How Many Mystery Shopping Companies Should You Apply To?
If you’re serious about mystery shopping — apply to as many companies as you possibly can. It’s not uncommon for a mystery shopper to apply to more than 100 companies. Some shoppers apply to 200 companies, or more!
Odds are, you won’t hear back from many of these companies. But — out of those dozens, you’ll find maybe 20 or 30 that provide regular work. Many people apply to 200 companies, and end up making most of their money from just 5. (Remember, never pay to mystery shop.)
Applying to mystery shopping companies is probably the most time consuming part of the mystery shopping experience — but if you’re persistent, it will pay off in the end.
Some Tips on Filling Out those Applications
After applying to your first few mystery shopping companies, you’ll notice some recurring questions. In fact, you’ll notice you’re answering the same questions over and over. To help with that — download a program called roboform, it’ll automatically fill in many form fields for you.
Many applications will ask why you think you’re qualified to be a mystery shopper. In general, the qualities they’re looking for in a mystery shopper are:
- Reliable and responsible
- Good memory
- Objective
- Detail Oriented
- Good writing skills
- Able to stay “undercover”
Focus on those traits, let them know you enjoy shopping, and want to improve the quality of services in your community, and you’ll have a pretty good answer as to why you’re qualified to be a mystery shopper. Use the same answer for most of the applications.
Keep in mind that that the more companies you apply to, the more jobs you’ll get. So, apply, apply, apply!
have you any jobs in cooventry
Mrs. Jasbir Kaur,
I don’t have any jobs at all — I just provide information about mystery shopping.
However, if you want to find jobs in your area, the best way to do that is to begin looking for mystery shopping companies. Very often their websites will say where they shop. There are also several large international mystery shopping companies that are a good bet for almost anyone…For a start — http://www.volition.com has a good list of mystery shopping companies.
Heres a few UK mystery shopping companies to get you started:
MacPherson Mystery Shopping
Maritz Research
MacPherson Mystery Shopping
Thank you for the tips. They have been really helpful. I’ve been mystery shopping since April and some of the reports have been a challenge but I plunge right ahead and get them in. Again thank you.
I did apply to some companies, and they wanted me to use my own money, the job only paid $5.00, and they didn’t want me to spend more than $1.00. I can’t make money that way, it would take more than that for gas usage!
I know that some of jobs pay very little and have a reimbursement of a small item. I’ve been shopping since April, and have had over 25 assignments thus far. Even though the pay is low, if its close to my home I will take it because, in the future those schedulers will keep me mind for future assignments and possible with higher fees paid. I’ve gotten paid when they’ve said I would as well.
Hello Jacob,
Do you know anything about the HindSight company that for $7.77 they send your application out to 77 different mystery shopping companies? Do you know if this is a legitimate company?
Thankyou,
Genesee Jones
P.S. I really enjoy all of the tips that you send my way!
How do I find out who the scheduling companies are?
took your advise and downld the web page on gapbuster to do food services,as mcdonald, I tell you want, you needc to bee in the mystery shopping for a few times before answering ther series of questions, in order to meet there requirement to be a shoppere, they require to take a online test,you haqve only three chances of passing, I did in one,putr it ttook me a lot of studying to read ALL THERE copies…Good luck to those who choice to do that test!! fred
Thanks to all for your comment and I will try to make the best of everything, I think I will love doing this kind of work
All I seem to get is fast food and it only pays for food and maybe $5.00. As high as gas is I cannot afford to mystery shop and I really like to.
All I get is fast food, what can I do, to get
a upscale restaurant. I am a trained chef. With
the price of gas, how can some companys offer
4$ an job, and require digital picture.
John I have a good time doing some shops,but the one the was the tested for an passed was the on for gapbuster,on mc donalds.Have some of your exp jobbers try the test and see what I’m talking about. talk later
fred
I have literally applied to over a 100 mystery shopping companies since April. I work with 4 regularly. I believe it all depends on where you live and how far you are willing to travel. It’s unfortunate that the pay is very low on most jobs, but I enjoy it so much and I feel that I’m really good at it. The banking type jobs seem to be the highest paying, but you can only visit one location every year. Shop rotations are also stopping me from work, because time has to go by before returning to the same ones. It seems like the Companies I regularly work for only have 1 or 2 clients. Most mystery shopping companies say don’t call us, we’ll call you, and they don’t because they don’t have work in my area. Gas prices are astronomical these days, and I can’t afford to drive far for a $6.00 job. Because the pay is so low, I stay close to home.
I’ve taken the gapbuster McDonalds test and passed, but they never have any locations near me. I’ve yet to work with them. My one complaint other than the pay is there is a Company out there that will not let you fax or mail in receipts, they insist on you scanning them or something to do with a digital camera. I don’t have a scanner, and have no idea how to download anything. So, I can’t accept any thing from them.
I have been with the shadow shopper for a month and even though I told them to take me off of the list because the jobs I were getting were just to far for the cost of gas now. They just upgraded me to a year, I guess I am just stuck with them for a year. I was looking into taking surveys from home since I wouldn’t be doing any traveling. Do I have to pay to get survey jobs? I have signed with 5 that say they are free, the only thing I get is a couple surveys a month and some points. I haven’t had one that pays anything. Are these all scams or are there some that really pay money without having to pay them. Since you do mystery shopping I don’t know if you can help me. Thanks for listening. I love reading all of the articles you have sent me. My daughter says she is going to try some of the mystery shopping co to make a little extra money.
Jacob: I applied to Maritz for a ‘Sonic Drive-in
shoppers job, but they wouldn’t assign me because
I didn’t have at least a rating of 7. What I would
like to know is how can someone get a better rating
if they won’t give you any shops? I’ve read your
emails & went to the websites of the Co’s you sent
me, but seems like there is nothing available unless a person registers with the MSPA., & I don’t
want to join & pay big bucks until I can get a job
to see if I would like doing this sort of work!
I have been Mystery Shopping for 2 years I now get over 200 jobs a month. I try to bunch my jobs up in one location at a time to save on gas. Put at the end of the yr. when I file my taxes I will get a tax break for the use of my car. I have already checked into it. This is what I really enjoy doing. Most of my jobs come from 2 Companies. While I do take fill in jobs from several other companies. There are only 2 companies that I have had problems with since I started. One it took 9 months for them to pay me 20.00 to have my breaks checked and the other was to do a shop on a local bank that I never got paid for. I have done plently of fast food shops. I usually do them when I in that area so I will get a free meal plus get paid for it. Usually the closer to the end of the month it is the more a company will pay. Just keep that in mind. When I do the fast food I usually get my meal and then do the drive thru and get a meal for my husband. So hang in there and just keep looking for those better jobs. They are there and you can do good with them.
dear jacob,
hi can u tell me the sites in india for mystery shopping.please do help me.
deepali
hi im welling to lren
I GOT YOUR E-MAIL ON WHERE I SHOULD SIGN UP, BUT ITS SAYING ERRO ON 401. SO I REALLY NEED TO KNOW WHERE TO GO SO I CAN GET THIS DONE.
THANKS
DAPHENE PARNELL
I’ve just recently joined the world of mystery shopping and with your emails I have found a lot of helpful insight. Sometimes I wounder if mystery shopping is a huge conspiracy between company’s to get shoppers in their stores to spend money and get paid a small fee to fill out a questionaire form. I find myself in these stores and can’t help but to buy for my family. I only get reimbursed that big dollar and I’ve spent $60- $100. for family items. Its probably just something I need to work on. I’m sure there are more shoppers like me out there. Keep the emails coming.
I love corland mystery shopping service,I have been a mystery shopper for over a year. I make good money, I work with 3 companies, and I get a route each month. I do aleast 30 shops per month.
I have them call me directly for last minute end of the month jobs, that pay a lot more than in the beginning.
Man I will take free food anyday Whoops that means I work for food O well guess I do Man I need those shops I cant get gapbuster to do nothing with me and cant find any food shops or fun gas shop O wait there is Coperate Reseach International They pay a doller for gas and a doller for pop oops they forgot most pop is over a doller and gas stations wont fart for a buck let alone give gas I thought about doing a kmart shop for them and only spending a doller so they would be suspicious and is this the shopper pay me a doller and 8 bucks to shop well if someone know more free food than me let me know because hey I will work for food and gas or does food give you gas???
I’ve been shopping for over 2 years now. I have signed up with over 65 diiferent companies just this year. I work for 5-6 really good companies right now and have an income of 300-500 per month. I keep good invoice records, receipts for all expenses including office supplies as well as travel costs. I follow up every 45 days, with who has paid me and who has not. So far so good! When the pay is low for a specific shop, but they have mulitple locations, I take as many as I can in a day, otherwise, I move on. I am MSPA Silver and it was well worth the 15.00 to get certified. I will be going for the Gold in NOV. Keep searching and reading this website. You will discover the “perfect fit” with the “right” companies eventually. Arlington, TX
Where can I get a numer to use so I don’t have to give my social security number out to everyone who asks for it?
Hello Janice. I too find your site useful. I have only been shopping since September and my payments are just beginning to arrive to my paypal account. I started Mystery Shopping as a way to supplement my limited monthly income and I have been able to do just that. I have learned some valuable lessons about being a Mystery Shopper:
1. Be organized. I have an eight sectioned office organizer notebook. When I accept an assignment I immediately download the guidelines and report; highlight the shop and due dates and file it in my organizer by date. When I have completed my assignment I file the report with the receipts or other information from the shop into my Mystery Shopping file cabinet – in case there are questions about the shop. When I am notified that my shop payments have posted, I print and include this information with my filed reports.
2. Become Educated. Learn as much as you can about Mystery Shopping. Read books, articles and search information on the Internet on the topic. Learn about the Mystery Shopping industry. Many companies ask if you are certified. My continuing education and MSPA Gold Certification are evidence of my commitment to continued service improvement and evaluation. Read message boards you can often pick up valuable information from other Mystery Shoppers experience.
3. Set Goals. I set a goal to register with two new companies every day. Most of them I have not heard from. However, I often find companies that have projects in my area and so far it has helped me to continue expanding my assignments and receive new assignments. I agree with you; the more companies you apply to the better you chances are of getting shops.
4. Timely Reporting. For me the reports have been the most challenging part of the assignments. The trick for me is to complete the report the same day as the shop using the reporting form in word a word document. The shop experience is fresh in my mind and I don’t forget all the details. I then use the word document to cut and paste the report into the appropriate areas on web based reports.
4. Diversify. Try different types of assignments. If you have only done fast food shops, try casual dining assignments. I recently conducted a shop and received a free eye exam, half off on the glasses I purchased and $50 for the shop. I am now trying to expand to do audits, and financial shop. I am also trying to locate companies that work with movie theatres.
Mystery shopping can be fun. For me it is an opportunity to gain extra income and participate in activities I might not otherwise be able to. Happy Shopping!
I have some jobs from other companies,bur how do I get more.
I have just started mystery shopping and I find it is great for me as I am the all time shopper anyway. This way it takes up time and I don’t spend my own money. I have done banks, food, retail, supermarkets, coffee stores, UPS stores, movies, book stores, furniture stores and even a department store and many others in little over a month. I have even gotten my eyes examined and made a few dollars doing it. However,the reimbursement rate is very very slow. Every company tries to drag out its pay cycle for over a month. I have expended money that I haven’t received yet and need and I have not been paid for many jobs yet. The reports are also sometimes a problem as they are detailed, long and often have to go back and correct things.
I’ve read many of these emails and so many of them mention that they shop with a few really good mystery shop companies, but no one mentions their names. Can’t you please be helpful and let the rest of us know what you already know? Which, in your opinion, are the “top 5” mystery shop companies worth working for. I’m sure there are more than enough mystery shops in your area to go around, just share the wealth of information with us “newbies” so we, in turn, can pass it along to others.
Thank you so much.
Most shoppers do not mind helping with general knowledge but good luck pulling the names. It costs time and money to learn these things and in some areas there is not enough to go around and we are forced to drive long distances to get enough pay. Try joining shaddow shopper or searching mystery shopping on the internet. Jan’s emails may help you too. Good luck to the newbies!
Hello,
I have been mystery shopping for three months. I love the work and writing the reports. My most frustrating experience has been a sudden bout with the flu the week before Christmas, which forced me to cancel a week full of shops. It has taken the time period since to build back to an average of three shops per week. None of these are particularly high paying shops, but I am hoping the experience will pay off. My only other frustration so far is the time lag between the shop and the pay. This seems to be an industry standard. Perhaps after I shop for a few more months the checks will be coming in regularly and the time lag won’t be such a financial imposition.
Hii, I am a resident of Dubai-UAE. Please tell me if there are any mystery shopping companies in Dubai. I will be very thankful to you. Have a nice day, bye.
Hi Jacob,
I use to read each and every mail you send and try to register my self with the mystery shopping companies. Un fortunately it is not successful because they don’t have any clients in my area that is UAE. If you know any company please sends the name of the company I will enroll. How ever your mails are informative and I enjoy reading them.
I was wondering how the mystery shoppers get paid.
We live in an area where there are few Mystery Shopper Assignments. I found that if I keep applying to companies job will eventually appear in our area. If you live in an area that still has a lot of major chains you will eventually find assignments. Everyday, you have to keep checking the companies that you applied for to see if they have any assignments. I have all of them saved on one folder of Bookmarks to that it makes them easy to find and check them.
I live on disability and shopping is within my capabilities so I depend on it to supplement my income. I work for about 6 companies regularly and 5 of them pay on time, however the first month co. #6 paid just fine, now I have waited for over 5 weeks and have not been paid yet and its a pretty substantial amount. As a result I have told them I cannot afford to work for them anymore. All in all I really enjoy shopping, a couple companies have contacted me even though I never applied to them, any one know how they knew about me? The only tips I have are follow the directions to a “T”, get reports in on time, use every journalism skill you have, most companies like very descriptive narratives.
I would like to find the right company which gives to me the opportunity to work and grow up proffessionaly.Thanks…Marta
I would like to work for a company which gives to me the opportunity of working, get the right salary
and grow up proffessionaly.
I tried to apply to different companies, but I was affraid to pay because I dont know them.
Thank you and I wish I’ll be hired….Marta
I have been shopping for 4 years now, and there is a learning curve involved. I see people asking for specific companies, but it really is an individual decision. What I am willing to do and find acceptable may not be acceptable to the next person. The only way to really find out which ones are the best for you is to try them. Start small. Take 1 or 2 assignments and see if they’re worth it to you, both time-wise and monetarily. Then you know which companies to keep and which to leave behind. As for other companies contacting you, it is common practice for schedulers to share information with each other. That includes both good shoppers and also shoppers to avoid. Many share their lists of shoppers. This is a good thing for you, though. If you do a good job, you could be recommended for better jobs with more schedulers. Just keep at it. It’s like every other “regular” job – you have to start at the bottom and work your way up. But you can work your way up rather quickly if you try.
I have been working for over 2 years with various mystery shopping companies, I enjoy doing this in my spare time. Hope to continue working with them and make this workable for me so I can retire from my day job. If anyone knows of more mystery shopping companies please send everyone some new names. I now work for about 8 really good companies, I know there must be more companies out there.
Jenny,
You said you work for 8 good companies and would like to know a few more? You gotta give to get. Who are yur 8 good ones?
I am a Newbie just like you. I have done several shops in a few months and agree with the time it takes to fill out forms. I tell myself it is part of the job and keep on typing. Getting the Shop done and the report on time is how you get paid.
I also have tried doing suverys. Most are for points or entrey in a sweepstakes or lottery. I get so much bulk mail now I spend at least 2 hrs. every day unsub. from the results. Just be careful on how you answer the questions. I learnt a big lesson on how to say No.
I decieded to just Mystery Shop.
I do not understand why you say never pay for shopping companies, but your ads are for pay companies?
I’m trying to find a HOTEL mystery shopper firm to sign up. Anyone know a reliable, serious and well connected firm?
As a follow up on my previous note, I’m have been trying to find a serious, reliable and well connected mystery shopping/evaluation firm to complete Hotel Mystery Shops in the US. Specifically in the South West and on the Pacific coast.
Any one knows of such firms?
Hi there! I am also new to mystery shopping but did started from the beginning of this year and would like to know if there are more mystery shopping done in my area(Bangkok,Thailand)I would like to do the mystery shopping for bigger names like Pizza Hut,Mc Donald and so on.
If you can provide then please kindly advice via email.
Also there are an international company which i have been done the mystery shopping and am going to do are “bare international” and “front-line-focus”
So if anyone wish to join then can register(which is 100% free and reliable.
Hello all Mystery Shoppers~
I have been Mystery Shopping for over 2 years now. I call it my hobby. It get’s me out, and it get’s me to view things from an owner’s perspective. I would never refer this job to anyone, due to the pay is poor, and these companies are pushy, the reports are long, you get sent the same shops over and over, (someone is not doing their job),
they want you to use your CC, fax, and the amount of work before and after the shop is incredible, and even just to print a copy from them to read a shop takes alot of copies. I could NEVER live on this, and the McDonald’s shops pay terrible. I would like to know what these companies are paying for each shop. The airport shops I get E-mailed…for $5 a shop…really? I just delete them. Likewise, I have worked a shop the 1st of November, put the shop on my CC, and pay is promised the 15th of each month. No pay yet. I will not do more of their shops until I receive payment. They DEMAND you complete each shop in 12 hours, complete report, fax…so I do feel we need to respond and demand as well. If no shoppers, what would these companies do?
What if all the mystery shoppers went on strike? Would the retailers care? Or would the middle man company (the ones we work for) feel it more? When these middle man companies start pushing me around and saying “I want you to …” is when I quit these companies. We are hired in as independent contractors and they should not treat us as employees. Personally, I think these middle man compaies aught to be grateful for the shoppers they have. It is not enough money to leave on and when they advertise these shops they act like it’s just GREAT!! I mean $12.50 for a shop from multi-million dollar companies??? I would like to gather many mystery shoppers and go on strike..to demand more $$$ from both companies, or start my own.
Hello,
I have been mystery shopping for a little over a month now and have learned some vaulable lessons. First, Jacob is right about registering with a lot of companies. I have registered with over 100, but mainly get jobs with about 4 that have jobs in my area. I got in with one company that deals with a large grocery store cahin here and to save time and gas money, I schedule up to 3 shops a day that are within a few miles of each other. Then I go to the other companies and see what they have available in the same areas on those days. I try to work only in a few day span but sometimes I’ll schedule a few weeks ahead.
Yes, most of the companies don’t pay well, but if you group a bunch together that are within a short distance, it can pay off. Yesterday I made $56 and had my lunch and groceries reimbursed. Most of the companies I deal with pay on the 25th of the month following the shops, so the $385 I made last month (my first full month shopping) will pay for my May rent. I can now concentrate on having more free time and doing what I want to do.
Good luck everyone. Stick with it. You’ll find companies willing to work with you.
Debra
I have been mystery shopping for 10 months. I do merchandising, also. I group at least 3-4 shops a day that are close in area. I work for 24 copanies and have received emails from 4 more to start with. It is a job! I take pride in my work and do a very good shop for my people. Some shops don’t pay much, but if you group them, you can come out pretty good. Some of my companies call me and offer extra just to get them in on time. I have a good relationship with them. That is important. I have made up to $400 in amonth. I was also on the go, but it was worth it. I live in a rural area so I travel about 20-40 miles on my shop days.
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good luck
hi
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good luck