mystery shopping: a great way to earn extra income (while shopping)!
@doc_alma_jones (822)
Philippines
April 15, 2009 9:20am CST
i'm a mystery shopper for a few months now. i've had several opportunities from different mystery shopping companies. so far, so good. i got to eat in a fancy restaurant for free, plus i got paid for evaluating them. i also evaluate a few fast food chains for a smaller fee for another company, but hey, it's steady income and i like eating for free, lol ^_^
i've also done some mystery shopping involving stores. i'm about to do one assignment that requires no purchase because you only have to evaluate the store (cleanliness, its presentation of the specified product, its brochures, etc).
if you're in the philippines, perhaps i can refer you to different mystery shopping companies i've worked for. they are of course MSPA certified (this is one way to make sure the company is legit). if you are planning on becoming a mystery shopper, you MUST research so that you know how to spot scams (usually, scammers ask you for money or ask you to deposit money in exchange for a check that turns out to be fake). also, joining a mystery shopping company is ABSOLUTELY FREE. there's also MSPA that evaluates and registers legitimate mystery shopping companies.
although mystery shopping assignments pay okay and you even get reimbursed for food you eat or items you purchase, it's not exactly easy. you have to be observant and you need to read a few guidelines so that you 'll know what things you shall be evaluating specifically.
to my fellow filipinos (or anyone living in the philippines), there's an upcoming assignment and there are about 100 assignments. good thing about this assignment is there's no purchase you need to make, so you don't need to buy anything to evaluate the store. if you're interested, feel free to contact me.
there are also assignments in costa rica and other countries, so if you're from costa rica, please contact me as well. i haven't searched for assignments in the other countries yet, but it's an international company so they have a lot of assignments.
are you already a mystery shopper? share your experience so that the rest of the world can find out how it actually works! :D long live mystery shoppers!
1 person likes this
7 responses
@tigerdragon (4297)
• Philippines
16 Apr 09
oh, wow that's nice! that site has assignments in the pohilippines? i thought all of these survey companies only exists in the U.S? i am interesterd, gimme a PM concerning this one, please. so, i can sign up under you. thanks.
@blabberbabble (1)
• Philippines
6 May 09
Hello doc alma, i live in the Philippines and i'm interested in becoming a mystery shopper. I want to know which companies I can apply for. Kindly email me at song13@gmail.com for details regarding this. Thanks a lot for your help and article! ~michelle
@christina13 (1)
• Australia
19 May 09
hi everyone!
i have been mystery shopping for more than 3 years and i love it!
i also complete internet surveys and testings where they send you the products and you can test them at home.
anyone who is interested in getting involved, send me your email addresses and i will recommend you to the companies concered.
my email address is - casmith@people.net.au
good luck!!!!!
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
15 Apr 09
I didn't know about the MSPA, that's a good tool to help weed out the scammers! I wish you luck, it sounds like a very fun thing to do. I think I'll see if there is anything here in the states and in my area here.
@doc_alma_jones (822)
• Philippines
15 Apr 09
it really is fun, but it's also work, of course. :D i have to review guidelines, remember what areas to evaluate, remember to ask certain questions, etc so that my report is complete.
the first time i evaluated a store, i was so nervous i couldn't eat the food i ordered. but i got used to it, and now i don't even have to review the guidelines too much.
i still have to do a lot of reviewing though if it's a new assignment. there's a lot to remember when you're out on an assignment and they can be very specific - like the number of seconds before an employee greeted you, the number of seconds the transaction took, etc, and it will be easy to forget about all these if the guidelines are not studied religiously.
nevertheless, it's still a lot of fun! after all, your purchases are reimbursed, and sometimes you don't even need to purchase anything. other than that, the pay is usually okay so it's a great way to earn extra. :D
@eltobh (231)
• Indonesia
5 May 09
I'm also a mystery shopper, although I'm not living in the philippines :). I have been doing this for almost two years for some companies, start from eating in fancy restaurants, in fast foods restaurants and shopping in some assigned stores. It is very a great opportunity, particularly for those of you who want to earn side incomes and yes, I also advise you to check the companies first at MSPA, in order to prevent scams. The great things of becoming a mystery shopper is that you can see of how people treat you nicely or not, and even learning to become a detective..lol
@doc_alma_jones (822)
• Philippines
5 May 09
i especially like the "pretending you're not a spy" part. ^_^ it's exciting to go somwhere and know that your food/ purchases will be reimbursed, and that you have to do some detective work.
it's a really really nice way to spend your free time. you get to eat and shop, plus you get paid for having fun!
since you're not from the philippines, i bet you receive a higher pay per assignment (some of the companies based in my country pay less for filipino shoppers and more for their shoppers abroad, lol). good luck to all of us! ^_^
@Aziza1121 (1)
• Philippines
25 Apr 09
Im a new mystery shopper (less than a month). Saturated na yung Metro Manila assignments, kaya Im looking for another company. Can you share other companies who have available tasks in Metro Manila? Thanks!
@Niah1976 (739)
• Paranaque, Philippines
16 Apr 09
hi there! i'm from the philippines. i am intrested with that. tell me more about it. it. please.
