First of all…if you have NOT yet pledged to boycott $5 mystery shopping assignments…click here.
Since I asked you to boycott $5 mystery shopping assignments last week, we recieved literally hundreds of pledges. There are now over 485 responses to my original blog post.
I have also recieved some responses from owners of mystery shopping companies.
One of them was supportive. His only caveat was that he didn’t think the boycott should stand if you recieve something of substantial value as a reimbursement…such as a free meal.
Another response was from John Swinburn, former Executive Director of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association. Here are his comments:
The company representatives at the MSPA Pittsburgh Conference were not recommending a boycott of $5 shops, nor would I ever do such a thing. They were simply reiterating what they have said all along; if you don’t think the pay for a particular shop is acceptable, then don’t accept the shop. The shopper is in control and each individual shopper should be able to make his or her own decisions. I was in a session at which a very experienced, very professional shopper who is regularly given high-paying shops said he occasionally accepted $3 shops because he knew the scheduler needed help and the shop was convenient for him…so he took it. His reasoning was that the scheduler would remember him for having helped out in a pinch and would reward him with better shops later. While no one is particularly enamored of $5 shops, they are a part of the mystery shopping business. Shoppers can opt to ignore them…that’s fine…or they can take the ones that are convenient, like the shopper I mentioned. I’m opposed to boycotts, in general, because they tend to ignore an individual’s motives and replace them with a group’s collective attitudes. Individually, everyone is free to refuse to take $5 shops, or $10 shops, or $50 shops. But for people for whom the time and energy required is modest and for whom an extra $5 or $10 or $50 is welcomed, I say let them make their own decisions.
I would be very interested to hear what YOUR response is to what he has to say.
Is it EVER OK to accept a $3 shop? I would say no.
Should $3 or $5 shops be part of the mystery shopping industry?
The reason I started the boycott was because I believe they should NOT be.
What do you think?
I have also contacted some of the companies who appear to be the worst offenders in terms of offering these very low paying assignments. I have yet to hear a response from them.
Remember: for every $5 assignment they’re not able to fill, they will have to raise the price on it to get it filled. That’s why it is so important for everybody to boycott very low paying assignments. In doing so you benefit everyone.
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