Mystery shoppers generally love their jobs. With each assignment they complete, they have the opportunity to get out of the house, meet new people, buy things they may be reimbursed for and otherwise enjoy life. Most mystery shoppers agree that this is a great way to earn some extra money. In fact, it may have even crossed your mind that you would have an amazing life if you could only find a way to earn more money mystery shopping and quit your day job. For most, mystery shopping only produces enough income to be considered a part-time job at best. However, with the right strategy, you truly can make more money as a mystery shopper.
Close to Home
First, you should consider finding assignments that are located closer to home, your workplace or other venues that you frequent regularly. This is because you will spend less time traveling from location to location and more time working on assignments when you work close to home. While you may get an extra tax deduction for business miles traveled when you travel a farther distance, you will not earn any extra income. With this in mind, take note of how long it will take you to travel to your assignments before you request them.
Shop for Deals
Every mystery shopper has unique criteria that he or she looks for when selecting assignments to work on. Some look for assignments that appear to be fun or that are located at their favorite stores. Others may only look at the compensation offered. However, you may not realize that you can shop around a bit to find the best deals on your mystery shopping assignments. Some assignments may offer bonuses or extra compensation on required expenses, and you may not be able to see these extra perks unless you view each assignment individually.
Ask for Deals
Nobody wants to contact their mystery shopping providers and ask for more money on an assignment. It is far easier to simply request assignments that are readily available and that have advertised compensation that is lucrative than to request it. However, when you can’t find good assignments on the job boards, you may be able to make more money on some of the older or less desirable assignments posted by asking for a little bonus. You simply have to email the provider and show interest in the assignment. State your reason why you are asking for more money, such as to cover your travel time and expenses because it is located far from your home.
The fact is that there are several different ways that you can make more money with mystery shopping. With each assignment that you select, follow some of these tips, and you may be surprised how much money you can earn. Of course, to earn a full-time living, you would need to devote full-time hours to the job. However, these tips can help you to maximize your income for the assignments that you do have time to complete, and they may help you to free up some time to work on additional assignments too.