If you are interested in becoming a mystery shopper, you may be curious about just how quickly you can get started in this line of work and how long it will take you to get your first paycheck. The fact is that just about anyone can be a mystery shopper. The job simply takes your willingness to visit certain select site locations, perform certain requirements that generally involve interacting with employees and observing details about the location, and then writing a report about your site visit. It really is that simple and easy to do, and most mystery shopping providers will indeed take on most people to work with them who show an interest in the job. So just how do you get started?
Getting Your First Gig
Before you can get your first mystery shopping paycheck, you do have to get your first gig. You will need to find a few providers to work with, and then sign up to work on a specific assignment. This whole process sounds like it may take weeks, but the fact is that you can find a few providers to work with and be approved to start working with them in a matter of hours in many cases. Many providers do offer an online application as well as a quick approval process.
Working On Your Assignment
Most assignment will have a certain date and time when you need to perform the site visit. Some assignments are dated for the next day while others may be a week or two out. You can pick and choose which assignments you want to work on, and when you choose the “self assign” variety of assignments, you can automatically be assigned to work on a job as soon as you select it. Otherwise, you will have to wait for the provider to approve your request to work on the assignment. Clearly, the self assign assignments are the fastest route to a mystery shopping paycheck.
Waiting For Your Paycheck
After your site visit, you will then come home to work on your report online. The report generally will take about thirty minutes or so to complete, but this can vary. Then, once it has been submitted, you simply wait for your paycheck to arrive. Most providers are paying their mystery shoppers online through a service like Paypal, and so you can generally get your money sent to you in about two to four weeks. If a paper check is mailed, the process may take an extra week or two.
As you can see, if all of the pieces fall together just right, you could indeed get your first paycheck from mystery shopping within two weeks. However, it can take a bit longer than that if the pieces don’t fall together in the perfect way. You do have some control over this by selecting to work with providers who approve new mystery shoppers quickly, who use PayPal to pay their providers, and who offer self-assign assignments you can work on, too.