I am new to this forum. I've been mystery shopping for 2 years, and I'd like to learn of more companies that offer jobs in my area.

The quickest way to find companies shopping your area is to sign up and check jobslinger.com. The signup is free and you will see the companies that have posted jobs recently in a radius from your zip code that interests you on the SASSIE system, the job board at Volition.com and on the MSPA job board. There may be some other boards they are drawing from, but these are the basics.

The jobs you see will have been taken already more than likely, but it will give you the companies to sign up with first.

Recognize that Jobslinger.com draws primarily from the SASSIE system (I think it is run by the same folks), so you will not see jobs from companies near you that post using ShopMetrics, Prophet4, their own software or ClientSmart unless schedulers have ALSO posted jobs on the Volition or MSPA job boards.

In the long run you need to sign up with all the companies you can find and make sure that you are set up with them to notify you by email. This month I am working with a company that has had nothing in my area for several years, but they now have a client. I haven't been checking their job boards regularly because they have had nothing. I have kept my profile alive by updating it from time to time. By email I found they had a new client in my area. But with about $50 in fees this month from them on my job sheet, they are getting moved into the group of companies to check their job board regularly.

The list of companies on this forum is in the first post of the first thread of the Mystery Shopping Company Discussion section.

Thank you. I check jobslinger.com daily and have signed up with about 25 companies. Some of them never have work near me, so I am always looking for new companies. I just now signed up with 2 more. I'll keep on signing up. There are so many I was hoping to get names of companies that provide work in NC, but it appears the companies names cannot be displayed here.

If you asked about companies that shopped my state, I could certainly tell you some, but the reality is that I have shops that are unique to my area and companies that shop my state may or may not have clients around me. That is why Jobslinger is such a neat tool for you.

Reality is that I am signed up with about 200 companies and there are very few that have produced year after year after year. Generally I find 20-30 companies that have work in my area in any given year that are jobs worth doing. (Others may have shops for which I am not eligible by age or other demographics or interest.) My best producing company for 2007 was less than mediocre in 2008, about the same in 2009 and I have seen nothing for in 2010. On the other hand, companies I have been signed up with for years suddenly have work in my area. It is constantly a gamble and so if you are planning to continue shopping, there really is no additional shortcut to just signing up with all the legitimate companies you can find.

Hello nancy847 and welcome to the forum. Alas, there's no shortcut. You've been shopping for two years, take advantage of JobSlinger, and have found this forum. Some shoppers start with the MSP list here and register til the wee hours. That was daunting for me. I didn't go that route. I was registered with maybe 20 or so MSPs when I found this forum. As I read posts mentioning MSPs, I selectively register and check them out. I've also found some on my own, as well as being found. Lots of time spent online. If you haven't yet, search for the Prophet Archondev signup. While it's a timesaver, I have to say it has netted only a few unknown to me shops in my area. Also, Google, Yahoo or whomever "mystery shopping companies in NC" and see what you get.

You said "There are so many I was hoping to get names of companies that provide work in NC, but it appears the companies names cannot be displayed here." The MSPs can be and indeed are named - just not in the same thread as its clients.

Good luck!

Just a note, many companies are now creating Facebook pages and you can become a fan. There is one page about a MS conference coming up in Las Vegas. It's too far for me to go, but I did find it interesting that MS companies have started doing FB pages.

I posted a thread listing 72 companies FB links a few days ago. See MS Discussion area. As to the other thing, you could not pay me enough money to attend it. YMMV.

Hi Dee,

Well, I am certainly naive in the conference arena. I can imagine many reasons that would make it not worth the time, based on like events, and I'm curious, but I'm not doing it anyway so it's not important. But I still want to know why!!! LOL.
nlewis1234@yahoo.com

IMHO you can get all the training you want over the net, for free, at places such as this site. And if purchasing education, I am quite particular in requiring that the "educators" have a background worthy of paying for.

Aha! Thanks Dee.