The holidays are a great time for mystery shoppers! What other job can you get paid to work and do your holiday shopping at the same time? You can make the most of mystery shopping this holiday season by following a few simple tips:
Making A List And Checking It Twice! If Santa does it, so should you! Before you accept any more assignments this holiday season, make a list of gifts you intend to buy your loved ones – and stick to it! After all, you can’t know which shop assignments are best for you to accept to help you get your holiday shopping done if you don’t know what you need to buy! If you are desperate for good ideas, check the internet or ask your loved ones for a list of their needs and wants.
‘Tis The Season… To Keep An Open Mind! Now that you have a list of what you want to buy those closest to your heart, you probably have a good idea of where you need to shop. After all, you always get your Dad a tie from the same old department store in the mall. But in order to make the most of your mystery shopping for your holiday gift purchases, think about all of the many places you can purchase a tie for dear ol’ Dad other than that same old department store. When job assignments hit your inbox, look at each one for the possibility of a good place to buy that tie for Dad, or crock pot for Mom, or even a gift basket for the neighbors.
Keep in mind that you can often buy the same thing at Best Buy as you can at Circuit City, just as department stores, discount stores, and others sell many similar items – if not the exact same brand. The stores where you are able to do a shop assignment may not be where you usually shop for your holiday purchases, but sometimes it pays to try something new!
Tidings of Comfort and Joy! You can make out like a bandit this holiday season if you spend some time planning your gift purchases and accepting shop assignments strategically. It may seem like a lot of effort, but it will definitely be worth it! Keep in mind that an assignment at a department store where you can buy Dad that $20 or $30 tie probably pays you $10-15, plus a purchase reimbursement if you’re lucky. You may just be able to come out even or maybe even get some cash in your pocket for thinking of Dad while you’re hard at work on your mystery shopping assignment. Even on pricier gifts that far exceed any amount you could ever hope to earn on a mystery shopping assignment, it will still be worth your while to get some reimbursement for combining your holiday shopping with mystery shopping. And that’s not even mentioning the travel mileage deduction you can write off on your taxes for working while you’re doing your holiday shopping.
So take a few minutes to put on your Santa’s Helper Hat and make a gift list, and then choose your assignments wisely for the next few weeks. You’ll save plenty of time and money by getting your holiday gifts purchased with mystery shopping assignments!