy shop and reports. Driving to other places and adding gas shops and other "anchors" in the boonies as usual.

So I've been busy for this month so far. One assisted living onsite and a ff today and I'm done. Might take the weekend off and clean my house. Or I might work. It's out there for me.

Happy Shopping.

I finally have a breather. I 'made my month' in the first 12 days of the month (actually 10 days because I had nothing 5/1 or 5/2). I have very little left for the rest of the month but am behind enough on the rest of life that is not bothering me at all

Catch up time...for me it's off to the dentist!!

I have much lower requirements for shopping income now that I'm working again, but was able to pick a few nice shops for the end of the month and fill in some empty spaces the past few weeks to easily meet my quota.

If I was trying to make a living at this, I would be frustrated these days, however.

I spent some time in my old neighborhood yesterday, where I lived when I first started MSing. I walked by many stores and restaurants I used to shop, but never see offered anymore. The change has been slow, and not all related to the recent economic downturn, but it became apparent to me how much less there is going on in the mystery shopping world.

Throughout those years, I have become more adept at finding higher paying jobs and built relationships with schedulers in order to keep a decent level of income. While my income has remained relatively stable for the time I invest, The amount of money I put out for expected reimbursement has diminished considerably. My wardrobe of clothes gained entirely through reimbursement has worn down to almost nothing, and it's not likely to be replaced with mystery shopped items. I used to eat out 2 to 3 meals a day when I shopped full-time. I'm happy with one fine dining assignment and some free tomatoes each week now.

Not that I would feel comfortable maxing out a credit card and waiting for reimbursement with so many late paying and flakey MSCs these days, but that was my M.O. in 2004.

Yes, it has changed significantly in the past half dozen years and I can't say that the changes are to the advantage of shoppers. I still have my 'old faithful' companies that I would feel almost like I was betraying them if I stopped shopping :^) They have taken care of me and I have taken care of them.

On almost any route I see places I used to shop. Many are gone, I suspect due to the economy; many the fees have declined while the BS of the reports has gone up so much they don't even warrant stopping to do a shop; others the shop has stayed the same but the fee is so piddling it doesn't pay to stop even if I actually need to visit the location for personal reasons; while still others the nit picking of editors has turned the report into a time consuming enough endeavor there is no point in taking the jobs.

This entire month has been a lull....except for restaurants, I have no retail...am enjoying myself, but hope things pick up next month.