proudAPmom

If you are interested in working from home and enjoy shopping then I have a job for you - Mystery Shopping. Yes, it is real. Yes, you can make some money. Yes, it can be fun. Yes, it is flexible. Yes, it is something you can do with children (most of the time).Let me begin by telling you a bit about what I do - then you will have a better idea if this kind of job is right for you.Last week I had a job that I chose to do. I took my husband and my son out to dinner at a restaurant (it was already chosen which one I would shop - as most companies have contracts with certain stores) and I was told what time to eat (lunch/dinner). We went out to eat and was allowed a reimbursement of $25 for the meal, plus $7 to do the shop. We all had a great meal- for free. I had to call before going and ask a ‘knowledge question’ such as “What are your specials tonight” and then had to record the answer. Did the person who answered the phone say the script that they were supposed to? Did they say their name? How was their personality - friendly, welcoming, etc.Then at the restaurant I needed to record the name of the host and a description, the name of the waitress and a description. Evaluate the service throughout the whole time we were there, and then also check the place over for cleanliness. All without being spotted as a mystery shopper. At this point I am doing on average 2-3 of these shops with the same company every month - I have this shop down pretty good. I carry with me a small slip of paper where I jot down a few notes about the service and the names so I remember later when I need to write my report.After the meal, we pay and leave. In the car, I have a report printed out that I fill in, so that I don’t forget any details. It is mostly multiple choice answers on the service, but I must write a few sentences at the end of each section. Then I go home and input this same info into the mystery shopping website. After inputting everything, they then require me to scan in my receipts from the meal and upload them to their website. I submit my report and with this company I am usually paid the same week via direct deposit to my checking account.This is one of my favorite companies and my favorite shops - since money is often very tight there is no way we would go out to eat if it weren’t for this job. We now get to go out to eat 2-3 times a month for free. On the rare occasion that we go over the $25, we are usually still within the $32 total that we get to take home for this shop.Other shops that I’ve done for other companies have paid more- another company  I worked for asked me to compare two mattress companies. They would send me the name and address for two companies in one town. I would be asked to go to visit them in the same day, evaluate the sales person and what they were selling. I had to obtain a business card and scan these in at the end of the shop as well as write a report on the sales techniques and which store I would buy from between the two. These shops were easy, I could take my son, and I enjoyed learning more about mattresses (since I need to get one soon). These shops ranged from 15 minutes in a store to up to 1 hour in a store depending on how much the sales person showed me and how in depth they got with the info. Once they were submitted in I got $30. I did four shops for this company like this for a total of $120.One other company I work for asked us to evaluate a eyeglasses store. My husband needed glasses and we had a flex account so we said sure. My husband got two pairs of glasses, used his insurance who reimbursed a portion, then we used the flex spend to cover the rest. The mystery shopping company paid us $120 to do the shop.  You are not going to get rich doing mystery shopping, but it can be a nice break to do something out of the house, put a few extra bucks in your pocket, and give you a nice meal out on occasion. I really enjoy it and will continue doing it as long as I can. Here are a few of the companies I mentioned in my post:http://trendsource.com/http://www.nationwidesg.com/pages/1/index.htmhttps://www.bestmark.com/http://www.beyondhello.com/secure/index.htmThese are all companies that I personally work for and would recommend them. Some don’t pay fast (one I had to wait for over a month to be paid) and others pay every week or every-other week. Many pay by PayPal, some by USPS, and others by direct deposit. You will need to apply to become a mystery shopper - there is no need to become certified - it doesn’t really help anything. Just do a good job on your reports and always turn them in quickly.