The Christmas shopping season officially begins just after the leftover Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing is being crammed into the fridge, and has been known to draw out many shoppers in their pajamas and slippers. Like so many other people, you likely have quite a few gifts to buy for your loved ones this holiday season. When you add extra shopping trips into a time filled with holiday parties, family get-togethers, holiday pageants, and more, little time is left for mystery shopping. Yet if you plan your mystery shopping trips just right, you can still make plenty of extra cash as a mystery shopper this holiday season. Here’s what you need to know:
Choose Wisely. The mystery shopping job boards don’t slow down just because the holiday season is in high gear. As usual, most providers offer plenty of great jobs for you to choose from. One of the most critical aspects of making money mystery shopping this time of year is to be really mindful of your schedule. You may not be a person who crams in assignments everywhere you can most of the year, but this very busy time of year you may need to if you want to make money. So pick up a gas station or coffee shop assignment on the way to work, or pick up a lunch restaurant assignment close to the mall on a day you plan to be out shopping for holiday gifts. If you take a close look at your own schedule with the assignments available, you can like find plenty of great assignments that will fit in perfectly with the plans you already have.
Combine Outings. The good thing about the holidays is that you have lots of shopping of your own to do as you search for the perfect gifts for family and friends. If you have plans to go out shopping at certain stores, malls, or shopping centers, why not pick up an extra assignment or two while you are out? Since you actually will be out shopping more this season, this is the perfect reason to spend more time working and picking up mystery shopping assignments, too! All you need to do is plan your shopping trips a few days in advance, and check the job boards for assignments near where you plan to shop. If luck is with you, you might just find a few assignments that will reimburse you for gifts you already planned to buy!
Plan Your Work Hours. The holidays are notorious for making traffic a nightmare. There are some times of the day, like morning and evening rush hour, where you simply don’t want to get off the freeway to make a quick mystery shopping stop any time of year. During the holidays, though, even times of the day that generally have light traffic can get insanely busy, and this is even more true if you are traveling near popular malls and shopping centers. Try to plan your mystery shopping site visits at non-peak traffic times. It’s also a good idea to stay away from malls and popular shopping centers unless you have several assignments to complete in the vicinity. An assignment in a mall that would normally take you 20 minutes to complete this time of year can take you twice as long, if not more. This can really cut down on your productivity and profitability.
When the holiday season gets in high gear, it may seem like you just don’t have time to do as many mystery shopping assignments. However, if you plan your assignments carefully, you may just find that you can make more money this season than you do during other times of the year!
Great advise!!!