Tis The Season To Go Shopping!

Yes, it is the season to go shopping, and you know what THAT means?? LOTS of cool secret shopper assignments! This is the time of year when stores are most concerned about customer service and YOU are the person they are going to turn to for advice!

Be an important part of the retail world this Christmas. Plus, you get PAID for that advice AND you get FREE stuff too! You owe it to yourself to become a mystery shopper today and reap the benefits NOW!!

Evaluating Demonstrators

I just got offered a great assignment evaluating in-store demonstrators this month. These are people who demonstrate the products to potential customers right in large supermarkets and department stores. My job is to make sure they know what they are talking about when presenting the product.

The product samples are from major national brands and these companies want to make sure their store representatives give the best demo display possible. I interact with these store demonstrators and try the free products presented to me. I also get paid over $20 an hour plus mileage and expenses to make sure they do the job right. Sweet!

Still Paying For Food?

As I mentioned before, one of the perks of being a mystery shopper is all the great free stuff you get, but the best part for me is getting to eat FREE! I LOVE Food! As a paid shopper I get to eat at many restaurants and I do assignments at pretty much every major fast food franchise in my area. This includes MacDonald's, Arby's, KFC, A&W, and more, but there are also fancy places with dining service as well.

As if that wasn't cool enough, you can get groceries for free too! Many major grocery stores and supermarkets are part of the mystery shopping programs and there is a reimbursable amount you get to spend for groceries while doing the assignment, as well as your pay for doing it. It varies from store to store, as some will just want you to pick up only 1 or 2 items to evaluate the checkout service, while others will want the entire store evaluated with a purchase made from each department!

Some stores have to be shopped every month while others might be every 2 or 3 months. There is a major grocery chain that I evaluate every month for every department and that shop alone counts for most of my monthly groceries and its all free for me! It's a really sweet deal!

High Oil Prices! Free Gas Anyone?

I have to admit that there are times like these when I am glad I'm a mystery shopper! I filled up my car tank today and I just couldn't believe how high the gas prices are! Wow!

Oil prices are about the highest they've ever been and the prediction from experts is that they will keep rising and gas prices will be through the roof by the busy summer season. I kinda feel bad for people who don't get their gas free like I do.

Oh well, I guess I'll just drive with my free tank of gas to a fast food Drive Thru and get a free meal and then grab a free movie rental on the way home. Keep on smiling!

Mystery Shopper Benefits

Eventually, I will be giving tips and advice on becoming a mystery shopper and being a better shopper, once you are a mystery shopper. For now, though, I'd like to focus on the BENEFITS of actually being a mystery or secret shopper.

There are LOTS of freebies to be had as a professional shopper! You can do fast food assignments and get a free meal for yourself and sometimes for a friend as well. This can range from a simple burger and fries meal to a full blown meal at a fancy restaurant with wine and dessert! You can also get free food if you do grocery store shops as well. The reimbursements on these assignments can be quite lucrative.

There is also the benefit of free gas which, with the high cost of oil rising all the time, can be a tremendous benefit. Just about every major gas retailer has a mystery shopping program and, when you consider the sheer number of gas service stations around, it can really add up! I do almost every station in my area and, because of that, I haven't had to pay for my own gas in years! I remember a problem I had a couple years ago where I had so many stations to do that my own tank was full all the time and I had to borrow the cars of friends and family to give them my free gas! Wouldn't everyone like to have that same kind of problem?

As you gain more experience working as a mystery shopper, there are companies who will hire you to do larger, even more lucrative assignments, such as fully paid hotel stays complete with room service. But, for now when you start out, simply enjoy the perks of getting free food, free gas, free clothing, free movies, free car oil changes, free glasses, eye exams, and more! As if all the free stuff wasn't enough, keep in mind that you get PAID on top of all these goodies too! I love it!

The Best Mystery Shopping Resource

Since the purpose of this blog is to make life easier for someone wanting to work as their own boss, I will be adding many links to useful resources as this blog progresses. My focus will be mostly tips for mystery shopping, but there will also be many other great tips and ideas posted here as well. However, for now, I'll keep it simple and focus on starting with just mystery shopping.

To get started as a mystery shopper, or secret shopper, is not as difficult as some may think it is. In fact, you can check RIGHT NOW to see if there are jobs in your area by simply going to the best mystery shopping resource on the net, The Mystery Shopping Providers Association. Click the link in the name to go to this great resource full of tips, lists of shopping companies and, most importantly, a search page to find jobs available right now wherever you live!

I will be going much more in depth over the coming weeks and months with tips and resource links for getting paid to shop, but for now just that one site should be enough to see what's out there and get you started. If you see a job listed in your area, don't be afraid to sign up for it! The companies listed there are all legit and reputable and I work for several of them. These are REAL job opportunities with real pay and reimbursable expenses. You get paid AND you get free stuff!

Legitimate shopper companies have had to deal with the industry getting a bad reputation due to the unfortunate actions of a few scams on the net. Addressing that issue will also be part of the focus of this blog. The net scams were a big part of why I wanted to start this blog in the first place. That, and to just give tips for those who do become paid shoppers on how to do their job as effectively as they can, based on my years of experience. It will be a learning experience for both of us, I'm sure. In the meantime, check out the MSPA site and happy shopping!

The Life Of A Mystery Shopper

Hello and welcome to my shopping resource blog everyone! My intention here is to help anyone looking to break free of the rat race and work for themselves as either a mystery shopper or any other income idea that allows you the freedom to work at home as your own boss. Come back and feel welcome to post your own ideas as well. Happy shopping!!