If you are like many other mystery shoppers, you review the job boards regularly and make a split-second decision about which assignments you want to complete based on the base compensation offered. If the base compensation is too low, you may not even bother clicking on the link and reading the details of the assignment. However, there may be a few good reasons why it can be worth your time to read the details of those assignments more closely.
Fill Your Time
You may not want to fill your entire day with low-paying assignments, but they can be used strategically to fill the holes in your schedule. For example, if you already plan to be out and about working on different assignments, why not take a 20 minute stop at another venue to complete a quick site visit. You may not lose any travel time getting to the locations, so the assignment may be completed quickly and without considerable effort.
Close to Home
Some low-paying assignments may be located close to your home, and these can be convenient for you to pick up quickly. For example, you may find an assignment located just blocks from your home, and you may be able to travel to that location within a few minutes. This type of assignment can be completed easily in your free time, on your way home from work or at another time without inconveniencing you.
Bonus Income
Another reason to consider lower-paying mystery shopping assignments is because some of them have bonus income associated with them. Bonus income often is associated with assignments that are located far from a major metropolitan area, that need to be completed quickly or that are otherwise undesirable for some other reason. With bonus income, these assignments may be far more lucrative for you.
Expense Reimbursements
Some assignments may offer low base compensation, but they may have a rather lucrative expense reimbursement. The total value of an assignment is based on the total net compensation that you can enjoy from it, and not all compensation is in the form of cash. When an assignment has a $5 base pay coupled with a $15 or $20 expense reimbursement, this essentially tells you that you will mostly be getting compensated for your efforts through merchandise. This may not immediately seem helpful to you if you have bills to pay and need the cash. However, if the items available for purchase are items that you will need to buy, such as gas or groceries, these assignments almost are a form of bartering.
As you can see, not every low-paying assignment should be avoided at all costs. While some assignments truly have compensation that is rather insulting, others may have hidden benefits that can actually make the assignments beneficial to you. You can take time today to explore in more detail the assignments that you may have been skipping over, and you may discover a great way to earn more money or enjoy different benefits by doing these assignments.