Mystery Shopping Thread 21 *PLEASE READ THE OP FIRST**PLEASE NO CLIENT NAMES OR FEES*

Lil_Me_2

Packet of crisps all smooshed, or a pint of milk or similar with a broken seal?

lalli_pickle

mimi1234 wrote: »

There are at least 3 companies including the above that have asked me if I want to do any work for them. Thing is I can't remember even registering with them! :eek::eek::eek:

Can someone give me some inspiration for the returns bit at the EGGS shop? I know I have asked this about 6 months ago, but I'm bored of the biscuit and sandwich scenario. Any tips peeps?

I try to get reduced items if possible and then say they taste funny. Or the open water/milk scenario. Or put a little hole in the chicken satay dip sauce and say its leaking.

polythenegirl

Bag of flour and put a little hole in it?

Trevor64_2

Thanks for.all your replies re mystery outsource. I think I'll do my usual thing. Take one job, see how they pan out then decide whether they are worth the bother.

Well,I'm off to do a bookies now and when I return I shall share the VERY weird MS dream I had last night.

DPJames

Trevor64 wrote: »

Does anybody have any experience of mystery outsource?

I signed with them four months ago and I've yet to see, never mind accept, a single job.

StealthShopper

How do people in here organise their work? I'm in my third month of MSing now and I've got organised by using Google's GQueues. It's a free service and all my assignments are laid out in a structured fashion. I get email reminders and I think it makes me really efficient.

I did try and do a more detailed post with links and stuff, but I don't think I'm allowed to due a low post count.

lclose62

StealthShopper wrote: »

How do people in here organise their work? I'm in my third month of MSing now and I've got organised by using Google's GQueues. It's a free service and all my assignments are laid out in a structured fashion. I get email reminders and I think it makes me really efficient.

I did try and do a more detailed post with links and stuff, but I don't think I'm allowed to due a low post count.

I use the Jobslinger iPhone ap. It keeps me organised!

System

Lil_Me wrote: »

Packet of crisps all smooshed, or a pint of milk or similar with a broken seal?

I find the easiest is a bottle of water and the seal was broken.

Catatonia

I have a few tax questions, if anyone would mind giving me a bit of help.

1) I understand that if, say, you do a gap burger, the cost of the burger would not be taxed as it would count towards expenses as you have to buy it to do the job. But there is a bit of a grey area on the jobs which are reimbursement only, especially if you work for a company which does the vast majority of work in this way (eg the Mystery Dining Company). For these jobs, say it's a restaurant meal, would it be fair to do say £30 (total reimbursement for meal) - £7 (cheapest main course which was only requirement for job) = £23 taxable? Or should the whole reimbursement go down as taxable?

Edited to add: in a similar way, if the reimbursement for a gap burger is £x, and you spend 50p less than this due to local prices, would the 50p also be taxable?

2) I assume you can only count travel costs if you wouldn't be there any way - ie if you are in London for work, and you pick up a MS job there too, you can't count travel costs for this?

3) If you don't bother counting travel, printing costs against your profit in the first couple of years, as you don't expect to earn above the taxable limit as you have no other income, would it look suspicious to start counting them in subsequent years when you will be taxed? I.e. if you don't work now, and only do MS, but will be doing MS plus working full time in a couple of years time?

Thank you! I know there is no definite answers for some of this, but was interested in your thoughts.

Fila_2

I am new to this and in the instructions, it specifically asks to name the store employees when I call and when I visit. Wouldn't that give my cover away?
If I call and they don't tell me their name, I will have to ask "What is your name please?". The same if in store, I will have to ask their name out of the blue if they don't wear name tags.
Is there any way to go about getting their names over the phone and instore without them knowing I'm a MS?