Secret Shopper

[CindyP71]

Are any of you a Secret Shopper and if so, where do you go to sign up? I know there are hundreds of websites out there but I'm interested in going to one that is really reputable.

 

If you aren't a secret shopper but know a company to sign up with, can you please let me know?

 

Thanks!!

 

~Cindy

[coneeny4]

http://www.volition.com/forums/ They have a list of companies you can sign up with.

[love2beurwifey]

I would like to shign up as well thanks

[babycleat]

I am a secret shopper and I agree www.volition.com is the best place to find a comprehensive list of nearly 200 agencies that are reputable. I would avoid places that indicate that you have to pay a fee to sign up. The ones listed on volition.com do not charge you to sign up. I've been secret shopping for about 3-4 months and enjoy it as extra income and/or to get a great dinner at a nice restaurant for free. Good luck and have fun!

[gisellerol]

great i just signed up

[Mommie2one]

I was reading some of the companies and a lot ask for a secret shopper certification. I clicked on the certification requirements and this company will give you the test for a certifictation # for $15. Do you really need to be certified to be a secret shopper?

[happyrat]

You do not have to be certified, but if you are in an area with lots of shoppers it helps. Alot of companies do assign shops to certified shoppers first.

[crimm2887]

lol, i love secret shoppers, at my job at the pool store, secret shoppers or 'tapers' as we called em, came in about twice a week, and if we did good we would get $.25 raise and an additional $100 bonus on the next paycheck, we could tell if they were or not even before they entered the door, by how they looked and walked, and tring to be descret.

[alimfp]

The one that consistently sends me good shops is: Apollo/Bai

[coneeny4]

I have been a shopper for over 4 years I am both silver and gold certified and it does help with some companies that they will give you first choice of the jobs.

I only work for a few companies now with ongoing assignments and work every month including merchandising. The merchandising pay is good and you can do the work anytime the store is open.

[Guest all2tired]

I'm a secret shopper at Chuck E Cheeses. You don't necessarily get paid for it but after you eat there and then send in your report, they send you a gift card for the price you paid while doing your assignment. My son let it slip that I was a secret shopper and they gave him all these tickets for more prizes. He was happy but that defeated the purpose of being a secret shopper

[wildtama]

Volition rocks!

It is such a great resource.

 

I also use shopnchek (www.becomeashopper.com) and Service Intelligence (www.secretshopnet.com)

[eve]

I'm a secret shopper at Chuck E Cheeses. You don't necessarily get paid for it but after you eat there and then send in your report, they send you a gift card for the price you paid while doing your assignment. My son let it slip that I was a secret shopper and they gave him all these tickets for more prizes. He was happy but that defeated the purpose of being a secret shopper

lol

kids are great

[kalle1212]

should I be comfortable giving my bank account numbers or social or can I request my money be mailed to me by check

[coneeny4]

Most companies pay by check but some you could request Paypal. One reason I only work for a few companies now is that these pay every two weeks, the wait time to be paid for the majority of companies are 30-90 days.

[bravesrule62382]

I've used service intelligence (secretshopnet.com). It's free and features direct deposit. There is usually a month delay until your money is deposited and you have to become certified for a store before you are able to secret shop there. Some examples of some places that have been available are: BestBuy, Walgreens, McDonald's, Home Depot, Church's Chicken, Quizno's, and others. One note of caution though... If you do not log on to your account for 90 days, your account will be disabled and the only way to shop again is the start the process from scratch --- including all of your certifications.

 

If you have a Captain D's near you, you can apply on their website. The reports are very easy to fill out and not that incredibily detailed (unlike service intelligence's). Also their checks arrive pretty fast. The most they will reimburse you for is $7.50 (last time I checked). But this is plenty if you are single or a small appetite couple. And unlike most other secret shopping opportunties, you can pick whatever you want to eat and as many different things as you want. Recommend highly!

[uturn2who]

I've been mystery shopping for a little over a year now and I have found it to be great. Volition.com is where I got my start also and it is a good place to start. I would also recommend going to the Mystery Shopper Providers Association (MSPA) website.

 

They give you a lot of tips and information regarding mystery shopping. They provide certification that the majority of companies accept, if you decide to be certified. It makes a difference with some companies, but there are plenty that do not care whether you are certified or not.

[Karmon]

I have been doing it for several months and love it. Email me at [email protected] and I will send you the link to the site that I get all of my jobs. I do starbucks weekly

[WELUVKDS79]

I just registered...hopefully I can pull in a bit more money a month...never too much of that right??

[eve]

I have been doing it for several months and love it. Email me at [email protected] and I will send you the link to the site that I get all of my jobs. I do starbucks weekly

:greenappl pm'ed you:greenappl

[mrsbmb]

is anyone making an amount of money to supplement your incomes doing this? Or is this just a way to have fun and shop with rewards?

kathy

[coneeny4]

It took me about 3 years but I do make enough now. I only do banks and merchandising jobs I dont have to put out my own money for and I sometimes do hotels for a company that pays within 30 days.

Like I mentioned before it takes 30-90 days to get paid from most companies and thats too long especially when you put out your own money for the shop and it starts to add up.

[eve]

It took me about 3 years but I do make enough now. I only do banks and merchandising jobs I dont have to put out my own money for and I sometimes do hotels for a company that pays within 30 days.

Like I mentioned before it takes 30-90 days to get paid from most companies and thats too long especially when you put out your own money for the shop and it starts to add up.

good point a little here and there i guess will add up

[uturn2who]

I supplement my income and since you're an independent contractor you get to take some very nice tax benefits. Also...I have been able to deduct some purchases, mainly equipment, that is used for business purposes.

 

In order to really make some money, you'd have to dedicate your time like a full-time job, be aggressive and know which jobs to take and which ones really suit you. I have tried a w-i-d-e array of jobs and have gotten into a groove of exactly which ones I really enjoy doing.

[Guest Deals4Me]

Big thing here people, is that if you make over $600, YOU HAVE TO PAY TAX!

And you are responsible for keeping track of such.

 

A GREAT book to help out is Mystery Shopping Made Simple by Dr.Ilisha Newhouse.

[Guest Deals4Me]

Hey Merchandisers, care to send me a few links?

[alimfp]

Well, you are supposed to pay taxes on anything you make, but you are more likely to have the IRS (and state) come after you if they find out you make $600+. I guess anything under that isn't worth their time.

 

Ashley - I've found a few random merchandising jobs on Monster, also on our states unemployment web site. :)

[eve]

 

A GREAT book to help out is Mystery Shopping Made Simple by Dr.Ilisha Newhouse.

cool

[maccawolf]

I had signed up as a secret shopper a few years ago, and the ONE assignment that they placed me on ended up being impossible to do. I contacted them about not being able to do it, and then every time they sent me a notice and I responded I never heard back from them about the shop. I guess I cut off my nose to spite my face with that one. NOw I keep getting notices from them, but I haven't answered them. Maybe I should just to see if I can try it again. I really like the thought of doing something like that. Especially when it comes to free food...lol

 

P.S. it WASN"T Apollo, so I signed up for that one. Tnx for the link.

[pbretz1970]

I was thinking of trying my hand at the Mystery Shopping fun. Does any one know if there is a "Mystery Shoping for Dummies" book. All of the web sites I have been advised to try always wants you to send money first, any ideas?

Thanks

A new comer