What has your mystery shopping experience been like so far?Â
I would appreciate it if you could answer the following questions(not necessary, but useful!)
- How long have you been mystery shopping?
- How many mystery shopping jobs have you done?
- How many companies have you applied to?
- Is there anything you’d like to know that would help you with your mystery shopping?
- Any positive experiences you’d like to share?
- Any negative experiences you’d like to warn other mystery shoppers about?
Thank you for your feedback!
Please, add you comments in the box below…(And be sure to check back here to see what other people say)
In December I signed up with about five or six different mystery shopping companies. A few months ago, I started getting jobs in my email. Most of them are for local fast food, or for the nearby outlet mall. I a couple a week. They pay ok.
Does anyone know if signing up for more companies could help me get more jobs?
I have been Mystery shopping since Feb.2006. I first joined Secret Shopper which opened the door to the many companies that I have applied to (around 20). I average shopping 10 times a month. I do it because I enjoy it, rather than for the money.
I have had lots of positive experiences. Like eating out for practically nothing and getting paid within two weeks for some companies. My worst experience was driving 20 miles to do a job and then have the company tell me I did not order the right thing to eat at McDonalds and I am not getting paid for it. I will never shop for that company again.
I just started in May doing mysterty shops, I’ve done retail, apartments, and fine dining resturants,cell shops, I did a jiffy lube jobe just on cutomer service. I have done approximately 17 shops. I have been a flight attendant and travelled the world as well as a store manager for a retail jewelry store, which i believe enhances my ability to be a good shopper.I have just started having the pay come in. I honestly couldnt tell u how many shops ive signed up for, I know its many as well as shadow shopper is how I started.
Hope this helps you.
i have been on any assignment yet. its have not help me any as of me completing my 2 shoping test
I just started a couple of months ago and have only received 1 job offer that gave me the entire descriptio nof the job! In order for me to get jobs I have to pay you! What a rip off! I can’t believe a scam of this nature is allowed. I feel totally ripped off.
I started Mystery Shopping the end of May 2006 and have done about 30 shops. I am registered with about 40 Sassie-Shops and get about 10-30 e-mails a day for shops to apply to. I have done gas stations, grocery stores, wireless phone shops, fast food shops, carpet stores, motorcycle shops, and a whole variety of shops. It has been very interesting and am now starting to see the checks come in. It is now a job I will get rich from but it helps the retirement.
I have been a mystery shopper since June and have been on only one job to Sam’s Club. I enjoyed it very much. I then took a job for McDonald’s which I will never do again. I hate to be negative but when I went to try to get on their web site it was impossible. So that day and my money were a waste of time. I don’t recommend doing business with this company.
I started doing mystery shops since april and they seem to be doing great.I just wish that the shop fees were more higher. I do cell shops, Walmart, K-mart, gas stations, dining locations such as Dennys,In-n-Out burger, Carls Jr, Del taco and Starbucks which is goood…..
I also do mystery shops were I have to reveal myself as a secret shopper and present certificates and prizes which is a lot of fun. I have done over 50 shops and do about 6 different ones a day.
I can get the little things that I need and all my bills are paid. I also if any one is interested do work from home check it out. http://www.workathomeagent.com and the pay is good all you need is a computer, a headset, and can be able to take incoming calls at home. Customer Service Representative.
hi:
I’ve been mystery shopping since May 2002. I full time teach during the school year with part time during after school hour and weekend, holidays and school vacation. I’ve shopped varieties shops such as bus transportation, retail, coffee, fast, casual and a few high ends restaurants, exit survey, health club and etc.
It is an real experience starting this mystery shopping, I never realize that there is such thing. After doing this, I realized it is important for customers to have a satisfactory services for them to come back.
I will continue to do mystery shops.
This does not work for me, everything is overseas, and does not effect Australia,
I have been a mystery shopper since late 2005. I have done well over 75 shops. Finding companies that are legitimate seems to be the biggest obstacle. Then once you find one, the pay isn’t that great, some of the demands they make are simply outrageous and believe it or not, I am still arguing over payment with two businesses. One is Corporate Research International and the other is National Shoppers Association. Avoid those like the plague! My advice? Do not EVER pay to sign up for a mystery shopping job. Who pays to get work? There are a few rather good companies out there. Bestmark, Shop n’Check and CheckMark are my favorites. They pay decent, the shops are not complex and they don’t charge you a fee to sign up. It’s not a job you can make a living on no matter what they promise you, and It’s important to accept that, or you’ll have a negative experience with all of it. I look at it as a perk. I sign up for a shop in a business that I have to go to anyway and then when I’m paid for evaluating the service while I’m there…it’s a small bonus.
Hello Jacob,
Well, I have to say that I have not had any luck in the Mystery shopping. I received an E-mail from one company wanting me to join for free at the Bronz level because there “were so many secret shopping jobs in my area” So I went through it again but when i sent to sign up, was told that my name was already in their data base. So I guess my question is if they are hurting so bad & needing help so bad, then why don’t they get something for me, then they start sending notices, except they do not give the exact date or which Company it is with. It seem’s that unless you sign ut with the two sites that you have to pay to belong to, you don’t get anything. I just do not have the money to do that. I had another Co. that I thought I was going to get some assignment’s from but when they showed what the assignments for MO. was it was like over 200 miles away. The price of gas here $2.96, so I don’t think it would pay me to do that. Then I signed up with GapBuster’s & kept waiting for them to let me know which shop was available & what day’s I was supposed to go. The pay for that was only $11.00 as well. If I could get 3-4 on the same day & do all of them while I am out, then it would pay me to do it. Cannot seem to get them on the same page. The only shop that I got to do was from an AZ. Co. & I loved it & I guess they liked me because it was supposed to be $30- 35 & I got $40 for it so I was really pleased. Also the job was a real pleaseure.
So Jacob if you can help me I would be forever grateful. I am just about ready to sign up for a typing at home job. I have to do something. I am also involved in E-Bay & I am working with a coach on a weekly basis. That cost me a bundle. Almost maxed my credit card out. If I had it to do over, I would not do it.
Thank you,
Fontella (Jane) That is what I go by.
I’ve done work for 10-15 different companies. I started slowly, trying to go for the individual companies. Now, I get most of my jobs thru SHADOW SHOPPER. There are days when I’ve gotten 10-20 job offers. Obviously, you won’t get all the jobs you REALLY want. It’s much better than a 9-5 job (for me anyway). The flexibility is great. Most jobs have been ok. My worst problem has been in evaluating, then having my responses be “TOO POSITIVE”. That really was an aggrevating experience. They asked for my views and opinions, then it wasn’t good enough (too positive). I felt that it was an exeptional visit and stated that, in my answers. It was a higher than usual pay, but I didn’t get it. I also will NEVER work for them again. I feel, if there were specific answers they were looking for, then they should have given them……..
I’ve been mystery shopping for several months now and it’s been quite interesting. I really enjoy my job and I’m learning alot on how businesses work. All I really need to do is become established with all of the companies I work for. I want to become a very reliable shopper so I can make mystery shopping a full time job. My focus right now is to make mystery shopping a full time job, I take it really serious. Hey Jacob, can you help me become a full time mystery shopper? I just have to keep plug-in away and keep doing excellent work for the companies. I do my best and I want to build a reliable relationship with all.
I have been doing mystery shopping for a while now and really enjoy it. However, you do have to be really careful with which companies you sign up with. I make it a rule never to pay for assignments or even consider companies that want me to pay them for leads. I am currently listed with three companies and regularly get assignments from these companies, add this to my two and a half days employment and it gives me an income plus an amount of freedom. I have also found most mystery shopping companies have priority mystery shoppers and it is best to find out how to get on this priority list as you get the best assignments. In most cases it comes down to the quality of your assignment reports and your willingness to go that extra yard.
My best advice to anybody considering doing mystery shopping is to have fun and learn from each and every shopping assignment you do, the more you learn, the better you will get and the quantity and quality of the assignments will improve. How much you make and what you get out of mystery shopping is all up to you.
I just started mystery shopping at the end of last year and I find it to be better than doing nothing. I first got started at Maritz Research and am doing some mystery shops for this company. I got their name from a book that I bought and started applying for jobs through the membership that I bought. Someone contacted me from that company after several months and asked if I could do a particular assignment like the gas shops they have available and that is how I got started. I only worked with this company for a while and then I applied to a few more companies. It’s stressful when you try to schedule and there is alot of paperwork to copy, etc. The pay is also one of those things you have to make a decision if something is worth the time and money involved. I’m not too familiar with the other companies I have signed up with, they don’t seem to offer that many assignments but there is one company that I would like to try but haven’t had the chance yet and it is one that someone mentioned that gave them a hard time. I hope I have a positive experience from them. I would also like to apply to more assignments through Shadow Shopper. One of the other mystery shopping companies I wanted to receive more job offers from was Sassie Shops because the job requirements were more lenient.
I HAVR BEEN SHOPPING FOR A FEW YEARS NIW AND AT FRIST IT WAS GREAT BUT NOW ALMOST EVERYTHING IS FAST FOOD AND CELLPHONES. I CAN NOT EAT ALL OF THAT FAST FOOD AND THERE ARE ONLY SO MUCH I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CELLPHONES, SO I DO NOT DO AS MUCH SHOPPING AS BEFORE BUT I DO LOVE IT AND THE MONEY COMES IN HANDDIE
haven’t got to mystery shop yet, everything that has been offered is way in other states
I haven’t got to make any mystery shopping yet. The weather is so hot(Mesa, AZ) that I don’t want to get pout of the house. Besides, I am so busy with my niece’s wedding.
I appreciate very much all the information you gave me and hope some time in Fall season I may start doing it.
Thanks a lot!
Hi Jacob,
I’ve been mystery shopping for shopnchek since April ‘06. My first assignment was a big dissapointment because we had a computer problem regarding reporting the paperwork and therefore they cancelled it and there was nothing I could do.
It would have been $45 so I wasn’t too happy about that. I continued nevertheless and did receive my first check of $115.00 Shop n chek seems to be clear and not too difficult in any of their assignments. They do have too many cell jobs.
I also applied to Gapbusters, but have not taken up on any of their assignments. The McDonalds jobs want you to print out their manual of almost 30 pages before acceptance and I didn’t think wasting the ink would’ve been worth the assignment.
I don’t think you’ll get rich on mystery shopping, but I do it for the fun of it and it does provide a bit of extra cash.
I started applying with different shop March 2006.
I did my first shop in April 2006 I do about 25
shops a month making a little more Income but with gas prices so high some time It’s hard to tell getting most of my work from ShopnChek and some
from Shadow Shopper.I continue to look for more home base business so if you know of any please
Email me at dellsystemdull@yahoo.com
Thanks In advance
I started mystery shopping in February of 2006, and right away I received a lot of job offers. I began to do everything from flooring companies, fast food, casual dining, cell phones, electronic stores, department stores, banks, insurance companies, etc. I was surprised at how many job offers I received. Then I moved in May of 2006, and I was afraid that because I was going to a bigger city that I would not have as many available shops. NOT THE CASE! I am mystery shopping more than ever. I am signed up with many companies, and I get steady work from about ten of them. They call me when they have assignments to fill immediately, and they offer me extra gas and time bonuses. I probably do 15-20 shops a week. When I travel 30-40 miles for the shops, I group them together and work it out with my schedulers so that they shops will fall on the same day in surrounding towns. It is a big help when you keep in communication with your schedulers! I am making enough to cover a $630 car payment and another $550 loan payment. While I cannot make a true “living” off the money, it sure is coming in handy!
I started mystery shopping in February 2006,
I did it for about six companies. My computer
broke down, and I had to stop. I got a new com-
puter, and I’m back in business.
I’ve done a lot of retail shops, a get calls
from the companies to fill in where they are short.
I try not to go too far out of my way because of
sky-rocketing gas prices. I enjoy doing them but
they don’t pay that much, and I can’t see losing
money.
Hope to be doing business with you soon.
Thanks,
Colleen
Hi John,
Yes I do have questions. I have not been able to do any shopping quite yet. The hours that are available conflict with my full time job.The only ones I really have been interested in so far are causual dinners in the evenings. I took the certification test for all three area’s of shopping but sassie says I have to pay to be certified? Does’t these qualify?
Hello Jacob,
Thanks for popping in! Thanks for all of your wonderful e-mails which taught me a lot about Mystery Shopping. This is a whole new stimulating world for me. The key to this whole mystery shopping thing is being teachable, flexible, following directions, and submitting shops accurately and on time. A person will only get out of it what they put into it. I am now registered with about 75 companies and have to check my e-mail a couple of times a day. Some days I may get 40-50 postings. Of course, some of them are duplicated. Initially I did not check my e-mail unitl the evening. By that time most of the shops were closed, so I had to bite the bullet and check in earlier in the day if I wanted to be assigned to shops. I was concerned about the phone bill, and boy was it high. A couple of weeks ago, I signed up for a DSL line and that will make a big difference. My first Mystery Shop was at the end of March and by the end of this week, hopefully, I will have completed 100 shops. I have done shops at banks, for wireless, cell phones, Id-Fraud, Storage, Pet Care, Apartment, Restaurants, and others. I have shops scheduled into August. I know that soon I will have to step it up and get some equipment that will enable me to apply for more shops. I don’t have a digital camera and some shops have passed me buy because I can’t do them. I would also like to be able to scan. Some shops pay more than others. I consider the jobs that don’t pay a lot to be practice. As I said earlier, I just started Mystery Shopping at the end of March, so who am I to question the amount. Some companies were not too pleased with me and I know that it was my fault. My keyboard had the “Stickies” and I failed to properly edit the survey before it was submitted. It is also key to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s. The companies I am registered with have expectations that I will present a survey that is worthy of being submitted to the client. It really doesn’t matter what they pay. They are paying for a service and it is my job to do my very best to not cause more work for them. I am still waiting for the fun part. Maybe I need to give it a few more months. The is hard work. By the end of this month, I think I will have passed the $1,700 mark. That to me is about an extra $400 per month since I have been on this roller coaster ride. I love screaming as it goes down and feel the rush of anticipation as it goes up. I would never shop for a company, if I have to pay to shop for them. Shadow Shopper keeps bugging me to Gold Certify. Why should I when I have already done close to 100 shops without paying a plug nickel. This may seem long, but I just wanted to give you back something for all you have shared with me.
Thanks again, Jacob.
I only did a couple of mystery shops. I thought it was quite fun. I was not called again. It was several years ago. I would like to doi it again however, I will NOT pay out any money to get a list and then nothing turn up. I will NOT pay money to make money. If someone wants to hire me, I am available.
I have been Mystery Shopping for 20 months now and have applied to 16 companies. I currently do shops for 9-12 depending on available shops. I started in California and continued when I moved to Arizona. Some of them don’t have many shops in Az. They are more prolific in CA. Bestmark seems to be the best company to date in paying fast and choice. I tried Gapbuster but they want so much info for the amount they pay.
Watch out for shadow shopper they are only out to get money from you. There are so many places available. TRY VOLITION.COM they have great lists.
I enjoy being able to get out and earn a little money and goodies. Verify the companies before signing up and watch out for the ones that solicit on the web. Also the survey ones are tricky also. I tried that and the check bounced it cost me and I wasn’t able to reach anyone to straighten it out. Hili Dunlap is bad about paying. You have to keep on them.
I’ve been mystery shopping for seven months. I began with Shadow Shopper and then registered on other Web sites.
I’ve completed numerous ’shops’, from fine dining to hotel stays, to fast food and retail shops. Each ’shop’ offers its own unique experience.
I am employed full-time in a management position and this allows me to observe what I like and do not like regarding customer service. I am then able to bring the feedback to my full-time employment.
As the present date i haven’t gotten not one mystery shopping job. Maybe i haven’t applyed to not enough companies.I’ll apply to more,coming next week.Thank you
I hasn’t gotten not one mystery shopping job.think you
Unfortunately I have not been able to do any shopping as I have been to busy making arrangements to move to another province plus ,pack and work at the same time.I will keep this in mind once I finish and settle down in the near future.
Have not had any mystery shopping experiences yet.
I have had alot of mystery shops since April and I love doing it. I’m registered with several companies and have had nothing but success. I really love being in this business because I can set my own hours and work around my 4 yr.olds schedule. Another added plus is that I don’t have to take every job that comes down the road. I can pick and choose my jobs. I can actually get out of my house and go to a mystery shop and not get yelled by my hubby for spending money. This business has given me the opportunity to do what I love and get paid for it. good luck to all.
Jacob,
Thanks for checking in. I found your advise very informative and helpful. I recommend Service Intelligence, Confero, and Certified Reports. The schedulers are awesome. I have to turn down jobs because they are just too far away. Finding things in my area is the most difficult part of it all. The more shops I can find that will allow me to bring my daughter, the more I can do. Some are an absolute no-no. Shopnchek is alright but, they only have cellular and McDonalds shops. I can’t do all those fast food assignments, and in my area the celular jobs are not available to me. The need Korean/Chinese shoppers. Gapbuster again, is not condusive to my location. I primarily to bank shops, and Dunkin’ Donuts consistently. I wish more were available.
I have not been on any shops at this time. My PC craashed and I lost all my info. I will need to restart.
Tim
I haven’d don a mystey shop yet.every job that comes my way are in the States and I live in Canada. Or I need to pay money to do the job. that id dum.
Renee
I live in a very small community and have only had a few opportunities that did not meet my schedule.
I will try some of the suggestions given by others.
Thank you.
I have been mystery shopping since Feb. 2006, and I love it. The pay is not the greatest, but I am enjoying using my creative writing skills, which I have not used since I became a full time mother 6 years ago, and keeping my mind open and alert to new things. I love to get the free things, and the only thing that bothers me, is that I sometimes need to ask for names of people such as a hostess at restaurants (as proof I guess), when I am actually evaluating the server. If it is so important to get a name, then they should be required to wear a name tag, because it seams like a dead giveaway when asking (why else would I care what the name is). The last time I was in this situation, I asked the waitress what the hostess’s name was because she looked familiar, and she did not know because the hostess was new, then she went to ask in front of several other people, and they all looked over to me and pointed. I felt like I gave myself away.
I HAVE NOT BEEN SENT ON ANY MYSTERY SHOPPING EXPERIENCES YET, I HAVE ALWAYS WORKED WITH THE PUBLIC AND I THINK THIS WILL HELP A GREAT DEAL WHEN I DO GET A JOB.
Hi. I have been doing shops for 4 yrs now. I enjoy doing shops because I get to rate how I am treated as a customer. I have always told someone that they have done a great job and often spoke with managers when I was treated poorly. I often wonder if any changes were made though.
The downside to some shops is that the paper work is often very time consuming. The shop may only take 15 minutes but the paper work takes an hour or more. Thanks for the chance to respond.
I have been doing mystery shopping for almost a year with no major problems until lately. Best Mark, which is supposed to be one of the best companies to work for, has been giving me a run-a-round about $80 they owe for two exit interviews. Now, if anyone has done an exit interview they will instantly know it is very time consuming. I have e-mailed the company and have submitted my paperwork, but am getting no where fast. They also ’screwed’ my neice out of money for a lunch shop. Right now, I am very disappointed in them.
Other than that, I make approximately $1,200 a month and my calendar is always full. I can pretty much pick and choose now what shops I want to take.
Thanks, Jacob, for all of your information and support. Keep up the great job.
Pam
I have been doing mystery shopping for about three years. I did shopping for shadow shopper, like going to Atlantic City and doing Resorts Casimo as a mystery shopper, also going to TGI Fridays as a mystery shopper etc. I also work full time for the government and am off every other Friday, when I can do the shops. I also did bowling alleys and Malls as a mystery shopper. I need more work on Fridays and Saturdays now. Thank You.
I have tryed to get some shopps but I have yet to get any.Ihave wantsd several that Ithought Iwould enjoy but the are always gone .I know Iwould be good sense I did customer service for 10years for alarge chain dept store. Iwish it was a better way to find out about the jobs. Any help I could use I would love it. Thank Pat in B.Colorada
Hi Jacob,
I am a mystery shopper for two months, I complete about 20 assignments a month, I have done cellular phone, GNC,McDonald, Grocery Stores, Gas Stations, Video Stores, Banks and Business verifications. So far my experience has been Average, Mystery shopping companies want the job done but they do not want to compensate adequately, most of the time the compensation is between $4.00 and $12.00. Which if you calculate will work out to less than $5.00 per hour. Advertisements boast about $75 to $150 an hour. but the compensation is no where near what they promise.
This in some case doesn’t pay for the Gas and Tolls that you pay, some companies reimburse you the tolls and parking, other don’t want to know how you complete the assignment.
I am sure they collect at least 50 to 100 times what they pay shoppers. reimburment is generally $1.00 which in most cases doesn’t get you anything in the store.
I have only been at this for 6 months. I have been holding back on shops untill I can devote more time to it. I have done “Micky D” shops alot and some cellular. The paper work does take alot of time on some shops. I wish we had more time to send the paper work back in. I go out of town for the weekend and pass a shop that I could do. I can’t get back in time to send it in. I have enjoyed the shops.
To be honest I don’t even know if I get any shops from this site — I think most of the sites have not be specific to my area
I have applied to many different companies, but I have not received a lot of jobs. I find Shop n Chek to be good. I was wondering who does Tim Hortons, Subway and Walmart. If anyone knows I would certainly like to know. There are not a lot of shops in my area, but these are, and it would be great if I could find out who does secret shopping for them.
I have yet to do any shopping but am still interested I have not applied to near enough companies to probably make it viable. It is summer and time is always at a premium….. excuse # 67.
It signed on to Mystery Shop in May 2006. I have gone on approx. 2 dozen shops, mostly TGIF age compliance checks. I now have to wait 90 days before I can do them again. The sign-up for EACH Mystery Shop company is arduous & I’m very concerned with so much personal info out in cyberspace. Each of the “Free” offers are a joke! You have to reveal so much info & they take forever!! It takes over 3 months to get paid. With the price of gas, I am very selective. On the positive side I get very good scores.
I have applied on all links trying to get hooked up with the mystery shopping…I havent received not 1 call….Are there any shopping in Texas???
I signed up with several companies that were mentioned but as of 3 months later, no shops. I don’t thnk Tucson is very lucrative as far as mystery shops are concerned.
I have been mystery shopping for about 4 months and I have been doing 6 shops a month. All of the shops until recently have been Radio Shack and that is all they will let you shop. I am looking to do a lot more shops. I just recently started with another company that I had gotten the the information from one of your E-Mails so I will see how that works out. The only problems I seem to have is communicating back to the company to send in my results. I was only challenged once after a bad report the manager tried to say that he knew who I was, and when I walked in I told him that I was just looking and that I wasn’t there to buy anything. My answer to the company was then how does he explain the receipt I turned in and why did I have to seek him out to be waited on.
I’ve had a very successful two years being a MYSTERYSHOPPER.I first started with epmsonline.com.All they deal with is Apartment Complexes.I started March,2004.Then I got into shadowshopper.com where I paid a fee,but the first month was free.I made more money with them in that time than I did without them.It was super good for me.I then got away from shadowshoppers this year because I got tired of paying them for the same shops that I find in volition.com.I’m slowing down now.I now doing it just to have something to do during the week.I have money coming from my retiremenet and SS. I work p/t for my daughter-in-law cleaning up Ross Store.I like being a mystery shopper.I don’t have any big certificate where you make the biggest money,but I still like doing it maybe two to three times a week or less.I’ve done shops for Hertz,cell phones,auto dealerships,luxury travel homes,restaurants,you name it.I thanks GOD for the chance to make some money and have something to do at my own pace,thanks for letting me share with other shoppers about my days as a M/S.I’ve had a lot of fun making this money and working behind the scenes for different companies.I made a lot of mistkes and learned from them and became a better shopper.Just this week here in Altanta I did three shops in less than 20 mins downtown which realy surprised even me after it was over and the reports were super.Thanks for letting me share.Warren Lovingood
This is Warren Lovingood again.I’m letting people know that I got more shops to do when I was with SHADOWSHOPPER.COM.I got shops everyday,up to maybe 30 at a time.I know it sounds crazy to pay for work but they give it to you each day.They have access to the same shops as volition.com but some how they give you more.After a while as I said in my other sharing time with you I made the decision to stop paying because I had made contact with the companies that Shadow Shopper gave me when I paid then.As I got these jobs with Shadow Shopper I registered with those places so they them got in contact with me as opposed to shadow shopper.I got a relationship with them which brought about a relationship without Shadow Shopper.I hope this helps you who are shakey about paying others for work.They have the inside job on jobs.If you have patience it will work out for you and you’ll not have to pay them after some time to build the right relationship with these companies.The amount that you pay to S/S for four months you’ll make two to three times with the amount of shops they’ll send your way.Thanks again for letting me share.
I have done mystery shopping for several months. The pay has been fair. The greatest demand seems to be for bank shops, and I am not terribly interested in those. It seems that a lot of information was requested for the pay. Thus far, I have done two. All total I have done a drug store shop, two banks, and a pizza restaurant. I would like to specialize in hospitality shops such as restaurants and motels/hotels. If anyone has any good leads, I would appreciate them! For someone starting out in mystery shopping, I would suggest Shadow Shopper and MSPA (Mystery Shopping Providers Association). In fact, I would advise becoming certified (as a mystery shopper) through MSPA. If you get in to mystery shopping, be prepared to spend a lot of time on the shops and a lag in the length of time it takes to get paid. Right now, I’m not sure if I’ll do much more, but you can earn extra money this way.
I signed up for mystery shopping about 4 months ago, but have not been able to get any jobs. I was excited about the prospect because it would have fit in well with my schedule, but the problem came when the only jobs that I was offered were over 100 miles away. A trip that long is not worth the $8 I would have made, it wouldn’t have even paid for the gas to get there. I applied to about 3 or 4 companies, but all with the same story.
I have been a ms for about 6 months. I haven’t paid to do a shop yet. I feel I am ready to do more but am struggling with getting better shops in reference to pay and quality of shop. I have done about 40 shops so far and have enjoyed it. I like doing audits. I also have done picture audits. I enjoyed those. The pay is better for them. I got those through shopnchek. The other one I am using is SpeedmarkVision. They are good and will have randomly some decent jobs. It is just a matter of arranging as many shops as you can in the same area to help with the price of gas. I agree some of the work is not paid fairly enough. I am ready to start signing up with a lot more companies now that I am very comfortable doing mystery shops and understand the entire concept of it.
Gina C
I have shopped for 2 different companies. I am very pleased with Service Intelligence just wish they had more clients in my area. I have just started with GapBuster and it is very limited in my area. The job has to be transmitted within 8 hours and a receipt with special form has to be faxed asap. If I had a scanner I may be able to download it but with the jobs only paying $10 and maybe only 3 jobs a month it doesn’t warrant it. I tried doing one out of town and that was a disaster. So I guess I need to find another company.
why havent i got any assignment yet. what do i need 2 do 2 move on to the next step. NEED HELP
Jobs too far and too little pay. Gas is too expensive to travel. Always Banana Republic.
I have not experienced mystery shopping yet.
I have applied to 3 companies and to date have not shoped one location. Most of the locations were located on a late Sunday night and I would have to drive over 100 miles to do the job, I have a medical apointment on Monday mornings which would prevent me to do the assingment. Other than that there have been NO assignments to date.
I FILLED OUT APPLICATION ON JUNE 20TH,2006 & THE
COMPUTER SAID “YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY REGISTERED”–
HEARD NOTHING MORE SO I SENT THEM REQUEST FOR “HELP” ON JULY 5,2006,WONDERING WHAT DO I DO NEXT-STILL HAVE NOT HEARD.FROM READING FEEDBACKS,
OTHERS ARE HAVING SAME PROBLEMS.I WILL SIGN UP WITH
MORE COMPANIES–I AM ANXIOUS TO GET STARTED IN
MYSTERY SHOPPING-HAVE THE TIME. DO YOU HAVE ANY
SUGGESTIONS?
Jacob, thank you for your E-mails they have been helpful. I had my first shop June 4th with Shop’n chek. I also have done a few for Gapbuster. I have done a total of about 7 or 8. It has truly been an experience. I applied with to many companies which caused much stress on my behalf. Way to many rules to learn and to much paper work. I cut back to just concentrating on these two companies and I’m doing better. I have a full time job and I was just doing to much. I was just starting to have fun doing a Pet Smart shop when I realized the associate seemed to know what I was up to . The companies think shoppers make mistakes which cause them to be identified. The truth for this shop is that someone on the inside knew the script. I did everything exactly the way they instructed. It really took the fun out of it. I feel these companies need to know that it’s not always the shopper that makes a mistake. I really enjoy the ones I can take the whole family to. Wish I could find more of those. I’m just getting comfortable with my shops and plan to persue slowly. Thanks again for the info. and I enjoyed reading everyones input at this site.
I have been doing mystery shopping since April. I signed up with several companies which all of them have paid me, and I don’t pay them. I don’t think you should pay to mystery shop. Shadow shopper wants me to pay, but I will not pay. I love it, and have done over 200 shops already. It pays a couple of bills. Some shops may not pay much, but its fun to go into a store to and report how your experience was. Your voice gets heard. I have done Cell phone places, Kmart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, Radio Shack, Olympia Sport, Family Med, Foot Locker, a bank and Exxon. It’s a great experience, and it gets me out of the house to earn some money for my family. Some of the company’s reports are a little ridicules, like they want a comment for every Yes answer, like were the sidewalks clean, but oh well there’s nothing I can do about it so I just fill it in, but other company’s reports are great. I am currently looking for other compaines.
it seems most of these sound like scams and you have to pay to get a job. i’m a over the road truck driver is there anywhere to apply for truckstops or something that i could get in my travels? i signed up at gapbusters 3 times never got any responses at all from them.
I’ve had good and bad experience. Corporate Research has been good about paying me but they don’t pay very good and they want a lot in return.
Kern Scheduling screwed me out of a payment by saying I didn’t answer an e-mail requesting more info. I never received that “so Called” e-mail and so they refused to pay me. Certified requires a lot of work for little money but they do pay. Restaurants mystery shops like McDonald’s require both drive-thru and dine-in at the same time. How are you suppose to eat that much? I do make a little extra money but nothing to write home about.
Dear Jacob,
I am writing in reponse to you request.I started with mystery shopping in March, I had broken my leg so did alot of research, and started with the Secret Shopper network, and paid for my memebership, also paid to upgraded twice, then got tired of paying the fees and not really getting paid enough, got alot of offers, but few assingments. I have done a few jobs with Walgreens, and enjoyed them, did a merchandinsing job with Walgreens also, but that is about it, applied for alot more but no assignments. I have been trying to get on with Starbucks, for months, since I know that place very well and could be a great secret shopper. I am trying to make enough to pay for my medications for my migrianes, which run me several hundred a month, I would like advise on what else to do to get more assgnments. I am signed up with about 10 companies. I agreed that Mcdonalds is not worth the pay for all the pay, and really niether is Radio Shack.If you have any other suggestions, let me know.
Thank you,
Linda Knox
hi my name is manushak to tell the truth bi couldnt understand whats going on ,because most of the jobs which i try to take it says already taken.almost a month i couldnt get any job.most of the job says you have to be gold member.i want to work but i didnt understand how i can get a job that is closed.maybe im wrong about this but its truth.sorry for my complain.
I accepted a shop from Bais Co and I kept e-mailing them,for proof of the shop. They kept telling me they didn,t recieve it,then they gave me fax no,s that were not valid, I finally did get through on a fax and got a confirmation that it went through, again they e-mailed me to submit proof of the shop. I feel that they are a fraudulent co,I e-mailed me and told them so,when I tried to deactivate my registry with them it wouldn,t go though. I,m not happy all that time for 10.00, which I did not get Laura Phillips
Hello, Jacob
I have been shopping now since April , 2006. I’ve applied to and am listed with over thirty companies and have had about 25 shopping assignments. My question for you is, how do I get the NCPMS to respond to my inquiries? I paid $128 back in May to take an online course for my Gold Certification, and after numerous attempts to check the status, the only response I’ve had was confirmation that they received my payment of $128! For a non-profit organization which claims its purpose is “to educate, empower, and support the mystery shopping online community” with a vision “to be the preferred education and resource center for the Secret Shopping industry”, its seems highly irresponsible and inconsiderate to completely ignore a future students attempts to get some answers. Has this organization fallen to pieces? Is it even still registered? Has anyone else had issues with them? Am I unreasonable to expect something after two months of waiting? On a positive note, I’ve had some really interesting assignments and I’ve noticed that the companies that treat you with respect from the beginning are ultimately the ones who pay better. I’ve also found that it really pays off to spend some time researching and checking the background of many of these “shopping companies” to weed out the ones not worth your time.
Dear Jacob, I e-mailed you about my complaint about baiservices, I since have resolved the problem, Thay were very gratious about it. I wish the communications could have been better the first time, but it,s resolved now. Laura Phillips
i need to add to my last comment. my main interest is to be a secret shopper at restaurants. i only saw airport casual dining or pizza stores.
nothing available in my category. this seems like another scam to me–and you want a fee—- jt
The negative comments I read are nothing like the positive expereiences I have had. After applying to Shopnchek in January 2006, I was immediately accepted and notified of available assignments (mostly cell phone stores and McDonalds). I enjoyed it so much that my daughter in another state joined Shopncheck. She liked it so much that she began searching, signed up for several other mystery shopping companies and encouraged me to do the same. I am now registered with 8 companies, but only 4 of them seem to have assignements in my area. I average 2-4 shops a week, enough to keep me busy on my days off from my regular job. I have had to cut back on the cell phone shops because I started encountering the same sales reps. Some move from one store to another and would recognize me from a previous shop. I have not had any negative experiences from the shopping companies. My suggestion to others would be to be aware that there can be more than one of the same cell phone company in the same mall. I learned that the hard way. While being a mystery shopper is not a great source of income, I find that it is a fun hobby. I prefer the shops that allow me to reveal my identity such as a merchandising audit and retail stores that will reimburse me for a samll purchase. In the beginning I liked doing the fast foods, but have gotten tired of burgers and fries, especially when they require both a dine-in and drive thru evaluation during the same visit and you are not allowed to take anyone else with you to help eat the 2nd meal. Over-all, my experiences have been positive and the companies have paid what they promised and in a timely manner. In the few times I’ve had to email a question, the response has come within a few hours, (even on the week-ends) and they have been friendly and helpful.
I have not done any jobs yet everyone that I have tried they either wanted money or they wouldn’t let me sign on to them. But I would like to get some jobs.
Hello Everyone,
I have been shopping for several months now. Pay is very low with most companies and the turn around to be reimbursed for the money you lay out, is to slow. I too, have had a few companies say they would not pay as they thought my timing was off a few seconds. “Seconds” !
Well, need I say, they eventually will have no one to do those jobs.
M. S. is fun and I get to eat at some very nice restaurants for free, in exchange for a report back. I have to laugh at some companies, such as Exxon gas shops. $1.00 purchase inside and a picture (don’t be seen taking picture) and a $1.00 gas purchase at the pump and take another picture. $5.00 shopper fee. L.O.L. has anyone figure out is that 1 second or 2 seconds of touching the pump handle for $1.00 worth of gas.
I have 3 companies that I favor out of the 40 plus companies I signed up for. My question is:
What mystery shopping company handles Wal-greens drug store?
Thanks
Pat Moore
So far Jacob,I have been dissappointed. I can not afford to pay all these companies knowing I may never hear from them.I signed up and paid a couple of places (this was all I could afford at the time). This was 3 mo. ago-haven`t heard from them. This was with SecretShopping Center and Get paid to Shop. I also tried to sign up with Golden Resources Marketing Group, which was supposed to be a free service. I sent a request for an application, enclosing the required SASE. Days later it was returned by P.O. stating it could not be delivered as addressed. I went back to double check address. It is still on line-same address I used, but with a web site supposedly available to contact them to request an application. This wasn`t there before. When I tried it I received a message that they were not accepting e-mail from me. Why? It was for an application. Thanks!
I’ve enjoyed mystery shopping thus far, however I can’t always do the requested observations. I scored “big” with one company because I took a last minute assignment, I had no problems receiving my check. I enjoy the advice you give us through our emails, Jacob. I find the Property Management Companies pay 25.oo and over! They pay up to 50.oo to carry their equipment. The casino’s pay 70-80.00 (you have to ask 8 people atleast 1 question on your assignment).
Simply, the more companies you sign up with the better your chances!
I love to shop when I have the buddies to tag along and the time.
I have been doing mystery shopping for just about a year. It was slow going at first as I felt my way thru the paperwork and got some experience under my belt. I found this site and it told me that what I have been doing is the right things. I shop for 15 different companies and am getting more each week. I have a silver cert. and will be going for the gold sometime next year. I am disabled so this is a way for me to get out of the house and make a little money on the side because disablity doesn’t pay al that great. I will continue to read your newsletters as I have found that there is always something new to learn out there.
Jacoob, I have enjoyed all your articles,I have applied to 2o diffrent companies so far,no jobs yet.A quick question,is Paid Surveys a legit site or a scam,it says you have a better chance of getting work, can you advise please,thanks, David
Jacob, While I appreciate your missives about MS I must admit that I have yet to put my foot in the water. I was real excited at the outset but my enthusiasm has fallen off somewhat. I have not written it off yet because I continue to give it some thought and will probably jump in in the future. In any event I hope that you continue to share your very valuable thoughts and ideas with the troops. Al Bensley
Hello Jan,
I have been shopping for over three years. I enjoy shopping. The one thing that I enjoy about shopping is the people contact. I just love talking to people.
I have shopped Service stations, Banks, Automobile Dealer Ships, Hotels, Fast Food Restaurants, Mobile Telephone Stores, Grocery Stores, Health clubs and Regular Restaurants. The only one that I did not like was the Fastfood Restaurants. I do not like fast food.
If I had to pick one that I liked the most, it would be between Restaurants and Banks. And in both cases there were a lot of human contact. That is what I like about shopping. I like talking to people.
For me, shopping was is an avocation. I must have done a thousand shops of various kind, and I have enjoyed everyone. However, there is one shop that I have always avoided and that is the Bar Shop. As I see it, that is the most difficult shop to do. I am a former bartender for over ten years, and I know the business, but I still say that that is the most difficult shop to do. Being a former Bartender, If you are smart and know your business, one is not going to be able to tell when I am “knoting Downing” (Cheating) and that is why I have always avoided those shops.
Anyone who is thinking about shopping should consider their writing skills. Writing is very important. That is the way that you express your self. You need good writing skills to describe the the scene. The scene that tell the owner what is happing in his/her Restaurant.
Health Clubs are great because they allow you the opportunity to get a good workout and at the same time evaluate the facility. I Just love them. I wish that I could get one a week. I have been working out in Gyms for over 30 years. I know what a Gym should look like and what make a quality Gym.
As I have said before, shopping for me is an Avocation. I love it and I would like to shop Hotels and Restaurants forever.
I have been mystery shopping since June of 2006. So far I have completed 15 assignments. I am registered with over 15 mystery shopping companies. Eight of the 18 assingments have been with the same company. When they are pleased with your work, they will ask you to complete more assignements. Right now, my biggest concern is the amount of time some of the evaluation forms require to complete and the very small amount of compensation received for completing them.
To answer your question about how I feel about my experiences with mystery shopping. I signed on with many companies and did approx. 8 shops a week. I own a spa and retail lines..also own an internet business. I have great public relations and love shopping, checking on how other people are with public relations. With all my travel, when I went to sqm shops, there was a drop down list of expenses. I always logged my travel time and how much in gas I spent with this one particular company. After two months of doing this and recieving 0 payments, I recieved an email from them, saying that they would not pay my gas expenses. At that time I had spent over $1,000.00 out of pocket, and had served them well. I have quit shopping for them, as they keep the cream and give others a dribble of milk. Not profitable for me at all.
Another company I signed with give me shops, but do not fax any info. or do telephone talks. I need Word 2000 in order to do these shops. I have declined as this was the most difficult company, where do you sign up and how do you find your jobs, many companies have websites and you can go online to get assignment and report assignments.
I now take shops only within a 30 to 1 hour drive for me and combine them with pickups for my store. I found that I was spending more for doing this service than recieving.
Advice to anyone who wants to make real money…Find another way…this is fun, but you never benefit financially.
I’ve been signed up since March & haven’t made a dime yet, don’t think I’m even going to recoup my $200.00. Wouldn’t recomend this to anyone.
As I work for a public school system, I only just found the time to try mystery shopping. Unfortunately it was not a good experience. I had difficulty getting the paperwork, which was four pages long. Then the shop at a cellular stand did not go well. The sales person was not at all interested in making a sale and had no business card to give me. Then I had trouble filling my paperwork and by the time the help desk got back to me it was to late to complete work and was told I’d have to redo the shop to get paid. I had already quit at this point. For the amount of money I was getting it was not worth the aggravasion I was getting. Besides, to top it off, my Dad had driven me to this shop and when we came out of the store, a shopping cart had dented his year old nice shiny car. He was a good sport and said nothing, but he’s glad I’m not pursuing mystery shopping at this time. I may try it again toward next summer with a different company. However, I did follow up on the survey links and, I am having fun with them. Thank you for your time ,Andrea
I keep applying for jobs but never hear from
anyone
wdg4@verizon.net
I have been shopping since May and I have had fun doing them But I live in a small town and have to travel at least 15 miles to most of my shopps. But I am disabled it gets me out of the house. I will continue to do this shopping just for fun and the extra money. It’s not much right now but I will get better and when I get a camera it will allow me to do more jobs. I habe signed up with at least 20 companies so far.
Hi Everyone:
I have been mystery shopping for 8+ years.
I have completed over 100 mystery shopping jobs in this time. I have cut back on some of the lower paying jobs with the price of gas being out of sight.
I have applied to at least 25 companies and have heard back from most of them, however, some just have not been worth the time and effort as they never seem to have jobs available or they have already been assigned.
I have experienced some problems with a payment from Jancyn for a shop that was to be $11.00 plus the cost of the money order. However, when the payment was received through PayPal, it was for $9.29, they would not pay for the money order. I returned the check thinking it was an incorrect, and still have not received payment for this shop.
I have also had problems with Bestmark–losing receipts that are faxed and have had to call about payment–the latest was for $80.00 completed on May 27th and I still have not received payment for the Lowe’s I completed. After e-mails and calls, they finally said they could not locate the receipt and I faxed again–I just received an e-mail that they will process the checks in their next run. This has happened previously. I understand that there are a lot of faxes they receive each day, but they should be more careful when removing the faxes from the machine. I keep my copy that lets me know the fax was received and the time.
Other than those few problems, it has been a great experience and the restaurant jobs are especially great when you work full time (I work at a local university) and don’t have to go home and cook.
I have not even done anything yet. No one has give me anything to do
Hi Jacob:
First off I would like to personally thank you for all the great & valuable free information you have been forwarding on to us about Mystery Shopping & who to contact & how to apply the various techniques involved. Unfortunately I have not been able to use them yet as we are located in a small Ontario town of only 16,000 but we do spend our winters ( 6 months ) in the Mesa area of Arizona and have good expectations for that area in the fall. Is there any shoppers groups in that area that get together
and meet occasionally to compare ideas etc ?
regards Terry
I have been working at this since Feb. this year.
I not only do mystery shopping, but also merchandising and auditing, and this is thanks to you Jacob. I sat down one day and applied to every company on the list that you provided. I work for some great companies, many of which call me frequently to help them out. I have had only two problems. One was a company whose check bounced, I am still waiting to reimbursed. The other is Sassie. Because I inadvertently hit the wrong key on my computer, instead of deleting a message, it was reported as Spam. I had no idea that this had happened, but they emailed me a nasty message, saying that I was banned from receiving any more Sassie shops. To be quite honest, I have so many other companies and opportunities that I really do not care about Sassie. I am busier than a one arm paper hanger, and again, Jacob, thanks to you. I could give you alot of detail regarding my experiences, but I have two shops that I have to right now. Suffice it to say, I am enjoying this tremendously. I have only one complaint, and that would be some of the fees offered. They are embarrassingly low. For all of the work that they expect; the obsevations, the details, the obsessive name gathering, the related phone calls, mandatory purchases, and all of this for five dollars!There are companies that expect the same, as well they should, but understand the time and experience necessary and they pay accordingly. Oops, gotta go make some money and have fun doinig it!!
Been doing this work for a while. it would be a waste of our time typing and you reading , what is connomly known.ZBeen to gas stations , fast food outlits. stores.
I have been doing shops since May of this year. It was a little slow getting started, but has picked up to as much work as I want. I have done about 30 jobs. Some of the fees are very low. I have applied to every company on Jacobs list. CheckMark does not seem to want to give out jobs even though I have very high ratings, I don’t know why this is. I have applied for jobs in every mailing they send out , but have not yet been given one, even though I have done everything they have asked. The only other down side is the low fees offered by some companies. Thanks Jacob for all of your help.
I’m staying in ASIA..specifically Malaysia..the only job available here is from gapbuster.com – only mc donald’s and body shop. Please, is there any other opportunity of mystery shopping availabale HERE? this part of the world???????
I have been mystery shopping since April ‘06 and I have done about 25 shops so far. I enjoy getting out and the experience helps me to be more observant and I feel as if my comments in the reports are valuable information. I do feel as if some reports are too detailed and lengthy for what they pay. But so far I’ve had positive experiences and have been paid for my shops. It’s a slow way to earn some income but each individual has to decide what is best for them. I thank Jacob and everyone for sharing their imput. These sites are very helpful.
Ihave applied to about 15 companies. The only one I heard back from was shadow shoppers. They said they would e-mail me and they didn’t. I think they want money. Very discouraged.
I have been doing mystery shopping since jan 05,I have completed over 10 mystery shops. I would like to do more mystery shopping but, the deals in my area are limited and a lot of mystery shoppping is require too much of every individual shopper to complete and get paid. I am doing a shop this week I hope if I qualify?All previous shops have been paid but, if the payments are mmade faster I think the mystery shopping will increase.
I signed up with a lot of diferent companies 2 months ago and I have only done 1 shop. The shop oppertunities they give me are something I can’t do-such as take a 10 year old boy to buy a boy scout uniform….or they are way to far away. I was expecting to get places that I go to a lot but I havn’t been asked to do one shop that I have been to before.
Yea…some of the reports are soooo very rediculously long that the pay is not worth doing these shops. Compared to the simple ones that pay lower, I’d rather do several lower paying ones.
I have been doing this for about four months now. I have had a really good time! I am doing work for six companys and I have found it to be quite easy and rewarding. It is nor hard at all if one is detailed oriented and can follow instructions.
I have been mystery shopping for about 3 months and have made 37 dollars on four shops. I have had to do a lot of hunting to companies with jobs in my area. It has been very fun, but it is more work than I thought, I will continue to do it though, because I enjoy a challenge.
well i signed up and only did one shop. There are no shops that i can perform i would like more shops in my area. pizza shops would work for me. i dont drive and i got two kids at home.
I have only been doing this for about 4 months and have done 10 jobs. Money is okay but it gives me something to do since I stay at home with my daughter. I have done daycares and coffee shops. Somtimes the drive forthe money is not always the best but it seems the more youo do the more you seem to start getting.
Hello,
Ihave done just under ten shops, this is a fun type of work and I do it for the customer service experience, it doesnt pay alot but it gives just a little extra cash. I seem to be getting more ofers the more jobs I do.
Jacob, Good morning. My shopping experience has beeen great. I have joined over 30 companies, and have shoped atleast once with all of them. I have even found merchandising shops, which are good payng and fun. I enjoy mystery shopping for fun. I have a full time job so this is what I do for spare time and the pay is great to do things you would have done anyways. I make sure the shops I do I either dont have to pay much or nothing st all. I am usually reimbursed for all purchases. So my experience has been great for my spare time. Thanks for helping find companies.
I have been shopping on a part time basis since May of 2006. I have completed 48 shops and 1 product testing study. I have applied to two dozen shopping companies. I work with a handful of companies and have no trouble getting shops and getting paid. If you want to have successful shops where you get paid, you must pay attention to detail and follow all directions. I really enjoy shopping as a part time job. It is great extra income.
I’ve been trying to become one but I just can’t seem to get in touch with anyone, What do I do?The one I was trying to get with told me that all assainment are online after 6pm. I don’t have access to a computer afer 6pm? Help me get started
Hi,
I just recently started mystery shopping, I have only done one shop, I have another scheduled. so far I am enjoying it, I have heard many different opinions and I’m looking forward to a positive experience. One fear I have is that I hope this provides enough work to keep my schedule full. I would be happy to give my opinion again a few months down the road.
Valerie
I have only recieved two jobs. Everything went great. Then my computer crashed and I wasn’t able to get paid for it. So for now my mystery shopping is on hold. But I want to say that this email system of learning has been fantastic. So much usefull information. You have already sifted through all the muck and gave us great information, for the best results. Thanks
I have nothing but good to say about Shadowshoppers and thier services and the amount of work that I’m eligible to be asignned through my Bronze membership.
I have done several jobs and I really do enjoy being a mystry shopper.
All, but one, company has paid for my work and paid promptly too. However there is a company, this company apparently goes by AT LEAST three names : ANYTIME MEDRCHANDISING, MRI, AND LASTLY RMX.
Way back in the end of June or the very begining July, I did two jobs for this company. Well I have only gotten paid for less than half of my promised commission and I was also offered a $20.00 cash for gas bonus. Together the jobs should have earned me a total of $50.00 but in the end I was paid only $30.00 And what a fight I had to put up in order to just collect that much.
I have threatened court action but they are still refusing to give me the rest of my pay.
Like I said more companies are good rather than bad but this company is awful, rude, disrespectful, and to top it off they are liars to boot.
I am hoping that maybe someone there can help me get the rest of my pay. I really don’t want to take this company to court but I have children to feed thats why I started mystery shopping in the first place.
I have every single email to and from this company and anyone can see that they still owe me money. I don’t want to take them to court but I will and it will cost that company a whole lot more than $20.00 because the company is in Georgia I think.
I also wanted to warn your company about the way they do business, it makes Shadowshoppers look really bad and I know that this isn’t your fault.
Please contact me if you need anything that can help me, like for instance the emails sent and recieved.
Other than that one company I have never had a problem with any other companies that have contacted me through Shadowshoppers. Keep up the good work. I love your company and services and I recommend you to all my friends ( I just warn them to stay away from MRI,RMX AND ANYTIME MERCHANDISING.
thanks again,
Colleen
Shadow shopper I have wrote bad, and also other, I have also taken the time to try there gold at no charge to me no comment on how I managed that one. The one thing Shadow shopper is good for is teaching you more about shopping like these great courses that we are on now they have allot and will tell you allot including how to email right. I recommend starting off with a Free Shadow Shopper account and wait till they are desperate and offer you the 9.99 for a month offer then take that and study up they have some good companies but allot of there job postings are not on the actual company web site job board does this make shadow bad no just lazy lots of other good stuff and resources Is it worth a couple hundred not really maybe 30 or 40 dollars for the wealth of info and other stuff they can teach you. Also don’t give up be persistent I Was told by gapbuster I did not qualify and I have sent 10 emails asking nicely why and to please explain what they mean and I got one saying they wanted to enter my info manually! Meaning I might be in. You give up and except what is said and you don’t get you politely stand up and talk about it and you never know also works with the companies you work for, for gas extra pay etc.
I now work steadily for 3 or so companies and am working everyday on more! Secret shopping Is all about hard work the harder you work and try at it the more it pays off companies and people on here and elsewhere will tell you its about grammar and spelling wrong most companies will do some corrections on there own also get a word processor its more about the effort you put into things how you word your letters and emails is your email short or does it tell about you they don’t like short emails and they don’t like life stories in between more than the subject and enough about yourself to let them know a little bit about you and leave them wanting more and your reports no opinions judgements etc just the facts descriptions a walk through and they are happy.
take the time for it and it will work if you don’t it will go nowhere
Ja das ist fantastish!
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Hi, I have been shopping since May 2006. I average 10-15 shops a month. I have a part time job to work around. I work with several companies fairly regularly. I applied to every sassie company on your list. I am getting new shops with new companies and they are better paying. Do you have a list of Prophet users? I got my Gold certification in November. I would like to be able to replace my part time job with shopping. I agree with the person who advised creating a good working relationship with your schedulars.
My advice on mystery shopping for those of you who are new is as follows: If you are one of the ones here who is complaining that you are not getting jobs then you need to look at just the sample of what you have typed here. If you are thinking of complaining that you are not getting jobs look at the ones who have typed here. Do you look like the ones here who have typed who are or aren’t getting jobs? If your answer is one not getting jobs that could be a good reason as to why noone is taking you on after you submit your application. As far as the jobs go most are not ging to call you unless they are in a jam. You need to be a go getter not a regretter. In otherwords make the best of what is available by grouping enough together that work. Make sure you do what is expected of you or YOU WILL NOT GET PAID! You are working for them so they pay for what they want. If you don’t give it to them you don’t get paid. This field is not for everyone!
Wow – reading this board as a “newbie” is scaring me! I just joined Shadowshoppers and rec’d 10-15 job postings the past few days. I have accepted 5 and they are effective tomorrow. Needless to say – in hindsight – I have searched information on Shadowshoppers and too much is negative but there is positive. What should I do? Their application process has you include a photo and SS#. Yes, I was going to do the free Bronz membership but chose to do the 39.99 Gold. All sites I saw for Mystery shopping called for payment – even when I googled. Where are the free sites for this type of job? Thanks in advance for your help, understanding and advice.
Jacob,
I’m a “noob” too. I just discovered this forum, and I think it’s great. I only sampled the comments above, but what I’ve read is a big help, both pro and con. I’m retired, and I only work a couple of days per week. I’m not looking to earn a living, just occupy my time – at a net gain.
I started in January 2007, and signed up with the company that offers the free Bronze membership. One of their scheduling companies contacted me directly (that’s perfectly proper) because they needed shoppers immediately for tax-preparation offices. I did ten locations for them at about 1/2 hour apiece , got 9s & 10s for my reports, and just received my first $200 check. Now the scheduling company sends me jobs all the time, averaging about $15-$20 per 1/2 hour of work. The scheduling company uses the “sassieshop.com” system, so I just searched the web, which shows a number of sites. Most of them are different scheduling companies that you can sign up with free of charge. Then you sent a sassieshop.com
list, which I’ve been using. These sites are good because the system provides details of the shop up front. Those that don’t, I don’t sign up for.
For February, I have another $160 earned for 5 different shops.
For March I have 7 shops scheduled, averaging about $15 for 1/2 – 3/4 hour of work.
SHOPPERS: BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL ABOUT SIGNING UP FOR SURVEY-AT-HOME COMPANIES. I’m still receiving a ton of “spam” as the result of naively signing up with some of these vultures, and that’s about all I’m receiving. I only spent a few dollars for “shipping & handling” (what does that mean anyway?) on “offers” connected with these surveys, but those are legitimate deductible business costs.
To date, I haven’t paid one red cent for signing up with anyone. I’m getting small jobs, which is fine, but I’m building a repuation with scheduling companies.
I have a question: Is there a rating forum where mystery shoppers can rate the mystery shopping companies and their schedulers – for the benefit of other mystery shoppers? A forum like this one would seem to be the best way.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone out there.
Hi Jacob,
I have been mystery shopping since 2005. I started with Shadow Shoppers and felt the $60 or whatever it was, was worth the start up.From there I signed up with a lot of companies. I think I’m signed up with close to 100. There are certain ones I hear from all the time. There are a few I check on occasionally. Making money is a joke. I do this because I get an occasional free meal at a restaurant I might not eat at. I’ve done various banking, bedding, brakes, shoes, and a whole lot more. Someone mentioned not getting paid for a shop because of the wrong drink ordered. Well, I did a shop for a Mexican restaurant, should have been a total of about $45.00. Well, the bartender (part of this shop) did not give me a receipt and I didn’t ask for one. Nothing was said in the instructions or form about a bar receipt. Needless to say, I did not get paid. I had a friend with me and it was close to her birthday so I chalked it up to a great birthday present for her. I did not tell her I did not get paid.
I do this because it gets me out of the house (I’m a senior citizen) and I feel I am doing a service by improving food taste, and customer service in many different areas. I am more choosy now since I have done a lot of the jobs offered to me at least once. I keep within 30 miles roundtrip which is 2 gallons of gas on my pick-up. Some of the shops do not pay any fee and the form takes a long time to do a good job. If the restaurant is worth it, I do it anyway.
I have a question for you- How do I contact car companies in my area that give/lend free cars for advertising OR pay me to put a sign on my car?
Thanks in advance for the info.
Marcia