You Got to Have Money, To Make Money!

The saying, "You have to have money to make money," is very true about mystery shopping....at least in the beginning. I work for five different mystery shopping companies. Two pay twice a month, one pays once a month, the fourth pays every two weeks and the last one pays weekly(about 30 days after your shop, so you may not get paid each week). Some shops, like the banks, don't cost anything when you visit. The fast food shops can cost me between $5 and $13 each visit. So I pay for my meal and then I get reimbursed and get the FEE for the shop. For some of the nicer restaurants I am out $25 to $40 before I get reimbursed. Some office shops only cost me $1because the company wants a receipt to prove you were there. I usually try to get something right around that $1 price.

When I get paid by the company that pays once a month, at least half of my pay is reimbursement. Now, the nice thing about reimbursement is you don't get taxed for that amount. I like that I can feed us a good meal and get paid to do it, so reimbursement is nice. However, by the middle of the month, I am really wanting that paycheck! Now I like to get paid every two weeks, but for that company I don't work that much. It is a balancing act. Like I said in my last post, not all meals are worth mystery shopping for. I try to choose something that I will like, especially if it is a high end meal. I put it on my credit card and then pay it when I do get reimbursed.

If you do decide to try mystery shopping, start off slow with the meals. Once you get first paycheck or two then you will have the money needed to choose more fast food/restaurant shops if you like!

Update!

Well, it has been a while since I have posted. Life has been busy. We attended a family wedding out of state last week and school has kept me very busy! We contemplated doing some shops on the way, but decided it would not be worth the hassle! I just signed up with a new company to give them a try and see what they are like. One of the companies I work for has not had too many shops! I am also going to start a diet in a few weeks and I need to CUT DOWN on the fast food. Seriously, how many burgers can I eat! Even Jacob is sick of the fries...still! What 15 year old boy is sick of fries!

I am heavy into gas stations right now, evaluating three different chains. Two of them provide gas as part of the shop! Those are really nice, especially with the high price of gas. My partner and I went out to eat at a nice sit down restaurant last night for a mystery shop and we will visit the same chain again in a few weeks. Wing shops just came out so we will be eating those again soon!

I have decided to stop mystery shopping at the banks. OH, those are so tiresome. You just never know how long you will be stuck there. It really depends on what other customers are there. I just can't do them anymore! I might pick up a few here and there over the summer, but I really doubt it. I may not get to do as much mystery shopping this summer. I have a three day workshop in Richardson in June. I will drive back and forth for that everyday, but then have a three day workshop in Houston. The boys will stay home with my partner and I will be off at work! I won't do any shops on my way down there either!

Banks, Phone Shops, Fast Food and Gas Stations

I have spent the last week and all of today visiting shops. I have more shops tomorrow. The gas shops are really nice....2 gallons of gas! The bank shops can be pretty boring, but they pay well. I listened to the same information about credit cards four times today!! At least it is easy money, just boring. I also had four phone shops yesterday and two phone shops today. Those aren't too bad, but I don't like the paperwork. These phone shops are from a company that I don't use very often. They pay well, but don't have a large selection of shops and the shops are 21 pages! That is a lot to print.

I also woke up and went to an early shop to get breakfast and then later had lunch!! Tomorrow I have two more fast food shops and then a casual restaurant shop to buy dinner for everyone! I think Jacob may actually be getting tired of the french fries! I also have three gas shops and I just love those. I always need gas.

I do keep track of my mileage for these shops so that I can write it off on my income taxes. I did 108 miles today!!

Been Busy!

I had a very busy weekend with shops. I finished two different rounds of gas shops, but am still on one round. I get two gallons of gas for each of these gas shops and with gas at $3.49 a gallon right it is nice to get reimburse for those two gallons. I have about 30 shops total for this round of gas stations so that is 60 gallons of gas!! Not too bad! I also get paid $10 per shop!

However, the end of this month is starting to slow down. I have a few banks and gas stations to complete this weekend but not much more than that. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of gas stations left, but I am used to having many other shops too. Next months shops should start popping up around the 20th. My teaching job is keeping me pretty busy, so it may be nice to have a more laid back weekend.

I did pick up a grocery store for this Saturday and I have a take out dinner for Sunday, so no cooking dinner on Sunday night!

We are at 915 pages printed on the new printer too! WOO HOO!

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!!

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!

What is a Mystery Shopper?

Hello! I have spent the last year working as a mystery shopper as a second job. I won't reveal too much aboutthe companies I work for, because I don't want anyone to figure out where I actually do this hsopping. Anyway, a mystery shopper is someone who goes in and evaluates a business without the business knowing you are there. You are shopper for all they know. This is called an unrevealed shop. There are other shops called audits in which I do reveal who I am and conduct the audit taking picture and looking for items.

This has been a really nice way for me to make some extra money and work when I want to work and work as much or as little as I want to work. Many times when I go to a restaurant I get reimbursed for my meal, plus get paid for doing the shop. Sometimes when I do grocery stores I get reimbursed for the groceries I buy, so it is like getting my groceries for free. I even get reimbursed for gas sometimes at the gas stations I do.

I hope to share some funny and sometimes frustrating stories with you all!! I have a good friend who is also a mystery shopper and we help each other out by keeping track of assignments that are available. I have a busy month coming up and some insights from past shops to share with you! Thanks for reading!