Hi, I would like to know which are some of the best mystery shopping companies to start with if you are a begginner, in terms of report length and complexity. Also would like to know if there are shops that you are able to do with kids, like the fast food or retail ones?

There will probably be all kinds of different opinions, but in my opinion Marketforce is hands down the best company for beginners. Especially in terms of report length and complexity. I don't know about kids, I don't have any.

Marketforce.

Marketforce has some of the easiest jobs for beginners but is one of the least forgiving MSC's when it comes to mistakes. They also aren't great with answering questions about shops.

When my kids were little, I didn't take them on shops. Too distracting. There is so much to remember when you are starting out that having kids a long is really hard.

Marketforce is good for the simple fast food shops. Shops where only 1 or 2 pictures are required. I would not take any of their long audits.

Many MSCs do not want you to take kids with you. But there are shops designed for you take kids, you just won't make any money on them (reimbursement only usually) and sometimes you will spend more than you get reimbursed, and have to wait 60 days or more to get that money back. When starting out, definitely try to do shops without them so you can be sure not to make any mistakes.

You have a typo in your title and a typo in your message (begginner). One of the best things to do when you're a beginner is to edit, edit again and edit for the final time.

There are some great shops to take kids on with Amusement Advantage. Unfortunately, they will only act as a coupon for your awesome day. They will not make you any money. If that works for you, they are great shops.

I agree with the other posters above. Because MarketForce is self-assign and their guidelines are very good, their shops are usually simple, the reports are short, and they require almost no writing skills, I would say MarketForce is a good training ground for new shoppers.

BUT - - - a new shopper should keep in mind:

You will only get paid if you do the shop according to the guidelines. You don't get paid for showing up and trying.

Follow the guidelines completely. If the guidelines require a purchase, you MUST make a purchase. It doesn't matter if you can't find anything inexpensive that you like. If the guidelines require you to order a specific item, you MUST order that item. It doesn't matter whether you like the item or not. If the guidelines say you must time service, then be sure you have a stopwatch and you can time the service. Not providing service times because you didn't have a watch with a second hand is not acceptable. Many times new shoppers post here devastated to learn they will not be paid because they didn't think something was important or necessary. One new shopper complained that he had taken a shop that required a purchase, but he couldn't find anything inexpensive to purchase, so he completed the shop without a purchase and submitted the report. He was shocked and angry that his shop was declined.

Check to be sure the location is open and double-check the address. You can usually Google the client location and see exactly where it is and its hours.

Be prepared to react quickly and to improvise. Sometimes shops don't go as planned. Murphy's law. Anything that can go wrong..........

Be prepared to be nervous during the first few shops. Just be careful and detailed and follow the directions to the letter.

Good luck. Have fun. Make lots of money.

Thanks, I've done a couple this month for MarketForce and one for Sinclair and they have been accepted, but like you said I was so nervous in the first two shops, even though I was acting normal every time someone looked at me I felt like they knew I was a mystery shopper. But I did had fun and everything went fine.