Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Shhhh!!!! Mystery Shopping


Shhhh!!!! You can't tell anyone! I'm a mystery shopper!! Shhh!!!

I was reading about the middle class disappearing and how daycare costs are killing young-would be middle class families when I saw an article on ways to supplement your income. It mentioned a lady that did lots of little jobs to supplement her income and one of those things was mystery shopping. She made about $2,000 a year, plus free merchandise. So I thought, hey, I need extra money. I HATE to shop, but I'll check it out.

So, I found a few companies that pay mystery shoppers, only one that pays pretty well, and off I search to find places in my area. My first shops were back in July. Basically, you complete this powerpoint/information reading and then answers questions about what you are looking for when you shop. There are very specific guidelines as to what you are looking for and what the sales people are supposed to be asking, etc. Then, you do the shop, and report what happened.

There weren't many in my area in July, but I had to travel from my parents house to Greenville to head to the coaches clinic, and there were a few along the way. I did a Staples shop and 2 US Cellular shops. It turned out to be REALLY easy and actually a little bit of a break from normal life. I don't really like to shop, but it's not really like shopping at all. Some shops you don't even buy anything. I'm a detail oriented person, so for me, the thrill was in remembering the details and seeing if the sales associate was doing their job correctly. (Since I knew, what they were supposed to say.) Also, I am huge on customer service, so it was fun to critique good/bad ones.

Anyway, I picked up a couple of jobs here in Morehead City this week, which it's great that they had some jobs in my area with this company. So far, I've made about $70 and got a box of ink pens and a big writing tablet that I wanted to get for my classroom. (Teachers, this is a good deal if you can do the office supply stores.) All for about 2 hours of my time. EASY MONEY!

Well, I'm off for now. Remember, SHHHHHH, don't tell anyone I'm a mystery shopper!! Hee Hee!

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