Anyone out there a Mystery Shopper?

[lynnthetwin]

This always intrigued me...I love to shop and work in retail. Is it worth exploring?

 

[Feralpeg]

I was one for Macy's many years ago. It was a lot harder than you might think. Sometimes, they just told me to purchase an item in a particular department. I'd purchase something and then rate whoever checked me out or who helped me in the department.

Very often, they'd want me to focus on a particular person. That was hard. I had to time things just right to make sure that person waited on me.

Finding something to purchase wasn't easy. They would give me several departments to shop and only $20 with which to do it. Even back then, buying multiple things in Macy's wasn't easy on $20.

After making the purchase, I'd have to fill out forms and return the forms along with what I'd purchased. For this, I received $20.

I did it for about six months and decided it was way to much work and time for what I made.

 

[kwelch10377]

I am not a Mystery Shopper, but I manage the Mystery Shop program for a large retailer and work directly with a Mystery Shopping company that administers our program.

Two very important qualities in being a Mystery Shopper are that you have to be very observant and have a great memory. For the most part completing a shop doesn't make you a lot of money. Most companies also require you to purchase something upfront and then the Mystery Shopping company will reimburse you.

I would give it a try and see how you like it. When looking for companies to pick up shops through, remember to NEVER pay someone to complete shops.

 

[Offsides]

I didn't even realize Mystery Shopping existed until I saw a case involving it on The People's Court today. I'm intrigued.

 

[MomofKatie]

I was a shopper for a large coffee chain and a regional supermarket for a few years. You will not get rich doing it, for sure- I did as many as I was allowed each month, and only cleared about $80/month.

There are very specific instructions for each location- for example, at the supermarket, I had to go at a set time, observe the location and department I was evaluating, and interact with at least 2 employees. I had to get the employees names, descriptions, length of time to interact, and I had a set list of things to look for when talking to them. When evaluating certain departments, I had to purchase a specific item to record the interaction with the employee and that item. I had to spend a set amount of time in the department, and had to go through the front checkouts as well (and report the interaction with the cashier/baggers there). I had to spend at least $5 each trip, and was not reimbursed for the purchase (I was paid a certain amount for each shop, based on what type it was). All very detail-oriented, and if the shop was rejected for any reason, I wouldn't get paid.

It is a fun little thing to do for a little (very little ) extra spending $$. I stopped after two years or so because I found I was spending more on gas to get to the locations and spending too much on purchases on each visit to make it worth my while.

 

[lynnthetwin]

I didn't even realize Mystery Shopping existed until I saw a case involving it on The People's Court today. I'm intrigued.

We watched the same show! I was close to filling out an application on line but I thought I better ask the question of others first. Kind of glad I didn't go through with it after reading these responses.

 

[tasha99]

I did it for a while as a student. It's not really worth more than pin money--I made maybe $50/month at it.

 

[Acklander]

I've mystery shopped but mainly did restaurants, hotels, and entertainment (bowling, movies, theme parks etc). Very rarely did I actually go to a store to shop. I enjoyed it but I focused mainly on fun stuff. Go to volition.com they have an entire forum devoted to mystery shopping

 

[Traveliz]

We watched the same show! I was close to filling out an application on line but I thought I better ask the question of others first. Kind of glad I didn't go through with it after reading these responses.

The People's Court thing was not at all realistic. Real mystery shoppers keep records, know who they are working for, how much they made, etc and so forth.

I make hundreds of dollars of month doing this and it is for real. But I work for dozens of companies and work at this every day. Working for one or two companies is not going to garner a very high income level.

The place to study up is on the mystery shopping discussion boards:

Volition.com
http://www.mysteryshopforum.com/

Both of these have lists of reputable companies and discussion boards much like the disboards but only about shopping.

Liz

 

[Lisaren]

I tried it for a little while. Because of my location, I had to drive 30+ miles for most shops and the money just could not cover the time and gas involved. One shop took over 4 hours (restaurant) including travel time and paid $12.50. If I lived in the town 30 miles from here where most shops occurred, I may have stayed with it for a little extra money.

 

[scoutie]

I am.

I do it strictly for a few free dinners, ice cream for the family, etc.

It's a lot of work, and you have to "work your way up" to get the good assignments. Few people can make enough money to do this to make a living, but if you're looking for a $35 dinner or an $18 reimbursment at an ice cream shop, it's fun. Rarely, I've gotten hotel shops or spa shops, but these are hard assignments to get, and only given to shoppers who have proven themselves to be reliable and excellent writers.

The other night, I did a mystery shop for dinner. It reimbursed $35, and I spent the dinner discreetly taking notes, and then spent an hour typing up the report. My dinner bill was $50, so I didn't make any money off of the shop, but my family was going out for dinner anyway, so it was worth it to me.

As long as you have realistic expectations, it can be a fun side gig. I second www.volition.com. That's definitely the place to start.

Be aware that there are many scams out there. Emails that ask for money up front, or to pay for a list of shopping companies, or who promise $300 for a simple WalMart assignment are most definitely scams.

 

[tinatark]

I do occasionally through Corporate Research International. The reports required are very detailed, and many require photos.

Here is an example of the jobs open in my area and the payment for each:
Exxon $10.84
Exxon $10.34
Exxon $10.76
Exxon $10.48
Exxon $13.36

You also have to pass a test for each retailer where you shop.

I've shopped Lowes, Exxon, KMart, Aeropostale, Stride Rite through this company.

 

[robinb]

I did Mystery Shopping for a while, but it just wasn't worth it for me. A lot of the time they wanted me to leave and then come back and then return the item(s), so I would spend twice as much time at the shop and have nothing but a $10 check to show for it. Then, I would go home and spend a long time writing up my report (I was very detailed ... they liked that). I finally stopped when most of the shops were 45 minutes away at the Outlet Mall. You want me to drive 1.5 hours, spend 30+ minutes shopping, using 2 gallons of gas for $10? Um ... no.

 

[North of Mouse]

This always intrigued me...I love to shop and work in retail. Is it worth exploring?

Several years ago I did mystery shopping at a restaurant. It wasn't hard at all for that particular place. Once a week, our complete family would alternate going through a drive through, or go in as sit down table service. I had a one sheet form to fill out, send in our receipt and that was it. I was reimbursed for the family's complete meal (that was my pay). It was great for a complete family meal once a week. We moved, and where we were transferred, they did not have this particular chain.

 

[AverageDiser]

I make $40-50 a month doing mystery shops and light merchandising. I live in a very small town, if I lived in a larger town, I could easily triple that. As the pp's mentioned, most shops pay very small amounts, as low as $6 and as high as $20 is about the best I've done. I also enjoy the restaurant shops, and the company I do most of them for pays a flat rate and reimburses for the cost at fast food/casual restaurants. Check out Certified Field Associates, Market Force, and Corporate Research Intl. Those are the companies I've had the most luck with.

 

[bunkkinsmom]

The People's Court thing was not at all realistic. Real mystery shoppers keep records, know who they are working for, how much they made, etc and so forth.

I make hundreds of dollars of month doing this and it is for real. But I work for dozens of companies and work at this every day. Working for one or two companies is not going to garner a very high income level.

The place to study up is on the mystery shopping discussion boards:

Volition.com
http://www.mysteryshopforum.com/

Both of these have lists of reputable companies and discussion boards much like the disboards but only about shopping.

Liz

Ditto both of these. I have over 70 companies on my roster and, depending on what's offered, can clear $200 a week. Oh, and I never pay for oil changes

I do occasionally through Corporate Research International. The reports required are very detailed, and many require photos.

Here is an example of the jobs open in my area and the payment for each:
Exxon $10.84
Exxon $10.34
Exxon $10.76
Exxon $10.48
Exxon $13.36

You also have to pass a test for each retailer where you shop.

I've shopped Lowes, Exxon, KMart, Aeropostale, Stride Rite through this company.

Blech. Rarely do I take a CORI shop. They did me wrong on a Consignment Store Shop and now it has to be really bonused for me to even consider them. I rarely pay for movies, never pay for oil changes (got one yesterday), and end up with a storage tub full of stocking stuffers and small gifts for birthdays and Christmas when they come around. I've done several hotel shops and most are just reimbursement, although I did do one last month that was reimbursement + $70..... I'll take those all day long!!

It takes a long time to get organized and get a system going, but once you do it's not difficult. You get used to what each company is looking for and the reports get easier to fill out. In the beginning, the reports with a lot of narrative take FOREVER, but then you get used to the key words. Volition is a good place to start. Also try jobslinger.com and put in your target area. I check this a lot and still find companies that I've never heard of shopping some pretty neat places.

PM me if you want more company suggestions.....

 

[Rhongepooh]

I use to do mystery shopping ALOT but I find they don't pay near as well as they use to. For example I got a message wanting me to do a shop this week at GNC to buy protein powder. It paid $15 with a $12 cap for the powder. Well the powder was $29 and u wouldn't use it so that's not worth it for me.

 

[powellrj]

I did it maybe 15 or 20 years ago. I did lots of Chi Chis so that tells you how long ago it was. I would pretty much just get a free dinner for my family out of it. I enjoyed it at the time and should try to get back into it.

 

[Mike R]

i am also a mystery shopper, everyone has painted a pretty good picture on what to expect, its not a great way to get rich or anything but you can pick up some assignments if you're going somewhere anyways. I have found the most luck with a company called BestMark

 

[ryansmommy0630]

Does anyone know any sites where I can mystery shop for Disney Stores?