IS MYSTERY SHOPPING LEGIT?
There are many rumors circulating concerning Mystery shopping. I've heard that you can get clothes for free, free vacations, free food, etc. Let me share with you my experience based on work experience and research. First of all MYSTERY SHOPPING IS REAL AND LEGIT. Many, many companies pay to have their establishments analized or audited by everyday people. These companies, corporations, etc. usually contract with Mystery Shopping Companies, such as the ones I have listed on this site to perform these audits or secret shopping. Individuals as yourself can apply with the Mystery shopping companies to become a Mystery shopper or Secret Shopper. Each Mystery Shopping company has its own rules, as well as specific criteria for mystery shopping for its clients.
However, there are numerous companies masquerading as Mystery Shopping that require an upfront fee to join. I would not advise to pay a company to Mystery Shop, nor would I pay a company money to give me a list of Mystery shopping companies.
Mystery shopping companies contract with you on an individual basis. You can go online with the companies I have listed, fill out an application, and become an independent contractor to become a Mystery Shopper or secret shopper for their specific clients. While you do get paid for your time to complete a "Shop", reimbursement for your time varies. The requirements to perform a mystery shop varies. You will have to train for each company you want to mystery shop for. (Training is provided online, and usually consists of reading the requirements of the mystery shop passing a test in some instances in order to qualify for the assignment.)
They then may or may not provide you with a list companies that do mystery shopping for no fee. You have to sign up for these companies on an individual basis.
The bottom line is YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY A FEE TO JOIN A MYSTERY SHOPPING COMPANY. There are plenty of mystery shopping companies that you can submit an application to yourself online, (no fee attached) and if you meet their qualifications you can be a mystery shopper with that particular company.
HOW DO YOU GET PAID? You get paid per assignment or completed shop. You will usually know the cost of the shop prior to accepting the assignment. It will be up to you to determine if the time to complete the shop is profitable for you. Based on my research and applying reimbursements can range from $4.00 per shop to $29 or $55.00 per shop. It depends on the client you are doing the mystery shopping for. You will have to complete the shop based on the exact criteria called for per training. Also you will have to upload or send in all information concerning the shop by a specified time frame. If you do follow the "shop" criteria, or specific instructions, then you will not get paid. Sometimes you may have to perform a "shop" at a particular time, get names of employees during the shop, and observe certain conditions. But, first and foremost YOU MUST REMAIN ANOMYNOUS!!! as you perform the "shop."
As far as receiving payment for your shops, dates and times vary based on which Mystery Shopping Company you are contracted with. Some pay on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. You may have the option of receiving your check in the mail, direct deposit, or paypal.
CAN I CONTRACT WITH MORE THAN ONE MYSTERY COMPANY?
Based on my knowledge and research yes you can. Remember, you are contracted as an independent contractor for a Mystery Shopping Company. As long as there is not a conflict of interest, or you are followin g the criteria of the company or companies you are contracting with, and completing your assignments as required, you should be able to contract with more than one company. I would suggest that your organize your assignments, and make sure you are completing each assignment as required and in the correct time frame.
IS MYSTERY SHOPPING FOR YOU?
If you are a self-started, disciplined, and can follow instructions it can be for you. I would suggest that you apply at some of the sites I have listed under Mystery Shopping to the left of this blog. Perform a mystery shop or two and see if it is for you. I personally am contracted with a few of these companies, have completed "shop" assignments and have received payment. Your hours are flexible to fit your needs. You can accept an assignment based on your schedule, etc. As far as I know these companies do not require a fee to become a mystery shopper for them. So give it a try, you have nothing to lose but your time, and you will get more experience under your belt.
WHAT TYPE OF EQUIPMENT WILL YOU NEED TO BECOME A MYSTERY SHOPPER?
You will need to have access to a vehicle with required insurance, computer,( you will have to upload information or complete online forms) as well as a digital camera for some shops. (Camera phones are not always excepted.) You will also need a scanner to upload receipts verifying that you "shopped" a particular client.
So thanks for reading this blog for today. I hope this has helped you to allow more flexibility in your life and increase income as well. Please come back and visit and share your experience in applying and completing assignments as a "Mystery or Secret Shopper" for the benefit of others who are interested in pursuing this line of work.
Please revisit this page often, as I will continue to add mystery shopping links on this blog.
Have a wonderful day.
Showing posts with label independent contractors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label independent contractors. Show all posts
Friday, November 2, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
COGNIGEN
How would you like to get paid for the telecommunication services you use every day? Sign up to be a COGNIGEN agent and that's what happens. Click on the link above and sign up under BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS A FREE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AND COSTS YOU NOTHING TO BECOME AN AGENT.
SIGN UP TODAY!!! Visit ld.net/?debtfree2007 , to sign up
SIGN UP TODAY!!! Visit ld.net/?debtfree2007 , to sign up
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Is Working at Home For You??
I'm back as promised. First of all Working From Home is not for Everyone. It is for the disciplined. Most work at home jobs require high speed Internet, a computer(assuming you are computer literate folks, a dedicated phone line, and a corded phone with a headset feature.
You just can't have a computer, are pecking to find the j key, the s key, and when a customer tells you their e-mail address is "at ....... dot net", you must know the (at) they are referring to is the ampersand key and do not type a..t... You get my drift? You must be computer literate, be able to process orders or provide information over the phone using your computer. You may be taking orders or taking calls from someone in Hawaii, and you may be in Maryland, It may be 4:00 pm where you are but 2:00 a.m. where the caller is from. So mind you they may have just gotten up to smoke a cigarette, turned on the TV, watched an infomercial, called the number on the screen, and voila they get you. So, my point is they may be short on patience, at 2:00 am in the morning, much less have patience for a person on the other end taking their order who does not know where the keys are on the keyboard. So if you are now where I was 10 ears ago, and not even know how to turn on a computer, then try taking a computer class, ( I'm sure there are some in your area for free, or do as I did and order the Video Professor beginner's lessons at http://www.videoprofessor.com/. There is a cost to purchase his videos but you can learn at your own pace, stop, rewind, and keep trying until you get it right. There is a cost to his lessons, but, you have to be of the mind set of an independent contractor, you have to have the mindset that you are willing to invest in your future and progress. You no longer work for someone else you contract yourself out to work for other companies. So, therefore, you have to invest in your self to make yourself marketable.
Another important fact. You have to have an area that is quiet that you can take calls free from noises and distraction. So for those that have dogs or cats or other distractions, when your phone rings, the customer on the other end must not hear a dog barking, a cat's meow, or a child crying. Also, I would suggest you do not have the cat in your lap when you are trying to type, with his tail in your face because he wants some attention. Nope, can't have the cat walking across the keyboard trying to get your attention because you have been on the phone for 4 hours now, and the cat is hungry. (You all know how cat's do:).
Now lets talk about those adorable kids and grand kids. NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR THEM, RECEIVE EMAILS ABOUT THEM, OR TALK TO THEM!!!!! while you are working from the comfort of your home taking calls. Get It? The caller on the other end of the phone did not call to hear you talk about your grand children, your children, your cousin, step daughter, etc. As a matter of fact, the caller should ever know you have children, because THEY SHOULD NOT HEAR THEM.!!!
So make sure your children and fed, attended to if need be, are trained not to come to your work area while you are on the phone working. The customer on the other end of that phone should never know that you are taking their call from your home.
Now that we have the pets and the children trained and under control, let's focus on the husband, boyfriend, the brother, that has no place to stay right now, but in your home. What will they be doing while you spend endless hours on the phone and your weekly or bi-weekly check is going ca-ching, ca-ching. What on earth will your husband, lover, boy fiend, relative, be doing? CERTAINLY NOT TALKING, PLAYING, DISTRACTING YOU!!! Start preparing your mates now, there will be some cold showers, only take the Viagra, when you know you are not scheduled to work. And tell the brother, or relative, that he'll have to start watching the kids as well as eat all your food. That's right get everyone straight, prior to accepting the calls. Let everyone know IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DOLLAR BILL Y'ALL. Don't be scared now, I got your
back Boo!!
Next time we will focus on your work area and equipment needed to have a successful home based business. I will share with you my experiences and the amount of money I have been able to make from the comfort of my home.
You just can't have a computer, are pecking to find the j key, the s key, and when a customer tells you their e-mail address is "at ....... dot net", you must know the (at) they are referring to is the ampersand key and do not type a..t... You get my drift? You must be computer literate, be able to process orders or provide information over the phone using your computer. You may be taking orders or taking calls from someone in Hawaii, and you may be in Maryland, It may be 4:00 pm where you are but 2:00 a.m. where the caller is from. So mind you they may have just gotten up to smoke a cigarette, turned on the TV, watched an infomercial, called the number on the screen, and voila they get you. So, my point is they may be short on patience, at 2:00 am in the morning, much less have patience for a person on the other end taking their order who does not know where the keys are on the keyboard. So if you are now where I was 10 ears ago, and not even know how to turn on a computer, then try taking a computer class, ( I'm sure there are some in your area for free, or do as I did and order the Video Professor beginner's lessons at http://www.videoprofessor.com/. There is a cost to purchase his videos but you can learn at your own pace, stop, rewind, and keep trying until you get it right. There is a cost to his lessons, but, you have to be of the mind set of an independent contractor, you have to have the mindset that you are willing to invest in your future and progress. You no longer work for someone else you contract yourself out to work for other companies. So, therefore, you have to invest in your self to make yourself marketable.
Another important fact. You have to have an area that is quiet that you can take calls free from noises and distraction. So for those that have dogs or cats or other distractions, when your phone rings, the customer on the other end must not hear a dog barking, a cat's meow, or a child crying. Also, I would suggest you do not have the cat in your lap when you are trying to type, with his tail in your face because he wants some attention. Nope, can't have the cat walking across the keyboard trying to get your attention because you have been on the phone for 4 hours now, and the cat is hungry. (You all know how cat's do:).
Now lets talk about those adorable kids and grand kids. NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR THEM, RECEIVE EMAILS ABOUT THEM, OR TALK TO THEM!!!!! while you are working from the comfort of your home taking calls. Get It? The caller on the other end of the phone did not call to hear you talk about your grand children, your children, your cousin, step daughter, etc. As a matter of fact, the caller should ever know you have children, because THEY SHOULD NOT HEAR THEM.!!!
So make sure your children and fed, attended to if need be, are trained not to come to your work area while you are on the phone working. The customer on the other end of that phone should never know that you are taking their call from your home.
Now that we have the pets and the children trained and under control, let's focus on the husband, boyfriend, the brother, that has no place to stay right now, but in your home. What will they be doing while you spend endless hours on the phone and your weekly or bi-weekly check is going ca-ching, ca-ching. What on earth will your husband, lover, boy fiend, relative, be doing? CERTAINLY NOT TALKING, PLAYING, DISTRACTING YOU!!! Start preparing your mates now, there will be some cold showers, only take the Viagra, when you know you are not scheduled to work. And tell the brother, or relative, that he'll have to start watching the kids as well as eat all your food. That's right get everyone straight, prior to accepting the calls. Let everyone know IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DOLLAR BILL Y'ALL. Don't be scared now, I got your
back Boo!!
Next time we will focus on your work area and equipment needed to have a successful home based business. I will share with you my experiences and the amount of money I have been able to make from the comfort of my home.
Friday, October 12, 2007
I Just Can't do the Nine to Five Thing
From being an employee, manager, independent contractor, entrepreneur, I have finally come to the conclusion that a Nine to Five J.O.B is not for me. I've tried it, quit, gotten fired, etc. and it is just not for me. Maybe it's that strong entrepreneurial spirit in me, or the fact that I cannot give an employer 8 to 10 hours of my creative mind.
I have been working in the comfort of my home for about a year and 2 months now. I LOVE IT!!!. I can schedule my time in 30 minute increments. I can schedule, commit, uncommit depending on my needs or the needs of myself, family or friends. I can be available if need be for unexpected emergencies, grandchildren, etc. See, I determined on my last nine to five that Allah(God) wanted be to make myself available for a larger whole. The job was crazy and the Masters (management style) was crazy. Can I just take a minute of your time, (well this make take 10 minutes, I haven't released enough since I quit this job (2 years ago?). Okay I was working for a third party collection agency. Granted I also had previous experience working for one of the Major credit card companies, as a collector, and then promoted to the retention dept. This later company had great benefits, incentives, vacation pay, etc. It was the job I prayed to get (and you know what they say, "be careful what you pray for". It was a great job until I ended up in the physiologist's office like 70 % of the staff. I figured out why they granted so much vacation pay, sick leave, etc. ...Because you were going to need it!!!
Okay, so let's go back to the last job I QUIT!! Yep QUIT!! Said take this job and SHOVE IT!!! Bare with me people, I'm releasing here. Now as I mentioned earlier this was a third party debt collection agency. Therefore customers were seriously delinquent. We were strongly encouraged to be mean to people, rude, some supervisors were downright fraudulent in collecting payments. The retention of employees for this company was probably around 10 % in my estimate. They hired them and fired them. Not only that but it was a call center environment, and whenever someone collected a payment, the whole office had to blow whistles, clap, scream, whatever to applaud that collectors success. Never mind you had a customer on the phone. And then there was your quota. In the midst of this madness you had to meet daily, monthly quotas. And get this, when the supervisors had an announcement to make they just screamed at the top of their lungs, (whether they were behind you, beside you, and you did were talking to a customer, It did not matter to them.) Management promoted no respect for customers or me. After about 6 months of this I said, "You know what, I am not going to participate in this madness. I did not struggle all these years to dehumanize myself.
Their firing policy consisted of calling you in the office, and while you were in the office, they packed your things, put them in a box and put the box outside the door. So when you came out of the office you were escorted out the door with or where your box was.
Which leads me back to the reason for my posting today. Now I work from the comfort of my home. I have made as much as $1600 in a two week pay period. It was hard, but I had that option to achieve it. And spent much time in my pajamas working.
So stay tuned and I'll give you some insight to finding legitimate companies that hire Independent Contractors or employees to work from home. Feel free to post and tell me why you are ready to "STOP DOING THE NINE TO FIVE THING".
I have been working in the comfort of my home for about a year and 2 months now. I LOVE IT!!!. I can schedule my time in 30 minute increments. I can schedule, commit, uncommit depending on my needs or the needs of myself, family or friends. I can be available if need be for unexpected emergencies, grandchildren, etc. See, I determined on my last nine to five that Allah(God) wanted be to make myself available for a larger whole. The job was crazy and the Masters (management style) was crazy. Can I just take a minute of your time, (well this make take 10 minutes, I haven't released enough since I quit this job (2 years ago?). Okay I was working for a third party collection agency. Granted I also had previous experience working for one of the Major credit card companies, as a collector, and then promoted to the retention dept. This later company had great benefits, incentives, vacation pay, etc. It was the job I prayed to get (and you know what they say, "be careful what you pray for". It was a great job until I ended up in the physiologist's office like 70 % of the staff. I figured out why they granted so much vacation pay, sick leave, etc. ...Because you were going to need it!!!
Okay, so let's go back to the last job I QUIT!! Yep QUIT!! Said take this job and SHOVE IT!!! Bare with me people, I'm releasing here. Now as I mentioned earlier this was a third party debt collection agency. Therefore customers were seriously delinquent. We were strongly encouraged to be mean to people, rude, some supervisors were downright fraudulent in collecting payments. The retention of employees for this company was probably around 10 % in my estimate. They hired them and fired them. Not only that but it was a call center environment, and whenever someone collected a payment, the whole office had to blow whistles, clap, scream, whatever to applaud that collectors success. Never mind you had a customer on the phone. And then there was your quota. In the midst of this madness you had to meet daily, monthly quotas. And get this, when the supervisors had an announcement to make they just screamed at the top of their lungs, (whether they were behind you, beside you, and you did were talking to a customer, It did not matter to them.) Management promoted no respect for customers or me. After about 6 months of this I said, "You know what, I am not going to participate in this madness. I did not struggle all these years to dehumanize myself.
Their firing policy consisted of calling you in the office, and while you were in the office, they packed your things, put them in a box and put the box outside the door. So when you came out of the office you were escorted out the door with or where your box was.
Which leads me back to the reason for my posting today. Now I work from the comfort of my home. I have made as much as $1600 in a two week pay period. It was hard, but I had that option to achieve it. And spent much time in my pajamas working.
So stay tuned and I'll give you some insight to finding legitimate companies that hire Independent Contractors or employees to work from home. Feel free to post and tell me why you are ready to "STOP DOING THE NINE TO FIVE THING".
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