Well I wondered about mystery shopping I always saw and heard things about the mysterious supposed underworld. I have been mystery shopping for about 3 months now and I can say a few things. You can not make a living from mystery shopping and you can not make a career of mystery shopping. You can make a few dollars on the side and get some free merchandise and meals. You should NEVER have to pay for mystery shopping opportunities. A few of the really good companies are very plentiful in the larger cities.
If you do not get on the Internet on a very regular basis I would not recommend mystery shopping, if you are not good at acting out scenarios it's not for you. If you are not observant and at times down right nosey mystery shopping is not for you. It is simple enough but it can be tedious and repetitive.
The way I work it is if I have a meeting in Carrollton I look for at least a few mystery shopping assignments out that direction, so basically my trip out that direction is multipurpose and it ends up being paid for plus some change. I can usually do a fast food or restaurant shop so that I end up having my meal reimbursed also.
Another important few things about mystery shopping that you need to be aware of before deciding that it's perfect for you. Just because you like to shop and just because you like to be opinionated mystery shopping is possibly NOT for you. Your opinion is rarely asked for or valid in mystery shopping. They want facts. For example the types of questions that they ask will be "how long from the time that you entered the location did someone greet you?, how long after you ordered your food did your food arrive? was the cashier polite? (yes or no)" and you will give a narrative about your actual interactions. There is no room for you to say for example: I entered the restaurant and the cashier looked rude and it took a long time for me to get my food and then the food was disgusting and cold. There is way to much opinion in that statement. They want things that verify the customer service NOT how each person perceives the service.
There are of course exceptions to every rule possibly. So don't take what I say and consider it law I'm just giving some insight from what I have learned.
Each mystery shopping company has a independent shopper agreement of some sort which states that you are not an employee and if you make over 599.99 you will be sent a 1099 which would leave you with the responsibility of filing and paying necessary taxes. (I will explain some benefits to this later in another post) The companies usually require you to put in your social security number. This is because they pay you and if you earn $599.99 or more they will send a 1099 and they need your social to do that. Any of the sites that asked me for it I placed it in and I haven't had any problems (I pull my credit quarterly and so should you! At least twice yearly!)
OKAY HERE ARE TWO IMPORTANT THINGS for you to know: Most of the companies pay 30-45 (4-6weeks) after you complete an assignment and submit your report and it's accepted. (the report is usually accepted right away the same day or within a few hours of submission, however if there are questions or inaccuracies they will send you an email and ask further questions or for clarity as needed.) Meaning you will receive a check in the mail or a payment into your pay pal account (just depends on the company but most pay one of these two ways). If your shop requires a purchase whether $0.25 or $25.00 you will pay out of pocket up front and be reimbursed when you get paid your shopper fee. DO NOT GET CONFUSED here! Some jobs pay you enough to cover the purchase and do not necessarily do a reimbursement. If you have any questions on any of these things feel free to email questions to: icyunvluckieme@yahoo.com. I've done a very nice amount of research and I am happy to say I have made about 600 dollars from different companies over the last few months. I've eaten free at a few restaurants and I've gotten free stuff (after my reimbursement) from a few stores.
More info on the do's and do not's of mystery shopping can be found at: http://bucarotechelp.com/getpaid/freelance/95022404.asp
A few mystery SHOPPER RESOURCES: www.marketforce.com, www.xec.gapbuster.com, www.beyondhello.com, www.qams.com, www.aboutfacecorp.com
JOBS THAT ARE HIRING in the DFW area: Arbitron is hiring currently part time.
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