Hey Everyone. I'm new to this forum obviously. I'm gonna be starting a tech support position from home here at the end of May. Before that, i worked in the fast food industry for quite a long time; pizza delivery to be exact. I'm wanting to get into mystery shopping for a few reasons. 1)I've always thought it would be fun and interesting, 2)I'm looking to add a part time job to my full time one, and 3)This seems like it would be a great fit, and flexible. I don't really know much about mystery shopping, other than having dealt with managers in the past that talked about our scores from mystery shopping. I get the general idea, but don't know what all it involves, ect... Anyway, that's about it for me. I would really like to get to know you guys, and any info or advice on how to get started, ect.. would be more than appreciated.


Tim

Tim - To get started, you need to sign up with some mystery shopping companies. Some of the national companies that work well with beginners are Corporate Research, Maritz, and Market Force. Each will provide detailed instructions.

Of course, you will need to also sign up with many more companies as you have time. When you're starting out, it's better to schedule just one shop at a time. When you get more comfortable, you can start scheduling multiple shops on the same day.

You will need to set up a system to keep up with each individual job and to keep up with what you are doing overall. I make a folder for each job and I keep an overall spreadsheet. This is just one way to do this. Some of the shoppers don't use folders at all. We all have our own ways of doing this.

There is a company list at the bottom of each page of this forum. These companies will never issue advance payment. You will be paid after the job is completed. Payment will come in two weeks to 90 days. The typical job pays $8.00 to $15.00 plus reimbursement for an authorized amount. If you spend more than the authorized amount, you have to make up the difference yourself.

Welcome to mystery shopping/auditing, and welcome to the forum.

Hi Tim,

Welcome to the forum; and congrats on the Tech-From-Home job! I'm an IC from home for the past 12 years and love it. I work on our company websites and in our Elevated X data base. Now, I don't do the "techie" stuff, I get this glazed look in my eyes - but I do all of our video auditing, descriptive writing, tagging, etc.

Here is a copy of what I've been posting to other new shoppers who are asking about getting started! Hopefully this helps you out a bit. Have fun shopping!

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You are probably feeling somewhat overwhelmed, wondering where to begin. Here are some facts and tips:

1. Mystery Shopping is NOT "quick money" or a "way to make a living". (True, few people do, but they are gone on over-the-road video trips for several weeks at a time, and they BUILT their Reputation by starting at the beginning.) Mystery Shopping is work - hard work. You are self-employed. You pay taxes on ALL of your income (YES, EVEN on that single $7.00 Shop Pay you got from one company you did work with). You need to keep a track of ALL of your expenses. You should have an office with a good computer, internet, printer, paper, ink, a good camera (if you decide to get into auditing), or a good cell phone with a camera.

2. You get paid (starting usually) $4.00 to $10.00 AFTER you complete a job, submit a survey free of errors, have your survey accepted, and hopefully had no deductions!

3. You get paid - 95% of the time - 45-60-90 days AFTER your survey is accepted. (There are a few companies that may pay in 30 days, just don't count on it, and it really helps to learn how to balance/budget your future earnings.) Most of the time, you will need to lay out money first. Example - that Fast Food shop? You need to pay in Cash - *UpFront*. You'll get reimbursed - and also a "fee" - but that will come later (See #2 above)

4. You should/need to have proper Grammar, Spelling, Capitalization, and Punctuation. Yes, this will include the forum. We like to consider ourselves professionals, even on a forum.

5. READ - pull up a chair and Read. Tired of reading? Don't like to read? Well, you are not going to learn anything unless you start reading. Grab a soda, coffee, tea, whatever your preference and start going through all of the threads - at least on the first page of EACH thread - on all of the forums mentioned below at the bottom of every page page.

When you get to "New Mystery Shoppers" Forum: [www.mysteryshopforum.com] forum - there are "Sticky Threads" at the top of this forum. READ through ALL of the information that a long time shopper/member (Flash) wrote for new shoppers. Then, go back and read it again. Some people have been known to print out the information that Flash has written (not all of the follow up threads, just her first post).

6. Get yourself set up with a spreadsheet to keep track of your future jobs. Search here on the forum "spreadsheets" - and you should pull up ideas on how others set them up. You NEED to keep track of your expenses - you will need those for tax time!

7. Get yourself set up with a PayPal account. I would also suggest that you set up an email ONLY to be used for Mystery Shopping - and use that email to connect with your Paypal account and the one you use signing up with MSC's.

8. I'd also recommend that you start a new checking account - *Only* to be used for Mystery Shopping. At tax time - especially if you stay interested in shopping - you will be SO glad that you had separate accounts! Someone recommended it to me when I first started - and I am definitely glad that I did get one!

Have fun shopping - but you do have to do the work yourself. It's the only way you are going to learn, and find out what type of company works best for you.