The fact is that not all mystery shopping assignments are created equal. Some will take you less than thirty minutes to complete and will pay you quite nicely for your efforts. Others will take a long time to complete and will have an expensive required purchase with adequate compensation. In fact, if you aren’t careful, you may end up losing money on some assignments!
As a mystery shopper, it is logical that you want to do the least amount of work in the least amount of time, all the while getting the most money you can for your time and efforts. As you work towards achieving this goal, you will find that you can make more money in a day doing less work than you previously have. Of course, you have to find a way to make this happen first. Here are some excellent tips that will help you find those easy, lucrative assignments:
Take Notes. One of the best ways to learn which mystery shopping providers offer higher pay and easier assignments is through personal experience. With each assignment that you complete for a two or three month period, keep a journal of the net compensation you received on the assignment, how long it took to complete each assignment, and your own ranking for how easy or difficult the assignment was. You likely will spot a trend with many of your providers, which will make it easier for you to decide which job boards to spend more time on while you are hunting for future jobs.
Visit the Forums. The online mystery shopping forums are a rich source of information for a mystery shopper looking for hot tips and insight into the industry. You can read dozens of posts about mystery shoppers who have stopped working for certain providers who have decreased their pay over the years, who have made their reports too lengthy, who have docked pay for silly things, and more. Likewise, you will also hear about great providers to work for, including those who other mystery shoppers have found pay better or have easier reports to complete. You can save a lot of time and effort by testing out mystery shopping providers on your own by taking advantage of the insight available on the forums.
Be Number One. On the mystery shopping job boards, the best assignments get snatched up often within minutes of being posted online. If you are just checking the job boards once every few days or even once a day, you are likely missing out on the opportunity to get the best assignments. Make an effort to check the job boards several times a day, and you will increase your odds of being the first one to see those plum assignments that all of the other mystery shoppers want.
Most mystery shoppers have to work pretty hard to get their hands on the best assignments available. They have to be diligent in locating the providers who are the easiest to work for and who offer the best assignments. They also have make an effort each and every day to check the job boards often. If you aren’t happy with the assignments you have been working on lately, follow these tips to get your hands on better assignments!
I just love the insight and inspiration you dole out to all of us hard working mystery shoppers. Sometimes, when the jobs are slim to none, well they are in my area, you pop into my email with a brightly wrapped present of inspiration. Thank you for your shopping tips and for the pep talk. We all need that once in a while.
I totally agree with Jeanette’s insights. You always have such good advice and encouraging words for us. Thank you so much!!
I agree with. Your emails have been very helpful to me as a newbie in the mystery shopping arena. Thanks for all you do!
I find your articles to be very helpful if it wasn’t for you I owuldn’t be a mystery shopper today with 12 different companies, kudos to you!!!
I do not agree, all the babble on these websites does nothing to help you get started being a mystery shopper. I have tried to no avail. They just keep giveing you the run around not any job assignments.
I do applaud you for your efforts.
To succeed you have to think success. Not all tips are useful to everyone, all of the time. It takes time to build a repertoire of providers and experiences. Of course one must be up to the challenge of making mystery shopping work and to make it work you must want it to work. Little golden nuggets can be found through trial and error or through the good and bad experiences of others. Why not benefit from what others have to offer? Often it is the little things that can make or break success. Motivation and attitude cannot be underestimated. The points mentioned above highlight the value of observational skills, the wisdom of learning from others, and the rewards of being the early bird to get the worm. Now what fault can be found with that? These forums are tools by which you can benefit yourself. I am one among many who appreciates them.
Can you email me on a good Forum site for mystery shoppers?