One of the things I love about mystery shopping is that you can control how much you earn. As you gain experience, improve your skills and build relationships with schedulers, you will have many opportunities to do more and better shops. Here are some ideas about how to dramatically increase your income (perhaps even double it) no matter what stage of your mystery shopper career you are in.Continue Reading
If you are like most people, you have debt: car notes, credit card debt, student loans rez and other debt requiring https://www.debtconsolidation.com/debt-settlement/. It all adds up and you may find that you have very little money left each month after paying all of your bills.
But what if you didn’t have any debt payments? Can you imagine not having to worry about paying the bills, and even having extra cash to put away for the future—a house, college for the kids, or your retirement? All of this is possible if you continue learning more, and go about a little bit of mystery shopping.
Mystery shopping can help. You won’t get rich mystery shopping, and mystery shopping is not the only thing you have to do to get out of debt. But it can certainly be part of your get out of debt plan.
Having a plan is the first thing you need to do. I like the plan Dave Ramsey lays out in The Total Money Makeover
Here is how mystery shopping can be a part of your get out of debt plan.
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There are some shops that offer a reimbursement that subsidizes the cost of the mystery shopper’s required purchase, but doesn’t cover it in full. That means that you are paying money out of your pocket—money you will not be reimbursed—in order to complete the shop.
Are there ever times when you would find such a shop worthwhile? Perhaps, but you should be aware of the choice you are making when you select such an assignment.
Let me give you an example. I was looking at a fine dining shop that requires purchasing the following:
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I get lots of questions about reimbursements for required purchases on mystery shopper jobs. Here is what you need to know about secret shop reimbursements and how they work.
When I make a purchase during a secret shop, do I get to buy anything I want? How will I know how much the mystery shopping company will pay for?
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A mystery shopper asks:
I got several gift cards as Christmas gifts, and including some for stores and restaurants I sometimes visit as a secret shopper. May I use these gift cards on mystery shops, instead of paying with my own money? What about gift cards that are issued by the credit card companies (e.g., Visa, American Express), not the store or restaurant? May I use those on mystery shops?
Generally, you should be able to use gift cards on mystery shopping assignments. However, there are a few exceptions.Continue Reading
Question from a mystery shopper:
I did a shop over 5 weeks ago and have not been paid. I have been in contact with the company and received a return email that they were going to investigate, but have not received a response.
How would you handle this?
Most of the time, shoppers are paid according to schedule for the mystery shops they complete. If you are not paid when expected, here are the steps you should follow.Continue Reading
Mystery shoppers may be compensated for completing shops with the payment of a fee, reimbursement of a required purchase, or both a fee and reimbursement. Typically, the shopper pays for any required purchase out-of-pocket, and receives payment from the mystery shopping company a few weeks later.
Each company has their own methods they use to pay secret shoppers. Some offer options, so shoppers can choose, perhaps between direct deposit and a mailed check, while others have a “one size fits all” approach.
The mystery shopping company will tell you at the time you apply how they issue payments. Here are the most common choices:Continue Reading
Question from a secret shopper:
I did a mystery shopping job that included a required purchase, for which I will be reimbursed. I didn’t open the package until after I had entered my shop report. When I did, I discovered that the item was broken.
Would it be okay to return the purchase? I still have the original receipt, as the mystery shopping company just had me input the receipt number in my report.
The answer, as is so often the case, is “it depends.”
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There are times when a mystery shopping company will send a gift card to be used on a mystery shopper job. Although rare, it’s nice. You don’t have to front the cash for any required purchase and wait for reimbursement. However, there is a new trend in shopper pay that is not quite so nice.
Some clients are choosing to reimburse mystery shoppers with gift cards as a substitute for corporate gift baskets, instead of cash. What this means is that you do the mystery shop and pay out of pocket for any required purchase. After your report has been accepted, you are paid with a gift card from the merchant.
Let’s do the math to see if this is a good deal. Here is how it might work:Continue Reading