Got a New Printer!

My step mom read my blog post about how much ink I used and gave me a call. She had a laser jet printer that she was no longer using and said I could have it! I went by and picked it up tonight and hooked it up to my laptop! IT WORKS! YEA! I need to order a new drum and toner cartridge which I just ordered! The two of them together cost me $53. The website said it should print me 6,000 pages which is a lot better than the 200 that I get on my ink jet printer with one cartridge!

The printer fit in nicely on a shelf next to my desk! I can't wait to get the drum and cartridge in so I can start using it! My poor HP printer was starting to sound like it was worn out. I still need it for the scanner because I have to scan receipts and other items for my shops. I also use it to make copies of other items I need!! Sometimes a color print out is needed on some shops, so I can use it then also!

Nicki and Dad....Thanks for the printer!

GAS!

One thing I really like about Mystery shopping is when the gas station shops come out. There are three different gas stations that I visit. One type of station is strictly an unrevealed mystery shop. I get $5.00 worth of gas, a $6.00 payment plus $1.00 towards a purchase in the store. I did two of these shops yesterday and have one today. Another station is strictly an audit with no reimbursement for gas, just for a small purchase inside the store. The third station type is a mix of a mystery shop and then a revealed audit. I get two gallons of gas that I am reimbursed for, which is almost $7.00 these days, plus $10 for doing the shop. I completed two of these yesterday and have two more today. I have a total of 27 of these kinds of shops between now and March.

These shops are not very difficult. The two with an audit require pictures to be taken. I have to be observant during all of these shops, but that isn't too difficult. The input is not too difficult either!

Now the one difficult thing about the gas shops is making sure I have enough room in my gas tank. I do a lot of driving during the week, so it isn't too hard, but I had to fuel up twice on Friday because I didn't put enough gas in before leaving for my shops yesterday. These shops come up quarterly so it will be the end of April before I get any more gas shops, but I do enjoy them while I can and I enjoy getting paid for them.

Ink, Ink and More Ink!

I have found that I go through a lot of ink with all of the printing I do for my shops. Some of the shops can be rather long!! They may be as long as 30 pages and if I have several of those, well it adds up fast. Other shops can be as short as two pages.

I have about 25 gas stations coming up in the next month. I have four to do this weekend and I was finally able to print them tonight. They are each 21 pages long, so that is 82 pages right there. I also have to print an authorization letter as well as a thank you letter for each shop! I printed those four and kept on printing, because I will need the other shops sooner or later. I had just changed my ink cartridge after starting my printing and after 45 minutes of printing I had to change the cartridge AGAIN! I now have no more black ink! I will have to stop tomorrow and buy at least one cartridge! I still have a LOT more printing to do and I'll do it a bit at a time! At least I am ready for this weekend!

I get a lot of my ink for free with reward dollars with Office Max and Staples! Right now, I don't have any though. I also go through a lot of paper, but I have learned to print on both sides to save on paper.

Pros and Cons!

I have found that there are pros and cons to each of the companies I work for. There are two companies where I had to sign up for shops and wait to be approved. Once I completed a set number of shops, I was then allowed to self assign. Being able to self assign is very important. You get to choose the shop you want, the dates and sometimes the times. Two other companies allowed me to self assign from the start! This allowed me to get started right away!

Two of the companies also make it very easy to reschedule shops. I wasn't feeling that well today and wanted to get into a clinic. I had six shops and I rescheduled one for next weekend because I knew it would be a longer shop and it was the only one I could reschedule. Another company allows you to email them about a shop and get an extension. I have done that few times because I was sick or because we got iced in! They usually call and allow the extension, but I try not to ask for them too often. In the past year I have probably only asked for about eight extensions. The fourth company allows you to email them and cancel a shop, but not to reschedule. However, some of their shops do have window of dates and you get to choose the date. You can go in and change it if needed, but this for a limited number of shops.

It is important you know the policy of each company when it comes to rescheduling. I have been told by someone at one of the companies that I have a good rating. I guess this means I have done a good job on reporting my shops! I want to keep that good rating!

Three of the four companies offer bonuses for shops that they really need to get done. Some offer extra pay if the shop is farther away than usual. Two of them send out emails offering more for the fee if a shop is completed. I have gotten double the fee at times! Sometimes they even call to ask you to do a shop, and I have learned to negotiate!

I like each company for different reasons. Each of them has their pros and cons when it comes to scheduling, but for the most part they are all good and consistent!

Staying Organized!

An important part of being a mystery shopper is staying organized. I work for four different companies and there is a lot of paperwork. Some shops are only three or four pages in length. Other shops can be up to 28 pages! I usually print the shops right after I sign up for them and put them in chronological order by date and have a file for each company. Sometimes I cannot print right away. I am waiting to print 25 gas shops right now because they are not available. They start next weekend and go for about five weeks and I really want to get them printed! I don't like to plan for my weekend and then realize I have to print a shop!

I have also learned to have at least one printer cartridge, both black and color, handy at all times. In fact, I need to stock up on ink again! I have learned to print double sided to save on paper! I also keep track of my mileage and the cost of my supplies for my income taxes!

I downloaded a calendar program onto my laptop so I can also keep track of my shops. I check each night to see what is coming up! I also color code each assignment by company. I then know where to look for the paperwork. I didn't start off this organized, but have learned some trick from a friend who also does mystery shopping! We are good about keeping each other updated on when new shops appear on one of the company's websites. I picked up ten new shops last night!!!

I only have six shops tomorrow! It will be an easy day and I should finish early. I like the challenge of planning my day and doing the shops I want to do. Sometimes they can be quite interesting and you can meet some pretty interesting people!

Fast Food--Teen Boys

Jacob loves the fact that I am a mystery shopper. Wouldn't any teen boy like to have an unlimited supply of french fries and other fast food! At any given time you can open up my refrigerator and find french fries, mashed potatoes and several other side items. You might even find a hamburger or two! One fast food restaurant requires you to complete both the drive thru and to eat inside the restaurant. There is no way I can eat two meals so one always makes it home.

Jacob is also in the middle of a growth spurt and eating me out of house and home! I try to keep an eye on what he eats so he doesn't end up with a huge belly, but so far so good. He gets a good amount of exercise at school and he will be refereeing soccer soon. I don't have any fast food shops this weekend, but I am sure I'll be signing up for some more again soon!

How Do You Get Paid?

So how do you get paid when you are working for a company online? One company I work for pays twice a month by check. They pay on the first and the fifteenth. They have been very reliable. Two other companies I work for pay by direct deposit. It was easy to set up and has also been very reliable. One company pays twice a month and the other pays once a month. Now the laqst company I work for pays by Paypal. I wasn't sure about how that would work but I like it. I left my money there to accumulate and saved for Christmas. I just paid for Elijah's lunch at school with Paypal using my mystery shopping money! They pay every 30 days for each shop so you can get a lot of snall payments.

Each shop can pay anywhre from $4 to $14 a shop. Many times you are required to make a purchase to prove you were at the store. You get reimbursed for what you spend which can be between a dollar to two dollars. Now at the restaurant shops you get a lot more reumbursement, but a lesser fee for doing the shop. I can make quite a bit and sometimes the fee can be doubled if the company really needs the shop done.


Before I really start doing a lot of shops for a company I make sure I get paid. I worked for a company that solely did restaurants. They paid after 60 days. I got one check pretty easily but then they didn't pay me for my next few shops.I had a hard time getting in touch with them, but I finally got it resolved. I have learned to be careful.

Planning--It's a Must!

I have twelve shops I am going to complete today! I have four banks, four gas stations, two grocery stores and a fast food place! Several of these have to be done before 3:00! Planning your day is a MUST! I usually get all of my paperwork together and then I start putting addresses into Google directions or you can use mapquest. I then start looking at the map to see which shop should be done first and so on! I also have to look at the time limits, if any, are on the shops. Today I have one shop that has to be done after 3:00, so that will be my last shop! I have to plan it out, or I won't be utilizing my time very well especially on a day like today. Tomorrow I only have six shops, but I still have to plan. I called two of them to get their Sunday hours and one doesn't open until 11:00 am and the other at noon.

Another important item to have is a GPS! Now you could always print the directions and use those, but a GPS is so much easier. One thing to keep in mind though when making your plans, is that some addresses may be for new businesses that are NOT in the GPS maps you have. I sometimes I have to use the GPS on my iPhone. Sometimes the address that I am given is not a very good one(you wouldn't think that, but it does happen) and then I have to search for that store on the Internet to find the address or even call to find out where the store is located.

I'll also have a busy night tonight with input! I will have four sheets per bank that I have to scan, rename and resize! I will have receipts for the other stores that have to be scanned. It can be a lot of work, but at least I am doing it from my computer while watching TV and I can take as many breaks as I want! I am home with my kids and can wait until Elijah goes to bed to do my input! Some shops have input that is very easy and some have input that can be more complicated!

Overall, I have to say, mystery shopping is a nice part time job! Oh and I am off on Monday from teaching, but I'll be out doing shops that day! I think I only have five!

I Survived the Weekend!

Well, I survived my busy weekend! I completed all eleven shops on Saturday in five hours. I got some gas that I will be reimbursed for, groceries, visited some banks and and office supply store. I had six shops on Sunday. I got a free lunch and a free dinner as well as more groceries!!

The dinner was very nice. I took a friend with me and we went out to a local restaurant and our out of pocket ended up being only $8.00!! It was not a fast food place....an actual restaurant! I don't do those too often! I like taking someone with me for those shops. It is no fun to eat alone!

I have a few shops after I leave work each day this week, but nothing too bad. I can still get things done and get home at a decent time for the boys!

This weekend will be busy too and I have Monday off, so I have several shops set up for that day too!

This Weekend!

OH MY, I have really over scheduled myself this weekend. I just spend the last 30 minutes planning my Saturday. I have eleven shops and of those, one has to be done between 6am and 3pm, another between 3pm and 10pm and yet another one that cannot be done between 11am and 3pm. All eleven shops are in two different cities that are very close to each other. I got it all planned out. Oh and three other shops have to be done by 3pm, because they are banks and they close! Another three shops can only be done between 12pm and 6pm.

I still have to plan my Sunday,but I only have six shops on that day!! I don't usually plan eleven shops on a Saturday but some really nice shops came out and well, I just took them! Jacob stays home with Elijah and they do pretty well together! I am lucky that they don't need a babysitter!

Well, I guess I better go and plan my Sunday shops!!

Waiting for Shops

I think one of the hardest things is waiting for new shops to appear. It is the beginning of the month and you just neve know when the shops will appear. My weekends are pretty booked for this month and even into mid-February. I just happened to look on one companies web site and the gas stations were out, then the next set came out.

Sometimes you just get lucky and check the web page and find new shops. When I find new shops I start checking my calendar to see what I can do. One trap you don't want to fall into, is setting up too many shops for one day! I am limited to working mostly weekends and those can fill up fast! Sometimes I get so excited about a new set of shops that I sign up for TOO many shops. Sometimes I can reschedule them, other times I can't! It is a learning process for each company.

I just signed up for two shops for this weekend with a new company I just signed up with. I always start off slow with a new company. I like to make sure they pay on time and there are no issues. I was with one company that did mostly restaurant shops and they paid after 60-90 days by check. I got paid on time for the first few shops, but then problems arose. I didn't get paid. I emailed them and no response. I finally emailed one of the representatives who had emailed me asking me to do a shop. I told her that I hadn't been paid and wasn't going to do more shops until I got paid. She got things rolling, but I didn't like the fact they I got no response when I emailed the help desk. Needless to say, I stopped working for that company. I haven't had any issues with the companies I work for currently and they all respond very quickly when I do have questions.

Part of the fun is the hunt for the shops!! Mystery shopping fed us for dinner last night and bought my lunch today!!!

What's for Dinner?

You never really know what we might have for dinner. Most days we cook something here at the house, but on other days it might be something very different. Just the other day I came home with food from three different restaurants. We ate wings from one place with french fries, then I had five side dishes from five fast food places I had visited....I had to purchase one item at each shop to get a receipt to prove I was there. Most companies require receipts, even at an office shop, for proof you visited the business. I was reimbursed up to a $1 for each purchase and I visited five places! Not bad! I also had a lunch shop earlier in the day, where I had to go through the drive thru and go in and order. I brought home a whole meal for Elijah! Most days I can't do very many shops, but when I am off for the holidays it makes it easier.

Jacob is very excited that I have four shops at the same food chain coming up in the next few weeks. I have to admit it is one of my favorite places to eat! He told me it was awesome that we would have food from there. Now by the fourth shop we may be tired of the food, but I doubt it. At least I don't have to cook!

Read those Directions

I have learned the hard way that it is important to read the directions before starting a shop. I have been mystery shopping for over a year now and a few weeks ago I made two huge mistakes.....all because I just didn't read the directions clearly enough. Both mistakes were made at a fast food restaurant and both were minor mistakes, but huge enough to invalidate the shops. The first mistake I made was made with time. I started the shop too early and all because I didn't see that on a Sunday you have to start the shop 30 minutes later than when you do the shop Monday through Saturday. The second one happened a few days later and it was because I evaluated the service inside the shop and not in the drive thru.

Lesson learned here....even if you have done the same type of shop before and done it several time, read those directions. One small mistake could invalidate your shop!

Skills needed to be a Mystery Shopper!

So what skills do you need to be a mystery shopper? First and foremost you must be organized. I work for four different companies PLUS work my full-time job. I have to print all of the shop instructions, plus keep up with WHEN they must be done. The majority of the shops even have time windows on when the shop can be complete. When I worked for only two companies, it was a lot easier. Now that I am with four I have to keep a close eye on the dates and times my shops are due by. I have a calendar on my laptop that helps me keep things organized. You also have to plan out your day and map out your shops so that you aren't losing time while driving. I also have a GPS, which helps immensely!

Another skill you need isto be a good actor. I have to act like a customer and remember details from the shop. Many companies ask about the names of the employees as well as what they looked like. Most ask if the employee is wearing glasses. Some shops have cheat sheets you can conceal and carry with you. Some don't have cheat sheets, so you just have to observe and remember.

Having a digital camera is a must! I have many shops that are audits and require pictures!

I am going to two grocery shops later today and have a variety of shops later this week: gas stations, fast food restaurants, and check cashing just to name a few. I have all of the information for each shop in a folder that stays in my car. Next weekend will be crazy with just eleven shops on Saturday.

I may think of more skills that are needed as time goes on, but this is a good start!