I don't recommend starting with restaurant shops or shops that require you to lay out money, unless you are prepared to lose what you lay out for the meal if you botch the shop. I suggest the little bank shops. I enjoy the restaurant shops but I botch the up from time to time by forgetting a requirement (like failing to take a photo of the restroom).

Although I have shopped for two years, I still find that the shop reports for some MS companies' apartment shops are extremely time consuming. I try to devise templates, but they can still take me 3-5 hours to write up by the time you upload documentation, etc. Any hints on how to get faster at this? I'm tired of pulling all-nighters when I get behind :-(

Cynthia,

I plan on waiting 45 to 60 days. Bummer, I know. Once you get on the roll, though, it works out fine.

I keep a simple spreadsheet and enter every shop performed, by MS company, at the end of the week; then, I keep a separate spreadsheet on when I will get paid, which is only a guestimate.

For example, when I did shops for July 22-29, I wrote it down on the first spreadsheet; then, I wrote it down again for getting paid on September 22-29, again by MS company. That way, have a realistic expectation of not only what I earned this month, but what I can expect to receive in two months. As I do get paid, I will change the font to green ink on the September spreadsheet.

Hope this helps. Really, you will love MS shopping once you get into a routine that works for you.