Hi guys. I want your opinions on how you guys determine if a shop is worth doing. By the reimbursement/need of the item? Shopper fee/worth the time of the work? Distance? Or low paying shops but you can create routes for?

When I first started I used to pick up almost every shop I saw but I've been pickier lately. I want to do shops that are only worth my time or something that will save me money (i.e. food shops). But I don't want to be so picky that my check is small by the following month.

For example, I don't mind doing a shop that will reimburse me the entire meal and only pay me $5 if it's going to save me from cooking that night or buying food. Or if its a piece of clothing I would have bought anyways. Do you guys think the same way or only prefer to perform shops where there is actual profit?

What about like a gas station shop that let's say is about 10 minutes from your house and will pay $10 plus $2 reimbursement for some pictures and a couple of observations? Or spending an hour to open up a bank account you don't need for about $60?

I know everyone views things differently on what's worth it to them or not, but I'm just curious to see what you guys think is worth it.

For me it's a combination of all the above. If it's a shop I would do normally (like say a grocery store or a restaurant/fast food place I know I like) and it's close by I'd do it even if the pay is low. Of course, if I do it once and it's extremely time consuming, I'll be less likely to do it again. One of our local grocery store shops was that way, I'd rather just pay full price for my groceries than go through all the required steps of the shop and fill out the report.

I typically try to calculate it down to the "hourly pay". If it's a shop I would do regardless, I include the full reimbursement amount as part of the pay. If it's something I wouldn't have done if I didn't have a mystery shop, I exclude the reimbursement portion and just do my net pay.

As an example from this past week, I had a lunch shop at a fast food restaurant. I eat there regularly anyway and it saved me from having to make my own lunch/buy lunch elsewhere so I included the reimbursement. So the base pay was $15, I was reimbursed about $11, so $26 total pay for a half hour of work and a 15 minute report. That was about $35 an hour. Definitely worth it. Another shop I did was for a half-day catamaran tour with parasailing and jetski. Fun, but I wouldn't normally do it, so I excluded the cost/reimbursement. Came out to a net pay of $105, and it took me 3 hours for the activity and 1 hour for the report. Just over $25 an hour, I'd still consider it worthwhile, largely because it was enjoyable.

Then there was the grocery shop I mentioned above. Including the reimbursement since it was groceries I needed anyway, the total pay was $14. There was a ton of required interactions in the store, so it took me just over an hour to shop, and the report was rather extensive as well, so that took another hour. The entire process was daunting and the final pay rate was only $7 an hour. Not worth it, not going to do that shop again.

There is no right o wrong answer to your question, and you will probably get a multitude of answers. I will provide you with my answer, knowing full well that it is truly right only for me. My first test is whether after subtracting the IRS mileage rate, will I still be making any money. Even that is not an easy test unless I am doing just that one shop, then the round-trip mileage is easy. Otherwise, I have to guestimate based upon the likelihood of being able to share mileage among shops on a route. IF I am being reimbursed for something that I truly need, that gets considered, particularly since if I am being reimbursed (not part of a flat fee), each of those dollars is worth more in terms of pre-tax value. IF I am being asked to buy an overpriced item at a convenience store that I would pay less for at a supermarket, I factor that in. I personally value fine dining reimbursements in terms of 1) would I really like to eat there, 2) can I afford the meal if the shop goes sour, 3) is the amount of work required (in terms of time) reasonable on an hourly pay basis compared to the value of the meal?

Back to the IRS mileage rate test. I decide that I am making money after subtracting mileage. Then I consider round-trip drive time based on Google Maps. That is objective, if somewhat optimistic. There is value to time. IF I am driving, I am not doing anything else to earn money. Decide how much money you want to make per hour. Divide by the value remaining after subtracting mileage. Suppose you want to make $10 per hour? Would you? Now estimate (or maybe you know based upon experience) the time required to prepare, perform, and report the shop. Add that time up, and add to the drive time. Divide the value after subtracting mileage by that total time. Is the pay per hour enough?

This sounds cumbersome. Early in my mystery shopping days, I realized that I was making very little money per hour because I had not considered these aspects. With experience, i now quickly approximate. I do look up mileage, because that is objective.

Then there is the issue of how easy and how painful. I like bank shops. Paying me to make a deposit is pleasurable for me. $60 to open another account so that later I can do a teller shop? Sign me up. $20 to ask about a checking account? Sure. But in NJ, gas stations are a pain if you can only be reimbursed for $1 or $2 of gas. Why? Because NJ is full service only. Drive up to a pump, and ask the attendant for $2 of gas, less than a gallon? Painful, maybe even dangerous in the wrong neighborhood. Sure, I can buy $10 of gas and view the $2 as a discount, but then I can only do 2 or 3 shops and my tank is full. $2 of gas plus $1 in the convenience store (which in NJ often means the service station office here there may be nothing to buy) is discounted by me to a value of ZERO dollars. Just painful. In DE or PA, the $2 is worth $2 to me.

$8 reimbursement for a burrito (no reimbursement for a drink)? IF I am a route and need lunch, maybe. I might prefer to pay $2 for two chicken sandwiches and no report than to get a free burrito if it requires 30 minutes to report. IF the time window for the burrito lunch is just an hour, forget it since it really constrains my ability to complete the other shops on the route.

I hope this helps you understand MY thought process.

I look at my routes as a whole: I want to make over $50/hr while on a route (including travel and report time). I do not include reimbursements in this calculation, unless it was something I was going to purchase anyhow - in which case it is as good to me as cash, so I would include reimbursement for gasoline or oil changes in my calculation, but not fine dining. If I am going to be on the road for two or more days, I need to be bringing in $300/day (or more) after all expenses.

If I am just looking at one shop here and there, it's more about what I'm in the mood to do. It can be hard to make $50-$60 an hour when just doing a single shop after work. However, the only shops I really ever do at their "base" price are casinos - and only because I win frequently enough that it more than makes up for not having a bonus - and certain video shops that already have high pay.

I do find that making a good dollar amount per hour is as much about planning and designing routes as it is about choosing the right jobs. A $15 shop that shares a parking lot with a shop you are already doing is frequently a lot more valuable than a $25 shop ten minutes away. It's also worth noting that shops that you have done before are generally more valuable to your route than those that are new to you. After all, you don't need to spend time reading directions and wondering about unclear guidelines. You know what observations to make and where hangups might be. You are familiar with the survey and know how to answer questions before you read them.

As a note, I video shop, which skews hourly numbers.

@awestover89 Oh wow what a smart way to look at it! As an hourly pay! Yes I will definitely look into it this way. This can definitely help me in figuring out if a shop is worth it or not. Of course adding in routes can also help me make an informed decision on whether its worth it. Thanks

I don't think about hourly rates at all. How much I might make an hour has no bearing on which shops I might or might not take. I look at how much the paycheck will be and when will I get it. If I need to pay $750 in bills on the 15th, I'll be looking at shops that will be pay on or before the 15th. Same for bills due on the 30th.

I do a lot of gas station shops. Upwards of 300 a quarter. About 200 of those shops pay $10 each, but I am assigned all the shops at once and generally have two months in which to complete them. I can do the shops whenever I want as long as the store is open (but not first or last half hour) and during daylight hours. Can I add three more gas station shops for $25 each on a particular route? Sure, I'll take those, too. Lunch for $15, plus reimbursement? Sign me up! Dinner for no pay, but $25 reimbursement? Probably, if it's a quick report, I'm tired, don't want to cook, and have several gas reports to do when I get home. Can I squeeze in a last minute hardware shop for $15 with a $5 reimbursement? You betcha! How about a bonused shipping shop for $25 that I can use to mail that hardware store item to my kid out of state? Yes, please! Oops, that means I might not make it to the last three $10 gas shops before dark. Not a problem! I can do those another day. Often, I see a nicely bonused shop and am able to quickly plan on doing another $100 in gas stations nearby that I had no intention of doing that morning when I got up. A quick check of other MSC websites adds another three or four shops and I've got a nice route making a couple hundred bucks that day. And the thing that makes the most sense to me as an economist is, since I wasn't planning on doing anything else that day anyway, the opportunity cost is negligible. I can almost always combine an overnight visit with a cousin or high school friend for a trip farther away, often treating them to a nice dinner fully reimbursed to me, and doing 30 gas shops on the way there and back. I was going that way anyway to do the gas shops and save on the cost of a hotel and have a nice visit.

When I signed up for a bonused "open a checking account" shop, I figured I would just close the account in a month of two, especially since I had to keep a high minimum amount in the account or have a direct deposit of at least $250 each month. That motivates me to make sure I do at least $250 each and every month for the one MSC that I have direct deposited into that account each month. I might even stoop to doing a $6 shop that I wouldn't consider otherwise in order to bump the DD up to the required $250 and save myself $15 in bank fees. Maybe I want to do something 'just for me' on the other side of a bridge with a $4 toll. Can I find a shop on the other side for a company that reimburses tolls and combine the two? You bet I'll be looking for one! I'm always looking for shops when I'm visiting my kids - keeps me busy while they're at work and bolsters my bank account that would otherwise have nothing coming in because I'm on vacation. I put a bit of gas into the car, keep my belly full, and discover parts of the city that I wouldn't see otherwise.

@myst4au Hi! I love your thought process! It all depends on perspective and why you're doing it and if its worth it for YOU, if you're already in the area, if you're hungry, if its worth the mileage, etc. I somewhat already thought along the lines of this but not including mileage. Thank you for your input! And by the way you're right.. sometimes the hassle of a free burrito isn't worth the 1 hour it will take to do the shop and complete the report

@MFJohnston Hi again! Very good point about familiar shops. I often look for these first as I know exactly what to do. My faves are Little Ceasers shops. I am very familiar with these shops and the scheduler reaches out to me directly when she offers me bonuses. They literally take less than 5 minutes to complete onsite and maybe 10-15 minutes for the report. They add up. I do these when I'm running low on cash. Definitely will look into video shops soon. Just gotta find the right company to start up with.

Bec, thank you for mentioning, appropriately, opportunity cost.

For me, it always depends upon life in general. Where do the assignments fit, and how might they cause a ruckus?

First, here is a thumbs up for the bank reference above. I am keeping my account that I opened via a mystery shop. As far as I know, I will keep more of my money, or pay to myself, more money than I would receive for closing and opening accounts every few months, even with bonuses in addition to shop fees. In addition, I do not need to complete multiple reports for what I personally wish to do. My personal goal is to save more, and now I have another method of doing so. No one will pay me for continuing to use my other accounts, but that is okay. I have been with those places for years and years, and I like being just one of many customers there.

Sometimes, a fast food is perfect for my day. One place is conveniently located on the way to/from work. Fee and reimbursement feed two people. Bonuses are always welcome, but they are not needed for the purpose of reconciling shop cost/shop pay. However, the same shop at a location in a city that is two hundred miles away from home would cost about twenty times more than the local shop. If I cannot get a sufficient bonus and/or additional shop money, I leave the shop alone. It would not be beneficial to travel specifically for that shop and insufficient payment.

Is there something to do near mil? More important, can I shop and visit mil in the same day? Usually, this is not possible. Focus on the mil, and let someone else focus on the mystery shops.

@Bec2117 Some good info as well! It seems like you have a great system going for you. This is what I'm hoping to do as well. Great way to look at it! Opportunity is key! Work smarter, not harder.

It depends what is worth it to you personally. I will take a dining shop, since for $100, I would need to earn about $140 before tax to spend $100. I will visit a luxury auto dealer, since I buy luxury cars. I will not do the other jobs since they make no sense for me. You do what makes sense in your life.

I usually take into consideration mileage (if at $0.36 per mile), time to complete the shop + subsequent report, additional expenses such as gas, food, and lodging (if necessary) as well as pay schedule (within 30-60 days) and reputation of the MSC.

@Niner This is very true!

@Bec2117 That's a good point and a great distinction. People shop for different reasons and those reasons can have a huge impact on how you choose shops.

I never have a set "goal" in mind. I don't include MS income in my monthly budget at all; anything I make mystery shopping is just a bonus. I'm lucky to have a well paying full time job that I enjoy. There may be some months where I make $500, and some months where I won't take a single shop. Other things going on in life can also impact if a shop is worth it. For example, if there is a new video game coming out I'm excited about, a mystery shop would have to have significant pay for me to justify spending time doing a shop vs playing my game. On the other hand, if I've got nothing else on my plate, I may be more inclined to take a lower paying shop just to get out of the house for a bit.

On the other hand, back during the US government shutdown December/January, my husband wasn't getting a paycheck so I doubled down on mystery shops, especially those that had low/no required purchases. I wanted the extra funds, but also didn't want to put a bunch of spend on our credit cards knowing I wouldn't be reimbursed before it was due.