Unfortunately, the mystery shopping industry has been affected by the Corona Virus Epidemic and there are very few if any mystery shopping jobs available at the moment, but usually a great way to earn extra income is by Mystery Shopping.
What is Mystery Shopping? Wikipedia’s definition: a method used externally by market research companies or internally by companies themselves to measure the quality of service, compliance with regulation and gather specific information about products and services.
When accepting mystery shopping assignments, you will pose as a regular customer and evaluate your experience. There are guidelines to follow and a report to submit after you are finished that can usually be filled out on your computer, laptop or phone. You must follow guidelines because if one oversight is missed, you run the risk of not getting paid for the shop.
It is best to sign up with a number of mystery shopping companies since there are a lot of mystery shoppers all over and limited shops for each company. Some shops by themselves will not produce a lot of income, but doing several in the same day or week can add up quickly and offer extra income.
Some shops will offer reimbursement only, some will reimburse and offer extra pay for the shop, while others will not require any out of pocket costs which is great when first starting out so you can get paid before having to use your own money and wait on reimbursement. Reimbursement shops are great if it is something you would spend money on anyway or maybe plan for future gifts down the road etc.
Some even do mystery shopping full time. I have gotten up to $1,500 before and could of done more but I have anxiety driving on the highways. I do live in the DFW area so that helps with the number of shops.
I have been a mystery shopper off and on for ten years.
It is important to be reliable and complete the shop once you assign yourself to the shop. Schedulers have to make sure all of shops are filled and having one cancelled at the last minute makes their job harder.
Like any job, practice makes perfect! Reach out to the scheduler with any questions you may have and if you made a mistake own it or state your case if you do not agree with a report being rejected.
I hope to get you started on a new journey of extra income. I personally like mystery shopping and have really branched out this year and tried new ones to advance my skills. I am pretty awesome 🙂 If there is a *symbol, this means I have shopped and gotten paid by the company. The others I may have not done shops, but know they are reputable and either do not offer shops in my area or they may have some I do not like to do. Remember that we are all different, so you may not like what I do, and love what I don’t like doing.
Some that are my favorite might not be the same to you. Some companies may have more in your area than others which is why it is important to sign up to multiple companies.
The ones listed are approved and I will tell you which ones I have been paid with and how long you have to wait on payment. Note: Due to confidentiality of mystery shopping companies and being a professional shopper, I am unable to give the company names which is another reason to sign up for different ones to find out which ones are your favorite to shop for.
The biggest problem I ran into was having to wait on payment. Most companies pay within thirty days but some can take as long as sixty days to receive payment. That makes it very hard to budget your finances and know exactly when payments are coming in. I keep it simple each month by starting a new text document in word and keep track of which shops I do each month and at the bottom what money I still have owed from previous month to help me not count it as income for the month I am in and keep the money coming in.
Please use Tina Klein or supercouponwoman@yahoo.com when signing up and they ask who referred you. .
Note: The links provided will take you to the shopper signup page. If you would like to know more about the company before signing up, please do google search first to go to their main website.
About Face Mostly compliance shops 45 days after shop submitted. (Paypal)
*A Closer Look Has a Variety of Shops to choose from and pays the fourth Monday of the month after shop is completed via check.
*Admusement Advantage Great company to shopping evaluations and have fun with the kids! Detailed Reports are required. Pays 3-4 weeks after shop is submitted via paypal.
*Ath Power Consulting Does Mainly Banking Customer Experience and Compliance Shops. Sixty Days After Shop is Complete. One of My Favorites.
*Bare International Variety of shops that include gym tours, car wash, check cashing, and banking. Allows you to cancel shop easily, although we should always try to complete shop but things come up that cannot be helped sometimes. Pays the 15th of the following month via check or direct deposit.
*Bestmark One of the top mystery shopping companies to work for the past three years. Has a variety of shops including phone shops. They get grabbed quick, so don’t hesitate if you see some available.
*Customer Impact Offers a variety of shops and has some simple merchandising assignements that are easy to complete. One of my favorite companies to work for. Pays 45-60 days.Â
* Gig Spot An resource that mystery shopping companies use to list jobs, you can apply, schedule, and keep up with payments on using this resource. Has an app also. Payments will vary by company, usually 30-45 days.
*Intellishop They offer a lot of different shops to choose from such as: phone, fast food, inquiry shops, etc. Pays within 4-5 weeks of shop completion via paypal.
*IPSOSÂ They offer various shops to choose from such as bank shops, retail shops and more. Payment is between 2-4 weeks via paypal. Has an app.
* I Secret Shop Has a variety of mystery shops to choose from including compliance, dining, retail, and even phone and web shops that you can do from the comfort of your home. Has polls and a forum to interact with other mystery shoppers also. Payments vary by company.
*Jancyn Absolutely my favorite company to shop for. They are always professional and show appreciation for their shoppers. They offer retail audits, food shops, and apartment shops. They allow you to reschedule shops on portal which is nice if you only have one shop and are feeling kind of like “I would rather do this tomorrow. Pays 5-6 weeks after shop completion via paypal.
*Sinclair Has a variety of shops to choose from such as banking, retail, grocery, and various food shops. Pays Via Check 45-60 days.
*TrendSource If you are looking for one that pays on a regular basis and has a variety to choose from, this is the one! Pays on the 6th and 22nd of each month via direct deposit. Love Them! They have an app that you can check in at the job, check out, and input the project.
Other Helpful Resources:
Jobslinger Lets you search for jobs in your area available with different mystery shopping companies, also a great way to find mystery shopping companies you might not be signed up with.
Mystery Shopping Forum A forum to connect with other mystery shoppers, find mystery shopping and merchandising jobs.