Hi! Im new! Im scared! Please help ease my mind!
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Lets take your questions from the bottom and move up . . .
Some companies have their own proprietary websites, many rent space on other platforms. The most frequent platforms are Sassie, Prophet and Shopmetrics, but there are others. In a few cases several companies are owned by one company. This stuff is not something you really need to be concerned about.
Excel worksheets have always been my best friend for keeping track of information. I have a spreadsheet of all the companies I am registered with that has a column for the company name, a column for the login page of the website, a column for user name, a column for password, the day I applied for the company. Additional columns are convenient for phone numbers, scheduler email addresses, payment schedule, etc. Excel worksheets are also the way I do my accounting, showing the job date window, the client, the address, the company I'm doing the shop for, information such as the hours during which I can do the shop, the date I did the shop, the invoice date (if an invoice is needed), the fee agreed to, the bonus that may have been agreed to, the amount of the reimbursement, the date I got paid and the amount I got paid, the mileage incurred for the shop.
It has been a long time since I did a movie count and I always found that standing in the back of the theater was the best way to do that. Read your instructions.
The comic book shop is pretty straightforward, again, read your instructions.
The biggest thing with your gift giveaway shop is to make sure you keep the cards absolutely secure and that you get all information from the winner before the card goes into their hands. Returning leftover rewards in years past has been subject to issues. Take a photo of all cards going into the return envelope and note the card numbers. Ask someone else to verify what you are packaging to send back. Send back by some shipping method that is insured and has tracking. I don't know what they do these days as return envelopes, but make sure it is secure.
Some companies have their own proprietary websites, many rent space on other platforms. The most frequent platforms are Sassie, Prophet and Shopmetrics, but there are others. In a few cases several companies are owned by one company. This stuff is not something you really need to be concerned about.
Excel worksheets have always been my best friend for keeping track of information. I have a spreadsheet of all the companies I am registered with that has a column for the company name, a column for the login page of the website, a column for user name, a column for password, the day I applied for the company. Additional columns are convenient for phone numbers, scheduler email addresses, payment schedule, etc. Excel worksheets are also the way I do my accounting, showing the job date window, the client, the address, the company I'm doing the shop for, information such as the hours during which I can do the shop, the date I did the shop, the invoice date (if an invoice is needed), the fee agreed to, the bonus that may have been agreed to, the amount of the reimbursement, the date I got paid and the amount I got paid, the mileage incurred for the shop.
It has been a long time since I did a movie count and I always found that standing in the back of the theater was the best way to do that. Read your instructions.
The comic book shop is pretty straightforward, again, read your instructions.
The biggest thing with your gift giveaway shop is to make sure you keep the cards absolutely secure and that you get all information from the winner before the card goes into their hands. Returning leftover rewards in years past has been subject to issues. Take a photo of all cards going into the return envelope and note the card numbers. Ask someone else to verify what you are packaging to send back. Send back by some shipping method that is insured and has tracking. I don't know what they do these days as return envelopes, but make sure it is secure.
As far as keeping track of companies, a spreadsheet is a good idea. I am not that organized, and all of my shop companies are on a notepad file on my computer, with login info. I also email that list to myself every so often just in case. On my list I tend to keep the sites organized by their shop software (Sassie, shopmetrics). If you are going to do a lot, you can use other sites such as JobSlinger (+) to help you keep track..
I'm signed up with probably 40 companies right now, but only shop a few companies on a regular basis, which makes it easier to track. .
I like the variety of shops you've picked up as it's a good way to find out what you like what you don't. Like Flash said, read your directions. I did a new shop (a new type of shop for me) this morning, and though it wasn't complicated and I got feedback from people who had done the shop, I read the instructions at least three times before I went and was still a bit nervous before entering the store.
I'm signed up with probably 40 companies right now, but only shop a few companies on a regular basis, which makes it easier to track. .
I like the variety of shops you've picked up as it's a good way to find out what you like what you don't. Like Flash said, read your directions. I did a new shop (a new type of shop for me) this morning, and though it wasn't complicated and I got feedback from people who had done the shop, I read the instructions at least three times before I went and was still a bit nervous before entering the store.
I am in my third year of shopping, and I still get nervous. Whenever it is a new to me shop, and/or new to me MSC, I get the butterflies in the stomach all over again, as if it was my very first shop ever. I am sure that feeling will never totally go away.
The others gave you great advice. I learned so much from this forum! You made a great start finding you way here.
The others gave you great advice. I learned so much from this forum! You made a great start finding you way here.
Lady Marius
Canadian Mystery Shopper
Canadian Mystery Shopper
I drove 3 hours round trip today to find out they ripped out the gas pumps a year ago, and another spotter location quit participating early this year.
Im new also.
Did I mention those decals are HUGE! We're talking 4" x 6" decals on ones bumper.
Im new also.
Did I mention those decals are HUGE! We're talking 4" x 6" decals on ones bumper.
When you apply for shops, keep a list on a sheet of paper. Buy a large desk calendar from one of those Dollar Tree or 99 cents stores. When I have confirmed shop dates, I list them on my desk calendar. I still do the old school method with pen and paper. You don't have to spend outrageous amounts of money to get started to do mystery shopping. Apply for a couple of different mystery shopping companies each week. I use a 4" x 6" index card note book listed with my mystery shopping companies, passwords and their payment methods/dates. When I started out, I signed up to a hardware shop. I read the guidelines, was not comfortable with the scenario and to remember what to say. I did a trial-run at a different hardware store prior to my shop date. It helped me with my weak spots and built confidence with my shop. .Like the other members stressed, you have to find what works best for you.
I got my first evaluation of my MS, I got an 8 out of 10 because they had to contact me 
That's a very good score for a beginner! No need for making a face!
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
That's pretty good for a beginner. Learn from your mistakes so that you can score a 10 on your next reports.
My hubby the accountant that he is make a spend-sheet for me to keep track of the company I work for , the shop, the due date , the amount it will pay , the date they sign off on it , the way the company pays, if there is any reimbursement for the shop, the day I receive me money . So I have everything at my sight on my computer screen.
Nice of him. Hang over his shoulder to learn how it is done because with just a few skills you can make it your own.
I include shop mileage on my spreadsheet. I don't worry about the date the company signs off on the shop (that would be just extra checking). I do show the date paid and how much paid. As a cross check, I have a column for fees, one for bonuses, one for reimbursement expected and one for 'unreimbursed amounts'. There is a column that totals the fee + bonus + reimbursement and subtracts out the amount I am paid. When I am paid the correct amount, that accumulation column should go to $0 if I got paid the correct amount. If it is not $0 then I need to investigate where I went wrong. Usually the error is that the shop offered to reimburse 'up to' $20 and my receipt was for less than that so I am only being reimbursed for the $18.26 of my receipt.
An "unreimbursed amounts" column is needed when a shop pays a 'flat fee' and expects you to make a purchase. My most frequent of these is a flat fee of $15 where I need to make a gas and an inside purchase. I am not separately being reimbursed for these--payment is included in the $15 fee. "Unreimbursed" expenses such as this are deductible on your Schedule C. However if you have a $10 reimbursement at the grocery store and your required purchases cost $4 and you are allowed to spend the rest of the $10 on whatever you want but your grocery receipt total is $12, that extra $2 is not an "unreimbursed" expense because it was not necessary to perform the shop.
Ask your hubby to make a 'workbook' of spreadsheets for you. One sheet can be the companies you register with--name, login address on the web, login name, password, date registered, pay cycle, how they pay, phone number, 'other' information you may find useful. This will keep you from needing to re-enter the information on the shop spreadsheet for each shop you accept.
I include shop mileage on my spreadsheet. I don't worry about the date the company signs off on the shop (that would be just extra checking). I do show the date paid and how much paid. As a cross check, I have a column for fees, one for bonuses, one for reimbursement expected and one for 'unreimbursed amounts'. There is a column that totals the fee + bonus + reimbursement and subtracts out the amount I am paid. When I am paid the correct amount, that accumulation column should go to $0 if I got paid the correct amount. If it is not $0 then I need to investigate where I went wrong. Usually the error is that the shop offered to reimburse 'up to' $20 and my receipt was for less than that so I am only being reimbursed for the $18.26 of my receipt.
An "unreimbursed amounts" column is needed when a shop pays a 'flat fee' and expects you to make a purchase. My most frequent of these is a flat fee of $15 where I need to make a gas and an inside purchase. I am not separately being reimbursed for these--payment is included in the $15 fee. "Unreimbursed" expenses such as this are deductible on your Schedule C. However if you have a $10 reimbursement at the grocery store and your required purchases cost $4 and you are allowed to spend the rest of the $10 on whatever you want but your grocery receipt total is $12, that extra $2 is not an "unreimbursed" expense because it was not necessary to perform the shop.
Ask your hubby to make a 'workbook' of spreadsheets for you. One sheet can be the companies you register with--name, login address on the web, login name, password, date registered, pay cycle, how they pay, phone number, 'other' information you may find useful. This will keep you from needing to re-enter the information on the shop spreadsheet for each shop you accept.
@catgrannyof5 wrote:
That's pretty good for a beginner. Learn from your mistakes so that you can score a 10 on your next reports.
So I did my second shop. A Dinner at the bar of a popular steak house. Scored my first 10 with a bunch if nice notes.
The Seven Spotter ones I signed up for though are going to annoy me due to the lack of good clear communication from the scheduler
It always good when the MSC gives you feed back, especially positive feedback.
You'll find some that don't. Some don't score your reports at all.
Anyway, good job, be happy when you get an accepted report with no issues, even if you only get a 8 or 9 (some editors will never give you a 10....ever). And keep learning.
Again, you'll find what shops/companies you like best and the ones you don't want to do. Not all shops are for everybody.
You'll find some that don't. Some don't score your reports at all.
Anyway, good job, be happy when you get an accepted report with no issues, even if you only get a 8 or 9 (some editors will never give you a 10....ever). And keep learning.
Again, you'll find what shops/companies you like best and the ones you don't want to do. Not all shops are for everybody.
I got a 9 because my images were too big. I scanned in the winner forms and saved as PDF. So I did them over as JPG. Sorry to have them have to zoom out... Geeze. Pickier than my cat... Give me a 9.... That hurt. I live for 10's and Hero Citations...
Congrats on the great comments!
Congrats on the great comments!
Does anyone have a worksheet template they would share please? My husband is great for a lot of things, but not spreadsheets and though I can make tables in Word, Excel freaks me out.
And Flash, do you mean have a different page for each company? Or each week? Or ?
And Flash, do you mean have a different page for each company? Or each week? Or ?
Mert has posted a sample spreadsheet in one of the pinned notes at the top of this section of the forum.
My workbook is based on the tax year with one page for each month. That is easy to do because once you have made up your basic sheet you simply add additional sheets to the workbook and copy/paste the basic sheet to those additional sheets. You then go to the tab for the sheet and rename it for the month. As a month gets completely paid off, I move that worksheet to the far left end of the pack such that the tabs to the right end are months I am currently working with.
As we approach the end of the year I will create the workbook for 2017 and at the end of 2016 I will copy/paste sheets in my current workbook such as 'who shops whom', 'companies I am registered with' etc. over to tabs in the 2017 workbook.
My workbook is based on the tax year with one page for each month. That is easy to do because once you have made up your basic sheet you simply add additional sheets to the workbook and copy/paste the basic sheet to those additional sheets. You then go to the tab for the sheet and rename it for the month. As a month gets completely paid off, I move that worksheet to the far left end of the pack such that the tabs to the right end are months I am currently working with.
As we approach the end of the year I will create the workbook for 2017 and at the end of 2016 I will copy/paste sheets in my current workbook such as 'who shops whom', 'companies I am registered with' etc. over to tabs in the 2017 workbook.
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