A Week in the Life of a Mystery Shopper

July 11th - July 17th...

Last week picked up some - if every week was like that, I'd be a happy camper. Last week I made $747 in fees and $350 in reimbursements.

• About half my income was from mystery shopping or auditing gas stations. One positive is that here we are, 20 days into the month, and I've basically spent zero on gas. Later this week I will probably run out of my supply though and have to purchase some.
  
• Most of the balance was from a merchandising project. These were my regular stores but it involved a "change-out" which meant I spent more time per store and was paid more.
  
• One shop I'm a little worried about was a bus terminal. The ticket, which is supposed to be reimbursable, was $101. Unfortunately, due to poor service I ended up having to deviate from my scenario slightly. I will be really upset if I have to eat that cost (I didn't go for a ride so it would be a complete loss if I do). By poor service I mean the wait in line was so long that the original ticket I was going to purchase could not be purchased so I had to change my purchase.

This week will be a little slow because I am doing a hotel mystery shop Thursday night. Most of my time Thursday and Friday will be committed to it. The fee is okay but less than I could make if I was shopping gas stations both days. It's a trade off since I really enjoy these nice hotels, which include meals and drinks.