So lets say I take on a qwest job for $11. I drive there and spend 2o minutes there and 30 minutes driving there granted I do two other jobs in the same location. Then I come home and spend 30 minutes on the report because I have poor grammer. Is the $11 worth it or not?

Of course not.

It depends. I wouldn't want to do an $11/80-minute shop as a standalone, but it could be worthwhile when built into a route.

since you say you did two other jobs, you would have to figure all three to see if it was worth it. If it was worth doing the other two and you get 11.00 for 20 minutes and report time, that is different from just 11.00 for the total time.

That is something only you can decide for yourself and need to decide/consider in relation to your other options. I retired from a job paying about 5 times the then minimum wage per hour that had a whole lot of perks and benefits including sick days, personal days, vacation days, retirement plan, a cadillac health insurance, stock purchase plan, substantial semi-annual bonuses and a few 'business travel' trips per year that with the exception of a few hours in meetings were really more business paid for vacations for two at upscale places in interesting venues for exploring and tourism. If I held mystery shopping to the same financial requirements I would never work a single job.

Somehow I manage to find work that has enough personal benefits that I find it feasible to be a mystery shopper, even though I now see no corporate benefits. An $11 job, in conjunction with other work on the same trip could very well be worthwhile for me because writing comes easily. A $3 or $5 telephone job can be worthwhile, depending on the scenario and how much reporting is involved. A reimbursement only dinner shop can be worthwhile, even with a substantial report. We all have to figure out what works for us. And you are absolutely on target to be trying to figure out what works for you with your location, skills and interests.

I do $11.00 jobs alone only when I don't have to drive, I'll be in the mall anyway, and do one...if I'm doing 3 jobs and a lunch, I'll drive 20 miles (oneway) and make $45.00 + lunch, which will take about 2 1/2 hours not counting report. This varies with company. I have driven to eat at a restaurant I love, but this becomes a personal thing, enjoying the job adds to my decision, it will feel right to you and is individual. The plus of Msing is you get to figue out your schedule, it's not brain surgery.

Pat, check out DSS. They have sub shops available in your area. They are not known as the quickest company to pay, however.

Carol

DSS, Direct Scheduling Services, is NOT one I would recommend, particularly to a new shopper. I did one shop for DSS over a year ago (about the time Susan had her major problem with them) and will probably not shop for them again. My shop for them was not too bad: I got paid, late, after several requests for payment, minus the promised bonus amount. After a couple more requests and a couple more months, I received the bonus pay for the shop. Others have had problems far worse with DSS, several of them detailed here on the forum. Additional DSS problems are discussed on Volition. patfultz, before accepting a job with DSS, be sure to do a search for "Direct Scheduling" and read what mystery shoppers have written about them over the past 18 months. It has been almost exclusively bad. The majority of posters say NEVER AGAIN. One poster is suing them. Others are waiting for overdue payments. There are several threads devoted to various DSS problems. If you accept a job with DSS, go into the job knowing up front that you will likely not be paid on time, you should not risk much of your own money, and that communication with the company is very difficult and trying. There are many very good MSPs to shop for, don't jump into working for this one.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/2010 11:34PM by AustinMom.

All true, AustinMom. I am still waiting to be paid for a July job. Pat, there's gotta be a ton of stuff down near Southcenter. Try Bestmark.

Carol

You need to take certain things into consideration. Is this a new company you signed up with? What is your rating with companies you have shopped for? Are you new to shopping and need some shopping experience under your belt?

If I sign up with a new company, I may take a low paying shop that is reasonably located, with a not too complex report, just to get myself established with the company. This way they can see the quality of work I submit. I try to combine it with either other shops, or with errands I need to run in that area anyway.

If you want to improve your rating with a company you have done shops for, this is another reason to take a lower paying shop. Or, if you are new to shopping, whatever shops you do are giving you experience which is only to your benefit.

Also, do not be afraid to email the scheduler and mention that a certain shop has too low a pay rate for the work, especially if you see this shop has been on the board for a while. I have gotten a better pay rate or bonus by doing this, so politely mention why this shop pay is too low; distance from town, work involved in completing it, length of time they have had it posted, etc. These companies don't always think about the location or work involved with the shop, so reminding them can get a better pay rate, especially if the job has been posted for a long time. Also, their main goal is to make money, so the less they pay, the more they make, but shoppers want to make money too!

Hope I've helped!
Regards,
Debbie