A New Year, A New Mystery Shopper Job Board!

Jan. 17, 2012

I've always been fond of wondering what a new year will bring, ever since I was a little shopper! This year, however, I'm a bit more excited than in previous years.

Why, you ask? A new opportunity to find more mystery shopping jobs in my area, that's why!

Always the optimistic pessimist, I was a little hesitant when I first got an email from MSJobBoard.com inviting me sign up with their website and find more shopper jobs. What kind of set my negativity ablaze was that this email was filtered into my spam folder.

I actually waited to open the email, thinking there was some nasty virus attached. Eventually, I found my backbone and opened it. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised!

This was not only a legitmate job board, it was very similar to Jobslinger. I checked further and compared the two. I found there were no similar jobs available on both sites at the same time.

I'm not the smartest cookie, but it seemed all the shops listed on MSJobBoard were non-SASSIE system oriented. They were everyone else who was not SASSIE affiliated, mostly from the PROPHET system. (SASSIE and PROPHET are software programs used by mystery shop companies as report writing systems.)

Just like Jobslinger, this board is completely free to join and even offers the option to sign in through Facebook.

Why I Got Started Participating in Market Research Projects.

Dec. 23, 2011

I've been writing these articles for a while and once wrote about why some people may get involved with paid market research projects. Being that it's the holidays and I'm in a giving spirit, I'd like to share why I decided to become a participant.

I do have a full-time job that requires a lot of attention. Plus I take surveys, participate in focus groups and perform mystery shops, so this is why I don't post new articles as often as I would like to. The main reason I do all the extracurricular activity is to have a life away from it all every once in a while.

I don't have any expectations of getting rich or saving up thousands of dollars. With this money, I use it to pay for vacation travel expenses and spending money, or dinner at a nice restaurant.

When I first got the itch to make extra money, I didn't want to do it by putting in extra time at work when I already am there forty hours per week as it is. Who wants to do that? I searched Google with terms like; make money from home, make money on the Internet, ways to make money online for free, and ways to make extra money.

I started off with just taking surveys. At first, I was extremely skeptical and gave up after a few tries. Before giving up, I told one of my friends about surveys as he was also looking to make a little extra cash, also. He kept going with it and asked me how I was doing about a month later. When I told him I stopped doing them, he pretty much yelled at me like a scolding mother.

He told me he cashed out his first payment of $35 and received the check about four weeks later. From that point on I was hooked! I started joining as many survey sites as possible and dabbled a little in paid to click sites. The latter didn't pan out for me so that's why I don't promote them on this site.

After a while, I started to learn that I'm not going to always qualify for surveys and hated the fact I wouldn't get all the money. I found that focus groups paid quite a bit more, about $75-200 a piece. I thought that if I could just qualify for a couple a month, I could quit taking surveys for a few dollars a piece. The problem with this logic is that qualifying isn't that easy. Now I get the chance to participate in these a couple times a year.

My next thought, mystery shopping. I feel like I'm always shopping anyway, so why not get paid to do it? I started off with just a few shops and thought it was just "okay". At first, it also took a lot longer to get paid. I didn't receive my pay for the first couple shops until about a month and a half after I completed them. That seemed a bit long to me for $15, so I joined other mystery shop websites that had a quicker pay schedule.

I've now been participating for three years in many aspects of market research projects, including a few product audits for retail stores. I have to admit, I probably put in as much time in a week as a part-time job doing this stuff. But I do it in on my schedule or I don't do it if I don't feel like it. That's the beauty of being a survey geek!

Christmas shopping equals mystery shopping!

Dec. 9, 2011

I open my wallet and watch the money fly out every Christmas! Seriously, that's what it feels like. This is possibly how you feel too, unless you don't mind the resulting credit card debt hangover that follows.

I have a solution that just may help! Now hear me out on this, I may be a bit odd, but this may be just the something to soften the Christmas shopping blow. Okay, look at it this way. You're already out shopping for the fam, right? Why not slip a mystery shop or two in there and make something back?

It's quite possible that while performing a mystery shop, you may find the perfect gift for that special someone. In some case, you can get a partial or full reimbursement. And because you're doing a mystery shop, you can keep it a total secret from everyone!

One very real scenario is that you could possibly cover most of the expenses of your gifting adventures. Do enough shops and you may be able to cover it all. But, this takes some serious secret shopping and a lot of time.

If you look at it from this angle, shop schedulers may more than usual amounts of available shops they need to assign. This could work to your advantage if you have the time to do them.

One drawback is also that clients may not request as many shops as usual, either. At this time of year, businesses are so packed full of customers that their employees may not have the time to give their undivided attention, like they normally would. This could give negative results on an otherwise exemplary employee. No one wants that.

On the other hand, businesses may also request more assignments be completed. This can open a plethora (I did say plethora!) of opportunities for you! They may want secret shoppers to visit their locations just to make sure they're ready for shopping season, or that customers are still the number one priority.

Either way, you're already out there. Why not make a few bucks?

Does anyone ever get burned out doing mystery shops?

Nov. 11, 2011

Read your guidelines, maintain your schedule, complete by the due dates. Blah, blah, blah...

If any of this sounds familiar to you, you may be nearing a burn out from mystery shopping. For something so relatively easy as secret shopping, it can start to weigh on you after a while. Sometimes it's those rush jobs you don't want to turn down because of the money, or you want to keep in good standing with the scheduler.

Whatever the case may be, you will eventually start to over-work yourself and possibly end up quitting altogether. Hopefully that doesn't happen, so steps need to be taken to prevent it.

Take a look at your schedule and see if you're overbooking yourself. There may be a shop or two you can drop and let someone else pick it up. Not only will you do yourself a favor, somebody else can benefit, too.

Look at the content of your shops to see if the requirements may be too taxing for you to complete on time, or at all. Every so often, a shop comes along that has decent pay, but be overly tedious to complete. Ask youself if the pay is worth the effort needed. Sometimes it isn't.

Take a break from it all and relax a bit. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a couple weeks off every once in a while to recharge your mental battery. I do it and love every minute of it! When you decide you're ready to jump back in, you might find the zest you thought you lost.

Prioritize the shops you enjoy doing the most and put those ahead of any others. If you find you have knack for a certain kind of assignment, pick up any you can that aren't too much of a hassle to drive to. I have my favorite type of shop, so those are the ones I complete most often.

Remember that this is supposed to be fun, not a burden. None of us got into mystery shopping with the thought of making it stressful. I got into it because I enjoy the interaction, helping business provide better customer service and making some extra money.

Sometimes it doesn't pay to keep your eyes on the prize.

Oct. 15, 2011

Sometimes various market research opportunities pay a pretty hefty amount. I've run across some mystery shops lately from a reliable agency that pay up to $150.00.

Who wouldn't want to make that much money for doing something relatively easy? But is it really that easy?

I've been scouring some mystery shop forums to see what others in the industry have to say and it's pretty much unanimous that these shops are not that easy. From the way it sounds, these shops are basically a living hell!

You have to spend 8+ hours in a store auditing a laundry list or products AND interact with store employees with various questions and such. Before you get to do this, though, you have to get drug tested at your own expense!

This doesn't have to be limited to mystery shopping either. I've also seen some online surveys that pay $30 if you download a program to track your Internet activity for market research purposes for two months. You pretty much need to take a step back and ask yourself if the money is worth it at the expense of your privacy.

Now don't get me wrong, I love money and making lots of it. What I don't like is the hassles that come along with some of these projects in order to make that money. They can be very time consuming and overly tedious to complete. Sometimes, you may not complete the project exactly the way the client wants it done and not get paid for it.

Seriously ask yourself if you need the money that bad. If you do, by all means chip away and get some of these done. The schedulers would greatly appreciate it. Otherwise, leave them for the newer shoppers who want to get their foot in the door to their rude awakenings!

Referring your friends and family isn't selling them out for a buck.

Sept. 1, 2011

I know a lot of people get annoyed when they check their inbox and find an email from some weird company they've never heard of. They open it to find that so and so referred their email address and want you to take advantage of some awesome opportunity.

I completely understand the desire to not have your inbox flooded with junk that you have no interest in. The difference between junk referrals and market research referrals is that everyone wins.

Look at this way, whomever referred you may get something in return for getting you to join a survey site or mystery shop company. But not only will get they get compensated, but you can do it too. You'll get paid for completing surveys and shops and can refer others.

Sometimes, you can earn residual income off of your referrals and never have to do anything yourself! I kind of like not doing anything, yet still get paid. Besides, you aren't obligated to anything anyway. You can always opt out of receiving emails at any time and yell at your friend later.

But you could be missing out on something pretty good if it turns out you might actually do well with it. Don't look at it as your friend just trying to sell you out. Everyone can get paid in the end for doing next to nothing.

Can I really get paid to write articles online?

Aug. 10, 2011

In every one of us, there's a little writer just trying to get out. I mean, how many different people have something useful to say and no way to say it?

Granted, not everyone has the ability to express their thoughts with words in such a way to appeal to a wide variety of people. But, almost anyone can earn money writing articles online.

It's your skill level that can either make you a decent amount or a paltry little, however. That can be a shame if you have really valuable information that could benefit many. It may not be a bad idea to invest some time in learning how to not only write a decent article, but how to write it for the Internet.

Believe it or not, there's a difference between standard writing styles and Internet styles. The best example of their difference is the Internet style has compact paragraphs of two to four sentences. Whereas standard paragraphs usually have six to ten.

This is because no one wants to stare at a computer screen reading decade long paragraphs to find the information they want. People want to have tiny, bite-size bits of paragraph because it makes it easier to skim.

Don't believe me? Sign up to write for Helium, they give you the ability to rate other writers articles against each other in similar topics. By doing this, you can see what to avoid, what could work for you, etc. This is also the way you build your case for earning on your articles. No rating star means no money earning!

A good way to gauge where you stand is to write a few different articles on subjects you have knowledge of. Have a family member or friend who you trust for their opinion to check it over and tell you what they think.

Oh, by the way, having knowledge of your topic is a very good idea! No one wants to read an article that basically repeats the same idea over and over without really telling you anything. I've read many articles where their whole time was spent repeating the subject title because there was no substance to fill the space.

No one gets anything out of it and your article will be rated very low, which means it will most likely not be found by anyone who uses a search engine query on your topic. It pretty much gets buried in the dark recesses of Internet-land, never to be seen again.

If writing is intimidating for you, seek out advice and tips at eHow or Squidoo. There are hundreds of articles written by people like us who have a vast amount of experience to share.

What are the negatives of doing mystery shops?

July 25, 2011

Anyone looking to make some extra money from home often hears about doing mystery shops. When I first heard about this, I thought for sure it was a scam and there was no way I could actually make money.

Now granted, if you do run across a mystery shop scam, you should be able to easily sniff it out as they almost always involve check cashing.

If you're someone who likes things nice and easy and don't really want to put in too much effort, most mystery shops are perfect for you. There are, however, some shops that require a decent amount of time and effort.

Some of the negatives of mystery shopping involve the following:

Deadlines

If you're not the most punctual, this could be a problem for you. All jobs are required to done on a certain day (or days), between certain times. If you already have a busy life, you may not be able to meet those requirements.

Report Writing

While there are many shop reports that allow you to just check boxes to answer questions about what happened, most require you to write detailed narratives.

Unfortunately, for those who don't have the strongest writing skills, your reports may not be used. This is the business world where quality and professionality reign supreme and the client can't use a report with numerous misspellings and punctation errors.

You thought this would be a quick way to make a lot of money

Sorry, buddy, that just ain't gonna happen...

Believe me when I say that you will make money. It just won't be the kind of money you were hoping for. It wouldn't be unreasonable to expect to make a couple hundred dollars a month. However, the number of mystery shops needed to reach that level may be too many for you accomplish.

And as far as getting paid, each company has it's own pay schedule that can vary from two to six weeks. Some pay using PayPal and some send checks in the mail. If you need the money right away, this isn't for you.

You don't have to worry about every mystery shop assignment being a scam. There are hundreds of shop scheduling agencies throughout the world who are completely legitimate.

Every day, thousands of legitimate shops are available at any time. Finding them is easier than you think!

Is there an easy way to keep track of mystery shops?

July 7, 2011

While these aren't the hardest things to do, they can be time consuming. Even doing a Google™ search for mystery shop logs only brings up a result a log posted on Volition.

The problem with this mystery shop log that you still have to manually write in your information. So you may as well just use a notepad and save your printer paper.

Many people I know use Excel. This can be handy in tallying up your fees paid for the month, but that's about as good as it gets. You have to remember to leave a couple of rows of cells open between each month to allow for the totals. For those out there with little to no experience using Excel, it can be kind of difficult.

I personally have very little experience working with Excel, but took a few minutes to put my own spreadsheet together. It's very basic and generic in appearance (I don't know how to make it pretty!) but it gets the job done for keeping track of what shops need to completed.

It's easier than me trying to remember the who's, when's and where's.

One day I'll figure out a way to develop my own software and sell it to the mystery shopping industry that has everything that everyone would be looking for in a tracking program!

Until then, it has to be the hard way...

If I'm a man, can I be a mystery shopper?

June 26, 2011

There are actually some clients who only want male shoppers because that's who their business caters to. This isn't anything against women, it's just that women don't normally get their haircut at a barbershop and aren't the typical customer to go out for beer and wings.

In most cases, a shoppers gender doesn't matter at all and assignments are given on a first come, first served basis. But there are other shops that get assigned to men specifically because no one usually suspects a male mystery shopper.

This isn't being biased against women, who make up roughly 90-95% of all mystery shoppers. It's just client preference for that particular assignment. There is that possibility that just one shop may require a male, the next one could go to a female.

The same could also be reversed if, say a woman were needed to shop maternity store. You don't normally find a man by himself in that type of store, so you would assign a woman.

Male shoppers can also perform shops with their wives or girlfriends. This is a scenario that is extremely common and doesn't raise any red flags. There are even husband and wife dynamic duos who are both secret shoppers that perform shops together.

This is especially useful when working as a team for more complex shops that require a lot of details and observations.

Preferably, though, assignments are given to those who do good work and get their reports in on time. Only does a persons gender come up in certain situations and it isn't very often.

So, men, you have just as much potential to be a secret shopper as women!

Beware of the bulge!

June 13, 2011

Many market research projects are easy to complete and most are done from the seat of our pants. What we as participants tend to lose focus on is how much time we really do spend sitting around.

The other dagger that stabs us is the restaurant mystery shops and food item taste-tests. Add those up with the whole sitting down thing and it equals a bulging wasteline!

The Food

If you're big on the restaurant shops, you don't have to quit them all together. Just try to limit them as much as possible.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to get free food and a couple bucks, but the type of food and high number of shops can start to get unhealthy.

If you check the shop guidelines, they sometimes tell you specifically what you have to order. If it's something that sounds unhealthy, pass on it until next month and try to find a shop with a little healthier food choice.

With taste-tests, you really have to watch these. If it's a food you're not comfortable with testing, you can decline to participate, as you may have to try many samples of each. That can calorie counter can skyrocket if you're not careful!

The exercise

Don't just sit there! With the exception of the focus groups, when you're sitting in front of the computer taking surveys, try to get up every so often and move around. Maybe this is an excellent time to switch loads of laundry, or something.

Mystery shopping can provide some decent cardiovascular exercise. If you park on the other side of the lot, this not only gives you a wide view of the exterior of the location to comment on in your narrative, but gives you a few more steps to take to the front door.

You can also search out health club mystery shops at Volition and Jobslinger. Sometimes you're required to use a free pass to check out the facility and exercise.

Just keep in mind, if you're not healthy, you can't work!

Simple tips to be the best secret shopper you can be.

June 6, 2011

All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with the work I've done as a secret shopper. I admit I've had a few blips here and there with minor mistakes, but you can't do them all perfect.

What you can do is try to limit your mistakes, keep in contact with your scheduler should a problem arise and be honest in your reports.

With that said, here are some simple tips to avoid having your shop rejected and your shopper status deactivate.

Read your shop guidelines thoroughly! This applies to every shop you do no matter if it's a location you've visited in the past. To mix things up a bit, the client will occasionally alter the guidelines and may add or remove details.

I've run into this recently where it was a location I've shopped a few times. I briefly browsed through and missed a step in the process and  got spanked for it.

Keep a keen eye for detail. If you have problems remembering names, descriptions, etc; find a way to assist yourself so you don't forget.

What I like to do is after I have an interaction with an employee, I go to another part of the store and use the notepad on my iPhone to quickly type in short notes to refer back to later.

Most employees or other customers will view this as normal in todays age of text messaging and probably won't think twice about it.

Act like a regular, every day shopper. You do this on a regular basis like it was nothing. Try to incorporate that behavior into your mystery shop.

One big tip-off to someone being shopped, is the shopper asks unusual questions. True, the client may require to you ask specific questions, but these are geared toward what the employee was trained to know about.

If you miss a question you were supposed to ask initially and have to go back and ask it, this could be a huge red-flag that you're a shopper. *This goes back to reading the guidelines and being prepared!*

Being prepared. You've read your guidelines, stood in front a mirror and gone over your scenario, etc. Now a few other things to make sure you're ready.

Did you double-check the location address and map it out if you're not familiar with the area?

Is there a set timeframe between certain hours the shop must be done and will you meet it?

Do you have your notes organized to write a full and easily readable report?

K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple, stupid!) In a lot of cases, your report doesn't have to be overly detailed and you can get away with simple answers. The report reviewer and the client want to be able get the information they're looking easily and quickly.

Leave out the fluff and rambling and get to the point.

In the case you have to be more detailed, you will know beforehand. This is where your writing talents need to shine. So if you're not that good with grammar, punctuation, and so forth; practice makes perfect.

The more experience you get with mystery shopping, the easier it gets. You probably won't shoot out of the gates and be the most amazing shopper the world has seen, so don't get down on yourself if you stumble at first.

How do I know if a mystery shop company is real?

May 30, 2011

It's pretty much dizzying to find one that is real through the pile of rubbish. How do you find the real ones and how do you decide who you want to provide your time to?

Most shoppers, or independent contractors, usually have their favorite few they like to work for. They know what's expected, how lenient the schedulers can be, etc. They take the time to build a relationship so it makes everyone's life easier.

The schedulers also have thier favorite shoppers they like to work with because they learn how reliable that person is and how often they bail the scheduler out by picking up last minute or rush jobs.

I can't speak for everyone because what one shopper may say is a great company to work for, may not be the same for someone else.

First, find legitimate companies who affiliate themselves with the BBB and the MSPA (Mystery Shopping Providers Association). These show they have professional relationships that take years to accumulate through sound business standards.

Next, check around the websites Volition and Jobslinger. These are essentially mystery shopping classified ads. They post jobs that mystery shop agencies need to have done and can be searched to find jobs near you.

Another idea would be to read over the company FAQ's on the website. They usually have all of the most asked questions about job availability, pay, payment schedule, etc. If you have a question that isn't listed, simply email them and they will respond in due time.

Bringing up Volition again, there is a forum on this site that has postings from other users/shoppers. Maybe you can find out the positives and negatives about different mystery shop companies here. Getting the honest opinions from your peers is huge when deciding which direction you want to go.

If you do sign up to shop for any companies and you're either not getting any shops, or you're having trouble your work being rejected and scrutinized, maybe this company isn't for you.

I've worked with a couple companies that were overbearing on their expectations and how they wanted things. I did get paid, but had numerous shops have my fee reduced for one reason or another. On the other hand, I've worked for a large number that loved my work and sent me emails thanking me personally for my help.

Only time and a little experience will tell how you do with one company versus another. Just time the time and have a little patience to find the right fit for you.

The inner-dialogue of a person on their first mystery shop.

May 19, 2011

Never having done anything like this before, Jeff read over his mystery shop providers guidelines and asked the coordinator what to expect when doing this. He was given words of encouragement, along with a few tips to getting the job done right and Jeff was full of confidence.

His first assignment seemed simple enough, a shop at an ice cream parlor. "Hey, how hard could this be? It's only buying a scoop of soft-serve and making sure the store is clean!" Pumped up, Jeff arrived at the assigned location.

He checked the address again, just to be sure he was at the right place, and made sure the exterior was neat and tidy. "Man, I can't believe I'm doing this. Not only do I get free ice cream, but I'm gonna make $10!" The thought of "don't screw this up" kept running through his head and Jeff was starting to get a little nervous.

His coordinator encouraged him, but also reminded him that missed details and explanations could result in a rejected shop. Not only would he not get paid, he would not be reimbursed for his purchase.

Once inside, Jeff approached the counter and searched over the menu for something that appealed to him. The girl behind the counter waited for his decision patiently while he was starting to sweat. "Oh man, she's staring right at me!" "She has to know I'm a mystery shopper. It's probably written all over my forehead!"

"Just smile and make eye contact, don't be obvious!" "I'll have two scoops of chocolate ice cream with sprinkles, please." The girl took his order and went about preparing it for him while he took a seat to wait.

"She was staring right through me..." He thought. "Or was I staring at her? She probably thinks I'm some sort of creeper or something. Aw man, I have to stay in here for at least half an hour. Okay, okay, just act natural. She probably deals with three dozen customers a day. I shouldn't stand out as anything odd."

Jeff looked about the inside of the store, noting the employees nametags without being obvious and made mental notes about what each was doing. After a couple minutes, his order was ready and he started to enjoy his delicious treat.

When done, he visited the washroom, noting its cleanliness; and made a couple of quick notes on his phone so he doesn't forget anything. As he was walking out, another employee thanked him for coming in and to have a nice night.

"That wasn't so hard. I could totally do something like this again!

When Jeff got home, he pulled out his phone for his notes and got to writing his report. The report was submitted and the next morning it was reviewed, scoring eight points out of ten. "Not too bad for my first time, I guess..."

The good thing is, you only get better after performing more shops. Don't let it be overwhelming to the point where you doubt your abilities. Everyone has to start somewhere, so find a shop that is nearby to where you live and isn't overly taxing to complete.

Profile of the survey website GlobalTestMarket.

May 1, 2011

Have you ever tried to take someones advice on something they say is awesome and it never pans out for you? I have.

Before I joined the survey website GlobalTestMarket, I read a number of reviews and there were many of them that were negative. I figured I had nothing to lose since joining was free, so I signed up.

To give you a little background, GlobalTestMarket is owned and operated by Global Market Insite, Inc. A market research company founded in 1999 with worldwide reach to about 60 countries.

Once a member and your basic profiles are completed, you will start to receive emails with survey invitations. Each survey is 5-100 Marketpoints (the exact amount will be specified in the invitation).

When you reach 1000 Marketpoints, you can then redeem them for a check in your local currency.

In my opinion, this site is one of the better ones at following through. I'm not using this to boast, but I've probably made a few hundred dollars in the 3 years I've been a member and I've never not gotten my money.

I'm sure there are people out there who have had a negative experience with GlobalTestMarket, but not everyone will be happy all the time. I guess it wouldn't hurt to just check it out for yourself and make your own decision. Who knows, you might just get paid for your time!

Feel free to join HERE, membership is worldwide.

Get paid to shop with Market Force!

Apr. 21, 2011

 Market Force mystery shopping agency is currently recruiting new shoppers. I've recently become a contractor for this company and have completed one shop so far and have no complaints.

Membership is 100% free and you are no under no obligations to sign up for any offers or perform shops you are not comfortable with. If you're wondering what type of shops they have available, here are a few:  fast food restaurants, retail stores, photo audits, grocery stores; just to name a few.

There are hundreds of shops available all over the U.S. to choose from. All you need to do when you sign up is search nearby where you live or work to see what's available. You will have many chances to make extra cash every day.

Interested? Feel free to join HERE!

Some of their rules are: 

• Only four Shops Per Day: To prevent reporting errors, you may shop no more than four shops (regardless of project) per day. Two fast food shops may NOT be done during the same meal period.
• Only select shops that you can complete during the original shop dates without rescheduling.
• Results are due within 12 hours of completing the shop; a shop is completed only when the results are submitted.
• Check Shop Dates and Shop Times carefully; shops can only be completed during times and dates on your CPI.
• Shop documentation (Receipts/Business Cards and CPIs) should be submitted the same day as your shop, but no later than 12 hours after your assignment was completed; scanning or faxing is preferred.

New panel looking for a few good opinions!

Apr. 17, 2011

Not everyday do we get to give our opinions on the t.v. shows we watch. Now you do have that chance! Anyone male or female, between the ages of 18-99 and living in the U.S., can now tell NBC what they think.

For your time, you will have the chance to win a vast number of prizes. Membership is completely free and no sales calls will result from giving your information.

Some of the surveys you can expect are based on t.v. shows, news, advertisements and other entertainment. It doesn't seem like it'll be too time exhausting and I'm thinking about signing up, myself.

If interested, join here!