MYSTERY SHOPPING THREAD 19 - please don't mention client names or fees on here!!

look_after_the_pennies

Becles wrote: »

Lucky you! I've got hardly anything.

This year has been very quiet in general. It's a bit worrying considering I haven't got another job or any other income.

This year has been quiet for me too.
Very rarely manage to get a job with RE as they all seem to get snapped up pretty sharpish. I miss the days where their download was in the evening rather than in the early hours when I'm asleep or early afternoon when I'm at work.
Have been missing out on the stamp and chicken jobs with GAP. Again, they have been snapped up in my area. Haven't been quick enough with GR either as I used to rely on their jobs but have been missing out on them lately. I miss Reacts coffee jobs but hoping to pick up some attraction visits later in the year.

However, some of the lack of work is my choosing.
Don't bother with ESA now due to their low fees. Might pick up the odd job here and there when the fees are raised due to desperation. However, most of their jobs are required to be done during the week which I can't do due to my full time job. I'm bored of TNS supermarkets and I'm waiting for the 4 months to pass before I can shop their smaller supermarkets again. Now and again, I might fancy a bit of DIY.

DebtHater

look_after_the_pennies wrote: »

However, some of the lack of work is my choosing.
Don't bother with ESA now due to their low fees. Might pick up the odd job here and there when the fees are raised due to desperation. However, most of their jobs are required to be done during the week which I can't do due to my full time job. I'm bored of TNS supermarkets and I'm waiting for the 4 months to pass before I can shop their smaller supermarkets again. Now and again, I might fancy a bit of DIY.

I've noticed that some of the clients have disappeared altogether, and some of them have moved over to ESA......

Bit of a shame really, this used to be a really good earner. Used to have 8-10 jobs booked one day, then a day off to do reports etc and then the following day was booked up again...... cant do that now, struggle to get 8 jobs in a week LOL.

I remember the first time I ever did an MS.... did it for the old Livingwell chain (cant remember the MS co but it was an excel spreadsheet sent to us via post and we used to fill it in with a pen!) - those jobs were great, completely free yearly membership and you had to report back every 2-3 months with your opinions.

Surely the MS trade can only keep getting worse?

Tarasam

Becles wrote: »

Lucky you! I've got hardly anything.

This year has been very quiet in general. It's a bit worrying considering I haven't got another job or any other income.

Do you think it could be our area, i'm contemplating completely giving up. I've only done a handful of petrol jobs since Jan...the only work I had was really edig and thats few and far between these days...

Becles

It could be, or just too many people doing it now. I used to get loads from edigital too, but not as much now.

look_after_the_pennies

I have to agree. I think the number of mystery shoppers has risen, especially after the Mary Portas programme. I can't believe thought that RE has the number of shoppers on its books as they say they have!

TractorGirl327

yonk wrote: »

I've been considering this too. I've opted for a netbook (£250) as I want one with a HD and a cardreader for my videos. I'm then going to get a smartphone and will use that as a mobile hotspot, should I need it.

I've got a Netbook too. I don't think you can use Word & Excel on an iPad, and since I've got my MS-ing diary on Excel, I need to be able to access it while I'm out and about so the Netbook is perfect for me.

clippy_girl

i have just had my busiest month ever but not got much booked now. had a few months off before xmas as bought a house and went on long hol and seemed quiet in jan/feb. as i hadnt done any for so long obv didnt have any rotations so could do most of what i could pick up. edig were very good to me too. wont be the same this month i fear!

mimi1234

Becles wrote: »

Lucky you! I've got hardly anything.

This year has been very quiet in general. It's a bit worrying considering I haven't got another job or any other income.

On and off for me. One week I will get 10 jobs and then nothing for another three weeks.

Getting hacked off with GFK. Not seeing anything on there. Not even the homeware-kitchen-bedroom-fabric-carpet-whatever-they-are kinda shops anymore! Oh and what is it with RE? All I see are betting shops and pubs and I don't do either of them!

Also, ain't it strange how "someone" picks everything up on ESA so it shows as "back up shopper" and then a day before their last due date, that "someone" drops each and every single one of them? It's happened to almost all the pharmacies and travel shops. Mind games by ESA methinks!

spender

After reading the above posts regarding lack of work and not having much booked up for May, I thought I would start applying to other companies. I wandered onto the office forum and started looking at their list of companies, however on many of them the link is no longer active. I have been Ms for about a year and have done the usual companies mentioned on here. Have a lot of companies gone out of business or are the links just out of date. More curious than anything.

Lil_Me_2

TractorGirl327 wrote: »

I've got a Netbook too. I don't think you can use Word & Excel on an iPad, and since I've got my MS-ing diary on Excel, I need to be able to access it while I'm out and about so the Netbook is perfect for me.

I'm disappointed in you TG! Of course you can use "word" and "excel" on an iPad. You just have to use the Apple version i.e. "pages" and "numbers". Numbers isn't great when you have an already heavily changed excel document as some of the formatting doesn't translate perfectly, so if you have an excel report it's not very good. You can access and edit though.