lford – Page 18 – Ellis Mystery Shopper Jobs

Finding A Legit Shopping Job

July 18, 2015

Posted by: lford

No comments yet.

Mystery shopping work can be fun and it can be beneficial. It can be rewarding and you would be helping businesses keep their customers. Money made can be used to supplement your income or help you save for another purpose. Finding legit work can be tricky and sometimes hard to find. Google searches do not always help, as they do not shift out the companies that have a long history of being a scam.

Too many people trusted companies to help them find work and instead found themselves in the middle of scams.

There are many legitimate companies that are out there, but sometimes the process of applying can be daunting. For instance, you might be wary of entering your social security number in a form. But keep in mind as an independent contractor you are required to give some form of government identification to your employer. If you don’t feel comfortable then call or email the company and ask for help.

Furthermore, beware of mystery shopping companies that ask you to send information to a post office box. The known mystery shopping companies have a physical address or a website with a secure area for entering private data. Again if you ever feel uncomfortable then ask questions. Ask question by email, but don’t send your sensitive information over email.

So keep in mind that telephone numbers and websites are important for mystery shoppers to be aware of today.

I lied for Money

July 15, 2015

Posted by: lford

No comments yet.

Several years ago I started mystery shopping just as a side gig with a few jobs a month primarily paying for some fast food during the workweek. As time progressed I learned about more and more shops.

I began shopping for new cars, apartments, and even houses. I did banking shops, pretending to have large sums of money available for investment. Friends have asked me about shopping and what it involves. All of a sudden, someone just asked me, “So you lie to people for money?”

It was an interesting thought, but the bottom line is, yes, I do lie to people for money. I lied to the banker; I lied to the leasing associate at the apartment complex; and I lied to the car salesman, all the while I had no guilt about it. You see, I don’t consider it to be lying. Yes, I am presenting myself as something I am not – a really interested buyer or investor, but it is my job. I pretend to be on board with policies and procedures at my full-time job that I disagree with too, but it is my job. And, honestly, mystery shopping is a lot more fun, as I’m usually doing something I enjoy.

I may not buy a car today, I may not rent that apartment today, I may not make any big investments today however, I do look at each shop as something I might do in the future. Conducting mystery shops helps me shop products in advance. So, is mystery shopping lying? No, it is research for me. Is it the right fit for everyone? Of course not, but neither is the full-time job I have! If you are uncomfortable with presenting yourself as something you are not, you should stick with fast food shops and some other simple shops that do not require you to make-up or use a back story. If you see it for what it can be, you may want to give it a try.

Shop Scheduling Tips

July 13, 2015

Posted by: lford

Tips for Mystery Shopping

No comments yet.

When you schedule yourself for any mystery shopping jobs, there are a couple of insights that a shopper should keep in mind to successfully perform a job. Normally, there is a job scheduler assigned to the assignment that was selected by you who keeps track of the status of the shop. They may also provide a contact person to email or call for any problems or scheduling conflicts.

It is also important to keep your scheduler aware of any extensions necessary as soon as possible since your job might be deleted from your assignment log if your scheduler does not receive your request in a timely manner. If you have any emergencies or problems completing the shop, notify your scheduler as soon as possible so you do not waste anymore time working on the shop or promptly explain any difficulties in completing the shop.

Most schedulers are easy to work with and want the jobs done as soon as possible, but they also have many shoppers contacting them and might miss your email or they might not notice an approaching deadline which could cause you to lose a shop opportunity. A shopper needs to be sure that they are on top of their due dates since the system or scheduler will often delete your shop, even if you already did part of it, if the shop has an overdue date.

Monitoring a job extension email confirmation from the scheduler is necessary to ensure your shop is done in an easy and fast manner. So ensure you establish a regular communication basis with scheduler way ahead of the time of your due date just in case you do need an extension or run into difficulties in finishing the job since an extension is usually granted.

Free Meals by Mystery Shopping

July 9, 2015

Posted by: lford

Uncategorized

No comments yet.

It is always nice to go out to a very fancy restaurant, but it can get expensive. There are some mystery shopping companies that allow a shopper to visit a nice restaurant to evaluate their services for free.

Most companies require you pay for the meal upfront, but the company will reimburse you for all the costs associated with the mealtime and you only have to answer a brief questionnaire and rate how well the service and food was at a particular restaurant.

You can always save even more money by looking for ads for that particular restaurant that your scheduler has assigned you, which often gives you a discount off your meal or sometimes you can find a two for one meal deal price. This helps to further reduce your upfront costs to the meal and then allows you invite someone to dinner for free. It only takes a few minutes to look through the paper or search the computer for restaurant discounts and that would help supplement your budget until the company reimburses you for the entire cost.

There are also a few mystery shopping companies that provide a credit type of card for you to use at these restaurant shops so you just charge the meal on their card. Other mystery companies pay you a mystery shopping fee for completing the shop on top of reimbursing you for the entire meal.

Earning a cash fee plus obtaining a company credit card for the meal is the best shop that I have uncovered, but generally most companies reimburse you for the meal. In either case, feel free to visit that fancy expensive restaurant for a nice day or evening meal since this freebie is on the company and they might also pay you a fee to shop that restaurant.

Earn Extra Cash Shopping

July 8, 2015

Posted by: lford

No comments yet.

Summer is a great time to earn extra cash since many students are out of school and family budgets may increase because the children are home for this season. Mystery shopping offers accommodating schedules and various job opportunities to earn extra cash each month, and each shop generally only takes a couple of hours to perform.Most jobs can be performed during regular working hours during the week while other shops offer evening and weekend work.

There is no long term commitment when you sign up and perform mystery shopping jobs other than committing to do one job in its entirety. In a couple of hours, you can earn from $40 to $300, and most mystery shopping jobs easily accommodate your schedule.

Mystery shopping jobs generally involve a shopper to evaluate an employee’s performance at a company. You may need to ask certain questions and interact with an employee. After your evaluation of the employee, most jobs require you to fill out an easy on-line questionnaire form for their company.

Generally, most mystery shopping companies pay within 30 to 45 days or some pay at the time you perform a mystery shopping job. The Internet is filled with ads for mystery shoppers which include evaluating apartments, shopping for a particular item in the store, or having potential customers taste or try new company products.

There are many types of mystery shopping jobs available and the sign-up is easy and free. Summer shopping is easy and many of you have free time to work a couple of hours to make some extra cash. So get moving and enjoy your summer along with a few hundred dollars in your pocketbook.

Was I spotted as a Shopper?

June 29, 2015

Posted by: lford

No comments yet.

When I first started mystery shopping I felt certain I was made by clerks as a shopper. I started looking at things differently and was really concerned about being spotted as a shopper. What would I do if they confronted me? I did several shops that required pictures. How do you inconspicuously take pictures in a fast food place? Of course, over time my presentation became much smoother and more natural.

I started doing more target shops lately, where you must shop a specific person. Sometimes these can be tricky and take a lot more time than a standard shop. Then, there are times when you are told to specifically ask for your target and say something like, a friend recommended you. When they ask for your friend’s name and you tell them, then you have to state your friend’s boyfriend gave her the name and you don’t know his name. Now, that is a feasible story, but I have gotten some weird looks when stating such things.

Sometimes you make phone calls and try to get a specific person. This is tricky. If it is not who you were supposed to talk to, you get a little tired of asking how late the office is open, hanging up, or stating you have the wrong number. It makes me feel as if they may catch on with five calls in a day that it is the same voice over and over again.

Rest assured, most of the time the amount of traffic at the location you are shopping is so high they will not know you are a shopper. And, just the fact that you are approaching the matter from a shopper’s perspective makes you over analyze things and make great strides to not be detected. No matter what happens always stay in character and keep your story the same. Sometimes you might need to embellish a bit, but keep it as simple as possible if you can. And know that many companies know they are shopped on a regular basis. There are times when an employee may be able to determine you are a shopper, but for the most part it will be business as usual.

Any Kids Need Extra Money?

June 25, 2015

Posted by: lford

About Mystery Shopping

No comments yet.

School is out for most kids and finding some part-time jobs to earn extra money helps to keep children busy. Learning about new work environments help motivate teens to be independent, relieves mom and dad to tend to their lifestyles, and the added income ameliorates parent’s overall spending budget on the family. Some states allow kids to work as early as 14 years old, but you should check with your state rules and standards for work requirements.

During summer, teenagers love to buy music, hang out with their friends, go to the movies, or go shopping, and those activities can increase a family’s budget in gas and in telephone bills. If you have children and they do not have any income, then you will need to budget your money to fund all these summer activities. However, if you help them find part-time mystery shops, then this is an excellent and easy opportunity for them to earn fast extra money, be responsible, learn the basics of a computer system, and actually helps them feel more independent since everyone wants to have their own money. Best of all, it decreases your overall need to budget wisely and prevents depletion of your monthly budget.

It is easy to find mystery shopper jobs online and there are numerous opportunities that a teenager would enjoy learning about new work environments and at the same time, make fast extra money for movies and buying music. There are mystery shopping that range from browsing for motorcycles and bicycles, to computer techie supplies, to make-up and fashion jobs, or handing out new products to customers.

The opportunities to earn extra money are out there and one just needs to log onto a computer and search for mystery shopping jobs. So what are you waiting for? Summer is here and it is time to find those mystery shopping jobs to earn extra money!

Keeping Records of Your Pay

June 10, 2015

Posted by: lford

No comments yet.

When you start to work for mystery shopping companies, you should keep records of which company you work for and the pay rate. This way you have an idea of how much you are due and when you will be paid.

It is important that you know the date you will be paid as you can follow up if you are not paid on time. Also when you file your taxes, accurate files are necessary.

First of all, create a document where you enter in the name of the company and the date you shopped. Keep a record of the websites where you entered the data. Next, keep records on when you get paid and how you will get paid. For instance, some companies use PayPal while others mail a check. Still other mystery hopping companies prefer to do direct deposit in to a bank account. Accurate record keeping will help you to ensure you are paid on time and when and where

Secondly, keep a copy of your records and the receipts to give to your tax preparer. Almost all the things you use to mystery shop can be written off on your taxes. A good tax program will show you which items you can claim. If you can possibly hire an accountant for a few hours, it could be beneficial. After all, you can learn what the tax breaks are for working at home. Record keeping is essential for a good shopper.

Prep for Mystery Shopping Jobs

June 8, 2015

Posted by: lford

Uncategorized

No comments yet.

You heard about mystery shopping jobs and wonder what you need to start. Mystery shopping jobs are generally listed online. A computer or a technology type I-pad, laptop, or any other computer type system to have regular access to the Internet is absolutely a necessity to find and apply for jobs. You normally need to log on and set up an account with each mystery shopping company.

The mystery shopping companies usually send emails on a regular basis to notify shoppers of potential jobs, cancellations, or other company updates, so having access to a computer is a necessity. Mystery shopping generally comprises of part-time work and once you find certain types of work that you enjoy and are comfortable over their pay amount, pay, you can focus on selecting several companies for jobs each month.

You should ensure that you set-up a banking type payment system to receive payments. Many companies now offer electronic payments which require a checking or savings account. Others, still process company checks and they are mailed to your home or office, so you should be open to both of these options. Having a printer is helpful since you can easily print out information on your various assigned shops or you could use a notepad and pen to write down the information on each shop.

Further, most shops require a vehicle to drive to a particular store in order to perform their shop. Or some companies have telephone shops where you can shop out of your home. With a couple of basic needs, you can start earning hundreds of dollars in a couple of hours and mystery shopping jobs are very flexible around your schedule.

How to Find Mystery Shops

June 5, 2015

Posted by: lford

No comments yet.

You may have heard through the cyberspace meeting chat rooms or was just googling for part-time work and discovered that there are jobs called mystery shopping jobs that are flexible where you can work them in and around your schedule. When you do not have a friend or mentor to guide you to these type of jobs, it can be a little frustrating to discover what is available and where to apply. But no worries now.

This post caught your eye, so just follow along and discover the portal to where those mystery jobs lie. You can first try googling mystery shopping and apply at each company that advertises jobs available. All mystery shopping jobs, like Ellis Mystery Shopping, do not charge a fee to apply and you can review their website, view all available shop opportunities, and apply to those jobs with your schedule.

However, there are companies that act as a middle man, have thousands of jobs available and they operate like an on-line data base, for temporary part-time mystery shops. Generally, these types of data base companies charge a fee, such as Shadow Shopper, to utilize their services, but you receive hundreds of different types of possible jobs. Before you pay any fee, ensure you check that company with the Better Business Bureau for authenticity and other Internet background checks.

Sometimes it’s better to find these large data base on-line employment agencies and pay a fee so you can find numerous companies all at once that offer mystery shopping shops. Once you start viewing the available employment boards, you will discover numerous company websites that you can apply for free in the future. So hop on the Internet and get started on mystery shopping!