I am a part of mystery shopper that pays to see how a shop is doing. You have to pay for the service you get but they reimburse you plus pay you to visit the shop. What a nice way to earn money and get free service for something you already enjoy.
I have heard of mystery shoppers, but I have never do it. I had mystery shoppers rate me when I worked in retail. I always got great ratings, but I never considered doing it. How did you start mystery shopping? Do you work with a service? I do know that there are a lot of websites that try to get people to pay for a list of organizations that hire mystery shoppers.
How much time does it actually take up? What website do you use for this? I would love to try it out. How much money can you earn with this?
I've always wanted to do some mystery shopping, but never got round to it. It seems like so much fun, and something I'd really enjoy. I don't really like the idea that I have to pay upfront, though. Because I've heard that sometimes if the mystery company's not happy with the report you give them, they can withhold payment. I don't really know how true that is. Sadly, over here mystery shopping jobs are very hard to come by.
I've never done mystery shopping though I believe it can certainly be a good way to save money especially if you are getting something you'd be buying free. Thing though is while it does sound enticing if you want to attempt doing mystery shopping online then you might be scammed. Yeah I've seen some ads — earn up to $500 a week as a mystery shopper . . . Don't fall for that.
I've never been a mystery shopper but I always loved the idea of doing it. I'm a compulsive shopper so getting paid to go shopping would be the best thing. I agree about the scamming. If anyone was considering becoming a mystery shopper I would definitely done my research.
No, you never have to pay to find them. I just researched it. There is a group that I can't remember the name, but they have a list of legitimate sites. It won't be hard to google. Right now I am just dealing with companies that pay me to shop via phone. Some will pay $5 per call. I just signed up and when they had jobs available they will contact me. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of jobs available. If anyone contacts you by e-mail asking to sign up, I would not trust it (unless you already contacted them). Also, any company that wants you to pay or put money in an account is more than likely a scam.
I hadn't mystery shop in all my life but I was able to edit mystery shopping data so that they pass through quality check. It seems easy but it can be tedious if you're not really up for it. For instance, mystery shoppers have to check whether a gasoline convenience store has a clean comfort room, does not sell liquor or cigarette to minors or hired a friendly staff. It's one way to know whether stores operate as well as they should when the authorities aren't looking around.
I do it and so does my brother. The last one I did was to go to a convenience store, use the restroom, buy a coke and that's it. Then I submit the report and a photo online which takes about 5 minutes. Then I get paid $10 dollars plus the cost of the coke. That place is called "New Image." My brother goes to the airport, rides the tram across the airport, fills out a 5-minute report and gets paid $48 dollars for that. WORD OF CAUTION: Never ever "pay" to do a mystery shop. Legitimate companies won't ask you to pay to work for them. Go to the mystery Shoppers Association to find legitimate mystery shopper sites.
I've gotten invites but never joined mystery shopper's s. I saw in the news of how an elderly gent got taken by a scammer mystery shopper so I get more leery about them. For now I'll wait about joining a mystery shopper's site.
I agree that you have to be very careful with the company you choose. There are a lot of legit companies and scams too. It is best to check with the Mystery shoppers Association to determine the legitimate companies. I use this site and other sites that have thoroughly searched out a company. Another thing to look for is if they want money upfront then more than likely they are not real. I am with two companies now that I do shopping for and I have been paid.
I have been part of a mystery shopper program for 3 years now and it works quite well. I started out just going to fast food restaurants for them. After they evaluated my reports they moved me up to better shops and soon I was shopping at high end retail shops. I have also test driven a few nice sports cars to review the service of the salesman. The main thing to remember is to keep your report as detailed and accurate as possible.
I'm signed up with a program, but I haven't done an assignment. The assignments seem interesting and fun. Reading other people's experiences, I'm a little bit more motivated to actually pick an assignment....but we'll see.
Well the company I work for has different tiers. On each tier you get more interesting places to visit, but can still visit places listed on your previously earned tiers. They send me a mail at the beginning of each month with the available visits for the month. I choose the ones I can do and submit my dates. After a report is submitted you get payed during the next pay cycle. The company I work for has two each month, so I really enjoy it and it doesn't take away from my cashflow
Do you make a decent amount of money with your assignments? I have not tried going to actual stores yet but I did sign up for those type of companies. I like being able to pick and choose what I do. For now, I like being able to just make the phone calls. One company I am with don't offer many assignments. When they do have them, they send me a lot. So in one day I can make $30-35 depending on many I get. Another company I am with have lots of assignments but it's so detailed in what to do after the phone call with edits. It's time-consuming so I don't really think it's worth my time.
It is true. If you don't follow the directions exactly they won't pay you. I just recently did a call but did not stay on the phone for the required time. Now, in this case, the person was rude and didn't really help (the actual call), so it was no way I could stay on the line with him. I did explain this but they still felt it didn't qualify me. I have also read of accounts where a person didn't order the right food item and didn't get paid. So it's a must that you follow what they say to do. On other calls I make they make it clear that if you don't follow, you won't be paid.
You definitely have to be careful when it comes to some of the email invitations that you get. I am getting one offer right now allegedly from Walmart (it's not!). When they contacted me earlier this year, I thought it was real, so I sent back my name and address so that they could send me the first job, right? Well, one day I get this postal money order in the mail....for $495. The instructions were to deposit it, then turn around and withdraw the money, use $250 to send a Western Union Telegram to such and such individual and the remainder is yours. That sent up a red flag in my mind, although the idea of getting paid $200+ for doing this job was very appealing. They count on that. We have a very good friend who works at one of the local banks. He checked the number on the money order. And you got it! The money order was an excellent fake. What happens, is that once you deposit it, the money you take out and send via telegram is YOUR money--because you're the one who's going to have to pay it back once the money order bounces. But by then, you've spent $495 of your own money that you just hadn't earned yet. But he continues to label it "mystery shopping". And there's no way to unsubscribe. At least I haven't figured it out yet.
Well I make about $15 - $30 per assignment. So there is some leeway, what is nice is that for Musica, a music store here, they require you to purchase something for $10, then they reimburse your payment and pay for the report. So what I do is buy gift cards. This way I get the gift card for free and also get paid
I have signed up at some of the mystery shopping sites but have not received any opportunities. I assume that mystery shopping is not that popular in my area. It's a shame because this is really something that I have wanted to try for a while. Hopefully I will be able to find a company that does it around here soon.
Wow that's really cool that your brother was able to get $48 for a 5 minute ride! Most of the ones I do right now are phone calls because I don't really feel like driving from place to place. I do see some jobs that offer a free massage. I am tempted to do some of those but again I just don't feel like going out. Now when you do shops you will have to pay for the service and they will pay you back.
