Questions on how to choose a company

I am new to learning about mystery shopping, and am overwhelmed with the options of which companies to go with. Is there a way to find out which companies have shops related to the interests you have, or in the area you live in? I dont want to waste time signing up to 10 or 20 companies only to find they don't have enough shops in my area or they are all low paying like fast food, etc.

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Hi there! I am new as well (about a year experience) and have learned a great deal by reading these forums.

One thing I do know is what the experienced shoppers say— you just have to bite the bullet and sign up for as many companies as it takes until you find what works for you. There are dozens (hundreds) of companies and this website has a great list at the bottom. It does take time, but it’s more of an investment in your future income than anything else. Available shops vary widely from area to area, so it truly does just require you to sign up for as many companies as possible to get a feel for what’s available in your area.

Good luck!

That's a bummer that there isn't an easier way. Not that I'm against hard work, but I am against unnecessary work. And it seems like some people would be wasting a lot of time signing up for companies that aren't in their area. I live in a small town surrounded by farmland 30 miles on all sides and the nearest big city is over an hour away. So it will most likely be fruitless for me to join just a few companies, and in the end I'll probably have to join 100 of them just to find a few that have shops in my area.

It's pretty much something we all had to do. Just sign up with 5 a day and you'll get through the list in no time. If you live in a rural area, consider building a route into other cities like many other shoppers do. I wish you luck.

Once you sign up with jobslinger each sassie company takes like 7 minutes to sign up with.

What is a Sassie company? Never heard of that.

Any company that uses a reporting platform that is called Sassie. There are several.

Spicy gave good advice to sign up with jobslinger. They have a free version.

I just signed up with Jobslinger but I dont qualify for any of the shops in my area. Bummer.

This could change. Shops get released at various times with different companies.

As Jas mentioned, if you sign up for just a few companies a day it won't take up too much of your time. If a company doesn't have shops in your area you can keep checking back, you never know when they will pick up a new client. I am only signed up with about 20 companies (so far) but I know a lot of the members here are signed up with over 100.

There is no short cut. The beginning is the hardest part. Hours of signing up and reading. Back when I started there was no Jobslinger and I didn't know about the forums. If you can make it through the first few months, you'll be good to go. It's sort of a testing ground for those who have the goods to stick with it. I think the process is what discourages a lot of would be shoppers from continuing. After a while, you will know which companies have good shops in your area and some of the ones you sign up for that don't have shops now, may in the future. It's also a good way to try out different shops and find your niche. I'm signed up with a lot of companies. Some I work for a few times a year, others I work for monthly. Some I've never worked for after 15 years of shopping.

*****************************************************************************
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain

Some companies I only work for a couple of times per year. But, it adds up.
Clients switch companies too.

Since you are a new shopper, I am guessing you aren't signed up with any companies yet? I will say that Marketforce is a great beginner company and they generally have shops all over the US. Other than that, I don't have much advice for you on which companies are best, because a company that has shops in my area may not have shops in your area, plus my tastes and preferences might be completely at odds with yours. Many companies have a lot of shops in the NE US and then none in other parts of the country. You won't find out until you sign up.

What you call a waste of time is actually sweat equity to build a business. Think about it this way. How many businesses can be started with little to no cash, using your existing equipment and experience? You just found one that only takes your time. Unless you have another significant source of income, time is your most valuable asset. If you take a survey of business owners across a wide variety of fields, my guess is you will not find many who found it "easy" to get started and most invested a lot of money along with the time.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2017 02:52PM by LisaSTL.

I did sign up with like 3 of them last night, MarketForce, Best Mark, and Jobslinger. But so far I haven't found much, the few that were in my town you needed a specific vehicle and also they want you to go in during certain hours and I am always at work during those hours.

Well I do have a full time job in fact its more than full time, we work 10-12 hours a day and sometimes get overtime on one of our days off, so my free time is very limited, in fact yesterday was the first day in 5 months that I had no work and didn't have any errands and stuff to get done, that's why I spent most of the day researching this. I am mostly preparing for next year when I will be quitting my job, I obviously can't do this now but I wanted to learn about it first so when I need to do it, I will be ready.

Gawd how I hate the model pictures on the front pages of these companies. They should just show them in their undies, licking a cupcake and pointing forward.......ugh. Who has a straight across hair line like that, penciled brows and sideburns with the currently popular scruff face and ever hand-thinking? Of course, the female has a full toothed smile! Did anyone take advertising classes and learn about all of the postures that we see in retail?

@Marie12 wrote:

There is a cheap ebook on amazon itvwill help you.

Skip the cheap book. It's not worth the cost. You can get far more absolutely free on this forum.

You never know... If you let us know where you reside (vaguely), a nice person might take a look at what some of their MSC's offer in your area and suggest you sign up for them......

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

Consider it a “Right of Passage” to sign up. You can get several good ideas just by reading the forums. Many on here may not say it... but most regular shoppers have spent hours themselves in sweat equity. They are willing to help you, but may not give away all of their trade secrets after all of their hard work. I personally found my favorite company after signing up for 90 others. I won’t even give that one to my best friend. Just do a couple per day or week and it will add up. You’ll gain valuable experience along the way. Intellishop is another nationwide company with a variety of good shops.

Plus, companies change MSCs all of the time. Your favorite client might be with company A and then all of a sudden you don't see the shops anymore. If you're not signed up with company B you will miss out on those shops.

Kim

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I have learned that right now working close to 60 hours a week that I don't have time to sign up for a hundred companies so this will have to be something for the future when I can quit my job (probably next year).

If you’re new, you have to start with low paying shops so you can build your reputation. Seasoned shoppers can select and ask for higher payments, but newbies have to get lucky to get paid well.

Post removed by poster because it was in response to a scammer whose posts have been removed by the mods.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2018 12:24PM by walesmaven.

Ah, what the heck this ain't no rose garden. In the last three years, I have done shops for some companies that I have only done the one shop for. I signed up and then got the gig a couple of years later. They called me out of the blue. Have made some decent coin doing those odd jobs. But the one thing is is that you can not always count on them because they come and go. You just have to keep trying. It does get aggravating signing up for all of these companies but you never know. Do not be like my granddaughter you have to go look no one owes you anything. Some people are happy to help and some are not. Since my heart attack, I have become known as a Shreck.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2018 06:15AM by 2stepps.

What I did when I first started was sign up with every company possible. I also did every shop that came my way. This way, I discovered what shops and MSCs I liked and didn't like.

Years later, I'm still activated with all of the companies even though I work for maybe 10 on a regular basis. Also, things change. MSCs get new clients, or I do shops that I would not have done in the past.

Keep your options open.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

You don't really choose a company. You'll find your groove as you do the shops. Schedulers, editors, and shop guidelines changing can impact your preference. Of course, timely payments (meaning they pay when they say they'll pay) is a completely different issue altogether.

That is such a great idea. I would love that. If someone would take a look at their companies and let me know which ones have shops in my area I would be so grateful. I live in a small town in the WV panhandle and I would love to know which ones actually have shops near me. Or one's that I can do by phone or internet.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2018 04:11AM by karbuchanan.

If you can make it to Pittsburgh, Ipsos, EPMS and Ath all have some things..... I haven't checked, but I would bet Intellishop as some things, too....

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

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