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.
A lot of the jobs offered are with very little pay and some of them took as much as 6 or 7 hours to complete, because you had to copy and read the material first to prepare your self for the job. Then when you got home you had to fill out the form and type in what notes that you had. Then send in a copy of your receipt. Then they were not happy because some of the spelling was not right. There was one time I got only $4 for all of my work, so it was not worth it.
i want to find out how to get some cemetary/graveyard assignments. can anybody help me? thx.
I will on occasion take one of those “small” paying jobs. If I am in need of gas for the car, or will soon, I will take one of those. Or if I am going to be in the area, I will take one. Say I am going to need milk, why not let them pay for it while I do the shopping. Some times those “low fee’s” can be pretty nice.
For instance, today I am doing a grocery store, check out the deli, bakery, meat, check out and purchase something.
The pay is is low ($14.00 plus up to $2.00 reimbusment). But I do need bread and milk. And I will pick up a gas station either on the way to or from this shop for another $10.00. Twenty minutes input time and I am done.
Don’t turn down those small fees. They do add up.
I just did a last minute assignment today that I didn’t get until yesterday. The shop was 5 minutes from my home. It already had a $5.00 bonus on it. They added a few more dollars just so that I would do it by the deadline. I didn’t ask them for it. It turned out that it only took me 15 minutes to do the shop.
Once I was asked to do 4 automobile shops that were about an hour from my home. I asked for mileage. I got an extra $50.00 to help cover the cost of my gas. I think I got $100.00 for the shops plus the $50.00 for the gas. I think she wanted to give me a lower amount but I held out until I got what I thought was fair compensation for my travel time and mileage.
I only take those small jobs if I know I can work them in. However, I prefer merchandising as it pays better. I spent time on a shop that I’d done several times before and when I missed a department due to a reporting error, I was told that my report was rejected-even tho it was a last minute shop and had a bonus. There wasn’t even a call to verify or ask why the discrepancy. Even instead of a call-another scheduler tried to schedule me again for the same shop. Needless to say, I asked to remove me from their system.
I just took one of “those” jobs and was smiling pretty at the $50 bonus until I got to the location. It was nothing like anything I had ever done before (merchandixing and I’ve done a lot). I went based on the verbal instructions, didn’t print out the whole 26+ page instructions and guess what? It was one of those rare times when I really needed them. Now I have to drive 2 hours round trip, again, to complete the job properly or loose all the time and travel already invested. I’m leaving this company as I’ve landed what I think will be a regularly scheduled merchandising job with a 4 day weekly schedule. At this point in my life simplification is what I need.
Ever do articles on merchandising in addition to mystery shopping?
i am doing job as accountant this is to much tiedy work but pay is to much little tha why mystery ptc is best way to earn money in a short of time.its really good for me.
befor i dont know how to earn money in this site .