This is to update you on my experiment with mystery shopping. This has turned into almost a full-time job. It is a lot more involved than I expected.

First of all, there is a LOT of paperwork, a LOT of reading, and a LOT of writing. Most of the time, when you sign up for a company, they want a writing sample. They all demand perfect writing. They will accept no spelling errors or grammatical errors. The reports that you submit must make sense and each part must be in perfect agreement with all other sections of the report.

Most companies make you take a test of some sort when you sign up, and many of them make you test on each business that you will be shopping, and there are tests now and then to update new information when changes are made to the program.

I started out slowly in January with a couple of shops and began to build up. I have done about eighty shops now, most of them in March and April. I shopped four banks and a flooring company Thursday, but some days, there is only one job. I have two today, a major department store and another flooring company.

You must spend a serious amount of time on the internet, searching for jobs among the various companies, signing up, and reporting. All receipts from the shops must be submitted, sometimes scanned and sent, emailed or faxed. Sometimes, other forms must be sent this way also.

If you are only working for one company and doing a shop now and then, it would not be so time-consuming. But, I have signed up for thirty companies, and it is keeping me busy. If you live in a major city, this would be easier also. You could find enough work right there in your own locality. But, I live in a rural area, so we are talking major drive time.

You want to know about pay? Some of the shops only pay reimbursement for what you buy. For instance, upscale restaurant jobs pay for you dinner. That's it. On the other hand, fast food shops will pay for your dinner and give you a small cash payment, usually from $6 to $12. Most regular shops pay around $10 to $20, but there are some that pay more. Usually, major department stores and apartment-hunting jobs pay more.

Most of the time, it is a fun job. It certainly would not be classified as drudgery, but there are times when it would be nice to just get paid by the hour and have nothing else to worry about except showing up for work. Did I mention that you use your printer/scanner/fax machine a LOT....and it better be working. Mine is sometimes cantankerous, and there goes some more time.

Finally, if you don't get anything else out of this, pay attention now!

DO NOT PAY FOR ANY MYSTERY SHOPPING JOBS!

There are scams out there. Watch out! Read everything you can about this industry. Legitimate companies pay you....not the other way around.

A good place to start looking is at volition.com. They have a list of reputable companies that hire shoppers. Some of these companies only hire in their own areas. For instance, some are only available in Texas....or California. I had to sign up for about 100 companies to find the 30 to 40 that I am now shopping for. Good luck.

P.S. If anyone else has any other money-making ideas....that actually work....I would love to hear the details.

May God Bless The Whole World! No Exceptions.