Secret shopper

Although I do work full-time and make a somewhat decent living, I still live paycheck to paycheck. Everyday expenses of living are constantly on the rise but my hourly wage is not. About a year ago, I decided to look into how to become a secret shopper. I was not sure exactly what a secret shopper actually did and if it was even something that would be possible. It only took me about ten seconds to find a ton of sites on how exactly I could become a secret shopper.

Many of the sites offered advice but explained that the best way to become a secret shopper was to pay a small fee to register for a service who in turn, helps you find reputable companies that want people to secret shop for them. I was skeptical, of course. Afterall, why should I be paying a fee in order to become a secret shopper and earn some extra cash? It just did not make sense. Of course, this particular question was answered on every site I did check into and the answer made sense. However, I still did not think it was fair. I decided to compare a few sites and even read some opinions on what sites are worth the money and others that should not be given another glance. I can not remember exactly how much my fee was but I know that I did not pay over $30. I would have refused to do that. Once I had decided to pay my fee and become a secret shopper, I then had to register on each and every company site that was now available to me. That entire process took an entire day and was a huge nuisance. It seemed to be entirely too much work for the amount of money I might earn if I was able to become a secret shopper.

Apparently I live in the middle of nowhere because not too many companies had anything that was available to me. Only two companies offered me anything and the shops they were offering were not exactly what I had in mind. I had read the promises of shopping in clothing stores and malls and being able to keep the merchandise. In my case, that was not happening. My brilliant plan to become a secret shopper and have some fun was not working out the way I’d imagined. Granted, I do live in a rural area but last time I checked, we have some major department stores and lots of businesses. I had a few chances to eat some meals in one of my favorite restaurants and get reimbursed for the meal. I did not earn any money on top of the reimbursements but a free meal is always worthwhile to me. I managed to earn a small amount of extra spending money. Considering the gas prices these days and the small amounts of shopping jobs offered, I cannot say that my decision to become a secret shopper was worthwhile. I cannot say that I would do it again. i am certainly fine with a free meal every few months though!