Anyone a secret/mystery shopper?

#2
might want to do a search, a few folks have asked about this before.

i work retail, and i know for a fact that legit mystery shoppers are out there because each of our departments gets shopped once a month. from what i hear, it doesn't pay all that well and is kind of a pain, but the shoppers do exist.
 
#3
Yes, I am a mystery shopper, I am signed up with a few companies and they email me when they have openings, usually once a month. I go into the shop, evaluate them, purchase something and write a report about how the experience went. They usually pay $15/visit. I like it because I am able to take my kids with me.
 
#6
taac said:
Yes, I am a mystery shopper, I am signed up with a few companies and they email me when they have openings, usually once a month. I go into the shop, evaluate them, purchase something and write a report about how the experience went. They usually pay $15/visit. I like it because I am able to take my kids with me.
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wow-I thought it would have paid more than that
 
#7
I was a secret shopper for a couple of years. I'd be happy if a shop paid me $15...that's actually on the higher end. Most shops pay under $5-10. Or some will only pay for your meal or items you have to purchase. Some will pay more, but you usually have to do a lot more work, spend more time, or fill out more paperwork. I live in CA so my inbox is flooded every day with available shops - I seriously get at least 50 emails a day from the different companies. Even with a lot of shops, it's only really enough for some play money, not enough to make a career on. I did it just because I worked in retail for so many years and like doing it to see "the other side."

There are indeed tons of scams - if they ever ask you for money, it is a scam. All legit companies are free to sign up. Volition.com has a list of many legit companies. Good luck!
 
#10
I'd look into doing research panels. There's a company here called Irwin Research. I get paid anywhere from 30-150 for testing out certain product. I got paid 80 bucks to taste beer one time....suckas!!!!
 
#12
I worked for a few different companies doing this line of work. It was okay....it got to the point that the only ones in my area were McDonalds and Best Buy. If you google it, you will find the legit companies; there are several out there. I had to have phone interviews and give writing samples before I was hired.
 
#14
luckycharm06 said:
I'm not, but this would totally be one of my dream jobs...getting PAID to SHOP??? :nuts: I can think of worse things to do!!! ;) :supacool:
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It's not as fun as most people think (unless you dig judging people like me...lol). You are usually not really browsing at stuff, you are paying attention to everything - remembering sales associate name, height, hair color, build as well as any other associates that come into the scene - number of customers - time it takes - where everyone is situated - etc etc. Some of the longer ones where you have to interact with several departments can take forever and you're jotting down a million notes. I did one at Ikea that I thought would be a piece of cake and it ended up making me walk around that store for almost three hours!! At first the $30 pay was appealing but after breaking down how long I was there, then the hour I spent at home typing up a looooong summary of everything that happened, it wasn't as great. Plus most companies do NOT let you keep anything you buy, or they give you a small allowance (like under $5) towards your purchase. Best Buy only gives you $2 towards your purchase, so I would just buy a soda each time. I've done alcohol shops for bars that I thought would be fun at first (being paid to drink?!) but it's not because I have to pay attention to every single transaction the bartender makes and you end up not enjoying your drink after all.

Having said all that, it's still a nice way to make extra cash. If you have patience, an eye for detail, and like to write novels (which is what apparently most shopping companies love), it can be lots of fun!
 
#15
^^^ITA! I started mystery shopping after I had my son and didn't want to go back to work full-time. Then I broke into the merchandising scene which is far better in my opinion. Volition.com lists merchandising jobs, but narms.com is the better route to go. I landed the fabulous job I have now in large part to my experience in the merchandising field.
 
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