Hello everyone, I have just moved to NV and I wanted to continue shopping here. The laws are strict and throughout the forum, it seems that there are only 5 certified companies. I would like to know what companies are certified with the PILB and where I should start. Thank you!

You will love shopping in Vegas. LOVE! There are many shops and the pay is better and with all the fancy restaurants, shops, bars, casinos, pools.....I miss Vegas terribly! Yes, there are fewer companies in Nevada because of the gambling and state laws and regulations. But in general, there are more shops than in any other major city. I remember getting certified/work card through ACL. Other companies are Bestmark, QSI Specialists, Elite...can't remember the names of others, there are 2-3 more

Edited to add: find their contact info and let them know that you would like to work for them. They are always looking for shoppers in Vegas. Whoever hires you first will sponsor your work card. You will need to go to the sheriff's office (at least when I did it 10 years ago) with application and necessary paperwork, take a picture, sit and wait for the card. Sounds lenghty and complicated but it is not, it goes smoothly and fast, but definitely not as easy as just signing up on the company's website. Good luck!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/02/2017 03:13AM by MikiNV.

HS Brands is very big in NV.

Thank you so much! I hope I will end up loving the shopping here too!

@MikiNV wrote:

There are many shops and the pay is better

This is VERY YMMV. There are new home shops that normally pay $100 that only pay $70 in NV for example.

Are the Nevada companies keeping the extra money?

To know the answer to that you would have to know how much the client is paying non-Nevada MSC A, and how much MSC A is paying Nevada MSC B. Good luck with that.

That one shop pays more is kind of irrelevant. Pay in NV is good, shops are great. Vegas is relatively a small city, with no to little traffic. Restaurants and stores are world class, service is excellent and it has to be excellent, cost of living is low. At least two major MSC have offices in the city. At least one MSC (my experience) gives training, including video training. I have shopped in other states and internationally, Vegas is the best. I may be bias cos I love all about NV but I am pretty close to being right

Edited: I remember having to submit a timesheet on bi-weekly basis. A bit of a pain but after you do it once, twice, you get a hang of it.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/02/2017 11:09PM by MikiNV.

That was meant as an example of many, not a singular exception. Not all shops pay more in NV, some pay less.

Which of the companies work with the time sheets?

How can you say there is no traffic traffic is horrific, I never drive there anymore. I get jobs on the strip take the rail, or do the outlets or mall. wifi cost a lot in the hotels, if you live there it's easier to get around. I worked there for years, haven't in awhile but have my work card and was trained by the PI company there, watching their video.. I did hotels, restaurants and mostly upscale retail, getting around was a royal pain, but I did enjoy Vegas, more in the old days than now.....still fun for 3 days and yes, food is great....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2017 04:39AM by Irene_L.A..

@SS.Rmaka wrote:

Which of the companies work with the time sheets?

Because you are an employee I believe all of them will require a timesheet. It's not a bid deal, more of a formality than anything.

@bgriffin wrote:

@SS.Rmaka wrote:

Which of the companies work with the time sheets?

Because you are an employee I believe all of them will require a timesheet. It's not a bid deal, more of a formality than anything.

I haven't done a time sheet for HS Brands in years. When I worked for them a LONG time ago, I'd just leave my receipts on the desk, and Kylee would take care of it for me.

QSI had a crazy time sheet process. I did two shops for them, turned them in, and said, "(blank) this mess." I never invoiced them. LOL

QSI for sure. I didn't mind, it was a way of keeping track of everything anyway. Oh, you will be taxes on your income.
Yes, there are crowds and traffic on the Strip, along I-10 during rush hour too or Friday afternoons when tourists come to town. The Strip offers unique shops, from MGM pool bars (think Lazy River while sipping on $20 Piña Colada in August) to most profitable restaurants and nightclubs in the country. A lot of shops on the Strip are for young and the restless. Vegas is more that The Mighty Strip. Visitors think crowds and crusing The Strip. Locals think open spaces, no traffic and clear skies

This thread was amusing. You guys definitely need to visit LV more often

Oh my oh my, lots to think about. Thank you all for the insight. Shopping seems to be complicated here, but I think it will become easier. If anyone wants to combine, carpool or grab dinner, make a vegas thread lol.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2017 02:49PM by SS.Rmaka.

No one requires a time sheet anymore. The five companies legally able to work in Nevada are QSI, ACL, Bestmark, HSBrands, and the new one Preferred Investigations. As of this summer, Bestmark is still the only company to reimburse you for the license fee, after a certain number of shops. Traffic is lighter here than any other major city. You can get anywhere in the city, any time of day, in 30 minutes or less if you take a minute to check the traffic patterns. The freeway isn't always the best or worst choice. Parking is reimbursed by at least 3 of the 5 companies. I haven't worked with Preferred yet, and it hasn't come up with me and ACL yet so I haven't asked. I would imagine they reimburse parking as well. After speaking with schedulers who work with other states, Nevada shoppers get similar or more pay than other places, for most shops, partially to offset the cost of the license, partially because there are more shops than shoppers. Getting those "end of month" bonuses are easy. I have seen many threads on forums "How you can earn $1K Mystery Shopping, tell us your story" and the like. In Nevada, that's part time. If you're a shopper, with a good relationship with the 15-20 schedulers here, you can EASILY make that or more, each month. In addition, there's not much competition for the shops, so you (at least *I*) get what you want every month - it's not all that certain pizza shop all the time - although if you like them, there are 4 locations here that need doing each month. If you shop Northern Nevada, I've heard there's less than 70 shoppers up there. I know the schedulers I work with are always asking people to travel up north, so I'm guessing there's plenty of work there too.
IMO, the best thing about working here - you don't have to keep track of 150 different shopping companies, their pay schedules, etc. It's 5 companies. 3 of them pay every 2 weeks. ACL says they do, but it's more like every 3 or 4 by the time the checks get here. And again, I haven't worked with Preferred, so I don't know their schedule.

Thank you for the info. Will keep in mind, and if you're ever looking for a partner, I am one of those 150 company shoppers that will enjoy these new 5 companies. Happy shopping!

@esleyoga wrote:

No one requires a time sheet anymore. The five companies legally able to work in Nevada are QSI, ACL, Bestmark, HSBrands, and the new one Preferred Investigations.

Neither of these statements are accurate. There are more companies than these. I did a shop in NV at the end of September and was required to fill out a timesheet. So at least 1 company required one 6 weeks ago.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2017 03:17AM by bgriffin.

I think posters need to be careful about what they state as fact when it's often their particular understanding or personal experience they are talking about.

It's my understanding of the licensing system that companies need only to be licensed PI firms to conduct MS assignments, and there's not a specific designation for MSCs with the PIILB, so that would mean there are many more than 5 firms with the legal authorization to conduct shops.

While there would seem to be an advantage to having only 5 companies scheduling the majority of assignments in the state, you also have to realize that the added expense of the PI intermediary makes the cost of MSing prohibitive for many clients that shoppers in other states would have access to....or may result in a reduced frequency of shops, as well as limiting the ability to negotiate directly with the MSC for bonuses or higher pay rates. As an employee, the PI firm can actually demand that you perform an assignment at the specified rate.