I started back with mystery shopping earlier this year. What helps me the most is a tablet with a good calendar app. I have one on mine and it really helps me keep my jobs straight, as well as showing me what days I have open. Just make sure you keep it up to date.
While some people make quite a bit of money, others do it part-time as additional income. Whichever you are, you can't forget to include your time and travel expenses (gas) when determining what shops you take and how far you are willing to travel.
I recently completed a restaurant shop where I actually took a loss. The cost of the meal and a small tip actually totaled more that the compensation and reimbursement for the meal. This did not include the gas and travel time. When I brought this up to the scheduler, the compensation was increased for the next shop but then dropped back down for subsequent ones. Live and learn!
As you continue in this field don't forget to take all aspects of the shop into consideration before taking it (location, travel time, compensation, etc.). When possible, try to schedule several shops during one trip to minimize the driving and maximize the income. I will try to take at least three shops in the same general area to make it worth my time.
As MF Johnson put it, you will not make thousands right off. It takes time to build up a system that works for you and this forum is a great place to get tips from seasoned shoppers.
Good luck in your shops!
I am a little concerned about this process. When I applied I must have answered a question incorrectly. The system started asking very personal questions about not only me, but about my family as well. My family has nothing to do with my shopping and the system does not have the right to question me about them or what they do.
I DON'T TRUST IT!
Welcome Tiff!
Secret shopping can be a little confusing at first, but after the first few shops it will come much easier. You can make as much or as little as you want. It all depends on how much you want to work. That's the nice part, you can shop when it fits your schedule.
Have fun!
I can't honestly say that I find any of them fun, but I do enjoy the "undercover" aspect of the job. I enjoy going in to a location and pretending I'm someone else to get the info.
I definitely do not enjoy reveal shops or price audits.
I have completed several of the cell phone shops that you mentioned. My experience is that many of the employee providers do not really know much about the product they are selling. I can sympathize with this since there are so many different types of phones out there and it is almost impossible to know everything about them all. I have actually stood next to an employee for over a minute waiting for them to talk, to no avail.
Long story short, I give the employee as much of a chance as I can to answer my questions. Generally if they can, they will. If they don't I don't push the issue for fear of being found out. I think my longest stay wasn't more than 15 minutes.
With that being said, I think they are worth it, especially if you can bundle them with other shops in the area.
If you are in the Inland Empire you should be able to find a bunch of shops. I lived in Riverside County for 20 years and kept pretty busy. ISS is a good company with a lot of different shops that will give you a taste of things to come. I suggest staying with them for a while to get your feet wet and then, if you want to stay busy, look for other MSP's that handle your area.
Just go to the Available Shops tab and see what's in you comfort area. Pay special attention to see if there are special hours that you need to complete the shops in. I got caught signing up for shops when I wasn't in that area and had to travel out of my way to complete them. Also, try to bundle shops so you can complete 2 or 3 without a lot of travel time. As the saying goes, "Time is money."
I haven't had any problems with asking to use the restroom. I usually do this after I have been in the store for a bit. As far as using the wrong pin, I have several personal cards with different pins. It's pretty easy for me to get past that issue as soon as I open my wallet in front of the clerk.
Since the employee base for most of the stores is fluid, and there is usually a minimum 30 day rotation on most locations I don't worry about running into an employee more than once. The only difference is at restaurants and that really isn't a problem either...I just let them know that I like the food.