It sure is hard to believe that the holidays are right around the corner, but that magical time of year that so many love has crept up on us once again. The holidays are indeed a magical time where the landscapes turn into a beautiful winter wonderland, and when friends and family come together to enjoy making wonderful new memories together. While this is one of the happiest times of year for many, it also is among the most expensive, too. In fact, your wallet may hurt just with the thought of buying things like presents, holiday décor, trips to visit family and friends, and more.
The good news is that as a mystery shopper, you can make the holidays more affordable by choosing the right mix of assignments to work on between now and then. Here are some tips:
Expense Reimbursements
At first glance, you may think that mystery shopping paychecks can help to cover your holiday expenses simply with the base pay on any random assignments you choose. Well, this is true, but you can really stretch the value of those assignments further when you use your required purchases to buy those items on your shopping list. With so much to buy from home décor, gifts, and more, you may find that by choosing your assignments carefully you can get a large portion of those purchases reimbursed!
Working on the Road
The holidays are indeed a time to travel, and your travel plans may include several different trips between now and the end of the year as you make plans to visit friends and family in different towns. If you are planning a road trip or two, you can make an effort to pick up assignments en route or in the destination town. This way, you can write off some of the travel expenses that you are incurring, and you can earn a few extra bucks in the process, too.
Getting More Out of Shopping Trips
During the holidays, even with the increased popularity of internet shopping, many people just seem to be heading out to various stores on a regular basis. There is always so much to buy, from ingredients to bake up homemade goods and supplies for holiday parties to gift items, wrapping paper, and more. If you are going to be heading out, you might as well make that time out and about more worth your effort. Take some time to plan out your trips when possible, and then check the job boards to see what assignments are available nearby or en route to your shopping destination.
There is no denying that the holidays are an expensive time of year. It seems that many people spend far more than they want to during this time of year in an effort to really make the season more special and magical for friends and loved ones. As a mystery shopper, you can thankfully use your assignments to make more money this season and to get reimbursed on some of those many purchases you will be making in the coming weeks. Start looking for assignments that work well with your holiday plans today, and you can really stretch the benefit that mystery shopping can provide to you this season.
Will you be doing any articles about merchandising? It is a natural outgrowth of mystery shopping, can be more take home dollars and no need to be “secret”.