With mystery shopping, as with many things in life, you get out of it what you put into it. If you devote just a few hours per month, you will make just a handful of cash when all is said and done. But with more time and effort, and by spending your time more wisely, you can really take your mystery shopping career to the next level and earn some more cash for your efforts. Here’s what you need to know to take your mystery shopping career to the next level:
Manage Your Schedule Better. If you are a new mystery shopper or a very busy person who is working the mystery shopping gig while juggling many other things, chances are that you are not managing your schedule as efficiently (and as profitably) as possible. Consider the assignments you pick up here and there. You probably spend an hour or two driving to the job site, working the assignment, coming back home, and then filing your report. Now consider if you had taken the time to pick up an extra assignment or two to complete while you are out and about. You will cut down on your travel time for each assignment you do when you can complete several assignments during one outing. This is especially true when you find assignments located next to each other such as in the same shopping mall or retail strip center.
Take Advantage Of The Perks. Mystery shopping is a job with tons of built in perks. One of the perks is the flexibility to work around other aspects of your life. If you aren’t taking advantage of this flexibility to work as much as you can, you are missing out on dollars. Consider picking up a gas station or coffee shop assignment on your way to your regular job in the morning, or hitting a grocery store assignment over your lunch hour. Can you pick up a retail assignment next to your kids’ soccer practice in the afternoon? There are so many different types of assignments that need to be done at all hours of the day that it is easy for even the busiest of people to pick up a few extra assignments if you simply look for those openings in your schedule.
Use Your Assignments To Cover Expenses. Mystery shopping assignments largely don’t pay tons of money. But when you take advantage of the expense reimbursements to cover your personal expenses, such as by buying food with a grocery store assignment, gas for your car with a gas station assignment, school clothes for the kids with retail store assignments, and more, you will really reap the benefits of being a mystery shopping. Just be careful not to waste your expense reimbursement by buying things you don’t need and had no intention of ever buying in the first place.
On the surface, mystery shopping may seem like a lot of work without a lot of compensation, but when you plan your assignments more effectively and take advantage of the perks and expense reimbursements, you will really take your job to the next level and start seeing more benefits from working the job.
I would like to take my mistery shopping to the next level, not only could I USE THE XTRA CASH i need to get out of the house more.
I also to try an get more assignments with more verity.
Your incite will/is muchly apprecately.
Some of the tips in the article are what I now practice. I try to make my trips count by lining up a series of shops for a day’s route, keep a tally of my mileage and expenses per shop, and take the time to, “smell the roses.” I enjoy the fact that one must be alone for many of the shops. It creates a little “me” time that I enjoy so much. Mystery Shop Maven offers many links and tips for the beginner. Just hang in there and click on them one by one! Your business will build! To build it takes investment of time, a little money for gas and those necessary purchases, and persistence. I glean a lot of helpful points from the forums. Keep them coming!!
I have been following your advice since I started as a mystery shopper in May of this year. My calendar is full and I’m loving every minute of it. I love the variety of jobs out there and take as many as I can including merchandising, audits and shops at movie theatres. I take the restaurant shops when I want to eat out and others when I know I’ll be in a certain area. I try to schedule a few shops in the same area so as not to be traveling all over in one day.
I love the freedom and flexibility this “job” has given me!
Thanks for all your tips and advice.
Hey guys,
I need help on finding a good site, I hear great stories of dining experiences, or trips.
PLEASE HELP ME, GIVE ME OPTIONS!!!!!
thanks,
Amanda
I would like free gas, considering I am a college student. I like retail but I really just need extra cash for books and my everyday living expenses.