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Hi All
I am new to mystery shopping and I have earned
some cash doing simple uncomplicated bank shops.
I particularly like the freedom to apply for or
reject assignments.
But I do want to earn more cash doing simple
uncomplicated shops. I have noticed that some
shops are just not profitable at least from my
point of view.
It really does not make any sense to pay out $50.00
to do a shop and the shop fee is just $50.00. Sure I
have a lot to learn but I am intereseted in earning cash.
Any advice from the more experienced shoppers would be
helpful.
Respectfully
I am new to mystery shopping and I have earned
some cash doing simple uncomplicated bank shops.
I particularly like the freedom to apply for or
reject assignments.
But I do want to earn more cash doing simple
uncomplicated shops. I have noticed that some
shops are just not profitable at least from my
point of view.
It really does not make any sense to pay out $50.00
to do a shop and the shop fee is just $50.00. Sure I
have a lot to learn but I am intereseted in earning cash.
Any advice from the more experienced shoppers would be
helpful.
Respectfully
wnmoore19 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I particularly like the freedom to apply for or
> reject assignments.
You are definitely on the right track here. We pay dearly for that freedom in the overall low compensation offered, but it is definitely a reason to do this. I tend not to hit the 'reject assignment' button because although I may not like it at the current fee, I want to still be available if the price gets right.
>
> But I do want to earn more cash doing simple
> uncomplicated shops. I have noticed that some
> shops are just not profitable at least from my
> point of view.
Yes, you will find a number of jobs are not worth the pay. And which shops those are depend on the individual. I do think it is worth trying one that seems marginal to determine whether you could eventually make it profitable and what circumstances surrounding it would make it profitable. It may also be worthwhile to take an unprofitable job to 'get your foot in the door' by having turned in a good and timely report to get your reputation with the company started.
>
> It really does not make any sense to pay out
> $50.00
> to do a shop and the shop fee is just $50.00. Sure
> I
> have a lot to learn but I am intereseted in
> earning cash.
Of course you are in it to make money, but over time you will find that in order to fill your 'dance card' you will need to take jobs that pay fees plus reimbursements. A $50 job with a $50 reimbursement is great IF 1) you have worked with the company enough to know they are reasonable and timely in their payments, 2) the reimbursed item is something useful to you, 3) you have the $50 to advance either on your credit card or in cash from your 'kitty'.
In connection with 1), I would check forums using the "Search" feature for recent experience of others with the company if I had not been consistently working with the company over a number of months and seen the pay checks come in, in full, within the time frame they indicate payment will be made. $50 fee not paid is annoying, $50 reimbursement not made can be devastating.
In connection with 2), it is always possible to screw up a job such that your job cannot be salvaged. Make sure that if you don't get reimbursed for some reason it is not a total waste. For me, for example, there is no value to paying shipping expenses to send a box or overnight envelope to the MSP's address of choice. Only once have I not been paid for such a job and it was because I shipped from the wrong location. Aaargh! But if I purchased a pair of shoes that I loved, not being reimbursed would not be such a big issue.
In connection with 3), every shopper needs to build a 'kitty' they can pay out on shops. This is something you do over time. An easy way to do this is to decide a percentage (5% or 10% is relatively painless) of each payment to set aside in the 'kitty'. Most of us at some time or other open a 'free checking account' with a bank job we do at a new-to-us bank. That account is great for your 'kitty'. Your shop payments via check, direct deposit or Paypal probably funnel to your main account (Account A) from which you pay your bills. Your free checking from a shop is Account B. When you pick up a subsequent shop to Account B's bank, write a check from Account A to deposit to Account B that represents the percentage of your payments since your last visit to Account B's bank. I have one credit card that I use almost exclusively for shops. When it comes time to pay it, I pay it on line from my Account B. I generally capped the 'kitty' account at $500 and yes, in the early days I often made two payments on line to the credit card--one from Account A and one from Account B--to make sure I maintained the minimum balance to keep Account B free. While this may seem complicated, depending on how your record keeping is done, it can be pretty simple. These days I have had to move my 'kitty' up to closer to $1000 because we do a lot of reimbursement only restaurant shops and although I still lay out only about $500-$600 per month, slowness of payments overall in the industry may have me paying credit card bills more than 30 days before my reimbursement comes in.
-------------------------------------------------------
> I particularly like the freedom to apply for or
> reject assignments.
You are definitely on the right track here. We pay dearly for that freedom in the overall low compensation offered, but it is definitely a reason to do this. I tend not to hit the 'reject assignment' button because although I may not like it at the current fee, I want to still be available if the price gets right.
>
> But I do want to earn more cash doing simple
> uncomplicated shops. I have noticed that some
> shops are just not profitable at least from my
> point of view.
Yes, you will find a number of jobs are not worth the pay. And which shops those are depend on the individual. I do think it is worth trying one that seems marginal to determine whether you could eventually make it profitable and what circumstances surrounding it would make it profitable. It may also be worthwhile to take an unprofitable job to 'get your foot in the door' by having turned in a good and timely report to get your reputation with the company started.
>
> It really does not make any sense to pay out
> $50.00
> to do a shop and the shop fee is just $50.00. Sure
> I
> have a lot to learn but I am intereseted in
> earning cash.
Of course you are in it to make money, but over time you will find that in order to fill your 'dance card' you will need to take jobs that pay fees plus reimbursements. A $50 job with a $50 reimbursement is great IF 1) you have worked with the company enough to know they are reasonable and timely in their payments, 2) the reimbursed item is something useful to you, 3) you have the $50 to advance either on your credit card or in cash from your 'kitty'.
In connection with 1), I would check forums using the "Search" feature for recent experience of others with the company if I had not been consistently working with the company over a number of months and seen the pay checks come in, in full, within the time frame they indicate payment will be made. $50 fee not paid is annoying, $50 reimbursement not made can be devastating.
In connection with 2), it is always possible to screw up a job such that your job cannot be salvaged. Make sure that if you don't get reimbursed for some reason it is not a total waste. For me, for example, there is no value to paying shipping expenses to send a box or overnight envelope to the MSP's address of choice. Only once have I not been paid for such a job and it was because I shipped from the wrong location. Aaargh! But if I purchased a pair of shoes that I loved, not being reimbursed would not be such a big issue.
In connection with 3), every shopper needs to build a 'kitty' they can pay out on shops. This is something you do over time. An easy way to do this is to decide a percentage (5% or 10% is relatively painless) of each payment to set aside in the 'kitty'. Most of us at some time or other open a 'free checking account' with a bank job we do at a new-to-us bank. That account is great for your 'kitty'. Your shop payments via check, direct deposit or Paypal probably funnel to your main account (Account A) from which you pay your bills. Your free checking from a shop is Account B. When you pick up a subsequent shop to Account B's bank, write a check from Account A to deposit to Account B that represents the percentage of your payments since your last visit to Account B's bank. I have one credit card that I use almost exclusively for shops. When it comes time to pay it, I pay it on line from my Account B. I generally capped the 'kitty' account at $500 and yes, in the early days I often made two payments on line to the credit card--one from Account A and one from Account B--to make sure I maintained the minimum balance to keep Account B free. While this may seem complicated, depending on how your record keeping is done, it can be pretty simple. These days I have had to move my 'kitty' up to closer to $1000 because we do a lot of reimbursement only restaurant shops and although I still lay out only about $500-$600 per month, slowness of payments overall in the industry may have me paying credit card bills more than 30 days before my reimbursement comes in.
Thank You, thank you the kitty fund sounds good, just got to make enough money to do it. Linda
It starts somewhere. And when you are first starting to do shops is as good a time as any to begin building it. It is difficult to see a $14 check come in and realize that 70 cents or 1.40 of it 'belongs to kitty', but a little discipline to do it will build the kitty and allow you to 'recycle' the money through additional shops. I recognize there are a whole lot of 'set asides' we should all be doing--to replace our car with cash payment next time, to be ready to pay tuition when it rolls around, for our retirement fund, for our vacation, for taxes, for emergencies, etc. The advantage of 'kitty' is that it allows you to take more, often better paying jobs without worrying about messing up the household budget.
I am interested in any money that I can make. I am divorced, at home with my 14 year old daughter with 25% of her kidneys functioning. I need the money for gas to get her back and forth to the doctor, I also need tires because mine or balloon type tires. LOL I don't have any money for up front. I also am 50 years old and used to work at Dept. Stores at our mall here in Dalton, GA. Any information will be good information for me.
Hello Cindi. Check JobSlinger (http://www.jobslinger.com/js/exec). Use it to see who has mystery shops in your area. You'll find mystery shop providers to sign up with and apply for jobs where you live, just takes time. Mystery shopping is not high-paying. A lot of shops do require out-of-pocket expenditures, that may not be reimbursed for a few weeks or months. Pick and choose shops that work for you.
wnmoore19 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi All
>
> I am new to mystery shopping and I have earned
> some cash doing simple uncomplicated bank shops.
> I particularly like the freedom to apply for or
> reject assignments.
>
> But I do want to earn more cash doing simple
> uncomplicated shops. I have noticed that some
> shops are just not profitable at least from my
> point of view.
>
> It really does not make any sense to pay out
> $50.00
> to do a shop and the shop fee is just $50.00. Sure
> I
> have a lot to learn but I am intereseted in
> earning cash.
>
> Any advice from the more experienced shoppers
> would be
> helpful.
>
> Respectfully
I would suggest doing more apartment jobs. Those are very simple for the most part, require no cash out of pocket and can help you build your bank account quite quickly.
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi All
>
> I am new to mystery shopping and I have earned
> some cash doing simple uncomplicated bank shops.
> I particularly like the freedom to apply for or
> reject assignments.
>
> But I do want to earn more cash doing simple
> uncomplicated shops. I have noticed that some
> shops are just not profitable at least from my
> point of view.
>
> It really does not make any sense to pay out
> $50.00
> to do a shop and the shop fee is just $50.00. Sure
> I
> have a lot to learn but I am intereseted in
> earning cash.
>
> Any advice from the more experienced shoppers
> would be
> helpful.
>
> Respectfully
I would suggest doing more apartment jobs. Those are very simple for the most part, require no cash out of pocket and can help you build your bank account quite quickly.
President of the Independent Mystery Shoppers' Coalition.
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