@eyelove2shop wrote:

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I think maybe 10 on your list are shopped.

When you post on the forum, read the blue pop up box that says "do not reveal the clients of mystery shopping companies".

I counted 15.

I wasn't really thinking in terms of which specific MSC works with each specific client. I am more or less just trying to find the right MSCs to register with that will actually have jobs available to me locally. Right now I am having to try to make a route from a handful of companies to a specific town on a specific day in order to make the trip worth the travel. I'm registered with over 75 companies and only 13 have had shops available within a 2 1/2 hr drive. I may see a job for $25 but it could be an hours drive and the only one I can find in that town for that date. It doesn't make it worth the time, gas, or wear and mileage on my car! For the past few years I had just shopped with a few companies and only rarely. But, due to life's circumstances and really needing some extra income I started signing up and shopping for more companies and trying to route some jobs to make it profitable. With my disability traveling a lot is very difficult for me so I was just hoping to find the right MSCs or apps to sign up with so I can travel less and still make some extra money.

After reading more posts on the new shoppers section, I can totally understand why you seasoned shoppers do not like to or want to share information about specific MSCs after you have spent years gathering that information yourselves.

I've just come across so many apps and sites that are crap or maybe legit but just have nothing in my area. I'm tired of traveling. I'm frustrated trying to build routes from so many different companies. I'm frustrated because I have come across some of those MSCs that have you do hours of work and then they reject your job for things on their end rather than based on something I did incorrectly. So, I thought, hey, maybe someone on that mystery shopping forum I recently found could provide me with the information I need. But I really hadn't given thought to how much time you all have had to put into finding the information yourselves. Which is just stupid on my part because I, myself, have spent endless hours online trying to find the right MSCs. And I know it must have taken you all a lot of time as well since I am finding an available shop in maybe 10% of those I have registered for. So I apologize to all of you seasoned shoppers for not considering the time and effort that you had to put into gathering this information for yourselves.

I will just continue to plug away at sumbitting applications to the master list on the site and hopefully I will eventually find the companies I need to be finding.

There doesn't happen to be a list of legit apps as well is there? I went through a few discussions on the forums one night and downloaded a bunch of crap apps that were a waste of time. I don't want survey apps and referral apps.

And wow did I just go on a rant? Sorry about that too!

You completely misunderstand. You are no competition to me, you are in NE, I am in OH, and it has nothing to do with not wanting to share information. It is a direct violation of the ICA that we sign with mystery shopping companies and also against the rules of the forum. When you post or reply to a post, look at the posting guidelines box that pops up. It clearly states: "Do not reveal the clients of mystery shopping companies". Since you named the clients, we can't state who shops them. So a better way to ask would have been something like: "Who does grocery store shops and big box stores?" Then someone could have named some MSCs that have those kinds of clients. But additionally, since many MSCs only shop regionally, MSCs in my area might have 0 shops in your area. At any rate, now that you have listed all those businesses specifically, no one is allowed to tell you who shops them. It isn't because no one wants to share the information, but breaking a contract is serious stuff. And if you post something in this forum that breaks forum rules, expect to have the mods step in and delete your post. Happens all the time.

@Rtstshel wrote:

@eyelove2shop wrote:

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I think maybe 10 on your list are shopped.

When you post on the forum, read the blue pop up box that says "do not reveal the clients of mystery shopping companies".

I counted 15.

After reading more posts on the new shoppers section, I can totally understand why you seasoned shoppers do not like to or want to share information about specific MSCs after you have spent years gathering that information yourselves.

But I really hadn't given thought to how much time you all have had to put into finding the information yourselves. Which is just stupid on my part because I, myself, have spent endless hours online trying to find the right MSCs. And I know it must have taken you all a lot of time as well since I am finding an available shop in maybe 10% of those I have registered for. So I apologize to all of you seasoned shoppers for not considering the time and effort that you had to put into gathering this information for yourselves.

Rtst, even though you are my DIRECT competition, I truly admire your attitude and your apology to us. It was spot on. So I will help you.

Stop taking jobs off the job board! Stop right this minute!

If you are not signed up with the "15 most discussed", you are missing literally thousands of dollars worth of shops within 70 miles of you.

Most jobs have schedulers associated with them. Read all the posts on "asking for bonuses" (some here, some in New Shoppers), and start asking for those bonuses.

When the scheduler objects to your bonus (basically because you've done the job 8 times already, at base pay), just tell them "I was new. I did my taxes, and realized I didn't make any money. I'm in this to earn money, and will not work for less than minimum wage. I also felt I had to do the jobs at base pay to learn them, but now I know how to do them; I'm more confident, and able to do a better job."

If a scheduler tells you no bonus, tell her "Well, do be sure to keep me in mind. I'd love to do the shop, I just can't afford to do it at a loss, so when the bonus is there, feel free to reach out to me".

Will you drive to Valentine for $300? It's there. My friend in Gothenburg did it last week. I referred her to the shop, because I could not do it. I was offered $100 for the shop, and told her to ask for more, and she just flat-out told them, I can't drive that far for $100, I need more. And they gave it to her.

Will you drive to McCook for $150? And another 32 miles to Oberlin, KS, for two gas stations, one that pays $45 and the other $50? For a $245 day? Add a fast food and another couple shops that are ALWAYS available in McCook, make it a $400 day.

Those are my REGULAR routes. I have received $200 for shops in North Platte, and made profitable days by adding a few shops to the $200 one.

There is a casual (sit at a table and order your food) restaurant in North Platte shopped by an MSC that NEVER, EVER bonuses. They bonus this shop $40 to try to get a shopper You can take your hubby for a very nice meal, get fully reimbursed, and make $40. That would make a nice treat for the two of you! Lots of photos, lots of detail, horrendous report (takes me an hour to do the report -- but then, even a simple report takes me half an hour).

I do not personally believe that anyone can make a living doing this by taking the jobs off job boards at base pay. I know there are shoppers who do a dozen or more shops a day and make a living, but I (and you) are incapable of that type of work load. I rarely do more than 4 or 5 a day, and I prefer 2 or 3.

If you PM me, I will give you more info. I will tell you 2 or 3 shops that my friend in Gothenburg and I HATE, HATE, HATE, but we get $125 for them. The schedulers are desperate for a shopper in North Platte. Due to rotation, some you can only do once or twice a year.

Just a hint: I don't do ANY jobs for less than $25. NONE. Even those fast foods that are on the job boards at $4.50, or $7, or $8.



(Edited to add: I taught my friend in Gothenburg. She said the hardest thing to learn was asking schedulers for bonuses. Now, she is FEARLESS. And she gets what she asks for!)

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2019 11:11PM by ceasesmith.

@Rtstshel wrote:

How or why do you get blocked by a MSC? Is this a common occurrence or just an issue with a specific MSC?

If you search for threads about people being blocked by an MSC, you will find out the MSC that does those shops.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

If you sign up with the top 15 MSCs on the Official list, you should find some shops.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

It is a direct violation of the ICA that we sign with mystery shopping companies and also against the rules of the forum. When you post or reply to a post, look at the posting guidelines box that pops up. It clearly states: "Do not reveal the clients of mystery shopping companies". Since you named the clients, we can't state who shops them.

So you are saying that even though I'm not requesting a one to one correlation of which MSC has which business, its considered revealing the MSCs clients? I don't understand how saying X, Y, and Z companies offer jobs with some of the clients named. It doesn't attach any specific MSC to any specific client?
I do understand that you would not be allowed to specify company X would have stores 3, 5, and 14, Y has 7, and Z would have store 6.
I definitely need clarification because I am not seeing how that reveals the clients of a company when there is a huge list of clients.

Just take our word for it, you are asking us to violate forum rules. You named the businesses, therefore we CANNOT name the MSCs.

If you had said, does anyone know who does grocery stores/gas stations/big box stores in North Platte, NE? We could answer. But you gave specific names, like Famous Footwear and Casey's.

If you cannot see the difference, and I apologize if this sounds harsh, but perhaps mystery shopping isn't really a good fit for you.

@ceasesmith wrote:

Just take our word for it, you are asking us to violate forum rules. You named the businesses, therefore we CANNOT name the MSCs.

Thank you for the clarification. My prior understanding was that you could not specifically tie an MSC to a client, not that you could not mention multiple MSCs and multiple clients without specifically saying which are attached to each other. I'm glad you guys have made that clear as I certainly do not want to violate the contracts nor forum rules.

All he did was ask for clarification. This was uncalled for, IMO. He's clearly willing to work hard and drive distances and the trait of asking for clarification is a GOOD one for mystery shoppers.

@ceasesmith wrote:

If you cannot see the difference, and I apologize if this sounds harsh, but perhaps mystery shopping isn't really a good fit for you.

I do think taking the quote out of context is "harsh". Clearly, I explained the difference in the two, then stated if the shopper still couldn't see the difference, perhaps MSing wasn't a good fit. The shopper did not take offense. And, besides, even the quote includes an apology for sounding harsh!