u/HS-Brands

Ever heard the term "bread & butter" when it comes to mystery shopping?

If you're new to the gig, it basically means the small, repeatable shops that don't pay a ton individually... but string a few together on a single route & you've got a solid chunk of change for a few hours of easy work.

Gas stations, quick serve restaurants, and general retail locations are the classic bread and butter assignments. Most take 30 minutes or less, they're everywhere, and they're almost always available. Instead of driving across town for one big shop, think about mapping out a route of three or four that are close together. With this you suddenly have turned a $12 shop into a $50+ afternoon.

It's one of the most underrated strategies for making mystery shopping actually worth your time, especially when you're starting out and still building your assignment history.

If you're not already signed up with a company that offers this kind of volume, it might be worth checking us out. We consistently have gas station, QSR, and retail assignments available across the U.S. perfect for building out a route.

👉 Interested? Fill out our Assignment Interest Form and we'll match you with shops in your area.

Happy to answer any questions about how routing works or what to expect on these types of assignments!

My name is Ashley, and I work with HS Brands; A global mystery shopping company. I see a lot of questions (and skepticism!) around mystery shopping as a side hustle, and I totally get it. It can sound too good to be true!

I'm here to answer any questions you have, bust some myths, and share what the experience is actually like. Drop your questions below and I'll answer every single one. Nothing is off limits! 😊