“Good Morning America” recently did a story on mystery shopping. They followed shopper Tammy Turner as she shopped, and interviewed Turner and Game Film Consultants president, Renee deSantis.
ABC presented a positive and realistic view of mystery shopping. They showed what shoppers really do (although they focused on the shop, not doing the report later) and said that shoppers can make $100 or so a week. Of course, it is possible to make much more than $100 a week, but it is not likely that new shoppers will make that much.
What did you think of the story? If you missed it, you can see it here.
Well there are three things I didn’t like about it. The first, as you pointed out Cathy, is that they don’t even mention the paperwork/report aspect of it. The second is that they make it look as if the cooperations, i.e. Wal-Mart, hire us and as we all know that isn’t the case. We know, and I feel new shoppers should be informed, that Wal-Mart hires a company who then hires mystery shoppers, granted the chain is sometimes longer than those three links but it is, to my knowledge, never a two link chain, Wal-Mart and the mystery shopper. The last is that the MSPA wasn’t mentioned as a tool to help wanna be shopper avoid getting scammed. I have never made $100 in a week as a mystery shopper, I have as a merchandiser and/or a thearter evaluator but not as a mystery shopper. I am not saying that $100 is an outrageous amount I’m just saying it’s not something we have all done. The CBS early show did a simmilar story within the past two weeks but I wasn’t able to find it. Overall, I feel that this was at best an average story, I guess I’m still waiting for the story that shows the whole process and not just the going to the store and getting paid/getting a free item.
Most television news stories are too short to give all of the details. GMA presented a realistic, balanced story. It was a good introduction to mystery shopping and may cause viewers to want to learn more. Also, some of the stories I saw on the sites of local ABC affiliates had links to MSPA and NARMS, so there are resources for more information.
As for $100 a week, it is certainly do-able. Much depends on where you live, how many assignments you are willing to do, your experience, the types of jobs available, etc. Certainly being open to doing related jobs, such as merchandising, helps, too.
Thanks for the comment.
mysteryamerican@aol.com a scam. Send you a fake but good looking postal money order (not a bank check) Then they ask it be cashed in your bank. I went to the post office, They would cash it only it a fake. Had I done that I would be committing a federal fraud and be liable for the amount too. if I did it at a bank again I would be held accountable. SO the postal inspector now has the money order and the email copies. Lastly they wanted me to send less $100 the money by western union to the Philippines. if it is Al Quida then i would be committing more crimes. When will the scammers stop?
When will the scammers stop? When the scams stop working. Or they will at least change to a new scam.