Mystery Shopping at the Grocery Store

Mystery shopping at the grocery store is a good way to buy groceries. I won't say which grocery store chains I mystery shops, but they are some of the larger known chains. Right now I have two chains that I have shopped quite a deal. The payment is usually $5.00 but the reimbursement for the groceries ranges from $5-$10.

 

You may be wondering why I get so excited about these shops. Well, I completed five of these shops this week and my partner has done three.  This makes for $72 of paid groceries. This helps with our grocery budget and we get paid to go shopping. I have two more shops this weekend which will give us $10 more in groceries and my partner is out doing one now for another $9 in reimbursement. We always have food or other items from the store we need and sometimes we splurge and buy something we normally wouldn't buy. The amount we are reimbursed is not reported to the IRS as income and that helps out too. I like getting "paid" this way! The fee that I am paid is reported to the IRS, but I also get to write off the mileage.

 

There are restrictions on the dates you can shop and also on the times, but those are manageable. The input is not too bad and I come home with groceries! Oh and last night I got an incentive to complete a mystery shop....$26 extra in fees to go to the grocery store....oh yea, I'll do that!

Slowing Down!

I just went back to work this past week as a teacher! I am also starting graduate school online on Monday! With all of this going on, I have decided to SLOW down on mystery shopping. I have signed up for some gas stations for September and October, but I generally about 60 of these and this time I am only doing 28. These just pay too well and I get free gas!

I am going to ONLY sign up for shops that pay really well OR are in town. Once graduate school gets going, I will have a better idea of how much I can handle. I am hoping to put this money away for Christmas!

It hasn't been easy to give up mystery shopping. The "hunt" for shops can almost become an addiction. However, I think I will have plenty to do with my partner,  kids, grad school, my full time job and LIFE!

Hot Spots

A few months ago I signed up for a Hot Spot on my iPhone. I figured if it was avaiable, why not get it and use it. We could then connect our iPads to the internet using the hot spot. I have used it with my iPad a lot, when we are out and about, but it is never really been NEEDED. Well, yesterday our electricity went out and when it came back on, our FIOS TV and internet would not connect. I called Verizon and talked to a really nice guy who walked me through some trouble shooting ideas. Nothing worked and a technician is coming some time today.

Meanwhile, I had one shop to input and three more shops to do. I rescheduled one of them but still had two more to do. Before leaving, I turned on that hot spot and made sure it would connect my comoputer to the internet. I could not get it to connect to my desk top computer, but it would connect to my laptop. I went and did my two shops and then came home and was able to do the input. It is a bit of a hassle, because I scanned my receipts on my desk top computer and then saved the scans to a USB thumb drive and then moved them to the laptop. I can deal with that hassle as long as I can input my shops.

I am now sitting at home waiting for a technician who will come some time today before 9PM! Elijah is watching CARS 2 on the DVD player and maybe I will get some housekeeping done! I am keeping my phone handy though so I don't miss that technician's phone call!

Incentives!

An incentive in mystery shopping, is when extra money is offered to complete a shop. One company I work for, offers these on a regular basis and it can be as little as $2.00 extra to do a shop to $40 to do the shop.

Several things can impact the size of the incentive:

• The distance the shop is from your home.
• The time frame of the shop. If the company has a deadline, they want to get it done!
• The size of the city where the shop is located--if it a small town in the middle of no where, odds are that there are not too many shoppers in the area.

There is one large company that I work for that RARELY offers incentives and if they do, it is just a dollar or two. However, they sent an email out recently stating they NEEDED shops done and to give them a call. They were even offering incentives. Well, I looked and there were five shops within an hours drive from me, in an area that I know well. I called and asked about doing them and asked about the incentive. The associate asked me how much I wanted for each shop and I said $5.00 extra. She put me on hold and came back that they would give me $5.00 extra for each shop. This meant a total of $25 in incentive. The actual shop pays $10 plus around $9 in reimbursement. Just the incentive and fee alone are $75! Needless to say, I took the shops!

I once got $35 in incentive to do ONE fast food shop that was 45 minutes away. I took it and found a few more shops to do along the way! Once you sign up with a company, start looking to see if they offer incentives. They can really add to your paycheck.

Observe and Report

The majority of the shops that I complete are unrevealed. This means that when I enter the shop the employees DON'T know that I am mystery shopping. This means that I cannot take my input forms in with me to write down what I see and hear. I have to observe, remember and report what I see. Sometimes I take notes in my phone, especially at restaurant shops where I have to time each section of the meal(how long for drinks, to get the meal, etc....), but most of the time I just make a point of remembering names and descriptions. When I get to my car after the shop, I answer the questions and write the notes down that I need.

Since many shops are at gas stations, I have found that I am always observing even when I am not doing a shop. I notice if the windshield washing equipment is present, if the pump is clean and if the credit card applications are at the pump. I also notice name tags wherever I go. I also notice if menu boards are dirty, if bathrooms are stocked, and if the store/restaurant is clean!

When I first started mystery shopping, I really worried if I could remember everything, but now I don't. I do make a point of repeating someones name in my head when I have to remember it for later. I also take mental notes of everything I see and a description of the person. After a while, it just become habit and you don't have to work as hard to remember the details.

Calendar--Keeping Track of Shops

I keep track of all of my shops using a calendar on my computer. I color code each shop based on which company I have scheduled with. This ensures I don't overbook myself for certain companies that restrict the number of shops you can do in one day. It also keeps me from overbooking myself. I also keep a paper calendar in my car, so if I am out and about and shops come out, I can schedule the shops I want.

You never know when shops will come out. There is usually a pattern to the month on when shops are released, but you just never know. I checked shops early today and then within an hour checked again and some grocery shops were out. I picked up four shops for next month. I was out with the boys getting hair cuts  yesterday when I checked shops on my iPhone and there were Internet shops that were out. Scheduling shops can become a full time job! I also have to make sure I don't schedule too many fast food shops for the same day or for the same time period!

I have completed one shop with one of the new companies and found it easy to do the input. The shops has been cleared to be paid and I should get paid for it next month. I have signed up for my first shop with the second new company, but I won't do a shop for them until next month! I am trying NOT to overbook myself for the week of Spring Break! This is another important reason to keep a calendar. If I have meetings or other things that come up on a weekend, I make sure I block those dates out so I don't schedule any shops!

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you have a way to keep track of your shops.

Supplies You Will Need

I have written about the skills needed to be a mystery shopper, so now I am going to give you a list of supplies you may need to mystery shop.

• pens, pens and always another pen. I never seemed to have one in my car when I need one, so I bought a large box of pens and put them in my glove box.
• clipboard--truly a must have. When you are sitting in your car completing your input form you need it to write on. You also need it when walking around gas stations completing the form.
• pocket folder--it doesn't have to be a pocket folder, but something to keep all of your forms in for the day.
• something for receipts--I like to use a clear zip plastic envelope type thing. It's official name is a poly zip check envelope. Comes in handy!
• digital camera--truly a must have when doing audits. You can sometimes use your camera phone for small jobs, but you really need a camera for the larger ones.
• printer/scanner--again, a must have. I scan all of my receipts to send electronically in to verify my shops. I sometimes have to scan other forms. I got by with an ink jet printer for a while, but now use a laser jet printer for my shops.
• paper--well of course you need paper...duh! YOU NEED A LOT of paper! Take advantage of office supply stores that offer you rebates and/or rewards when buying paper.
• clips--paper clips to the large black clips that can hold a LARGE stack of paper...get clips.
• stapler--you need a good stapler and a LOT of staples. First you staple the input sheets together and then once you completed the shop you staple the receipt to your input sheets. This way if there is a problem you have the receipt and the input forms together.
• GPS--I wrote a whole blog on this, but I wanted to mention it again. A MUST HAVE!
• Stopwatch--most cell phones now have some kind of timing device or at least an app you can purchase to act as a stopwatch, but this is also a MUST HAVE.
• calendar--OK it doesn't have to be a calendar, but you better have some way of keeping up with your shops. I have shops scheduled through the middle of February right now. Before I even schedule a new shop, I look to see what is already on my calendar. I don't want to overbook myself, or be driving from one side of town to the other. I try to cluster my shops together by city when I can!
• Good computer--you need a good computer and good computer skills. Organize your documents on your hard drive into folders.
• File cabinet--again, it doesn't have to be a file cabinet. I use a drawer on my desk that holds files, but someway to organize the shops you have printed.

This should be a good start! I am sure something else will come to mind. Good luck, if you decide to become a mystery shopper. Keep a list of your expenses, you can write them off on your income taxes.

Those Darn Directions!

I have blogged about how important it is to READ the directions to a shop. If you make a mistake and can't correct it, you may not get paid. Today I had two shops that were at a fast food shop. I had to take pictures at this shop and thought I had them all. I had printed the questionnaire and quickly read the directions at home. There were six reminders for six different pictures in the questionnaire. I was able to carry it with me because this was a revealed shop. However, there were three pictures that weren't mentioned in the questionnaire, but they were stated in the directions. I noticed then when I was completing the input online. Elijah and I tore out of here at 4:45 to run to these two places and TAKE these pictures. OH MY! The sun was going down and some of the pictures were outside. We made it in time, but oh my, was I worried. I had completed the shops around 11:30 this morning, but had baked and taken care of some things at home, so I didn't even start the input until 4:30. Let's just say, I will be more careful with those directions!

New Shops

I haven't had much to post lately! I am keeping busy with my mystery shopping still. Going back to work has slowed me down quite a bit, since I can only shop on the weekends! However, Thanksgiving is coming up next month and I get a whole week off! Just today, one of the companies came out with a new set of shops. They start on the 17th and are daily until the first weekend in December. I have taken an average three shops a day over the Thanksgiving break and on the weekends. They pay $8 and it looks to be a 10 minute shop. There is only one page of input and you don't even have to interact with an employee!!! I took 21 shops!

I have promised myself to slow down on my mystery shopping. The first weekend of the month is usually my busiest weekend, just because of how the shops come out. Now you may be saying to yourself, YOU just took 21 shops. Well, those shops are over 10 days! As the month goes on, I block out certain days to take either NO shops or very few shops. I have started telling myself NO, when I start thinking over shops I might want to take. I also make sure I check my calendar before accepting new shops, this keeps me from over booking myself!

I am hoping that when Christmas break comes, I can pick up some extra shops. I do plan on doing a LOT of baking though, so I will block off days that I won't shop! This is also true for the weekends in December, since I like to bake for people at work to give out gifts!

I will be busy this weekend though! I have ten shops on Saturday and nine on Sunday! I do like those paychecks though and many of the shops this weekend I get reimbursed for the gas I purchase. WOOHOO!

Jacob Becomes a Mystery Shopper

One of the companies I work for has some jobs where you need a teenager. Basically, Jacob has to try to purchase something that only a person that is 18 or older can purchase. The teenager has to be between 15 and 17 years of age. He goes into the store ahead of me and then I enter the store and enter the same general area where he is. He finds what he needs to purchase and I watch from a distance. He had been hesitant to work with me on this, because he is easily embarrassed. I finally talked him into trying at least ONE time and told him I would pay him HALF of what I make on the shop, which is $5.50. This may not seem like a lot, but it is for only about five minutes worth of work on his part!

We did the first one the other day and he was nervous. However, as we were discussing our "plan" he said, "this is like we are planning a spy mission!" He is too cute, even at 16. So he went in and the plan went just fine. We have to be sure we don't seem like we are together, so Jacob has to ignore me. Well, that isn't hard!! He took his product up to the check stand and was asked for ID.  He said he didn't have any, and the sales person said he couldn't sell him the the product. Jacob walked off and then I waited and went near the salesperson to get his name and description! Pretty easy, right? Even the input at home is only ten questions and four of those are about the receipt. We met back at the car and on the way home Jacob says, "That was pretty easy, when are we doing another one?"

I found one more shop for us to do yesterday, and we have two more scheduled for the first weekend in September. He did well at the one yesterday, but this time the sales associate SOLD him the product. I was watching from a distance and he was never asked for ID and just bought the product, no questions asked. Well, I walked by and got the associates name and description, then met Jacob at the car. I got the product and the receipt and was able to return it, which is what we are told to do with the shop instructions. I got the money back, but kept the receipt showing the sale. I have to upload that receipt and turn it in to the mystery shopping company. I then came home and did the report, which took all of five minutes.

I am glad that Jacob is taking interest in having a job and making his own money. I think that is important, and maybe when he turns 18 he will decide he wants to do mystery shopping to help pay for things while in college. We shall see!

Taking Advantage of Office Supplies on Sale!

Part of being a mystery shopper is that you do a lot of printing. I have blogged about the new laser printer we got and the cost of toner. However, there is another cost to printing and that is PAPER! We go through at least a ream of paper(500 pages) a week and when new shops come out, we can go through two reams of paper in a day!

Last year, we found paper on sale during the summer school supply sales. Office Max, Staples and Office Depot all have some kind of reward program and they are having sales again this year. Last week we each bought two reams of paper that cost $5.99, but then got $5.98 in rewards! That means we really only paid ONE CENT for each ream. Now we do have to wait until our rewards come in come October, but I can do that. I can always buy something at an office supply store. Staples had their paper on sale and you apply for the rebate and again we will end up only paying ONE CENT for each ream. Today I went and got more paper and this time I will get all of my money back in rewards except ONE DOLLAR, so each ream only cost me a dollar. They also put batteries on sale a few times a year. I bought a large pack of batteries for $16.99 and am getting $16.98 back in rewards.

Now, the downside is, you have to pay quite a bit in the beginning and then wait for the rewards. However, it does add up. Last year I got me a nice blue tooth with all of my rewards. I still do some printing on my small ink jet printer for colored sheets for shops or to print things a bit darker than the laser jet, so I can use my rewards for ink! I also keep track of all of my expenses, so I can write them off on my income taxes!

Even if you just do a small amount of printing at home, this is the best time to purchase it and if you get a few reams, it might last you until next year!

Spoiled Myself

I have been mystery shopping for about 18 months now and using my laptop for input. It has been a good little machine. It has a 14 inch screen and was easy to use. However, I started wishing for a larger screen. I checked into laptops but the biggest screen you can get is 17 inches, so I decided I  needed a desktop. I started putting $10 away each week and saved the birthday money that I got. I found a 24 inch screen on sale for $139 and bought it a few weeks ago. I then found an HP 6 GB of RAM 1 TB of memory for the hard drive for $359.99. Well I didn't quite have all of the money saved up, but decided to get it. It was just too good a deal to pass up.

I am now typing to you on my desktop computer with the 24 inch screen. I have done a few shop inputs on this one, and find it quite fast and so much more convenient with the larger screen. The printers that I have, plus the scanner on one of those, installed quite nicely. I remember the days of having to have the disk for every component. Both printers installed quickly and easily. I also bought MS Office 2010 and got it installed last night. I got all of my websites favorited on Google Chrome for my mystery shops and the programs I use to rename and resize pictures.

I bought a new power strip off of Amazon and am waiting for it. I need to plug in my external hard drive to get all of my documents and pictures onto this new one, or at least have access to them on from this computer.

Four more days of school and then I really start hitting the shops, but I won't be doing as many as last summer!

A Nice Problem to Have!

There are four different gas stations that I shop or audit. Sometimes it is a combination of a mystery shop and an audit. At this point in time, I am only working shops for a certain gas station company where they reimburse for two gallons of gas. Now you may think that isn't a lot of gas, but when I have four or five gas stations on a weekend, it can add up fast. This is especially true with gas prices going up.

I have a friend who mystery shops too and she called me on Saturday asking if I wanted some free gas. She didn't have enough room in her tank to put two gallons of gas in the car. I was about 15 minutes from the gas station, so of course, I met her there. She gave me the gas and she completed the shop! I drive an SUV so I go through gas a little quicker than she does.

I have about ten of these shops left and then I'll have to wait for the next quarter to begin to get more of these shops. Two gas companies only pay for the audit to be done, no gas. Another gas company pays for $5.00 worth of gas, so the two gallon shop is SO much better! Having to leave room in my gas tank to put in more gas during my shops. What a nice problem to have!

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.

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!

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!!