I need to ask if newbies read the ICA agreegement. We get so many questions asking to name both client and MSC, I have to wonder.....it should be a given that we can't mention both in the same thread, and the pm's asking need to be eliminated...no, we can't give it away, do your research..."

I've only been here a few weeks but I've seen some whopper posts from people who really have no business being in a business having anything to do with writing/proofreading, grammar or logical thought presentation. I've seen posts from people simply stating "point me to where I'm supposed to go". I've seen posts from people with oddly written, poorly written diatribes detailing how MSC "X" screwed them.

That said, I'm guessing those very same people treat their ICAs like they treat an Apple EULA update (scroll to the bottom and click). Then they wait for the "gotcha", followed of course by the aforementioned blame game.

I'm still gathering my thoughts on this business after working it for onlyl a couple of weeks. I'm good with the little part that I do but the industry is well off the beaten path and I don't think it has the greatest "look" to the outside world. Reminds me of my former life in private security. There's a solid, if not small, core of great people, then lots and lots of people in the middle and at the bottom. A skewed curve to be sure.

But....I enjoy it! :-)

Hi,
I am trying to get into the mystery shopping business, but of course, the bulk of them are all scams. How do I know what is legit and what is not.

Please help.

Thank you.

Hello Saw - There are a lot of scams, but it's mostly NOT scams. There is list of mystery shopping companies at the bottom of the page. Start signing up with these companies and sign up with a few each day until you have more job offers than you want. Good basic nationwide companies to start with are Corporate Research, Market Force, Bare, and Maritz. Do a search on each company on this forum for shopper comments regarding their experiences. There are a few companies that don't pay promptly. Check out each new company by doing a search on this board to get shopper comments. None of these jobs pay much money. If someone offers you a lot of money or wants to send you cash in advance, it's a scam. Good luck and stay in touch / Mary

raisitup Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I'm still gathering my thoughts on this business
> after working it for onlyl a couple of weeks. I'm
> good with the little part that I do but the
> industry is well off the beaten path and I don't
> think it has the greatest "look" to the outside
> world. Reminds me of my former life in private
> security. There's a solid, if not small, core of
> great people, then lots and lots of people in the
> middle and at the bottom. A skewed curve to be
> sure.

If you put a 'Help Wanted' in the paper you would get a whole lot of applications. Some would turn down your job, even if you really wanted them, because it didn't pay enough, didn't have the right benefits, wasn't interesting, etc. Some you would not want because they didn't have the skills or a track record of showing up for work on schedule. (When I was hiring, they were referred to as the 'excuse a minute guys'.)

Mystery shopping is sort of the same thing except that it also requires a level of organization and self sufficiency as a small business. Some companies try to screen out shoppers who just don't have the skills with their writing samples or modest testing. But even there, the results are obviously mixed.

It truly is an arena where most anybody can find at least a few jobs and based on their performance may find more jobs available to them. Performance is key because it is about the only screening tool that companies ultimately have.

Shopping is definitely not for everybody. For some it works well and they build good relationships with the companies they serve. For others it is just too hard, unreasonable, slow paying, unfair and irrational. Relatively few shoppers seem to persist beyond 6 months. Fewer still continue beyond one year. But for those for whom it works, it can be a lovely, lovely thing.

OK, which one of you kooky regulars made a sock puppet to prove the point in my post made just before the one below? :-)

If this is real, you get points for proper sentence structure and grammar (I'll forgive the extra comma). That's a great start.

Now if you'll simply look around at the site you're on you'll find all the information you need. HTH, now get shopping!

SAW466 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi,
> I am trying to get into the mystery shopping
> business, but of course, the bulk of them are all
> scams. How do I know what is legit and what is
> not.
>
> Please help.
>
> Thank you.

I don't think anything snarky is going on here. We have to give SAW the benefit of the doubt and assume it's a legitimate post. It's hard for a brand new potential shopper to pose a comprehensive question because they don't have enough information. This is a very typical first post.

Often, first time posters get a return post to "read the forum". Certainly that's good advice, but for a brand new poster it might sound like a discouraging flip off.

The level of ability among shoppers will vary and the MSCs can sort it out. Personally, I liked some of the dumb kids in the class better than some of the smart kids in the class. Just me. For shopping, the 100 IQ everyday Jill or Jim might fit in better, disappear in a crowd, and make a much more effective shopper.

Certainly there is a place in this business for the more intelligent and those who have enjoyed the benefits of a better education. There are shops which absolutely require their ability and talent, and cannot be done by the rank and file who cannot write a descriptive and logical narrative.

However, there is a great deal of work which requires very little or no narrative and is based on observation and photography skills. I call them monkey see, monkey do jobs and I happily do a lot of them. I look, I see, I shoot, I yes/no. Monkey see, monkey do, monkey get a check. Most shoppers can do these if they can work their way through the guidelines and follow instructions. Literary composition skills are not required for monkey see, monkey do.

I give no thought to the reputation of the business. This is honest work and money from mystery shopping drops in the night slot at the bank and that's good enough for me.

I want more and more shoppers to post. Many of you who read this forum don't post, and you know something I want to hear about. So, please tell us what you're thinking. Don't worry about spelling - we'll figure it out.

Mary, I am one of those monkey see monkey do people! I am glad there are some of those available for the ones like me who are not good with writing narratives. I do a few, but really don't like them.

Maw Maw - I see you've been on the board since 2007, so you must have a lot of shopping under your belt. I believe for the time put in, monkey see monkey do jobs with little or no narrative pay better because the reports are quicker and there's less possibility of follow up issues with MSCs. I know you don't do much narrative, but I'm betting you do enough to have an opinion on this. What do you think? Anybody else have an opinion?

Mary, I mostly lurk. I worked full time until 2009 when I was laid off from my job. When I was working, I shopped on Saturdays. Now I just shop a couple of days a week. I have to travel to do the gas shops, so I pick up fast food etc along the route. I live in a small community of 500 people and the nearest Walmart is 22 miles away.

I don't like narratives, so I just mostly avoid the ones with it. There aren't too many around here anyway. I wait for the bonuses from Marketforce and Cori and try to work them into my route. Cori bonuses don't seem to be coming yet this month. I have been watching Jobslinger and have noticed a couple of companies I am not signed up with.

I enjoy the forum and have learned a lot from it. I am thankful that Jacob provides it and thankful for the people who post to help others. I will probably keep lurking and post from time to time.