Mystery Shoppers

[PokerGuy]

There's lots of scam mystery shopper companies out there, but there are also a few legitimate ones that pay shoppers a small fee to report on customer service experiences etc.

I know it's not something you'll make lots of money on, but it might be something kind of interesting to do and collect a little cash in the spare time. Anyone have any experience being a mystery shopper, or any insights?

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

I'm one, but not very active.

serviceintelligence.com


they can be boring and time consuming.

 

[2Xtreme21]

My mom ran a mystery shopping business for about 5 years. It was pretty successful, but the work load was getting too much for her so she sold it.

It was nice being able to go out to dinner for "free" (the business paid for it) and what not and I know she had a lot of fun doing it. I wouldn't trust most of the companies out there now though as they're pretty much guaranteed to be scam sites. (Or just non-ethical: charge you money for information, etc.).

 

[Slew Foot]

I used to do it for a bit. Made a little bit of money but in the end it wasnt really worth it. You end up making about $8-10 an hour or so at best, and thats only when you can find work.

use www.shopnchek.com I think.

 

[PokerGuy]

Thanks for the input guys, anyone else with info?

When you do the shopping etc, do you use your own money/CC to pay, and then get reimbursed?

 

[zinfamous]

my GF did it for a year or so.

my advice: don't do it.

i believe you get reimbursed. you generally have an assignment to buy a particular item at the shop of interest. you have ot send a copy of receipt to get refunded + the $10 payment on top of that. for many assignments, this $10 represents ~ 4hours of work including going to the store and writing up the report. the people who review your reports are major asshats. considering that the majority of mystery shoppers aren't necessarily college grads, their requirements for properly written reports are ludicrous. (I wouldn't consider the reports that difficult, just that the people reviewing them and hence in charge of your rating--which is crucial to your ability to gain "lucrative" shop opportunities--to be king asshats. they realize they have this power, and they flaunt it) there are better ways to earn pocket change: Ebay, for example.

the mystery shopping community seems to be highly competitive, sometimes desperate for these positions. register and read the forums to get a good idea of what it's like. there seems to be a housewife pack mentality going on.

I would say that it does help you become more observant, and help with memory. My GF did it when she first came into the country, and to help her with her conversational English (her 5th language). If the reviewers suspect in any way that you blew your cover during your assignment, they won't pay you.

 

[Kaspian]

Sometimes they can be fun or interesting. But also, sometimes can be boring and time consuming.