Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.
Last Updated on June 16, 2022 by Work In My Pajamas
Mystery Shopping is not a get rich quick opportunity, but it’s a great way to earn some extra cash for doing things you already do while out shopping, going out to eat and/or running errands.
I personally only sign up for mystery shopping jobs that will benefit me and that aren’t out of my way. My favorites are getting free oil changes and free food (i.e. ice cream, cinnamon rolls, candy bars, etc), all from name brand retailers. I’ve also done mystery shops for mailing packages and dining at restaurants. There are also phone shops and online mystery shops available so you could mystery shop and make money in your pajamas!
If I lived in or closer to a metropolitan city, I would probably be able to do a shop every time I was out and about! The jobs themselves may not pay much (i.e. $10 – $15), but getting reimbursed for my purchases (i.e. oil change, food, postage) is a great way to save money on things I would normally do anyway!
I like to take another person with me when I mystery shop so they can help me remember the whole experience as afterwards most shops will require that you fill out a survey or questionairre with specific questions such as the name of the person that helped you, how clean the establishment was and/or the time it took to wait for someone to help you. I simply have the other person text me answers (I keep my phone on silent), so they look busy on their phone while I’m “working”.
Here are the companies that I am personally signed up with to do mystery shopping (and can vouch that they are legitimate and do pay either via Paypal and/or check:
- Bestmark – Use my Shopper ID: NE6563 for priority acceptance! Or if you need my email address, it’s kim @ shoppingbookmarks.com (remove spaces) – they send out a weekly email with available shops for restaurants, retail stores, casinos, hotels, auto service and auto services available in your area.
- iSecretShop – I’ve been affiliated with this company for almost 20 years. And this is currently my favorite mystery shop as it contains shops for many of the stores at my local mall. I can shop for clothing and jewelry and get paid to it!
- Intelli-Shop – I’ve been with this company since 2002 (over 17 years)! They use SassieShop as their software system, and you’ll find that a lot of other companies use this same software, so you won’t have to learn to navigate several other platforms.
There are over 175 more mystery shopping companies out there! Check out Elite Mystery Shopper for more info. I normally wouldn’t recommend that someone pay some place to get a “job”, but this is a great resource. You are not only paying for their time to compile the list over 175 companies that hire mystery shoppers (it took me over an hour just write this blog post about a few of them), but they also offer tips, benefits and bonuses, therefore I believe this lifetime member access is definitely worth the $34.
Or if you prefer a hands-on experience, take a Mystery Shopper Training Program on Udemy for only $24.99 with Coupon Code: JUST25 (plus get a 30 day money back guarantee if you’re not satisified). This up-to-date course is where you can learn the secrets of mystery shopping from a professional with over 20 years in the industry (longer than me). Discover who is all hiring, what the companies expect, how you can write great evaluations, how to do tax reporting, how to avoid common scams and more.
What is your favorite Mystery Shopping Company to work for?
Thanks for sharing such great information. I like your post very much.