Work the Assignments Nobody Wants: Make More Money Today!

Every mystery shopper who has spent more than a few weeks scouring job boards for money-making assignments has seen those assignments that everyone just seems to pass up. Perhaps the assignment is for a location a little far away from town. Perhaps the pay is almost laughably low. Perhaps the job itself is boring, burdensome, or otherwise just plain unappealing. There are so many reasons why mystery shopper after mystery shopper may see such an assignment posted on the job boards and they all seem to pass it by.

However, while assignments such as these may initially be unappealing for so many different reasons, you may want to revisit them and give them another look. One of the easiest ways you can make more money today is by picking up these assignments that nobody else wants. Here’s what you need to know to shine off these diamonds in the rough and really make them shine for you:

Premium Pay. One way you know you’ve found a real dud assignment is that it’s been sitting on the job boards for awhile. There may be dozens, even hundreds, of mystery shoppers who have passed up on that assignment, but there is likely a scheduler who really wants to do whatever he or she can to unload that assignment. Contact the scheduler and ask if he or she is willing to offer bonus pay or some other financial incentive to make your time spent on this assignment more worthwhile. Often, a few extra bucks in pay is just what you need to overcome your initial issues with the assignment, such as how far away it is or how long it may take you to complete.

Overtime for Mystery Shoppers. If your schedule is booked pretty solid, as most mystery shoppers’ schedules are, you may think you don’t have time to pick up another assignment. However, the only way you are going to make more money today is by picking up a last minute assignment. These assignments that nobody else wants are often the best (and maybe even the only) option for last-minute assignment opportunities. You may want to look for dud assignments in locations close to where some of your other assignments are, as this can help make your travel time more worthwhile.

Creative Thinking. One of the many benefits mystery shoppers enjoy is the ability to get required expenses reimbursed. Many mystery shoppers uses these required purchases wisely by buying items they really need, such as gas, groceries, and so forth. This incentive is often just what you need in order to make a dud assignment seem more attractive to you. However, if the assignment is for a store or restaurant where you really don’t “need” anything, this is actually a less attractive way for most mystery shoppers to spend their time, because the fact is that they could be working on assignments that reimburse them for things they actually do need. For instance, you may see a shop that requires a sunglasses purchase, an eye exam, an oil change, or something else. How can you possibly make these assignments more appealing? You could offer to do the sunglasses purchase if you are permitted to return the item later, or perhaps make an exchange for a lesser dollar item that you may have more use for in the store. You may not need the eye exam, but maybe your children or even one of your friends needs it? You could ask your scheduler if they would permit you to observe the eye exam of a relative or friend instead of doing it yourself. For the oil change, maybe your spouse’s car is up for an oil change sooner than yours is? Take a hard look at these assignments that nobody else is doing, and try to think of a creative way to make them worthwhile for your. It never hurts to ask the scheduler for a little bit of flexibility.

There are always plenty of assignments on the job boards that mystery shoppers don’t snatch up right away. Spend time looking at these today, and ask your scheduler to work with you if necessary to help make the assignment more attractive to you.