You only have to turn on the news today to hear about the current state of the economy. The stock market is up significantly from where it was twelve to eighteen months ago, the unemployment rate is down, and consumers in general are more hopeful about the economic outlook. There may still be a big proverbial “row to hoe” in order to get the economic back to where it was a decade or two ago, but things seem to at least be moving in the right direction. The improving economic conditions have many mystery shoppers hoping for an improvement in this industry as well. While assignment pay may not be increasing anytime soon, there are in fact some steps you can take to boost your income while the economy continues to improve. Here are some steps you can follow:
Work Smarter. If you aren’t already analyzing your assignments to discover their true value to you, you need to start doing this right away. The true value of an assignment cannot be determined by looking at the base pay of that job, but instead is based on the location of the assignment, how much time and effort is involved, the amount of expense reimbursement as well as what items are available to be purchased at the store, and so forth. These factors combined together will give you a clear indication of which assignments are most worth your time. Fill your schedule with the most lucrative assignments and you will find that your year-ending income will be significantly higher.
Work More. If you need to find a way to earn more money, you will want to work not just smarter but more often as well. So take a look at your current schedule and see where and when you can pick up additional assignments. Do you have time during your lunch break or en route to the office each morning? Are Sunday afternoons pretty slow for you? Do you need to fill up a hole of time for those two hours while your child is at sports practice across town and you have nothing else to do? Chances are, you can find some holes in your schedule if you look for them.
Work Differently. Mystery shopping is one of the most exciting jobs available today, as it constantly puts you out in the world to enjoy new experiences and interact with different people. However, if you are stuck in the rut of doing the same jobs, you are not only keeping this excitement at bay, but you are also limiting your income. Experience all that mystery shopping can provide to you, and make more money in the process, by trying out some different assignments this year.
It can be truly stressful to be in a bind for cash, and this can be an even more unpleasant situation when everyone keeps talking about how the economy is on the rebound. If the financial outlook seems to be improving everywhere except in your pocketbook, use some of these great strategies to earn more money as a mystery shopper this year.
I would love to have shops every week, but I keep applying to different company’s, I get one job and nothing for 3 weeks. How do you fill each week with shops?
I wish I could do the same…but the shops seem to all come at different times and I try to group the ones that don’t pay much so I can do more but they are not coming out at the same time.