As a newbie I'm starting to wonder if I should just take the shops that I can get. What I mean is, there seems to be many shops for quite little pay. Do I need to take these so I can build a relationship with these companies to get better jobs?

Some low pay shops are not bad if close by where you will be heding because they only take 5-10 minutes for a survey. Some larger shops have surveys that are 1-2 hours long.

leeanna,My advice is to start by adding at least 5 new companies to your list per week and checking their job boards frequently. Yes, this will mean taking what you can get at first. BUT, soon you will find yourself saying, "I really hate the FF jobs; I think I can now find enough other things that I like more for the same, or better, fees." Or, it may be banks or hardware stores or check cashing that you decide is not for you. The key is to try some of everything; find out what you are most comfortable with; sign up with more, more, more companies. Then start dropping away the types/fees that you like the least. Build up your reputation with at least 20 companies that have things that you like. Soon you will see that a few "starter" companies never have jobs that are both appealing and pay what you feel is a fair fee for your better experience. That's the time to just stop checking that company's job board so frequently. Other companies will start offering you better jobs after 10 or 20 successful shops.

Also, read, read, read, the forums and jump on any company mentioned that shoppers rave about (in a positive rave, lol) to see what they have near you.

Early on, I dropped Cori, as good starter company because they have so many shops, because all they have in my area, are low pay shops that newbies snap up. I used to do a wholw day of $10-$12.50 bank teller shops as a newbie. Now I only look for them when a monthis starting off so slowly that I am bored, or when I want to be paid to take my checks to my bank.

Good luck and happy shopping!

I took whatever came my way when starting, wanting to learn. I highly recommend taking what comes your way in the beginning, and within a couple
months, you can become a bit more select, and look for better jobs.

Goofy, it seems all the shops are low pay at this point..lol

Walesmaven, Great advice~I've only taken the FF because I'm out and will have to eat anyway. I really dislike FF in general and the few shops I have done...well my dog ate one and I have only taken a bite or two for survey purposes but it's enough to keep me going for the rest of the day.

I've signed up with about 24 companies so far. Some have had NOTHING in my area and as I add others, I will drop those off.

I have signed up with CORI but for some reason, the website isn't letting me pass the initial test, it says I fail. The test is super easy and I have even watched that video while having the test up just to make sure my answers are correct. I sent them an email and they have left me a message so I will be returning their call in the morning.

I really enjoyed the thread about people's top ten companies they like. I made a list and have added a couple...there are a lot more I need to add.

I haven't done bank shops yet, maybe I should look into them more. I loved doing the sunglass shop I had. Salesman was awesome and shop was super easy and I need a new pair of sunglasses, luckily for me I didn't find any that knocked my socks off but was still fun to try and get paid for it.

Thanks for the advice...keep it comin!!

Bank teller shops are a breeze! And, soon you will have the confidence to move up the pay scale to do a few of what are called bank "platform" shops, where you meet with a banker at a desk. Remember, everyone in a bank writes something in their check record at some time or another. It is nice to be able to take notes in plain sight without being spotted. I have a second bank record in my check book, just for bank shop notes! hehe

LeeAnna,

As you keep going, you'll see patterns for bonused shops as they approach either the end of the month or the end of the project.

The $10 cell phone provider shops were a solid 30 minutes' worth of work three months ago when the project began. Now, as the 31st approaches, they are $30 each.

The $10 USPS shops went to $30 at the end of June - which was the end of the quarter and end of the month.

Bonused shops disappear quickly. I have found that Sunday afternoon and evening, as well as early Monday morning, are good times to check your job boards frequently. Some I check every 2-3 hours.

Good luck!

Leanna - As you add more companies, it's important to keep all the old ones. You don't have to shop with all of them, but you need to keep your affiliation because they are going to have diffent shops in the future. You never know what an MSC will have available in the next week or month or year. After doing all the work to set up with an MSC, hang in there and accept their emails. If they don't have anything you like, it takes just a jiffy to delete that email. If they start looking better, you can monitor their job boards. It would be good for you to keep all your options open.

It's not a high-paying field, leanna11. As newer shoppers become adept, and quicker, it can be more profitable. We may shop for cash, reimbursement or lifestyle. Taking what you can get? First, determine a few things - What do you hope to get out of it? $10/$100/$1000 in fees a month? Reimbursement shops, when useful, are money-saving. Are there oil change, office supply, grocery, hospitality, etc. shops in your area? Do you primarily want to shop for gas, groceries, or dinner at restaurants? If your market is competitively shopped, you may need to take what you can get to earn your stripes. Then, regularly, watch timings of postings and be the first shopper to self-assign or request.