@Niner wrote:

@JSuing wrote:

Six figures is really not that much - $100k is six figures....or are we talking the $999k six figure? What if the 6 figures was obtained by entrepreneurship and working several different jobs including mystery shop. Seems so vauge.

There are people with six figure W-2 jobs and seven figure bank accounts here.

Idk...I don't really care. Someone made a rude comment about how something was mentally wrong with someone who is making 6 figures and choosing to do mystery shops—implying if you made 6 figures, it was so much money you would be actually mentally ill to do this line of work.

I was just pointing out the fact that 6 figures was not really a lot of money... or is it?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2025 04:14PM by JSuing.

I saw the mentally ill comment, which was frustrating. One of the ways to have assets is to live frugally. You can do things like mystery shopping. My husband and I rarely eat out unless it's for mystery shopping, for example. You do enough of these things and have a high enough income W-2 income job, and you can get to seven figures.

This is exactly our situation and I believe the “mentally ill” comment was referring to me. I did not take offense considering the source. Just yesterday, my husband and I were headed to a basketball game. I picked up a desirable lunch spot off of Presto and a smoothie shop from another site. We shared both and had a nice time. The extra made from the shop paid for parking at the game. The tickets were given to us— great seats! What could have been a several hundred dollar day turned out to be extra money for the savings account. Dave Ramsey would be proud.

@Niner wrote:

I saw the mentally ill comment, which was frustrating. One of the ways to have assets is to live frugally. You can do things like mystery shopping. My husband and I rarely eat out unless it's for mystery shopping, for example. You do enough of these things and have a high enough income W-2 income job, and you can get to seven figures.

@Niner wrote:

I saw the mentally ill comment, which was frustrating. One of the ways to have assets is to live frugally. You can do things like mystery shopping. My husband and I rarely eat out unless it's for mystery shopping, for example. You do enough of these things and have a high enough income W-2 income job, and you can get to seven figures.

Yes! Exactly!

@JSuing wrote:

@Niner wrote:

There are people with six figure W-2 jobs and seven figure bank accounts here.

Idk...I don't really care. Someone made a rude comment about how something was mentally wrong with someone who is making 6 figures and choosing to do mystery shops—implying if you made 6 figures, it was so much money you would be actually mentally ill to do this line of work.

I was just pointing out the fact that 6 figures was not really a lot of money... or is it?

It's relative. $100,000 income has always been this long sought after goal for many, but it no longer has the same meaning or impact as it did 20 years ago.

In some parts of the world it's a lot of money, and in others (Like Manhattan or central LA) it's hardly a 'liveable' wage. You would have to make some concessions to live on that where I am, as ridiculous as it may sound to others living well on $40-60k.

The thing nobody ever told me when I was young and still thought $100,000 was a LOT of money is that once you crack into that, most people in my line of work incorporate and become a loan-out for their main employer(s), so their W-2 is usually less than those 6-figures. And what's the difference between $1M in the bank and $1M equity in a home? A comparison of 1040's will not even necessarily tell you how much wealth someone has...

And one of the things I have noticed in life is the most wealthy are often the most frugal. It's a key element to their wealth acquisition in many cases, so MSing is not out of line for a millionaire. Taking abuse from an MSC or accepting assignments that do not fall into some definition of 'profit' for them would be, however.

Regarding people getting fired over MS results; That's one reason I shy away from all integrity shops, unless I know the MSC has a firm policy of instructing the client not to fire people based on shop reports. In CA you can get dragged into court to testify if someone gets fired from a MS report and then sues their former employer. You will also not get extra pay for that unless you are employee (Like in NV). I know other states have similar policies and so many MSCs have paperwork advising the clients not to fire staff based on shops, but to use them as a guide for when to send a licensed PI in.

@Niner & @gigishopper we cross posted, but your anecdote proves my exact point....

Sharing for those interested:

[southcarolina.arrests.org]

Not negating what your contacts said. I think the ones she video records are local franchise owners who contract with her only. Not through a company program. They are owners of the franchise. There are some franchise owners that opt out of any mystery shopping. I know this because I’ve talked to several of them in my area. If you follow her you’ll notice she does not show faces when they fail. She has the camera pointed to the ceiling or away from the employee. I think she will only show the picture when she has the persmission of the person or the franchise owner. So I think folk need to stop bad mouthing her. If she is being nefarious, she’ll get found out.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2025 08:28PM by jwhenry704.

You must not have seen the Bojangles lunch shop.

[www.facebook.com]

@jwhenry704 wrote:

Not negating what your contacts said. I think the ones she video records are local franchise owners who contract with her only. Not through a company program. They are owners of the franchise. There are some franchise owners that opt out of any mystery shopping. I know this because I’ve talked to several of them in my area. If you follow her you’ll notice she does not show faces. She has the camera pointed to the ceiling or away from the employee. So I think folk need to stop bad mouthing her. If she is being nefarious, she’ll get found out.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2025 06:18PM by gigishopper.

I don’t think it’s necessary to post her mugshot. How many of us have done something stupid in our youth? I don’t agree with some of the things she is doing, but I don’t think it’s right to post her mugshot from something several years ago AND for something she has owned up to.

You were out of your business. Leave that woman alone.

It’s public knowledge and shows her character: fraud and shoplifting.

@audrialyn30 wrote:

I don’t think it’s necessary to post her mugshot. How many of us have done something stupid in our youth? I don’t agree with some of the things she is doing, but I don’t think it’s right to post her mugshot from something several years ago AND for something she has owned up to.

Out of my business? That makes no sense. It’s public knowledge.

@jwhenry704 wrote:

You were out of your business. Leave that woman alone.

She was 27. That’s not youth.

@audrialyn30 wrote:

I don’t think it’s necessary to post her mugshot. How many of us have done something stupid in our youth? I don’t agree with some of the things she is doing, but I don’t think it’s right to post her mugshot from something several years ago AND for something she has owned up to.

@jwhenry704 wrote:

You were out of your business. Leave that woman alone.

Yeah...no. She's a fraud and a con artist who makes all of us with integrity look bad. Hopefully the folks behind the TY shop will be ending this BS train very soon.

This is how good and informative threads get closed. Unnecessary mudslinging.

Oh geeze, she is just thinking outside of the box again. She was arrested on felony charges in 2005 (per her book summary on Amazon) and then again in 2013...wow! That seems more like thinking about how to live in a small box, but what do I know.

@gigishopper wrote:

Sharing for those interested:

[southcarolina.arrests.org]

Are you referring to Kayla? She was arrested? Wow you have really done a deep dive if you have purchased her book.

She also owns a soap company. I did not purchase a book. To be a mystery shopper, she is not much of a mystery. She’s an open book on the internet. One does not have to dive too deep.

@jwhenry704 wrote:

Are you referring to Kayla? She was arrested? Wow you have really done a deep dive if you have purchased her book.

Well, she actually told us about the book. It was supposed to be an example of how she made mistakes and learned from them. I haven't personally read it, but there is a detailed description of it on Amazon. Its $2.99, so maybe worth the investment if you want to know more.

I was unaware of the second arrest until today. I guess thats the pesky thing about being arrested, its lives on in perpetuity. What a shame, that must be embarrassing when someone finds it.

@jwhenry704 wrote:

Are you referring to Kayla? She was arrested? Wow you have really done a deep dive if you have purchased her book.

This is the thread where Kayla joined the forum to talk about herself, around page 6 or 7 and another shopper said that in her book description she admits being arrested. Not sure which page, 5? 6? You guys sort it out. Much of what's being covered here was previously discussed there.

Oops! Forgot to paste the link. Sorry.

[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2025 12:34AM by sestrahelena.

Regarding employees getting fired for not checking a shopper's ID: A few years ago a friend who knows what I do claimed that his now-ex was fired from their longtime job at Trader Joe's for not checking a shopper's age and that the shopper was "obviously over 40." I argued that that was very unlikely given how the shop is set up and then changed the conversation. Considering the penalties for a store if they are caught selling alcohol to underage patrons I do not think such shops are unreasonable at all. At 46 I'm too old to worry about whether I'd feel comfortable doing one of those shops or not. Plus I'm too busy trying to do as many Barcelona shops as I can before I age out.

@NinS wrote:

Regarding employees getting fired for not checking a shopper's ID: A few years ago a friend who knows what I do claimed that his now-ex was fired from their longtime job at Trader Joe's for not checking a shopper's age and that the shopper was "obviously over 40." I argued that that was very unlikely given how the shop is set up and then changed the conversation. Considering the penalties for a store if they are caught selling alcohol to underage patrons I do not think such shops are unreasonable at all. At 46 I'm too old to worry about whether I'd feel comfortable doing one of those shops or not. Plus I'm too busy trying to do as many Barcelona shops as I can before I age out.

Lucky you! You have a standing date for the Barcelona shops.

.

Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2025 05:55PM by KSSPete.

It can be very difficult to determine a person's age. Some people go bald and have gray hair in their 20s. Actor Rob Lowe says that his hair turned gray at age 24. Others look like teens into middle age (especially very short women). That's why it works best for businesses to require all IDs to be scanned.

@NinS wrote:

Regarding employees getting fired for not checking a shopper's ID: A few years ago a friend who knows what I do claimed that his now-ex was fired from their longtime job at Trader Joe's for not checking a shopper's age and that the shopper was "obviously over 40." I argued that that was very unlikely given how the shop is set up and then changed the conversation. Considering the penalties for a store if they are caught selling alcohol to underage patrons I do not think such shops are unreasonable at all. At 46 I'm too old to worry about whether I'd feel comfortable doing one of those shops or not. Plus I'm too busy trying to do as many Barcelona shops as I can before I age out.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2025 10:21PM by mjt9598.