Many people have heard some mixed things about mystery shopping. For example, many have heard some wonderful benefits associated with mystery shopping, such as the ability to work as much or little as your want and the ability to get paid to pose as a customer in restaurants, shops and more. These and other benefits of mystery shopping may sound amazing to you, but there may be some things holding you back from signing up and taking advantage of all that mystery shopping has to offer. The fact is that many of the negative things people have heard about mystery shopping are actually misconceptions with little to no truth. So what are the top misconceptions about mystery shopping?
The Pay is Low.
Many people who have looked into mystery shopping in more detail have seen that an assignment may only pay $5-$15 dollars. This may seem like a small amount of money your effort at completing an assignment. However, there are other financial benefits associated with completing assignments that you may not be aware of. For example, because mystery shoppers are independent contractors, they can enjoy the financial benefits that any self-employed individual would. This means that you can write off the miles traveled for business purposes, expenses associated with your home office and more. In addition, you can use the reimbursement on required purchases to pay for some of your essentials like gas, groceries and more. You have to buy these things anyway, so why not get money back for buying them? Further, many assignments can be completed in under an hour. Getting paid $15 an hour plus getting reimbursed for a purchase and enjoy tax write-offs is beneficial indeed.
You Need to Take a Training Course.
There are some companies out there that offer training courses and mystery shopping certifications, and you may think you need to take these in order to earn money as a mystery shopper. You certainly can take the courses and get certified, but most mystery shoppers don’t. Mystery shopping providers don’t require these, and they don’t pay you more money because you have a certification or have taken a class. There is little to no experience required, and you can learn on the job.
You Have to Shop Alone.
There are some assignments that require you to shop alone, but this requirement is clearly stated and known to you before you accept the assignments. With most assignments, you are able to bring your kids, your spouse or your friends along with you. Many people are looking for a work-from-home job that they can do while caring for kids, an aging relative or someone else, and this is indeed a job that fits that bill. You simply have to read the requirements before accepting an assignment to make sure a specific assignments won’t forbid you from bringing someone else along.
These are just a few of the common misconceptions people have about mystery shopping and that are holding people back from fully enjoying all that this job has to offer. While you may not get rich as a mystery shopper, it is a great way for most people to earn extra money with a job based out of the house.