Hi! I am a retired marketing psychologist. I do high end restaurants and jewelry stores primarily as I am better off eating well for free.I shop Connecticut and travel the state as a consultant to retail stores which makes shopping a great fill in for time between appointments. Plus I really enjoy it. However, I have found out the good msc and the bums and there are plenty of both out there.

Hello Dr.Lloyd,

I am new to both the forum and shopping. I,like you, have a strong professional background and was hoping you might offer some tips on how to move to the more valuable/compensating shops.

I recently did a high-end appliance retail store ( my first shop) and received a personal response from the editor complimenting the report. The pay for the shop was under $20.00. I believe the shop could have offered more for the work involved but, I thought it best to start somewhere.

I just completed a hotel shop and this time it was a $20.00 pay....
Still again, lot's of man hours for $20.00.

Do you have any advice on how to get recognized as a shopper with "chops"? lol
Look forward to your response
Renee

Hello Renee and Dr. Loyd,

I too am a professional who began shopping about 3 yrs ago as a way to do something different than my normal line of work. I treat my shopping as a "paid hobby". I have performed quite a number of fine dining shops as well as high end retail and banking.
Those paid well, but in my part of the country I find those type of shops few and far between. I would consider a $20 shop decent pay now of days. I agree that it is a lot of work for the pay. When doing these I consider how close it is to my home and if there is a challenge to me. But most importantly I consider how detailed the report will be. I refuse to bang out a 50-60 question report with narrative for $9. I am seeing a ton of $9-11 shops that want these lengthy reports I don't shop to make a living and I don't really need a 2nd job. So I have learned to become very selective.
Connie

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2009 04:00AM by cmb1408@sbcglobal.net.

Renee: While you can find companies that will give new shoppers a chance to prove themselves, many companies want you to have a track record with them. You can luck into some high-paying shops, but expect to put in many staff-hours on low-paying ones.

A person may be smart and have an impressive background, but it does not necessarily translate to a reliable shopper. The MSC cannot know a potential shopper's flake quotient. She may not write well. She might not have come out of the shop with the correct information. It's amazing how some shoppers go in with their own idea of what they are looking for instead of following directions. Then the editor might need to contact the shopper for more information. That extends the turnaround time.

If the shop has to be redone, the scheduler has to work harder for the same pay, the editor has to rush, the client gets the report late, etc.

So, give your best to the shops you do, even the low-paying ones. Someone might notice. Follow directions. Expect stumbling blocks. Get Silver-certified. It's only $15 and shows intent.

Renee, you were lucky to get $20 in addition to your hotel reimbursement. If that was for Freeman, you'll be even luckier to get paid. (Actually, I think shoppers are getting paid; it just takes 5 to 8 months.) Some hotels do pay more, but most of the fee is in the reimbursements.

When you apply to MSCs, make sure your sample narratives are thorough and impeccably written. Use proper punctuation and grammar. Even educated and/or professional people can lack good writing skills (not that you do, but it's true).

Good luck to you.

Jamiesan

Count me as one who had to wait nine months, then finally write to Bill Freeman (using a tactic designed to get the attention of the ego of a person who named a firm after themselves) to get paid. I count myself among the lucky right now. Many are still following the emails from the CFO, and waiting...

Dee, I so wanted to do a Freeman hotel that was making sure the ID was removed from everything on-site. I probably would not want to stay overnight in that neighborhood, and that was not a requirement. I thought it wold take about an hour at most to check everything - nice $ for the time, but with all of the shoppers not getting paid, I decided I didn't want to wait until next year for my $20.

Hello,

My name is Sasha and I am new to this. I really dont know what to except, but I hope whatever the outcome that it's a good one.

I just started in the business this month. I have applied to over 75 companies and am still applying. The one thing I do before signing with anyone is to run a Better Business Bureau check on the company. I keep an eye on how many complaints they have filed against them, but I'm more concerned on how they handle these complaints.