The allure of “getting paid to shop” draws tens of thousands of people to mystery shopping every month. There are over 1 million mystery shoppers in the United States alone, and many more around the world. To most people, mystery shopping is a mystery that’s hard to pin down.
Many people tell me that mystery shopping is something they would like to try, without understanding what its all about.
If you are going to decide if mystery shopping is something that YOU want to do, then keep reading. Because I’m going to tell you what skills you will need, what benefits you will gain, and just as importantly, what you won’t get from mystery shopping.
First of all, the primary reason most people mystery shop is because they just plain find it fun. For example, Jane posted this comment a few days ago on this blog:
I am an introvert, so wasn’t sure I would like it. SURPRISE!!! I love it. It gets me out and around people and I get some great perks – like free meals.
For her, mystery shopping is a way to get out and be social. It is a way to interact with people and have fun.
Plus, there are other perks to mystery shopping. Free meals are incredibly easy to come by. You will be surprised at the number of restaurants that need mystery shoppers — every chain restaurant has mystery shoppers. Nearly every high-end restaurant has mystery shoppers. Nearly every fast food restaurant has mystery shoppers.
As a mystery shopper you could be eating at any one of those places, free.
But, just don’t expect to get rich doing it. There are rumors of some mystery shoppers making six figures with mystery shopping. In fact, the Wall Street Journal reported a story about a woman named Jennifer Voitle earning six figures a year as a mystery shopper. Don’t expect to beat that, or even get close.
Yes, some people can earn a full time living as a mystery shopper. But most most people enjoy mystery shopping for the side benefits, such as free groceries, free meals, and just plain fun. In terms of money, working one or two afternoons a week you could expect to earn a few hundred dollars in a month, on top of reimbursements and other benefits.
The bottom line is that mystery shopping is a great way to to earn extra money. Many people told me they use it to supplement their social security income. Stay-at-home moms & dads love it because it gives them a chance to get out of the house, earn some extra money, and spend time with their children.
Being a mystery shopper means you are an independent contractor. Which means you are effectively running your own ‘small business.’ This is not as intimidating as it sounds. Your taxes will be a little more complex, but it comes with some big benefits. You will be able to deduct your business expenses from you mystery shopping earnings, which means all those purchases you make as a mystery shopper just might be ‘tax-free.’ (To learn more about deductions, read this.)
For some people the tax benefits provide a big reason to mystery shop.
The bottom line is, most people mystery shop because they need some extra money. Some people use it to save for a vacation, to make ends meet, and to pay off credit card debt, or justto have some extra ‘fun’ money.
If any of those things sound good to you, then you are a likely candidate for mystery shopping. Just remember, that it you won’t get rich quick, and the companies you work with are counting on you to be professional
Found your website early on when I was signing up with companies. Your lists helped out tremendously. TKS! After four days I started receiving e-mails on available shops and after three weeks I’m “booked” for September. All was going great until…… I was doing an overt assignment and someone approached me and asked if I was a mystery shopper. Of course I gave the “right” answer. However, I thought that if this person was a mystery shopper themselves they would know better than to ask that question. But, another thought came into my mind. If the person were a mystery shopper and had wanted the assignment I was working on, why would they come to my “place of business?” Were they miffed at not getting to the assignment first and they wanted to find out who did? If so, very unprofessional, I think. Anyone else had a similar experience?