Did my first shop for Mintel on 3/28 and had the money direct deposited in to my bank account on 4/1. Awesome company to work for! Wish they had more in my area.

Yes, my most recent shop was done a bit earlier in the month, but they are reliable about getting it into your account within a week of the time that the website indicates the shop has been approved. No email notification or anything so it is always a delight to check my bank account and find the little golden easter egg surprise from them.

I did two shop on the 18th and payment was in my account Thursday morning. What's not to love?

....only that they don't have enough jobs for us to take ...... I love them, too....

They have always been one of my favorite MSPs.

Can anyone tell me how to sign up for Mintel. I went to their website and do not see anything for mystery shopping or how to sign up with them. Thanks.

Do a google search for mintel mystery shopping and click the first link. Read carefully.

And please do recognize that as a new-to-Mintel shopper you will be at a serious disadvantage in getting work if they have existing shoppers in your area. I don't remember how many shops it is that you need to perform before you can request self-assign privileges. So you will likely be requesting lots of shops before you ever get your first one and your second one and your . . . etc. If I am not on their site within minutes of them announcing work it will be gone. I will know it was there because I can see it in the 'let me know if this shop becomes available again' section. Lots of shoppers love Mintel because if you do what you are supposed to do, you just don't hear from them until the money arrives in your account yet you can always check on the status of your work. If you have questions or problems, they are quick to get back with you. On top of all these warm fuzzies, they pay fairly and in a timely manner. Wonder why shoppers love Mintel?

The only reason I signed with Mintel was because I was "recruited" through another MSC who said Mintel was looking for someone in my area to complete this particular job. I don't know why no one else took it. It was simple and paid $15 plus reimbursement to ship a magazine to a pre-determined address.

Every shop I've ever done with Mintel has been self-assigned. It's a shame they don't have as many shops in my market as they used to.

Great MSC,I love the way they pay(very timely).I just wish they had more work in my area.

I attempted to sign-up with this MSC twice in the past, but on each occasion they required a mobile phone number. Does anyone know if that's still their policy?

why don't you just put in your home number again for the mobile number?

Whenever an application asks for a mobile phone number I simply enter my home phone number. While I do have a mobile phone, it is primarily for emergencies and is not a reasonable number at which to contact me. When they ask for a fax number that too is my home phone number. If and when I am working in an office I don't want them calling me there, so that too is my home phone number. There is an answering machine on the home phone that gets checked remotely if I am going to be away from the house more than 4-5 hours during 'normal working hours'.

Goofy me; of course it worked. Thanks to all.

Mintel is one of my favorite companies. I do a lot of shipping shops for them and now the bank shops. Their bank shops are very easy and pay well and they pay fast.

The only problem I had was with one of the schedulers who never got back to me with questions I had. But a supervisor did contact me and took care of the problem immediately - it had to do with money. But as someone said they always don't have shops in my area that I can do.

Love Mintel... I wish they had more work here in my area!

I signed up for them too. I wished they had more in my area. They hardly have anything and I heard so much good about them.

It's been my experience that when you have a full book, that's when you get called! LOL! If they have nothing for you now, they may in another month. Don't take them for granted.

How much do they pay?

I signed with Mintel one month ago, and just got many shops within the L.A. area, they are brewery audits which I'm not interested in, but I wouldn't say they won't be offered to new shoppers, as they were offered to me...can't wait to work for them.

Has anyone completed the menu shops yet? Just wondering if we're supposed to get full menus without them being take out menus. Not sure how to ask the staff for actual menus!

Thanks!

Yes, I have done them in the past. A little imagination is required. Ploys I have used: Picky eater grandson coming to visit for a family gathering. I wanted to get a copy of the menu to fax to my DIL to see if there was anything there that 'Patrick' would eat. When they had no copies but offered a take out menu, I asked if I could just photograph the menu and whipped out my camera. Another was the 'boss' was planning a holiday party, could they accommodate 17 people? Could I borrow a menu to show my boss and return it tomorrow? When they told me "no" I asked if I could photograph it and whipped out my camera. Obviously a camera phone would make this a whole lot simpler than pulling out the digital camera. A little pause before digging in my purse for the camera and the 'Eureka, this might work' attitude when I 'just happened to have it with me' doesn't hurt. One place was even hungry enough for a large group that they allowed me to remove the menus from the location and return them the following day. One location nobody greeted me at the host stand so I just gathered up the menus and was looking at them. Still nobody, so I stepped outside with them and got great photos in daylight out front. I brought them back in and laid them on the host station before departing and nobody ever said a thing.

I found the best time to appear was mid afternoon when the lunch crowd was gone and the early dinner or after work drinking crowd had not yet arrived. I found it was better to talk to a manager than to the hostess because the hostess would never be authorized to let you 'borrow' a menu and you wouldn't be likely to be talking with the hostess about a large group gathering anyway.

Only once was I stymied. The manager insisted that the exact same thing was on the take out menu, at the same prices, as was on the regular menus. That I reported to Mintel as I submitted the take out menu. I reported what the manager had told me and Mintel accepted the work.

Thank you , Flash! I called the location and asked for the manager. She said I could come in and pick up take out menus or have them faxed or emailed to me. I said I wanted the actual menus, and she told me the same thing as your last remark. I agreed to having the menus sent to me, but will bring them in and compare them to the heavy duty menus for sure.

Just waiting to see what happens now.

Thanks again for your answer. After reading so many great things about Mintel, I don't want to mess up!

Ok. Even if they send them to you, do NOT take them in with you. Go in as if this was just a 'drop in' visit with an inquiry somewhat different than what you presented on the phone. When the hostess gives you a take out on site, ask to see the regular menus and do your comparisons.

And by the way, the folks at Mintel do have an understanding of how wrong things can go in the field. I have contacted them with a few weird mishaps where it was impossible to do what was required--such as when the armed building guards escorted me out of the building and locked the door behind me when all I wanted to do was to take a photograph of a drop box in the lobby and check the box for supplies. They have always responded sympathetically and when I have responded that I wasn't traumatized but was actually laughing after-the-fact at the ludicrousness of the situation, they have laughed with me. Alternative means of completing the work were found and I was paid. There are companies out there who would dig in their heels and say "Armed guards or no armed guards, you did not get the photo so forget about being paid!"

Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, I have done them in the past. A little
> imagination is required. Ploys I have used: Picky
> eater grandson coming to visit for a family
> gathering. I wanted to get a copy of the menu to
> fax to my DIL to see if there was anything there
> that 'Patrick' would eat. When they had no copies
> but offered a take out menu, I asked if I could
> just photograph the menu and whipped out my
> camera. Another was the 'boss' was planning a
> holiday party, could they accommodate 17 people?
> Could I borrow a menu to show my boss and return
> it tomorrow? When they told me "no" I asked if I
> could photograph it and whipped out my camera.
> Obviously a camera phone would make this a whole
> lot simpler than pulling out the digital camera.
> A little pause before digging in my purse for the
> camera and the 'Eureka, this might work' attitude
> when I 'just happened to have it with me' doesn't
> hurt. One place was even hungry enough for a
> large group that they allowed me to remove the
> menus from the location and return them the
> following day. One location nobody greeted me at
> the host stand so I just gathered up the menus and
> was looking at them. Still nobody, so I stepped
> outside with them and got great photos in daylight
> out front. I brought them back in and laid them
> on the host station before departing and nobody
> ever said a thing.
>
> I found the best time to appear was mid afternoon
> when the lunch crowd was gone and the early dinner
> or after work drinking crowd had not yet arrived.
> I found it was better to talk to a manager than to
> the hostess because the hostess would never be
> authorized to let you 'borrow' a menu and you
> wouldn't be likely to be talking with the hostess
> about a large group gathering anyway.
>
> Only once was I stymied. The manager insisted
> that the exact same thing was on the take out
> menu, at the same prices, as was on the regular
> menus. That I reported to Mintel as I submitted
> the take out menu. I reported what the manager
> had told me and Mintel accepted the work.


Hahaha, I've had many bosses throwing many dinner parties. That always seems to work the best for me.

I received an e-mail from them today and they want someone to take pictures of a few billboards to verify that a certain advertisement is on them. The preview of the assignment was kind of confusing but the pay is pretty good and on the surface seems pretty simple. Has anyone done this type of assignment for them?

Absolutely love the shops. We go for a drive at night and I pop out of the passenger seat to take my night shops, then I go by during the day solo and shoot the day shops. New requirement is a date/time stamp on the photos. This does not make sense for huge distances unless you can make a route out, have dinner somewhere at the end of the route and then catch the boards again well after dark on your return.

I am relatively new to Mintel having done only two bank shops for them. I was sent and accepted two of the beer shops (I believe Flash's post above) mentioned. I was a little nervous, being my first time, but really respect this MSC and want to do a good job. I have been getting jobs in my area, so, glad everyone loves them. quick pay, great incentive!

I signed up with them about 6 weeks ago and I've just done about 40 incredibly easy shops basically checking the display of an electrical gadget that was being launched. All self assign, the pay was approx US$13, you took one photo of the outside of the store to prove you were there, the assignment inside took 10 mins max and so did the report which consisted of drop down boxes, no narrative and uploading the photo. The locations were clumped together as stores were mostly out of town retail parks so plenty could be done in one go. This was in Britain so Mintel seem well regarded by many shoppers everywhere.