Mystery Shopping - Can You Really Make Money?
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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?
Of course, mystery shopping involves more than going to a store and collecting a check. You must prepare for the assignment, complete the shop, and submit a report. However, it is possible to make anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a couple of thousand a month, depending on the number and kinds of assignments you accept.
Most shoppers are involved in secret shopping part time or in their spare time. You can mystery shop around other responsibilities, such as a job, school or caring for children. Most assignments can be completed within a range of days and times, so you have flexibility about when you work.
When you work as a contract mystery shopper, you can’t count on a certain income from month to month. You may choose to use the money earned through mystery shopping as “extra” income to pay for family vacations or special luxuries. If you are looking for more regular income, supplementing your mystery shopping activities with merchandising and other sort-of related jobs can help.
Pay for mystery shops varies, depending on how much time is required, if any special expertise is needed, and if you receive a reimbursement for goods or services. You may receive a bonus if you accept a hard-to-fill assignment, or a rush job. Ultimately, how much you earn is up to you.
How much money you make will depend on how many shops you do and how much you are paid for each shop. Although some shops pay less than $10, others pay $20 or more.
Two other factors to consider are how much time the shop will take, and if there is a reimbursement that has value to you. A $10 shop that takes just a few minutes to complete, with a simple report, might be worthwhile. However, a $10 retail shop that requires a purchase and return, along with a detailed narrative report, will not allow you to make the best use of your time. However, I have done shops with low reimbursements that included a significant reimbursement that had value to me.
While some companies may keep you busy, in many cases you will receive only one or two shops from a single company in a month. By contracting with many companies, the number of shops you do and the income you receive could increase.
There are shoppers who earn a full-time income with mystery shopping and related work. For most of us, however, mystery shopping is a great way to make extra income.
One Response to 'Mystery Shopping - Can You Really Make Money?'
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on September 27th, 2007 at 11:25 am
A good way to get into other areas of this field, ie merchandising, is to apply with a company that does it all. I work with Certified Field Associates, http://www.certifiedfieldassociate.com, because it’s like one stop shopping. They do mystery shopping, merchandising, and thearter assingments. I am fortunate enough to live in a city with a public transportation system that I get a pass for which only cost $37 which makes it less expensive for me to do assignments in my area then if I had to pay for gas.
Happy Shopping!