Mystery shoppers everywhere are searching for ways to make more money this spring. With the global economy in an upheaval, even those mystery shoppers who just dabbled in the business in the past are looking at mystery shopping as a way to supplement income and boost savings. You can make some additional cash as a mystery shopper with just a few easy steps:
It’s Not About Numbers. Some mystery shoppers sign up with as many providers as they can in an effort to get their hands on as many jobs as possible. While you may in fact be able to get extra jobs by signing up to work with more providers, keep in mind that it’s not simply about seeing more job postings. If you want to get your hands on more work, it’s more important to see the job postings first. If you are signed up to work with too many providers, you can actually be missing out on jobs by not looking at the right job boards at the right time.
It may actually be more worth your time and effort to clean house with your providers. Pick out your top three or five providers that you do most of your work with, and then put the other providers you’re signed up to work with to the side for now.
Add A Few Good Providers. If you find that your top providers are not giving you as much work as you want or need, you may want to hand pick a few new providers to work for. Try to find providers that specialize in assignments you like to work on and in your vicinity. You don’t want to get bombarded by assignment listings for jobs you can’t or don’t want to do.
Be Choosy. As a mystery shopper, you are your own boss. You can pick which assignments you want to do, and pass over those you don’t want. So spend your time working on jobs that you enjoy. You also should pick jobs that suit your needs. If your main goal as a mystery shopper is to make extra cash, you may not be as picky about the types of assignments you choose. Although you should still be discerning about assignment to ensure the amount of work required for the assignment is being properly compensated in job pay, bonus pay, expense reimbursement, and so for.
If your main goal as a mystery shopper is to supplement your savings, you may need to be on the lookout for assignments that cover your basic necessities, such as grocery store assignments, gas station assignments, and retail store assignments. These types of assignments have the hidden bonus of compensating you for expenses you already need to make, so they are likely worth more to you than simply the shop pay.
Hold Out. If you are on the fence about requesting an assignment, or if there are assignments that are paying below an acceptable level to you, you may want to put those on your own private watch list for now. If other mystery shoppers don’t request those assignments, you may have the opportunity to get paid more for doing these mediocre assignments simply by holding out for more money.
Mystery shopping is a great way to supplement your income and boost your savings. You can drastically improve your income potential as a mystery shopper when you consider these minor adjustments.
The point about not applying at more companies than one can practically handle just makes sense. Personally I focus on assignments with about a half dozen companies. All the while, I investigate other companies regularly, to see what kind of shops they provide, and apply accordingly. My style is slow and steady. When possible I am alert to keeping time free for bonus shops at the end of the month, end of the year, or at the end of a schedulers work cycle. All assignments have their place because shoppers all have different goals, personal schedules, and circumstances, as mentioned above. Savings, earnings, compensation, reimbursement, are all forms of income. Sometimes what may be a mediocre assignment for one, may be just your cup of tea with a bonus to boot!
I’ve signed up with over 130 providers. I have them in three categories: shops in my area, shops in areas I am willing to travel, and shops no where near me. The one with shops no where near me I check every few months to see if they’re expanding their territory. The shops in my area I check constantly, especially the half dozen I love working with. The shops in areas I’m willing to travel is for when I need extras and the locals shops are exhausted. I make a route and make a killing. I think it’s smart to sign up with a lot of companies, but to spend equal time on with each company would be ridiculous.
I recently moved to North Dallas from Fort Lauderdale, FL. This area is huge and I am swamped with assignments; that is a good thing. Yes, there are companies out there that expect so much and offer very little and I usually stay away from those companies. I am signed up for over 150 providers and do have my favorites.