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Programs To Avoid| Article #214 : MYSTERY SHOPPING

Honestly, I don't know why this is considered an Internet job as the Internet is the last place you spend doing this.

A Mystery Shopper is someone who goes out shopping, literally. You may go to a clothes store one day, a diner the next. When you return home from your shopping experience you send in your review of the retail establishment to the online company you happen to be working for. After submitting your report you will get paid. Don't try to fabricate these as they make you show actual confirmation that you were there, such as s signed statement from the owner or manager of the place.

The pay for mystery shopping varies. It can be anywhere from $10 to $25 per assignment to a gift certificate. The problem with these jobs are many. For starters you have to be willing to go wherever they send you unless you specifically state in your application that you will only travel so many miles. If you do that then you're limiting yourself to the jobs you will get. Then of course there is the cost of travel. You are NOT reimbursed for this. You are responsible for all expenses. In the case of restaurants, the company will usually pay for your meal and that basically becomes your payment. The other problem with these so called jobs is it seems to take forever before you get sent anywhere, especially if you put travel restrictions on yourself. It is not unheard of to go a month without getting sent on an assignment. The chances of you making even $100 a month is slim to none and that is BEFORE you take out your travel expenses. Again, I don't know why this is considered an Internet job. If you're still interested in doing something like this here are the basic steps you will need to take.

Do a Google search for "Mystery Shoppers". You will find quite a large number of listings.

Go to the site where you intend to apply to be a mystery shopper and follow the instructions on how to do this. Each site will be different. Many will have you fill out a form which will usually include what kind of shopping you are interested in doing and how far you are willing to travel.

They will then get back to you if they have any assignments in your area. If you live in a large metro area you have a better chance of getting an assignment than if you live in a small town, unless you are located near a large city. There are very few mystery shopper assignments in Smallville, Kansas.

In closing on this subject, don't count on it to be a main source of income. If you make $50 a month consider yourself lucky. The up side to this job is it's a lot of fun. I've done it but when gas prices started going out of control years ago I decided that it just wasn't worth doing anymore. You will have to decide for yourself if this is something you'd like to try.

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