During college when I was trying to make some extra spending cash, I got interested in secret shopping. Since then, I have become a shopper at almost 8 different companies and perform shops usually once a week.Recently, Jordan and I have gone out for a steak dinner, buffalo wings, and frozen yogurt as secret shoppers. This week I did some shops at a thrift store and was able to get an adorable side table and some gap jeans. My expenses are reimbursed by the secret shopping company in addition to my actually pay for the shop which is generally between $10 and $25 depending on the complexity of the shop and the survey. I am paid as an independent contractor so I don't pay taxes unless I make over $600 in a year.
Some Caveats:
Secret shopping may seem like a dream job, but the reason these companies pay for you to shop and fill out the surveys is because it is real work.
1. Time: You have to schedule your shop ahead of time and make sure you can go there on the day you signed up to do it. After the shop, you need to go online and fill out the survey-- these can take anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour. It can be somewhat annoying to go out to dinner late one evening, then have to come home and fill out the survey about it.
2. Personality: You must be detail oriented enough to remember everything they ask you and review the surveys beforehand to note the requirements. Some shops require a stopwatch and timing certain things to the second.
3. Cash Flow: You pay with your own money, then get reimbursed later. The bad part is that it can often take 1-3 months to actually get paid (depending on the company) ...which is especially annoying if you are concerned about cash flow or balancing your budget each month.
4. Scams: When looking for secret shopping opportunities, it's good to watch out for scams. You generally shouldn't have to pay to become a shopper and although some companies require a social security number, I would be very careful before giving it out. Unless I know that the company is legitimate, I never give out my social security number. There are many secret shopping companies that don't require a social security number, so I would stick to those if you are concerned.
Whenever I tell people that I'm a secret shopper, they always want to know how they can become one too.
One of the companies I shop for is called BestMark -- right now they have tons of shops open for people who have either a Buick of GM car, in addition to many others. If you are interested in secret shopping this is a good place to start -- Apply Here.
