Mystery shopping is for real. But services which offer to get you into the business are fake. Go to volition dot com and start reading the boards, just don't compete in my area.
To sign up with the different companies, you'll need to write a narrative of some sort. Whatever you write, keep it concise. The best way to get the jobs and maintain your rating is to understand what a company is looking for. Get names, give exact details and keep the report concise. Only write the facts and reserve your opinions unless asked specifically for them. Never vary from the guidelines and never cancel a job.
My wife and I both shop and have been doing so for almost 15 years. Restaurants are mostly a reimbursement with a few dollars extra thrown in. Video shops pay the most and don't require any narrative or written report. Remember, companies will file a 1099 on you, as you are considered an independent contractor.
If you are grammatically challenged, you need not apply.
As for signing with a company and not being offered jobs, it may be that they are not operating in your area. There are various other boards. Jobslinger dot com acts as an aggregate for a variety of boards and you can find companies there which are looking for shoppers in your particular area.
Most will require you to handle a small shop to obtain a rating before you are offered one which pays a bit more.
You'll have a hard time finding out which companies shop a particular restaurant, but if anyone knows where, I wouldn't mind seeing that list myself.
We do a lot of fine dining, however those shops usually are limited to one visit, per location, per year. Average is around $120 - $180 in expenses, including bar tab and valet.
Invest in a small digital recorder. The time stamp will make it easy to calculate timings and allow you to more accurately recall details of interactions. The most grueling of my reports takes me about an hour, including scanning the receipt.
As a resident of Cook County, my husband and I were discussing this yesterday. Sales tax is 10.25% and then for restaurant meals, including fast food, 11.75% (which I found out when I forgot to bag my lunch yesterday).
Generally, we'll only be purchasing big ticket items in the adjacent counties from now on. We'll continue to frequent the same small, independent boutiques in our neighborhood (Logan Square) because it's important to support them but when it comes time to pick up a new computer or TV? We're DuPage County bound.
you're fine if you have enough cash in the bank to pay off the cc bill at the end of the month
no one told you to spend more than your ability to repay, that's stupid regardless of how you decide to finance the purchase
you're going to pay your mortgage either way, you're gonna pay your credit card either way, so combine the two, get the benefits, and curb your excess shopping by having some of your credit unavailable to you
"Remember fire?" Right, because all of us apartment and condo dwellers have lots of handy places to start a fire without strangling ourselves with smoke inhalation. Oh and good luck trying to start a fire in your backyard during a flood!
I'd be more likely to try boiling water using some kind of solar-powered hot plate. Does such a thing exist?
I have that segment of the screenplay plus many others (including all of the "I am Jack's..." quotes) typed up and posted on the wall of my cubicle (only within my eyesight) to remind me of what is important and what is not. Truly one of the most underrated films of all time.
My sales taxes (Texas) are over 8%. This is one of the main reasons I signed up for Amazon Prime. For things like razor blades and shampoo, the slightly cheaper prices plus no taxes make Amazon the obvious choice.
Here in Texas, random things are not taxed, like flour or some produce. But then some juice will be. Almost all the food I buy is taxed.
Sorry, but you treated your cocaine addiction with a heroine one. Cats are the ultimate possessing thing. They survive on being possessed and feeded. And data, well, it is the new stuff.
I don't shop much online, because often the best prices are negated by high shipping charges.
Also, here in Massachusetts, there is no sales tax on food or clothes, which helps make the sales tax less regressive. I remember visiting my sister in Chicago and being startled to be charged tax on clothes.
What they mean by servings here is one cup, which is the standard way of measuring a lot of foods like soup, pasta, etc. so that you can compare them in the U.S. Really for a meal you're going to eat at least 2 cups of whatever, making this at most 40 person-days of food if you figure the milk doesn't count, and that's something like 1000 Calories. This amount is barely maintenance for me, and would be dieting for a lot of people. WhyTanFox is right, you're going to want more than that if you're doing anything more than cooling your heels in a shelter.
As far as ready-to-eat, I should grab our stash of "lazy food" if it comes to that--we always keep some Tasty Bite packets around for when we're stressed out.
The climax of this post is Tyler's quote, "The things you own, end up owning you," but 'owning' is spelt as 'owing,' so some of the quote's impact is lost. Just thought I'd mention that. (Please delete this comment afterwards, thanks.)
Is this really that big a deal? A 1% increase? Your grocery tax is only 2% I believe so this would just be on clothing/electronics/furniture and the like. You'd have to be buying a lot to notice the difference I'd imagine.
The BC sales tax is currently 12%, down from 14 in 2 years, making no noticeable difference in my budget.
I'm sure you can absorb a 1% increase, if not you probably have bigger problems.
Hi Timmy,
It is really a tough question to answer. By asking such questions, the interviewer tries to judge whether your primary aim is to gain a specific designation, that is, are you over-ambitious.
Answer such questions in a way that you do not reveal any specific designation, for example, Manager, Director, Vice President, or CEO. If you specify any designation, it may appear to the interviewer that you are over-ambitious. Also, the interviewer may feel that if you could not achieve the desired position, you may leave the organization.
Maybe you can answer such questions as, "Five years down the line, I want to be among the best performers or best employees of the organization."
Carrie, you used to live in the Bay Area right? Sales tax has been 9% in San Francisco for a pretty long time and a lot of people still pay for it I guess. My mom lives in Contra Costa and the sales tax is 8.25%. She actually bought her coffee table and bed online and saved hundreds of dollars on taxes. I guess it can be worse. My cousins live in Vancouver, BC and the taxes on purchasing is something like 14%.
"Stephen King is the most well-known writer on the face of the planet next to Jesus. Sounds pretty much like Mark Twain to me."
Jesus was not a writer.
The best-selling fiction writers of all time are Shakespeare and Agatha Christie, with over 2 billion sales each. Followed by (amongst others) Danielle Steel, Dr. Seuss, Leo Tolstoy, J.K. Rowling, Horatio Alger, R.L. Stine, and Pushkin. Stephen King trails behind all of them, with only 350 million sales.
Mark Twain trails even further behind with less than 100 million.
Mystery shopping is for real. But services which offer to get you into the business are fake. Go to volition dot com and start reading the boards, just don't compete in my area.
To sign up with the different companies, you'll need to write a narrative of some sort. Whatever you write, keep it concise. The best way to get the jobs and maintain your rating is to understand what a company is looking for. Get names, give exact details and keep the report concise. Only write the facts and reserve your opinions unless asked specifically for them. Never vary from the guidelines and never cancel a job.
My wife and I both shop and have been doing so for almost 15 years. Restaurants are mostly a reimbursement with a few dollars extra thrown in. Video shops pay the most and don't require any narrative or written report. Remember, companies will file a 1099 on you, as you are considered an independent contractor.
If you are grammatically challenged, you need not apply.
As for signing with a company and not being offered jobs, it may be that they are not operating in your area. There are various other boards. Jobslinger dot com acts as an aggregate for a variety of boards and you can find companies there which are looking for shoppers in your particular area.
Most will require you to handle a small shop to obtain a rating before you are offered one which pays a bit more.
You'll have a hard time finding out which companies shop a particular restaurant, but if anyone knows where, I wouldn't mind seeing that list myself.
We do a lot of fine dining, however those shops usually are limited to one visit, per location, per year. Average is around $120 - $180 in expenses, including bar tab and valet.
Invest in a small digital recorder. The time stamp will make it easy to calculate timings and allow you to more accurately recall details of interactions. The most grueling of my reports takes me about an hour, including scanning the receipt.
yeah ... makes plenty of sense ...
what's the point of having money if you're not going to use it
As a resident of Cook County, my husband and I were discussing this yesterday. Sales tax is 10.25% and then for restaurant meals, including fast food, 11.75% (which I found out when I forgot to bag my lunch yesterday).
Generally, we'll only be purchasing big ticket items in the adjacent counties from now on. We'll continue to frequent the same small, independent boutiques in our neighborhood (Logan Square) because it's important to support them but when it comes time to pick up a new computer or TV? We're DuPage County bound.
you're fine if you have enough cash in the bank to pay off the cc bill at the end of the month
no one told you to spend more than your ability to repay, that's stupid regardless of how you decide to finance the purchase
you're going to pay your mortgage either way, you're gonna pay your credit card either way, so combine the two, get the benefits, and curb your excess shopping by having some of your credit unavailable to you
its a win win win
Wow, I never realized how good I had it in Mass. Thanks for the eye opener.
"Remember fire?" Right, because all of us apartment and condo dwellers have lots of handy places to start a fire without strangling ourselves with smoke inhalation. Oh and good luck trying to start a fire in your backyard during a flood!
I'd be more likely to try boiling water using some kind of solar-powered hot plate. Does such a thing exist?
I have that segment of the screenplay plus many others (including all of the "I am Jack's..." quotes) typed up and posted on the wall of my cubicle (only within my eyesight) to remind me of what is important and what is not. Truly one of the most underrated films of all time.
I wrote a post for today about hurricane preparedness, so I'm going to link to this. Thanks and perfect timing!!!
My sales taxes (Texas) are over 8%. This is one of the main reasons I signed up for Amazon Prime. For things like razor blades and shampoo, the slightly cheaper prices plus no taxes make Amazon the obvious choice.
Here in Texas, random things are not taxed, like flour or some produce. But then some juice will be. Almost all the food I buy is taxed.
I sell guns and C4 so I can buy soap.
Sorry, but you treated your cocaine addiction with a heroine one. Cats are the ultimate possessing thing. They survive on being possessed and feeded. And data, well, it is the new stuff.
I don't shop much online, because often the best prices are negated by high shipping charges.
Also, here in Massachusetts, there is no sales tax on food or clothes, which helps make the sales tax less regressive. I remember visiting my sister in Chicago and being startled to be charged tax on clothes.
Disregarding the cost, I've found physical shopping is nothing but a waste of time.
The bookstore didn't have the book I wanted.
The glasses place didn't have the shades I wanted.
The CD place didn't have the CD I wanted.
They all offered to order it for me.
I can do that myself.
And don't get me started on all the physical stores stocking forced labor shoes & clothes at premium prices because they've got some logo on them.
What they mean by servings here is one cup, which is the standard way of measuring a lot of foods like soup, pasta, etc. so that you can compare them in the U.S. Really for a meal you're going to eat at least 2 cups of whatever, making this at most 40 person-days of food if you figure the milk doesn't count, and that's something like 1000 Calories. This amount is barely maintenance for me, and would be dieting for a lot of people. WhyTanFox is right, you're going to want more than that if you're doing anything more than cooling your heels in a shelter.
As far as ready-to-eat, I should grab our stash of "lazy food" if it comes to that--we always keep some Tasty Bite packets around for when we're stressed out.
Remember fire?
Really need an internet article telling us how to better ourselves and live our lives according to some principle brought up by a man behind a screen
The climax of this post is Tyler's quote, "The things you own, end up owning you," but 'owning' is spelt as 'owing,' so some of the quote's impact is lost. Just thought I'd mention that. (Please delete this comment afterwards, thanks.)
Hi Arun,
Good advice.
Keep helping the people who really need such advices.
Thanks
Preeti
Is this really that big a deal? A 1% increase? Your grocery tax is only 2% I believe so this would just be on clothing/electronics/furniture and the like. You'd have to be buying a lot to notice the difference I'd imagine.
The BC sales tax is currently 12%, down from 14 in 2 years, making no noticeable difference in my budget.
I'm sure you can absorb a 1% increase, if not you probably have bigger problems.
Hi Timmy,
It is really a tough question to answer. By asking such questions, the interviewer tries to judge whether your primary aim is to gain a specific designation, that is, are you over-ambitious.
Answer such questions in a way that you do not reveal any specific designation, for example, Manager, Director, Vice President, or CEO. If you specify any designation, it may appear to the interviewer that you are over-ambitious. Also, the interviewer may feel that if you could not achieve the desired position, you may leave the organization.
Maybe you can answer such questions as, "Five years down the line, I want to be among the best performers or best employees of the organization."
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Arun Bamania
Carrie, you used to live in the Bay Area right? Sales tax has been 9% in San Francisco for a pretty long time and a lot of people still pay for it I guess. My mom lives in Contra Costa and the sales tax is 8.25%. She actually bought her coffee table and bed online and saved hundreds of dollars on taxes. I guess it can be worse. My cousins live in Vancouver, BC and the taxes on purchasing is something like 14%.
I like shopping online because I get to shop tax free, but if I am in need of something immediately, I'd definitely shop locally.
Especially since there is no sales tax in Oregon where I live :)
95% of the world's people do not live in the US.
40% of the world's people are living below the poverty line.
I think most of the world would not even begin to understand what this discussion is about.
"Stephen King is the most well-known writer on the face of the planet next to Jesus. Sounds pretty much like Mark Twain to me."
Jesus was not a writer.
The best-selling fiction writers of all time are Shakespeare and Agatha Christie, with over 2 billion sales each. Followed by (amongst others) Danielle Steel, Dr. Seuss, Leo Tolstoy, J.K. Rowling, Horatio Alger, R.L. Stine, and Pushkin. Stephen King trails behind all of them, with only 350 million sales.
Mark Twain trails even further behind with less than 100 million.