MrsManxieCat

A friend and I are looking to get into this. We have been talking for sometime now about it. I know there are some of you on the boards that already enjoy this. Is there anyone who can let me know of "legit" ones that they are involved in that actually give assignments that are worth doing. My grandmother was involved in one of those you pay to get membership and get links to all the different companies. She NEVER got any shops and as I had told her to begin with was taken for the money. This is why I was asking for legit companies that you have had luck with that work! I appreciate the information anyone could give.

Thanks Again
Shauna

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cathych

no, no. You never pay anyone to mystery shop. They pay you. Once you get on their list, they will call you over & over with assignments. Go to this link, http://www.volition.com/mystery.html, & fill out a few applications. Keep in mind that you will have to give your phone number. I have mystery shopped at a lot of places. A few:
Belks
Checkers
Shoneys
Harris Teeter
McDaniels Farms
various movies
you usually have to take a man with you if that is possible, they want to know the cleanliness of the men's room. At a restaurant, most places ask you to order. Then you send them your reciept. They will pay for your meal, plus whatever they pay you. Keep in mind that they will only pay for you,not your family. You have a worksheet with you, to click off things, "how is the waiter dressed, is he clean, time to wait on, etc". It is a very easy way to make a buck or two.

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andreame70

Volition is the best site to get information. Go to the Mystery Shopping Companies list and apply, apply, apply. You will need to apply to as many companies as you can to get a sufficient amount of work in your area.

I have been MS'ing for about five years. I consider it to be part-time, because I only work part-time hours, but I also pick up tons of merchandising work to supplement my income. It is work and you can make money at it, but you must be dedicated and detail oriented. It has taken me several years to get my feet firmly planted in the industry, but I can tell you that after a while of proving yourself, you will get better and higher paying assignments. Last year on paper I made a little over $20,000. But I did not have to pay taxes on nearly that much, because of all of the tax write off's. You can claim your mileage and all the expenses for a home office, if you set up one. You will work as an independent contractor (self employed) so no taxes will be taken out on you. You will need to keep excellent records for tax time.

It is not hard, but you must be willing to be flexible with your time and stick to your commitments. Most companies require you to be able to write in complete sentences, using correct grammar, spelling and sentence structure.

If you are serious about it, you can do it. If you take it lightly though, you will not have much success. Oh and like Cathy stated, never pay anyone anything for the information. It is free to anyone who looks for it.

Just a few tips for you.

Andrea

Salabeana

I mystery shop full time for a living. Like she said, the better you are, the better your rep, the better paying assignments you will get.

I make about 3500.00 per month doing it (prior to reimbursements)

Organization and flexibility is the key.


I'd love to do more merchandiising, but I can't seem to find a good company that will let me merchandise .

I was with CRI but they and I had, shall we say, a falling out.

Now I'm trying to get in with some other companies.

Good luck with it and if you need any advice, just email me

Oh yes, and she's right, Volition is the best place to go becuase they also list the links to the MSPA and NRMS data banks and forums

sSMeronk33@hotmail.com

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