r/mysteryshopping

This was my second time ever using the Field Agent app. I had some time to kill so I pick up what should be an easy job taking pictures of shelves at (Big Box Retailer). It was a terrible experience from start to finish.

Actually it was supposed to be three jobs, $5 each, with each one being a different section of the store. I apply to all three and suddenly two are no longer available. The one that is available that I already accepted has me doing five sections of the store instead of just one. Nice, bait and switch.

Whatever, I'm already here, let's just get it done.

Here are the five sections I need to picture:

• "."

• Face/Skin Care

• Cosmetic Cottons

• Ice Cream / Frozen Treats

• Frozen Meals

Yes, the first section of the store they wanted pictures of was listed as completely blank with a period. When I start the job the first set of questions is just generic text with the details missing. It says stuff like "Your job is take pictures of all the ."

So obviously I just skip the first section, but that isn't the end of the problems. The Face/Skin Care section is easy, I get that done but then they want you to walk around the entire store and fine any other skin care products that could be free standing displays, endcaps, etc, literally anywhere in the store, giving you basically no other details on what to look for, where it might be or how many things to look for.

Then there is the "cosmetic cottons". This is described as stuff like cotton swabs, cotton balls, cotton pads, supposed to be in all one place. Except they aren't, those items are spread out in the skin care aisle, I've already taken pictures of them. Ok fine, I just take pictures of them again. And again they want you to walk the whole store looking for some free standing QTip display or similar that may or may not exist.

Ice cream section was easy, then frozen meals. Should be easy too right? The instructions say to look for traditional single serving frozen meals like hungry man, stouffers, etc. EXCEPT (Big Box Retailer) IS A BULK STORE. THEY DONT CARRY ANY SINGLE FROZEN MEALS. They are literally asking me to find something that they don't carry. I take pictures of the closest type of stuff I can find but none of it is really what they are asking for.

Anyway I should have quit at the very beginning but I really had nothing else to do, wasted over half an hour trying to complete this mess, and then of course it's rejected immediately because I didn't submit the first part that was blank anyway.

Avoid.

I know mystery shopping is a side gig, I get it. But I’m always struggling to find work (thats worth it). I use ipsos, presto, reality based group, and market force. I dont like restaurant mystery shopping all that much bc the money just isn’t there. I was making decent money doing shops at Panda Express averaging $20-30 a shop, but they are no longer on ipsos. Thats another thing I hate is when companies move to a diff platform and they dont tell u where they moved to. Ofc google doesnt have the info either🙄… Anyways, the shops I see on the platforms I’m on are either reimbursement only, or the job fee is less than $5. A few years ago when I first started, I remember making $20-30 sometimes up to $50-60 a shop. But now a lot of them have significantly reduced the job fees or got rid of them entirely. So frustrating!!

Im a teacher, so I’m out of work in the summer. That is my reasoning for doing these in the first place. I’m not destitute desperate for every little penny, so doing shops that pay less than $5-10 is not worth all the hassle for me (ESP when the order goes above the reimbursement amount). So I just wanna know if anyone knows any platforms that pay more than $5 a shop? Whether it’s a restaurant or not?

Even better- does anyone know any platforms for gas inspection shops? Like where u go to the gas station and buy something then come back with ur vest and inspect the store & the pumps? I MUCH prefer those bc I dont have the stress of hiding myself when I’m taking photos lol.

I have been getting several calls a day from Marketforce for the Five Guys shops. I did them all the time, but stopped when five guys raised their prices. Reimbursement is $17.25, but a burger, fries, and a drink now cost over $25, and combo meals are no longer available. Not worth the gas to go out of my way to do anymore.

IMO, the boring habits save you later. For mystery shopping, I take the receipt photo before I even start the car: one wide shot, one close shot, then I zoom in to check the date and total. I also keep a quick note with arrival time, exit time, restroom condition, and anything weird like missing signage. My past self has absolutely fumbled reports by trusting memory. What little system makes your reports easier?

I saw a smartphone recommendation Insta shop on Presto. Downloaded and printed guidelines, I complete the quiz to qualify for shop. My answers were correct for this prerequisite yet I was I was not given qualifications.

What's up with this?

Hello, I'm new to mystery shopping. I was wondering what companies/websites should I start checking out?

Hello! My survey was returned because the pic didn’t have timestamps on the picture. My geotagging is on, but it said it needs to be geotagged as well. So not sure what I missed but, how do you guys put date/time on your photos automatically without external apps

I got a shop assigned at 10pm. I didn’t accept it, I was SLEEPING.

At 4am I get another email saying my rating has received negative points and I e been unassigned. WTF I was sleeping!

I also applied for this job OVER TWO WEEKS AGO.

Curious to hear other shoppers' experiences because bank shops seem to generate some of the most interesting reports for me.

I’ve done restaurants, retail, and a few other mystery shops, but bank shops always feel a little more intense to me.

The interaction is usually longer, and I feel like I have to stay in character more carefully. There’s more to remember too, how the banker greeted me, what questions they asked, how they explained things, and how natural or awkward the conversation felt.

Some bank shops go smoothly, while others feel challenged when the banker jumps into a pitch too quickly or doesn’t really engage with the scenario.

For fellow shoppers who do bank shops: do you enjoy them, or do you find them more stressful than retail or restaurant shops?

Curious to hear other shoppers' experiences because bank shops seem to generate some of the most interesting reports for me.

Has anyone done the vape shops? I’m traveling today and am thinking about picking some up but I’m a bit concerned. Any time I’ve been in a vape shop, it’s just been me and the employees or me and one other customer and the employees. How are we getting pictures if it’s not revealed?

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!

REPS/MSCs: What is one thing that would help you tremendously if shoppers did/didn't do while shopping or reporting? Your shopper "pet peeve" so to speak?

Shoppers: What is your editor/scheduler/feedback pet peeve? What could companies do better for you?

I HATE getting 9/10 on reports with no evidence or indication of what I did wrong. Especially when I fully documented all issues in writing. I know scores don't mean anything but it irritates me so much to see that I've been docked a point for no reason.

Started using Hetal to do Mystery shopping recently and have had a good experience so far (other than educating store employees “wasting” my time lol)

For the app you need to use the in app photo/video to capture the isles. The app uses a “bad” camera zoom that makes it difficult to get the entire shelf with smaller isles.

I would love to be able to zoom out and make the experience and video better. Is there functionality for this?

TIA

Does anyone else get paid via direct deposit from MarketForce? How long does it typically take past the date they listed in the payment history? I just changed it over from PayPal earlier in the month. I got confirmation that the money would go to my bank. It’s still not there. Just under $600. And yes, I’ve already reached out more than once with no response yet.

Who is doing these for $10??? That's crazy!

70 DAYS AFTER SHOP REPORT APPROVED -- NO PAYMENT

Reconsider Signing Up for (C_ _ _ _ _ =Big Box Store out of Kirkland WA) Audits from Mystery Shopping Services

**$$$You may never be paid$$$**

WHO DO WE REPORT THEM TO? BBB? JUSTICE DEPARTMENT??

Emma (Accounting Office) at Mystery Shopping Services [NOTE -- MSP Also identifies them as BUSINESS EVALUATION SERVICES] appears to be playing bait & switch games and avoids paying shoppers. It is June 22, 2026, 7 pm PT. I am still not paid from an April 15, 2026 Shop. On May 15th I emailed her. She appears on their website as "Accounting". She stated MSP is 45 days and I'd be paid on the run after 45 days. They pay on 15th and 30th. So that implied the 30th. Nope.

Inquired on June 5th. No response. Again June 6th. No response. Message iSS Tech Support and they immediately respond. Tell me they will inform Emma. Emma never responded. Then iSS support sent me a response she sent them complaining that she had already responded to me and that I was bothering her with my multiple messages. Funny. She never did respond to me. So I passed it along to her. That's when she lost her Sh**. She told me off for messaging iSS. After scolding me multiple times via multiple threads, I asked her again. She told me she was "waiting on Accounting". 🤔??? Website says she is Accounting. She told me she never told me I'd be paid on the 30th (despite having the implied payment promise in email). She then told me I'd be in the batch of payments sent out next day. It's now 3 weeks later. Still no payment.

***70 DAYS AFTER REPORT SUBMITTED NO-PAYMENT ***

***HELP***!!! *ARE THEY JUST A SCAM*? Do they just take the clients money and never pay shoppers?

I currently have several Digital Experience mystery shops available through Sinclair Customer Metrics. These shops are completed online using a website or mobile app (depending on the assignment) and require screenshots throughout the experience.

Claims Digital Shops – $50
You must have filed a claim, or be able to file a new claim, within the last 9 months.

Available companies include:
Allstate, American Family, Amica, AAA, Auto-Owners, COUNTRY Financial, CSAA, Erie, Farmers, Chubb, Foremost, Hippo, Homesite, Kemper, Lemonade, Liberty Mutual, Mercury, Metromile, National General, Nationwide, GEICO, Progressive, Root, Safeco, The Hartford, and Travelers.

Pharmacy Digital Shops – $40
You must have filled an online prescription (or be able to fill one) within the last 12 months.

Available companies include:
AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, Hy-Vee, King Soopers, OptumRx, ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Veterans Affairs (In-Person), Veterans Affairs (Mail Order), Walmart Pharmacy Mail Services, and Wegmans.

Retirement Digital Shops – $40
You must have an active retirement account, such as an IRA or 401(k).

Available companies include:
Alight Solutions, Corebridge, Lincoln Financial Group, MissionSquare Retirement, Nationwide, Paychex, Principal Financial Group, T. Rowe Price, and Transamerica.

Mortgage Digital Shops – $30
You must have an active mortgage with the assigned mortgage servicer.

Available companies include:
Bank of America, Carrington Mortgage, Cenlar, Chase, CrossCountry Mortgage, Dovenmuehle, Freedom Mortgage, Lakeview, LoanCare, and M&T Mortgage.

Wealth Management Digital Shops – $30
You must have an active investment or wealth management account with the assigned company.

Available companies include:
Ally, Ameriprise, BMO InvestorLine, BMO Nesbitt Burns Gateway, Charles Schwab, CI Financial/Assante, CIBC Investor's Edge, CIBC Wood Gundy, Citi, CitiGOLD, Desjardins, Disnat, E*TRADE, Edward Jones Canada, iA Private Wealth, IG Wealth Management, J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, JPMorgan Chase, LPL, Merrill, Merrill Edge, Morgan Stanley, National Bank, Northwestern Mutual, PNC, Prudential, Questrade, Raymond James, RBC, Robinhood, Scotia iTRADE, Scotia Wealth Management, SoFi, Stash, Stifel, Sun Life, TD, TIAA, Truist, U.S. Bank, UBS, Vanguard, Wealthsimple, and Wells Fargo Advisors/WellsTrade.

Each shop typically requires approximately 50 screenshots, and all personal information must be blacked out before submitting. Reports must be completed on the same day as the shop.
If you're interested:

• Log in to your Sinclair Customer Metrics shopper account.
• Complete the required briefing and qualification for the shop type.
• Self-assign the shop if available.

If you've completed the qualification but cannot self-assign, reply with your Shopper ID, the company you're interested in, and the shop type, and I'll be happy to assist.

Thank you,
Jenny LaClair
Scheduler
jenny@rlmsquared.com

I’m from nc in the triad area and wonder which ones are the best