I am still new to all this and was just wondering how many shops you can schedule in one day. I will be doing mostly telephone shops possible a few outside shops can
you schedule multiple shops both for telephone and outside or is there a limit?

mike62
Shopping the Southeast

If the MSP has limits, they will be stated, or the job board will let you self-assign only the number of shops allowed. If you have to apply for the shops, the scheduler makes the determination. Of course, if the shops are with multiple MSPs, there's greater potential for more shops.

Some of the phone shops I do are one per client per day, but if you are working with more than one client it is one each per day. As Mert mentioned, the MSP company you are working with may have limits on total shops for them, but they cannot control what you do for other companies. Some shoppers set up routes of shops that may have 20 or more shops per day.

How many shops I will attempt in a day depends to a great extent on the report. There are shops that I can handle the reports for 5 in an hour, there are shops where each report takes an hour or more. There are shops where I spend no more than 5-10 minutes at the store, there are shops where I need to be in the store often for more than an hour. You need to perform the shops to find out how long they take you for the visit plus the report.

My most frequent shop requires about 25 minutes in the store and about 10 minutes to do the report. With the drive time involved, I figure these shops take an average of 45 minutes even when I am doing a route of them, so allowing 15 minutes each for the unexpected, I need to plan on spending an hour of my day on each shop. (Examples of unexpected: the company web site crashes periodically taking my report with it, I have a flat tire, the checkout line in the store is unexpectedly long, I circle the parking lot looking for a parking place, there are issues in the store such as an employee is too diligent in looking for an answer for me, the restrooms are closed for cleaning, I slip on a wet floor and management is not about to let me leave without filling out an accident report even though I protest I am 'just fine', I am going between stores and a funeral train of 60 cars is ushered out of the church parking lot in front of me and creeps along at 5mph through a long section of road where there are no side streets for me to duck into and go another way.)

On any route of shops I would strongly encourage you to do no more than one 'new to you' shop. This allows you to focus on the specific requirements of that shop so you don't miss anything. Shops you have previously done you should have some comfort with already, so your major issue with them is making your notes once you leave the store so you don't get them confused. Good notes keep you from worrying at report writing time that the blonde cashier may have been at the State St. location rather than the Main St. one.

Read your instructions, I do an easy bank shop that allows only one per day and 5 per month...they are different, so, advice from us won't help you. Read your intrustions, that's where it all is.....I schedule four a day (on a good day) all in the same loction, I can park and walk to them. Today I'm doing two retail (all that's allowed) for one MSC and a Chiloptle, all within 3 blocks of one another, for me this is smart scheduling, I'll be in and out in 2 hours.

Many MSCs have a limit on how may shops you can do for them in a day, or how many for a particular client of theirs. Also, watch out for any requirements for time between shops of a single client's locations. You can have an otherwise perfectly good report disqualified for not waiting long enough between visits.

How many shops you can or will want to do in a day depends on so many variables. Some shoppers will do 20 convenience store shops in a day. Others would stop at 4 or 5. I can do up to three long new home video shops in a day, as long as the distances involved are not too great. After that my brain is poached with all of the scenario details that have to be remembered during a 90-120 minute shop. But, I know shoppers who will do three new home videos and then add 3 or 4 apartment videos to their day.

I do on average 5 to 7 shops per day but it takes work. I set up my weekly schedule on Sunday night having booked my week full the week before. Each day is a different area of town. The week before, when I book myself out, I designate what shops fit in the areas I will be in. Just know that just because you can do that many shops per day you should. Remember, there will be a certain amount of time that you need to get your reports posted, often within a 12 hour period (or longer but depends on company procedures.) Think of it like homework..for every hour in class you have two hours of homework. You may take shorter to write it all out but this gives you a good basis. I love to write so I'm consistently placing high marks with my companies (averaging 8 to 10) and I'm efficient when I'm on the road shopping. Good Luck!

Based in SW WA
Shopping Seattle, WA to Medford, OR
Southern CA and Western MT

Wow that's amazing to fit that many shops in, in just one day. I have been in sales for years & presently not working so this could work for some income for awhile or maybe who knows, I may like it & stay with it. It's hard to believe you even have time to type notes on a website like this. Are you working for this site as well? Good luck to you & wish me luck. I just started shopping this week with one a day & I'm thinking of uping the anti...
Katie

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/2011 08:58PM by Kat1anne.

Hi Katie. Yep, I've been in Sales too & mystery shopping for years. It really is all about timing and efficiency. It has to be somewhat worth your while to do certain shops. My week consists of mostly close in shops but I since I'm in Aviation and have the ability to fly place,s I also shop my destinations. Not everyone has that luxury, I understand. Where do you live now?
Everyone that I come in contact with that are mystery shoppers seem to like doing it. It is fun and you can pay nothing plus get a little something for your time for needs you may have! I can say though, when you up the anti and do as many as I do, it becomes WORK. You have to time some things efficiently enough that you don't work for well under miniumum wage. It can be fun for awhile (because I know the non-working blues having been apart of a very fickle career in aviation) but it can be draining. That said, you CAN do it but be wary of burnout. Let me know if you need any other advice! Love to help! Love being a shopper!

Thanks,Seattle for the advice. I am in Miami now & being it's a large city, there are many shops to choose from. I have joined a long list of the reccommended shops from some of my friends who do this & I will be careful of burnout. I am being choosy right now & only picking out some of the higher paying shops or the moderately paying shops that are close to home or on the way to another destination & fit in my schedule. I have been in inside & outside sales for 26 years & know about burnout. I just purchased a nice digital camera so I can expand my assignments & am looking forward to trying it out. What types of shops are your favorites to do?
Katie in Miami

Oh yeah, I see lots of shops in an around Miami. When I go to conferences or just to visit friends I try to get a shop or two in. I don't really let in to my friends what I'm doing, it really is just something I do myself. They have asked but I play dumb. I find that some people can be loud about it and that can blow your cover. Also, don't be afraid of the smaller paying shops. You being new will appreciate the lessons learned and practice off the uncomfortableness of being "covert." I take them anytime I'm working with a new piece of equipment .. or like yesterday, my new timing device/watch. When my equipment isn't working I get nervous and sometimes let on (or at least I feel I let on.) When I am on small details I just use my trusty Nikon Coolpix. It gets the job done. I have other cameras but don't go hog wild on spending all your money on gadgets (I know it's hard.) Time will tell when you need a certain piece to add in. Let's see, well, my favorite jobs .. hmmm .. I like anything where I have to remember long situations. I have always been good at memory games & it translates over quite naturally. In my mind, I can literally transport myself back to a shop and listen in like the fly on the wall. (Trust me that takes practice!) Oh and I love the ones that are repetitive (ie..the same shops over and over) mostly because I like monotonous work (I think I'm one of the few, ) Oh and of course, non-covert shops are great because you are just there to 'do a job', announce yourself and leave. Pay attention though to your directions!! Read, Re-read and Read again so you know exactly what you are supposed to do and when. The editors catch this stuff in your storylines and will dock points (cash or ratings) if you did something out of order!

Based in SW WA
Shopping Seattle, WA to Medford, OR
Southern CA and Western MT

I understand the practice is important & I've been doing that at some of my first shops, but I find I love the challenge too because of my sales background & I am excellent at recalling the details. I guess it's something you learn over the years in your profession. I read & re-read the directions & always print out instructions & go over right before I go in so hopefully this wont be a problem for me. As far as playing dumb I dont plan on letting anyone know what I'm up to as well at this point, good advice. I enjoy the acting & being covert & it comes naturally to play a role, again being in sales for so long has something to do with that, so I find it challenging & fun & so far I have not become nervous at all. I just upgraded my digital camera, so that's probably the only thing in the gagets category for now, but will see as I take more assignments. Thanks again for all the advice. Wish me luck this week & I'm thinking this could become just a bit more than part time for me & I love the ability to work for myself & who knows, I could have stumbled on a new career eventually. Have a great week!-- Katie

Sounds like you are ready to roll, Katie. Your area does seem to have enough work that you could make it a bit more than part time, depending on how easy it is to move around Miami and where you are located.

If you can get airport circuits you can do a ton of shops in less than a day. But it may take you the rest of that day plus an entire day to write the reports. I did 18 shops in half a day at a large international airport. I had 15 from one MSC and then marketed to find three others (two with negotiated bonus, because they were from MSCs that have trouble meeting deadlne at post-security sites) from 3 more MSCs. That took some study of the terminal map (online) to plot an effcient route thru the airport, but this is one where I only had to go through security once for access to all of the terminals.

Brought home enough food for a week, plus a lot of snack-type swag, small toiletries, etc. Plus over $240 in fees. It does take some practice to learn what are the best things to buy with the reimbursement monies, given the high prices at airports. Parking was reimbursed and my fuel cost was about one gallon. Got to stay home and write, instead of traveling to shop all the next day.

Yep Katie, you sound a lot like me. I'm doing this full-time (along with a part time outside sales job) and so far so good. I'm lucky we're both debt free (we love dave ramsey) so monthly expenses are low & we don't have to make up for much. Right now, we throw all our shop money into a kiddy for a special trip we're planning!

Walesmaven .. most my shops over the years have been airports. I was an airline employee so I got to enjoy the benefit of both sides of security. Sure made my boring commutes interesting that's for sure! I do a lot of traveling still and have done a couple trips where I just popped around to different airports in a day. I'd have a small layover one place & do a shop, jump on a flight to another airport & do a couple more shops and fly to my home airport and do a shop. It was fun!

I can also say from the many years I've been at mystery shopping (let's see, my first shop was in 1987), I'm so impressed with the way the industry has evolved. In my beginning, it was only something "extra" to do. I truly am glad to see that it has become a more professional entity. I've always acted professional in my dealings with shops and I want to always continue to learn how to be better. Today it's not "just some job" I do, it's become Much more and since leaving my airline job, I have more time to enjoy it. At this point, I guess I could call it a career but I literally don't tell anyone what I do. Truly a mystery to everyone beyond my immediate household family and I like it that way. I wanted to be a detective when I was younger so you could say this is a step that way. As long as I'm still alive and kicking I can be anything I want to be!

Got a pretty full next two weeks & a road trip to boot, so off I go! Enjoy your shops and Have a Great Week!