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Cathy Stucker has been a mystery shopper since 1995. She is the author of The Mystery Shopper's Manual.
| Mystery shopping is a legitimate way to make money; however, if you received a large check and were told to wire money somewhere, don't do anything until you read about mystery shopping scams. |
One of the ways I have found to increase my mystery shopper pay is by using reward credit cards to pay for my reimbursed expenses whenever I can. In fact, I use credit cards to pay for almost everything I buy, whether I am mystery shopping or not. As a result, I get hundreds of dollars worth of free gift cards and more every year.
This strategy must be used properly, or it could backfire—big time! Here are the steps you need to take to earn more with reward programs. …continue reading Increase Your Mystery Shopper Pay with Rewards
Question from a mystery shopper:
Is it possible to make $300-$400 a week as a full-time mystery shopper? My husband wants me to get a job, but I would rather be a full time mystery shopper. Can you help me convince my husband this can work? …continue reading Can I Mystery Shop Full Time?
The compensation for some mystery shops consists of a fee and reimbursement for a required purchase. Others, such as those without a required purchase (including banks, apartment complexes and car dealerships), will not include a reimbursement, but may have a higher fee.
But what about mystery shops where your only compensation is the reimbursement of a required purchase, with no fee? Some shoppers refuse to do reimbursement-only shops, and will only accept assignments that include a fee. They believe that they are most profitable by focusing on fee-only shops, or shops that include both a fee and reimbursement.
Although most of the shops I do include a fee, there are times when I do reimbursement-only shops. Usually, these are restaurant shops. My husband and I enjoy going out to dinner, so getting our dinner paid for in return for a mystery shop report can be, in my opinion, a good deal. Just for the record, we are not talking about fast food here, but nice restaurants involving servers and often alcohol. And definitely dessert. …continue reading Should You Do Reimbursement-Only Shops?
Are mystery shopper fees negotiable? Or is it strictly “take it or leave it”: accept the pay that is offered or do not take the assignment? Although you may not be able to get a pay increase on most shops, there are times when the scheduler can authorize additional pay to get the job done.
There are lots of assignments that are easy to fill at the usual fee. There is no need to offer a bonus on these shops, because there are shoppers willing to do them. This may be because they are in a large urban area where there are lots of shoppers, the usual fee is reasonable compensation, and/or the shop is attractive because the perks are really good, or it is a fun shop to do.
However, there are shops that are hard to fill because they are in out-of-the-way locations, the client has specific demographic requirements that make it hard to find shoppers, or the shop is simply underpriced. Even if the shop is hard to fill, the scheduler is responsible for making sure it gets done. That can sometimes mean paying bonuses to secret shoppers.
Sometimes a the scheduler will offer a bonus, but other times you must ask if you want more pay. Here is what you need to know about mystery shop bonuses and how to go about requesting a bonus. …continue reading Mystery Shopper Bonuses – When and How to Ask
Have you ever had a secret shop report rejected? When a shop is rejected, the client will not pay the mystery shopping company for the report. That means that you will not be paid or reimbursed, and your shopper account may even be deactivated so that you may not shop for that company again.
First, I want to stress that reports are not routinely rejected. I have mystery shopped for more than 13 years, and I have never had a report rejected. You may have the same experience. However, there are times when reports are not accepted, either by the mystery shopping company or the client. Let’s look at some common reasons for rejection, how you can avoid doing things that will get your report rejected, and what to do if your mystery shop is wrongly rejected.
Some of the reasons a mystery shop report may not be accepted include: …continue reading Avoid Rejection of Your Mystery Shop Reports
We have all heard of “re-gifting”: giving a gift we received to someone else on a gift-giving occasion. Opinions of whether or not this is appropriate vary, but what about using something you got on a mystery shop as a gift? Is it unbearably cheap, or just smart?
…continue reading Secret Shopper Perks as Gifts
A lot of shoppers lament the decreases in shopper pay that have occurred over the last few years. Many believe that mystery shopping companies are simply pocketing cash they are withholding from shoppers, but that does not take into account the pricing pressures that mystery shopping companies experience.
There is a lot of competition in the industry, and nowhere is this more evident than in the reverse auction. Reverse auctions are used by many large corporations to purchase products and services, including mystery shopping. Here is how they work, and how they affect how much you and I get paid to mystery shop. …continue reading Secret Shopper Pay and Reverse Auctions
There is no such thing as a “typical” mystery shopping fee. The requirements for each shop are different, and so are each company’s policies. Pay rates for secret shoppers can range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars, especially when the value of reimbursements is included.
Many times when you are reimbursed for a purchase that has value you will receive …continue reading Mystery Shopper Pay – Fees and Reimbursements
Yes, you can really get paid to shop. Mystery shopping isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme, and it’s not money for nothing. But mystery shopping can be easy and enjoyable, and it is a great way to make extra money in your spare time while doing things you have to do anyway. You have to shop and eat, right? …continue reading Mystery Shopping – Can You Really Make Money?
Copyright © 2004 - 2012 by Cathy Stucker
