Mystery Shoppers???

[mckim]

MYSTERY SHOPPERS??? Does anyone do this? Do you have a good company to recommend? If so, how much are you making and how long have you done it?

 

[mommyoftwinfants]

I've been wondering the same thing too!!!

 

[Martha7]

I haven't done this, but I did read an article lately, that said you shouldn't have to pay anything to get signed up with the reputable firms. I'm sure someone will post info soon. I've seen this topic come up here before. You might want to do a search on the boards to see if you find some old threads!

 

[jkmmah]

I do some occasional mystery shopping and have for five years or so. I've gotten picky and pretty much just do it for a meal out or an oil change for my van. In the past I've done clothing stores, banks, grocery stores, gift stores, etc. I just prefer doing restaurants to anything else really.

You're correct. Don't pay anything up front, ever. If it's a reputable company you'll be able to sign up on their website, no charges whatsoever. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post a link on here so I'd better not. I'll PM you with a great website that has a listing of pretty much every company that's worth doing anything for.

Mystery shopping isn't a way to make a huge income, but it will help put a tiny bit of pocket change into a Disney fund! I have no problem entering a report that takes me 1/2 hour if in exchange dh and I get a dinner out, etc.

 

[Danemom]

I did a little bit of it this past summer. You really have to be doing it for the fun of it. I didn't make much money - probably less than $100 for the summer, and that's with reimbursements - but I thought it was kind of fun. I'm a teacher so I have plenty of spare time in the summer.

 

[kfeuer]

I used to mystery shop, but have given it up since my youngest child was born. With gas prices what they are, it's not worth making a special trip to do a shop that pays $10. I used to do the shops that someone else mentioned for a popular oil change place, then they stopped doing it in my state (darn--I got all our oil changes done for free for a long time).

At any rate, it takes time to start getting the really good assignments. They're not going to hand you plum assignments right off the bat, you've got to build a track record of being thorough and reliable. Take what you can get when you're starting out, then you can progressively get more selective. Like someone else mentioned, my favorites were restaurant shops. My best assignment ever was to this really nice Italian restaurant...it included a couple (alcoholic) drinks, appetizers, main course, dessert, tip, everything. We got $120 dinner for free, but I told DH he majorly owed me because the report took me over 2 hours (and I type 90+ WPM).

 

[lsg1]

I started doing mystery shopping in August. I only shopped basically for one company, but registered with many, and worked for a few others. The first few months I did it, I made about $150 a month(including reimbersements). I really enjoyed it. The company I shopped for has major clients like Dunkin Donuts, Staples and Home Depot(plus many others). You have to take qualifiing tests which are very very detailed on their website, and then when you qualify for that company, you can shop for them.
The best place(and where I found the companies to shop for) to find mystery shopping companies is to go to Volition.com.

Good Luck!!

 

[misskelliecmu]

I do mystery shopping for secretshopnet They seem to do very well. The pay is minimal but it's free food

 

[djm99]

I am a mystery shopper. I own a Saturn and a while back Saturn sent me a email asking me to register as a secret shopper and it really paid off. The company had me go to saturn and get an oil change. They paid me $40 to do so and paid for my oil change too. Everything is done online but you do have to take a test. Of course you're not paying for anything - PM me for more information.

 

[sandy6879]

I've been doing this for 9 years. It's a great way to make some "extra" money, but you definitely cannot have it as a FT job. Email me for a great website - I can't post it here. There are links there for HUNDREDS of companies. If any company asks for $$ to sign up with them, walk away. You do NOT pay to be on a list - companies pay YOU as an independent contractor to perform the service.

 

[TiggerDaisy]

I did my first mystery shopper job about a month ago with www.focusonservice.com. They do not charge you and you will be put in their database and if a job comes up in your area, then they will call you. This company handles jobs for Longhorn Steakhouse, Bugaboo Creek, Hops, and Don Pablos. I didn't really make any money and came out even, but it was fun. My husband and I went to Longhorn for dinner. You select three restaurants in your area and they will call you if an assignment comes up. I would recommend them.

 

[JoiseyMom]

I did my first mystery shopper job about a month ago with www.focusonservice.com. They do not charge you and you will be put in their database and if a job comes up in your area, then they will call you. This company handles jobs for Longhorn Steakhouse, Bugaboo Creek, Hops, and Don Pablos. I didn't really make any money and came out even, but it was fun. My husband and I went to Longhorn for dinner. You select three restaurants in your area and they will call you if an assignment comes up. I would recommend them.

If you read the Independent Contractor Agreement you signed with this company, you will realize that stating what company shops what stores, is a big NO NO. You aren't allowed to do that. This is privileged information, that other mystery shopping companies would love to have. If they know that this company is shopped, they can go after them and offer them a better contract, and then we shoppers do the same shop for less money. You can say you shop ABC store, or you can say you work for ABC mystery shopping company, but you can't put them both together.

 

[JoiseyMom]

I am a Gold Certified MSPA Shopper. If you want information on being a Mystery Shopper you can go to www.volition.com. This site has 100's of companies you can sign up with. Some will have shops where you live, some will not. There is alot of computer work to do. You need to sign up, then you need to check the companies web sites lots of times a day to figure out when they post their shops. Then you need to apply for the shops, and hope to get them. There are some companies that are self- assign, meaning you register and can pick and automatically get assignments.

Most shops don't pay much. SOme I do pay as little as 7.00 per shop, plus reimbursement for the purchase you have to make. You need to follow their directions to the letter. If you miss a step, you do not get paid, you do not get reimbursed, and you do not get another shop from them. You need to be able to do timings of service for most shops to the second. You need to keep track of names, descriptions, and conversations.

Another good website is http://www.mysteryshop.org. And NEVER PAY TO MYSTERY SHOP.

Oh, you also have to wait approximately 60 days to get paid and reimbursed for most of your shops. All companies are different. You will not get rich doing this, but if you get enough shops, and can route them together, you can get some disney or pocket money. Keep records, because all of your fees are taxable, and need to be declared.

Any other questions??

 

[alabamagirl]

To those of you that do this, do you also have full time jobs? I am interested in doing this but I work 8-5 Mon-Fri so would I be able to do this along with my FT job? I wouldn't try to do many maybe just a couple but if they want people to do this during the day then I won't bother.

Thanks in advance!

 

[JoiseyMom]

To those of you that do this, do you also have full time jobs? I am interested in doing this but I work 8-5 Mon-Fri so would I be able to do this along with my FT job? I wouldn't try to do many maybe just a couple but if they want people to do this during the day then I won't bother.

Thanks in advance!

Alot of the shoppers on volition do have full time jobs. Some of the jobs can be done at night and weekends, others must be done during the week and the day, it really depends on what the client wants. I personally am a SAHM, and take jobs I can do while my kids are in school, and maybe once in a while I will do a quicky on the weekends. You need to search and see what jobs fit your criteria. There is a lot of "leg" work, and you don't get compensated for the time it takes to apply for the jobs and search for the jobs. Good luck!

 

[HappyLawyer]

i have done it since college, i love it, the leat i ever made per month is 80 bucks, the most about 1000.00 depends on how many your work for and how many jobs you select.

 

[HappyLawyer]

I started doing mystery shopping in August. I only shopped basically for one company, but registered with many, and worked for a few others. The first few months I did it, I made about $150 a month(including reimbersements). I really enjoyed it. The company I shopped for has major clients like Dunkin Donuts, Staples and Home Depot(plus many others). You have to take qualifiing tests which are very very detailed on their website, and then when you qualify for that company, you can shop for them.
The best place(and where I found the companies to shop for) to find mystery shopping companies is to go to Volition.com.

Good Luck!!

We shop for the same company!

 

[TiggerDaisy]

I should have been a little more specific in my last post. The company for which I did the mystery shopping owns the restaurants and does their own mystery shopping. It is not contracted out to a third party company. There are several restaurants that I can think of that does their own mystery shopping. One chain restaurant, in particular, will select customers to be mystery shoppers and it appears on the bottom of the receipt. This is a reputable restaurant chain. Also, if you go to the website that I listed in my previous post, it states these companies on the first page and instructs you how to sign up for the secret shopping.

If you read the Independent Contractor Agreement you signed with this company, you will realize that stating what company shops what stores, is a big NO NO. You aren't allowed to do that. This is privileged information, that other mystery shopping companies would love to have. If they know that this company is shopped, they can go after them and offer them a better contract, and then we shoppers do the same shop for less money. You can say you shop ABC store, or you can say you work for ABC mystery shopping company, but you can't put them both together.

 

[JoiseyMom]

I should have been a little more specific in my last post. The company for which I did the mystery shopping owns the restaurants and does their own mystery shopping. It is not contracted out to a third party company. There are several restaurants that I can think of that does their own mystery shopping. One chain restaurant, in particular, will select customers to be mystery shoppers and it appears on the bottom of the receipt. This is a reputable restaurant chain. Also, if you go to the website that I listed in my previous post, it states these companies on the first page and instructs you how to sign up for the secret shopping.

Ok, well working for the company is a bit different, the majority of mystery shopping companies don't work that way. Chain restaurants that want you to evaluate the service you just received at a restaurant is not considered mystery shopping by "professional shoppers". The majority of shoppers I know never fill out those surveys. If you don't pay me, I am not giving you my opinion !!

 

[mir322]

Here are some sites that have been recommended to me - I haven't started mystery shopping, but I keep this list onhand in case I ever start

http://www.volition.com/mystery.html
www.shopncheck.com
www.mysteryshop.org
www.secretshopnet.com
www.gapbuster.com
customerserviceexperts.com
nationalshoppingservice.com
athpower.com
www.sqm.ca
servicesense.com
escsrvs.com
shoppersinc.com
mysteryclicks.com
pedge.com
www.bestmark.com