Did mystery shopping make you more frugal or a spendthrift?

I am curious

I definitely audit my receipts more. Once I was charged for an item I didn't purchase, and often at grocery stores, sale prices don't come up. My boyfriend acts annoyed when I point this stuff out to the cashier, but I think he is secretly happy I save us money...

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I've always been frugal even before mystery shopping. Mystery shopping only helped me justify exchanging my time and efforts in different currencies outside of money such as expensive services, experiences, products, etc.

Very infrequently shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado these days.

I'm probably the same as before. I've always been a quality over quantity person. For some things I'm frugal, for others cost is not so much a factor in my decision. Long before mystery shopping I kept a watchful eye on items being rung, receipts and credit card statements.

I'm also willing to wait it out if something catches my fancy, a trait not shared by anyone else in my family. A few years ago most of my family knew I wanted a table from Pier 1, I just didn't want to pay the price they wanted at the time. For Christmas I received enough gift cards to go buy it right away. Every month my mother would ask me why I hadn't bought it yet. At the time I knew the store put different categories of merchandise on sale each month and everything would eventually go on sale. I waited about five months to save 40% even though it wasn't really my money

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

I too have always been frugal. Now I'm worse since I don't want to go anywhere without trying to figure out how to do a shop to pay for my gas.

Mystery shopping has not changed me. Life has changed me. As time passes, my priorities change. But I have changed as a shopper.

In the beginning, I was scarcely involved in this industry. I had other jobs and interests. For years, I tried to arrange the primary job so that all of work and life would dovetail. While waiting for needed change, I did too many assignments, lost sleep, and accumulated a backlog of tasks and projects. I jokingly call this "Deferred Maintenance".

During this time, it was necessary for me to perform too much work in this industry. My family felt scrambled and frazzled because there were too many assignments mixed up with too many days and other interests.

Now, the primary job is as desired and I have returned to slight involvement in this large industry.

This is working well. Family is happy. Family is identifiable and distinct from work. We need less money from/due to this industry because we are available to do various things that cause our lives to cost less. It is a paradox, I think.

Bach is not noise, Madam. (Robert, in Two's Company)

Due to all the reports we write for this job, I have found that it's no longer a big deal to look up the customer service email for a company, and let them know about any product that is either really good, or really bad. I have gotten coupons for bread, sandwich bags, ice cream, boxer shorts, milk, tools, sausages, soda pop, door locks, and much more, just because the company wants to thank you for a nice message, or make up for a bad product. I guess that makes me more frugal!

I've always loved a good sale clothing wise, but never frugal for food or going out to eat. MSing has definitely made me more aware of expenses regarding food, cost of everything. Furniture I always bought quality, same with clothes, but since I don't need much of either any longer, I do watch the cost on what I now need. I'm glad I wasn't frugal years ago, as I have great expensive art work and furniture which lasts forever. Having been retired quite awhile, yes I watch my $$, joined several Rewards clubs to get buy one, get one, or a coupon, and MSing allows me a better lifestyle while keeping within my budget. I'd still love to travel more without doing a report, but, it is what it is....summing it up, yes, I'm more frugal than past days, but I still like nice things, good food and nice clothes.

Live consciously....

I'm in this more for the lifestyle shops than the cash, so no. It's even worse now because I know so much more about luxury things and know how to comparison shop for them. Luckily I've managed to stay strong and haven't accidentally come home with a Rolex (or Audi).

Fine dining through mystery shopping has definitely made me a food-snob. I enjoy the high end steak houses and won't eat steak at any other more moderate restaurant. Even at home we got into the habit of buying prime steak when it was on sale at a gourmet grocery chain. Recently my husband passed away and I foresee no fine dining shops (yes, I could take a friend but they tend to not be reliable and I don't want flakes ruining my reputation with the companies I shop for) anytime soon. As a result, with my new life I am eating at home most of the time and really not cooking much. But at some time, I will figure out a way to do the fine dining shops again.

I've always been frugal but mystery shopping has given me a taste for high end restaurants! And sadly, I feel I am now a much more critical person. Even when not "on the job" my husband complains I'm always 'on duty' and can't turn it off.

Shopping domestic and international locations since 2003.

I had lunch (not a shop), and found myself doing timings, lost myself for a minute. MSing stays in my mind, and service has become much more important than it used to be. I have also become more detailed in life which my friends say is odd.

Live consciously....

@fluteplaya wrote:

I am curious I definitely audit my receipts more. Once I was charged for an item I didn't purchase, and often at grocery stores, sale prices don't come up. My boyfriend acts annoyed when I point this stuff out to the cashier, but I think he is secretly happy I save us money...

I'm always a frugal noodle. I believe shopping has made it worse. I'll be out and see something I want or need and think -- eh, I have a shop in 3 days, it can wait. I also notice my receipts more now, too. I think it's rubbed off on my husband. We were at the grocery and I picked through the clearance bin and found a can of cat food marked at $0.19 so I put it in the buggy. As we were being rang up, it came up as Hershey's Ice Cream for $4.99. I wonder if anyone else was charged because I figure there were other cans that had been bought too. I pointed it out to the cashier and everyone seemed confused/concerned how to fix it. The manager couldn't get the system to override. The ended up giving me a free can of cat food. I suggested they just charge me for whatever price was under the label or take it off the bill and put it back. The manager wanted me to have it for the hassle. *shrugs* Also not a store I mystery shop, btw.

I've been buying experiences as opposed to stuff.

Grocery shops have taught me that we waste less and I can find the time to grocery shop every 2-3 days instead of trying to pile up for 2-3 weeks at a time. I spend much less!

MegglesKat

Chevron / Texaco stations consistently charge double sales tax. In my area there is no state tax on packaged grocery items but those brands charge it anyway. So the extra five cents they make me pay comes out of my pocket since most items are around 99 cents, pre-tax and the reimbursement is only a dollar. Over the years, I am sure this company has stolen hundreds of dollars from me this way and that burns my butt. It adds up.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/10/2017 05:25PM by sestrahelena.

@sestrahelena wrote:

Chevron / Texaco stations consistently charge double sales tax. In my area there is no state tax on packaged grocery items but those brands charge it anyway. So the extra five cents they make me pay comes out of my pocket since most items are around 99 cents, pre-tax and the reimbursement is only a dollar. Over the years, I am sure this company has stolen hundreds of dollars from me this way and that burns my butt. It adds up.

I've noticed this at several gas stations and I believe a few Dollar General Stores while I was traveling through the northern panhandle of WV and working in Kentucky. They do not have a food sales tax on cold food/packaged food items but sure enough, at the gas station for my item there was a sales tax on there of $0.06 or $0.07 cents.

"Kentucky – Food and food ingredients are exempt from sales tax. This exemption does not include candy, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, dietary supplements, prepared food or any food sold through vending machines."

"West Virginia – grocery items are tax exempt"

So I grab a package of baking soda and they have tax on 'em. (It's great for the litter box)

MegglesKat

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/10/2017 09:20PM by MountainCacher88.

Is there anything in the law regarding where the food item is purchased or requiring stores selling tax exempt items to have systems in place to differentiate?

In Missouri food is taxed, just at a lower rate. It is a confusing and complex system. A whole raw roasting chicken is taxed somewhere between 4 and 5% while a rotisserie chicken in the same store is taxed at the local rate which can be as high as 10%. The rotisserie chicken falls into the category of prepared food which lumps in things like salad bars. It really is a shame because food is food and a lot of the items not exempt, like cleaning supplies or laundry detergent, do not qualify as luxuries.

CA state tax is 9% for everything but an additional tax on gas due to our environmental laws makes CA the highest in the country (that I know) for gas. We pay through the nose and they seem to always be raising our tax.
Cost of living, taxes, property tax makes this a very expensive place to live. Many seniors move to Vegas NV. a state that has no state tax and is very overbuilt so property is low. Wish I wanted to live there who knows.

Live consciously....

Are there additional sales taxes in the cities? Here the state sales tax is only around 4.25%, but the county and individual cities each add their own. Several municipalities in my county are up to 10% for the total combined rate. We also have an additional fuel tax.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/10/2017 09:52PM by LisaSTL.

L.A.County has the one tax. I'm 2 blks out of L.A. County but pay the same. So many cities here that would get confusing. For the entertainment Industry, fees for getting a movie license is high in L.A.and takes a long time.
Many film makers come up here to my county where it cost less and is easily attainable as CSI is filmed here. Disney has property here and is building another headquarters. But as far as I know 9% plus gas hikes almost daily are the way it goes. We have our own water and gas facilities, so my water bill is really low as are gas bills
I pay less for utilities than my L.A. friends.

Live consciously....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/10/2017 10:09PM by Irene_L.A..

I understand how so many cities gets confusing. In St. Louis County there are around 90 different cities plus St. Louis City is a separate entity. It gets crazy keeping track of ordinances and tax rates.

Impossible to track it all.....plus things can change like a city (Porter Ranch) had a huge oil leak you may have read about and property values went down with people getting sick and oil prices rise. Everyone's suing it's a mess.

Live consciously....

Sorry, but that reminded me of something I read a while back.

What do you call a Solar Energy Spill? A nice day.

I believe they're supposed to all follow the tax exempt food laws of the state but WV and Kentucky are both notorious for not following through at the gas stations. Of course, it's quite rural out here so maybe it has to do with older POS systems and not updating? The networking company my husband works at still hasn't updated with the sales tax since the last increase in the city. The city tax just went up 1% but that can add up if your business ends up paying it and not your customers who are supposed to be charged.

Gas was $2.79 today for 87-reg. Oddly, Diesel was only $2.74.

MegglesKat

@sestrahelena wrote:

Chevron / Texaco stations consistently charge double sales tax. In my area there is no state tax on packaged grocery items but those brands charge it anyway. So the extra five cents they make me pay comes out of my pocket since most items are around 99 cents, pre-tax and the reimbursement is only a dollar. Over the years, I am sure this company has stolen hundreds of dollars from me this way and that burns my butt. It adds up.

But Exxon stations almost always charge the correct, county only sales tax on the exact same items.

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