~Mystery Shopping~

Wanna earn quick cash, work from home, slave to your own schedule? Why not Mystery shop?

I've been mystery shopping for over two years now. I use it as a way to supplement my income right now while I'm looking for a good job and as a way for those little extras in life. I make anywhere from $50-$400 a month depending on how hard I want to work. Keep in mind I live in a small city and my options are limited so those of you in larger centers could have better opportunities than I.

First rule of mystery shopping is NEVER pay to shop for anyone. There is no fee for shopping with any legitimate company.

Second rule is don't plan on making millions at it. You won't. It does take a certain kind of person who has the patience and skill for mystery shopping. You can make decent money but you do make it in small increments. Alot of the shops I do on a regular basis pay only $7 or $10 to do. That being said I have been paid up to $200 to do one before too! It depends how desperate they are! I am choosy about the shops I take on because I know that some are more time and effort then they pay. You will learn as you take them on too! I take ones where I'll get something useful in exchange, ie a meal, stamps, merchandise. That way I get more of a benefit from it.

There are several message boards you can go to for more information. One of my favorite are the Volition boards. That is where I go to get reviews on companies before I apply for them. Some companies in the business are notorious for not paying.

There is a whole list of companies and the types of shops they do on this page: Mystery Shopping List

I personally shop with the following companies and they are very good ones that pay on time and offer a wide variety of shops. Here is the list of them:

Spot Check Services - they give one airmile for every shop and often offer bonus airmiles when they need something done urgently. Paid by direct deposit on the 15th of every month.

In Touch Survey - They do shops for companies that offer products that you can keep in exchange for shopping it. The pay is minimal but the products are useful and make it worth your time. Their forms are easy to complete and no hassle. Paid by direct deposit every 4 weeks.

Service Intelligence - I do most of my shops with them. They have many contracts in my area. The pay is good and they will always negotiate with you if they need something done urgently. I currrently do out of town shops for them on a regular basis and they give me a gas allowance to do them. The only downfall with them is that you need to complete certification exams before you can shop for a company. Sometimes they are a pain and full of glitches. The program specialist will help you to complete the course if they really need your help though. They pay by direct deposit on the 1st of every month. They also give you a schedule of when shops are being released so that you can plan to pick up work then.

Marketforce Shopper - based out of the States, and pay by cheque in American funds. They have only had a few shops in my area but they paid promptly and well. They have the easiest forms of all.

Gapbuster - They represent only one company in my area. It is a restaurant and you are paid to shop there plus reimbursed for your meal. The company they represent is very large so often they call you at home and ask you to pick up work. I believe they call from overseas so sometimes the calls come in at odd times of the night. They pay very well and pay promptly by direct deposit on the 20th of every month.

Premier Service They email you shops that are available in your area. All their reports are completed in Microsoft Word and require a great deal of detail. I would only recommend signing up with them if you can commit to a lot of detail in your reports. They pay fairly and through Paypal every month. They are really good to their shoppers, if you need to be paid earlier they will try to accomodate you.

Performalogics I actually have a contract with them to do audits on Husky Gas Stations but I am still able to pick up an occasional mystery shop. Their pay is a bit low since you usually have to pay for a meal or an item. They pay by direct deposit on the 20th of every month.

I can give a referral if you would like for any of these companies, just email me at scrapinitblue@hotmail.com and I will send you the information you need. There is no extra pay to me for referrals, but some companies don't allow new hires without a referral.

I have done regular work for all these companies and have never had a problem getting paid. There are many companies that do not pay, remember to check the Volition boards and see what others have to say before signing up.

I hope this info helped those of you thinking of getting into this fun line of work. Feel free to put any other questions you have here and I'll answer them as best I can to help you all out!