What are the best companies to work for?

*sigh*

@snowy22315 wrote:

What are the best companies to work for?

Read the New Members section starting with all the Sticky Note threads. There is no real answer to your question.

Start signing up with companies. There are a lot of them. Eventually you will decide which ones are best for you. There are people on this forum who love MSCs whom I dislike, and vice-versa. Same thing for different kinds of shops. I personally like bank shops, and there are people here who hate them. To each their own.

@snowy22315 wrote:

What are the best companies to work for?

@snowy22315 wrote:

What are the best companies to work for?

One of my favourites is InTouch. But they might not have any work where you are. For me it comes down to whoever has work where I am is my favourite.

Is there anyway to find out what types of shops a given company has PRIOR to going through the signing up process?

It never dawned on me to set up a separate email just for the shopping. I also sell online. Between the MS notifications, online selling stuff, and ALL the emails generated by companies who had signed me up to their loyalty programs, wading through my emails has become a major daily chore. Then there is also my regular emails, added into this mix.

And I'm just not in the mood to create a new email account to then have to edit so many profiles.

I'm one of the "I like doing banks", peeps, and would love to be able to streamline the process of finding more companies that do these types of shops.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2015 09:41AM by Watching the Wheels.

I created an email address strictly for MS'ing and merchandising before I even accepted my first shop. I also created a PayPal account using that MS only email address and opened a checking account just for my MS and merchandising payments. It has made my life sooooo much easier. Co-mingling funds can be a nightmare especially when tax season rolls around.

I can figure out what's happening in Paypal and have a separate bank account set up for that. I had NO IDEA that you would need to be signed up with so many MS companies when I first started. Items that have sold are going to have the actual item listed, the buyers name and address, purchases will be roughly the same, so it's not a problem.

I have tones of files set up within my email account to keep things organized. It IS, though becoming a real time drain to just screen all the emails. Oh I also have online employment sites sending me emails, too.

That's why I asked if there is anyway to figure out what types of businesses each MS services, so I can JUDICIOUSLY pre screen the companies to slow down the amounts of emails received in the first place. Does an MS specify this type of info anywhere within their sites?

I don't want to eliminate any of the emails that I do get, because you never know, when one of them might be useful. I also don't want to eliminate any of the MS's that I've signed up with.

The best companies are the ones that have lots of shops in your area. Use Jobslinger to find some of those.

I already do that. Are there any other jobslinger type sites where the types of shops are listed?

Not that I know of. We all deal with finding the jobs in our area. I just put in the work and started signing up.

Well, crap.

Who knows, maybe I'll discover it!

There may be a company that specializes in banks but I haven\t seen it. Market force does one bank shop around me, and it's not every month. Mystery Shopping Canada used to do one, I don't know where that one went. Another company has done a different bank from time to time. Etc. What someone posts about who does banks today, can be out of date info a few months from now.

This week I am feeling lucky that I found the 4 gas stations and 2 grocery stores that disappeared from one company and showed up on another. It's a company I've never done a job for before, but they sent me an e-mail because I am signed up with them.

So it has helped me to be signed up with a lot of companies. I get what your saying about weeding through the e-mails.

Different MSCs have banks in different parts of th country. And the banks switch MSCs occasionally. I have trained Gmail to put emails from MSC companies into a separate category. Not perfect, but it gets most of them, and when it misses, I give Gmail additional instructions (no, this is not a filter), Gmail tries to categorize mail for every user, and allow you to add (but not rename) categories.

I am fairly new to Mystery Shopping and recently just signed up with Certified Reports and VeriTES to do trailer checks. However, I am looking for more companies that offer VERY EASY gigs, especially movie theaters, (even if the pay isn't that high). I am only interested in doing simple gigs in which the report basically just asks you for yes/no answers. I realize each company has many different types of shops, however I am looking for one that PRIMARILY has very simple 15-20 minute tasks. Can anyone point me in the right direction? By the way jobslinger and the mystery shopping job board DO NOT post EVERY single mystery shopping job available I noticed. For example, I NEVER see anything posted by Certified Reports for trailer checks, yet I see them on my personal job board. Although the job boards are helpful, I have a feeling there are a lot of other companies out there that don't post on these boards that perhaps have very easy shops. If someone can PLEASE point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it. I live in the Union County area of NJ, so as long as you're nowhere near me, I won't be taking your competition. : ) Thanks again.

Do these companies have anywhere within their sites where they do say what types of accounts that they handle? I do remember joining a few that seemed to specialize in the restaurant industry. I've learned the hard way that my back doesn't handle wandering around malls, or being on my feet for any substantial length of time.

The guidelines can be vague, at times, so I'm trying to figure out other ways to navigate the maze. I was able to get though Ikea, because I had a shopping cart to lean on, but also wound up freaking out at one point, too.

@Watching the Wheels, I also did not realize how many companies I would be signing up for and used my regular email address. You are right, it is overwhelming. I finally bit the bullet and set up a new one for mystery shopping. I took a trial membership to Jobslinger Plus and changed all of my Sassie accounts with one entry. Then I plodded through the rest. It was so worth it.

Unfortunately, there is no way to tell in advance who the MSC represents. And since clients move around, it changes. A few of the MSC websites list clients or specialties, but most don't. Following the Mystery Shopping Companies section can give some good info. For example, I just finished reading a thread about Intellishop which mentioned senior living, hotels, car dealerships, etc. Of course, it depends on your area. I see a lot of talk about the Maritz bank shops, but they don't have any in my area. So, no shortcuts.

Thanks for the suggestions, Roxie. Part of my problem is that I have yahoo. They've reconfigured how emails are displayed, so you no longer see the 25 or so, all lined up. Each one of their dubious improvements removes a few more emails from being able to do a quick scan of what's there.

I've got to mull over what will be the bigger pain in the butt. Having multiple emails or trying harder to get used to how Yahoo is formatted.

So I'm assuming nobody knows of a company who primarily offers very easy/quick shops and reporting?

Yes, I do. That company is Market Force. I always recommend to new shoppers that they sign up with the fifteen most discussed companies on this forum to get them started. You'll find them if you click on the link at the bottom of this page for the mystery shopping companies list. Market Force is one of those companies. For the most part, simple shops with yes/no responses. Here's the deal in exchange for this information: You absolutely do NOT jump any of the shops I want. For sure.

@Bharri333 wrote:

So I'm assuming nobody knows of a company who primarily offers very easy/quick shops and reporting?

I don't think they're willing to tell.

I very rarely recommend MSCs. I worked hard for my contacts over almost double-digit years of doing this. Besides the "best" list is very subjective.

I understand that, truly I do. I'm trying to figure out something a bit more efficient. I HATE THE TEDIOUSNESS OF CERTAIN ASPECTS.

One of the reasons why this type of work appeals to me is the wandering around and talking to the various people in the shops I do. I have NEVER been a desk work type of person, because TIME STANDS STILL!

If my back wasn't toast, I'd still be doing more physical labor types of jobs. A lot of these can be very lucrative.

Thanks Mdavis.....I just signed up with Market Force. However, currently not seeing any jobs in my area yet. Do you need to have a computer scanner to work for them? I thought I read that somewhere.

This is a business. People are earning their living from mystery shopping. Businesspeople don't want to help their competition because that hurts them. People are already being more than generous with you by offering the name of a company that offers easy shops for beginners.

Think about it. What happens when I tell you the names of the companies that give me the highest-paying shops? I suddenly have less chance of getting those shops because there's new competition. My business then gets hurt.

If you want to know some an MSC's clients, go to the part of their website where they brag about how great they are and who they're working with.

At the end of the day, the "best" companies for you are the ones you do good work for and build a track record with, where the schedulers and editors get to know you and start offering you their best shops before they list them on the job boards. That's going to be different for everyone.

I have signed up with so many MSC's that don't have jobs anywhere near my geographical area. I wish that MSC's would name the states where their shops are located, if not the city.

That's funny because I switched away from Yahoo because of their changes. I ended up setting up 2 new email accounts, one for mystery shopping and a personal one. I use GMX now. One of the Forum members recommended it.

@Watching the Wheels wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions, Roxie. Part of my problem is that I have yahoo. They've reconfigured how emails are displayed, so you no longer see the 25 or so, all lined up. Each one of their dubious improvements removes a few more emails from being able to do a quick scan of what's there.

I've got to mull over what will be the bigger pain in the butt. Having multiple emails or trying harder to get used to how Yahoo is formatted.

@Lorrie68 wrote:

I have signed up with so many MSC's that don't have jobs anywhere near my geographical area. I wish that MSC's would name the states where their shops are located, if not the city.

I've also signed up with tons of them that, in the right now, aren't very useful to me. I'm super tight for money, so a reimbursement shop doesn't do a whole lot to help me out. Later, I'll jump all over these. I even looked and saw that I signed up to market force. Had to get them to resend my sign in info, to find out that there shops by me aren't very useful.

AND remembered why I haven't done any of them.

Roxie, I KNOW that eventually I'll move my stuff off yahoo. But, it's my original email, and I'm used to it being my address. I already set up a google account, but I NEED TO TRAIN MYSELF TO WORK WITH IT.

I think it's the old dog new tricks thing going on.

AF517....I don't see how how you can earn a living doing mystery shopping first of all. I have seen the job boards and these companies pay crap. The highest I see are maybe $20-$25 payment for a shop that could take hours to complete. You'll make more money working part time at a McDonalds. Most of these shops barely seem to pay enough to buy a beer. Lol.

Okay, I realize you didn't address me about this. However -- not meaning to be unkind but let's chat.

If a $20 to $25 shop takes hours to complete, you're not doing it right. I take issue with your statement the companies pay crap. What they pay is the amount required to get someone to take the shop. If no one takes it at base rate, the fee will be increased until someone does. At some point it will surpass crap and reach an acceptable level.

I assure you there are many shoppers making a living doing this and I believe some of their incomes would knock your socks off. It does not happen right away and it does not happen without developing a business model and an effective skill set. There's something here for everyone from the dabbler to the full time shopper but if you're looking for "easy" then know that Staples has a button for that. You won't find it here.

I shopped today for $166.00 plus three meals not included in that dollar total. If you consider that a crap day, then this is not for you. I assure you that you can make this work for you if you work at it. It may take some time to get your shop numbers and $$ up but it can be done. If you want flexible, interesting work and are willing to settle for less than corporate management income this can be your ticket to a more relaxed and rewarding life.

@Bharri333 wrote:

AF517....I don't see how how you can earn a living doing mystery shopping first of all. I have seen the job boards and these companies pay crap. The highest I see are maybe $20-$25 payment for a shop that could take hours to complete. You'll make more money working part time at a McDonalds. Most of these shops barely seem to pay enough to buy a beer. Lol.