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Old 05-27-2016, 12:17 PM
 
19,788 posts, read 12,037,251 times
Reputation: 17521

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Girl View Post
Yes, I do see those shops come up, but they are only a couple times a month, not all the time. I still say this should not be done with the expectation that it will pay your bills every month. It helped when I was unemployed, but was not enough to be considered a salary, even as a part-time job.
Absolutely, I agree with you that the vast majority cannot make enough to consider it a salary. I was fortunate enough to work for a company specializing in hidden video shops which happened to be local. There were multiple shops, even weekly, within my state and I would do a cluster in one day. They paid me to take shops out of state as well. For someone who takes it seriously, as a business, there was money to be made.
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Old 05-27-2016, 07:07 PM
 
461 posts, read 506,584 times
Reputation: 877
I have done mystery shopping for years. In all those years and with different companies I never was given a chance just to buy something and get paid. I alway had to fill out a detailed review of some sort. It can be very tedious getting the information they want and not looking suspicous at the same time. They have very strict rules for that and your documentation. It defintly doesn't make enough to be a full time job, just a hobby. Also, the employees are instructed to say certain phrases at certain times of helping/transactions. If they don't to a mystery shopper they can be written up!
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Old 05-27-2016, 10:01 PM
 
166 posts, read 135,045 times
Reputation: 49
Ha thats crazy, yeah I am not going through with this job.
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Old 05-28-2016, 10:41 AM
 
166 posts, read 135,045 times
Reputation: 49
The company I was thinking of working for was by Josh & Jenny Curtis and they had a company by the name of Treasures Untold in Burbank/Glendale, California area. Anyone hear of them or their company?
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Old 05-28-2016, 02:33 PM
 
19,788 posts, read 12,037,251 times
Reputation: 17521
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikumiku View Post
The company I was thinking of working for was by Josh & Jenny Curtis and they had a company by the name of Treasures Untold in Burbank/Glendale, California area. Anyone hear of them or their company?
Never heard of them. I sent you a DM.
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Old 05-28-2016, 04:03 PM
 
Location: Midcoast Maine
762 posts, read 1,745,863 times
Reputation: 1000
You aren't paid just to shop. You are paid to observe and remember many details, such as:
  • At what time did you enter the store?
  • Were you greeted by the sale associate upon entering?
  • If not greeted upon entering the store, how long was it before you were greeted?
  • What was the greeting?
  • Was the associate wearing a name badge?
  • What was the associate's name, approximate age, and description?
  • Was the associate in uniform/properly dressed/well-groomed, etc.?
  • Approximately how many customers were in the store besides yourself?
  • How many associates were present?
  • When you asked an open-ended question, what was the associate's response?
  • Did the associate satisfactorily answer your question?
  • Did the associate make and maintain good eye contact and use empathy in their interaction with you?
  • After making your selection, did the associate attempt to upsell?
  • Was merchandise displayed attractively?
  • Was the store clean and without any trash or debris on the floor?
  • When you made your purchase, how many customers were in line ahead of you?
  • How long did you wait in line to make your purchase?
  • Did the cashier greet you pleasantly?
  • Was the cashier wearing a name badge/professionally dressed/well-groomed, etc.?
  • What was the cashier's name, approximate age, and description?
  • Were you given the correct change and a receipt?
  • Did the cashier thank you?
  • Were you offer given a pleasant parting remark upon exiting the store?
  • What time did you leave the store?
The above are just some examples, but every shop has different requirements depending on the business. So, even if you only spend ten minutes in the store, you have to remember everything and the report might take two hours to write. Not only do you have to answer all the questions in your report, but you usually have to write a detailed narrative describing your experience from the moment you walked into the store to the moment you left (several paragraphs). Generally, mystery shoppers have to pass a writing test to get assignments. Sometimes your narrative is rejected and you have to re-write it. If that happens too many times, they won't use you anymore.

You also have to provide a receipt to verify that you were there. Usually, you are not paid without a receipt or if no one on duty when you went matches your description of them. They do check because some people lie and say they shopped when they didn't. Sometimes the MSC (mystery shopping company) or the business you shopped, which hires the MSC, will review security footage to verify you were there. You don't want them to doubt you and do this, though, because you don't want your identity revealed. Once a business knows you are a shopper, you won't be able to get that assignment anymore.

There are many, many different types of shops and industries that use shoppers. You can be paid a fee, a small fee + reimbursement, or reimbursement only. Usually food and restaurant shops only reimburse. Merchandise or services often pay fee +reimbursement. Some companies reimburse for gas/mileage or public transportation. You aren't always required to buy something, but if you do, most of the time you get to keep it, although there are some shops that require you to send them back the items bought (or literature you were given, etc.).

Mystery shopping is generally considered part of the market research industry and shoppers have an association they can join and even have conventions. There are some amazingly efficient pros at it who make very good money doing mystery shopping full-time. Those are usually highly organized people who will get just about everything they do in life reimbursed and paid for because they are good at planning and quick at filling out the lengthy reports. Any shopper needs to be pretty organized anyway, because you have to pay your own taxes and you might not get a 1099 from every MSC you worked for - for example, any that paid you less than $600 in a year. So you have to keep good records of all the shops you did.

You have to do an awful lot of shops every day in order to make a full-time living, which is possible in some places, but nigh on impossible in expensive cities. I did it for a few years when I was unemployed but couldn't live on it as my only income in NYC. To try doing it full-time, I spent about two days a week looking for and applying for assignments. I'd say I am registered with probably at least 50 different companies. You have to try and coordinate your assignments so that you aren't spending a lot of travel time in between each one. If you can do ten to twelve shops a day in one area (like a mall or airport), you can make decent money.

Video shops (where you wear a hidden camera) tend to pay the most, and some financial/bank shops where you have to apply for something and take a soft hit on your credit report. Some shops have you visit nursing homes, apartment complexes, and even funeral homes - they tend to pay well, too.

I like mystery shopping because it is really fun and interesting, and helps me hone my powers of observation, but it can be lonely because you can't reveal yourself to anyone. You usually sign an agreement not to divulge which MSCs you conduct assignments for. Restaurant shops sometimes allow you to bring a guest, though, but for the most part, it's a great way for introverts and loners to make some money!

Last edited by citychik; 05-28-2016 at 04:33 PM..
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Old 05-28-2016, 07:51 PM
 
Location: Midcoast Maine
762 posts, read 1,745,863 times
Reputation: 1000
And just to be clear, no mystery shopping company ever gives you money beforehand to spend on a shopping assignment. YOU outlay the cash first, provide proof of your visit such as a receipt and/or photos, and most of the time you'll be reimbursed (although sometimes you will not - as I wrote in my previous post, every shop has different terms).

If you ever find a check in your mailbox from some company claiming that they want you to use it for a mystery shop assignment, it's a total scam.

Also, most MSCs pay and/or reimburse the shopper anywhere from 2 weeks to 90 days after completion of an assignment, with most being from 30 to 60 days.
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Old 05-28-2016, 08:26 PM
 
Location: Military City, USA.
5,539 posts, read 6,459,968 times
Reputation: 17008
Yes, and I didn't like that. I did MS years ago for one company and I was given restaurants and movies to shop. I only got reimbursed for the meals (I could take a guest) or the movie tickets. Then the review had to be not only faxed in by a certain time but mailed in as well. It was a PITA so I quit doing them.
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Old 05-30-2016, 03:28 PM
 
Location: Midcoast Maine
762 posts, read 1,745,863 times
Reputation: 1000
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michigan Transplant View Post
Yes, and I didn't like that. I did MS years ago for one company and I was given restaurants and movies to shop. I only got reimbursed for the meals (I could take a guest) or the movie tickets. Then the review had to be not only faxed in by a certain time but mailed in as well. It was a PITA so I quit doing them.
That is why most shoppers register with as many MSCs as they can. More opportunities, different kinds of shops, and various pay schedules - the ones that pay more quickly will come in while you're waiting for payment from the ones that make you wait longer.
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