Choosing Shops with Tight Deadlines:
When the Extra Pay is Worth the Pressure
Mystery shopping companies don't always have weeks to complete an assignment. Sometimes they need a shopper today, tomorrow, or before the end of the month. That's when an ordinary assignment can suddenly become much more attractive.
I've completed many shops under tight deadlines. Some had to be finished within 24 hours. Others had a very specific day and time when I could enter the business. Apartment shops sometimes came with bonuses because a scheduler needed the location completed quickly.
Choosing shops with tight deadlines can be profitable, but you have to decide whether the extra money is worth the additional pressure.
Want more help getting started? My book, Take That Job And Mystery Shop It!, walks you through finding assignments, completing shops, writing reports, and avoiding many of the mistakes new shoppers make.
Choosing Shops With Tight Deadlines at the End of the Month
The last few days of the month can be an interesting time to check mystery shopping job boards and emails.
Mystery shopping companies have deadlines from their clients. If several locations remain unfinished as the end of the month approaches, schedulers need to find shoppers who can complete them quickly.
That's when you may see bonus money added to assignments.
An apartment shop that wasn't attractive earlier in the month might suddenly become worthwhile when the fee increases. I've completed many apartment assignments where bonus pay was offered to get the shop finished.
Sometimes there's another opportunity—travel pay.
If a scheduler is having trouble finding someone near a location, the company may be willing to add money for travel. A shop that's 50 or 75 miles away probably isn't attractive at its normal fee. Add a bonus and travel reimbursement, and the numbers may begin to make sense.
It doesn't hurt to ask.
Calculate the Entire Assignment
A big bonus can get your attention, but don't look at the bonus by itself.
Suppose an apartment shop pays well but requires an hour of driving each way. You have the visit itself, gasoline, mileage on your vehicle, and the report waiting for you when you get home.
Video mystery shops can require even more time because you may need to prepare equipment, travel to the location, complete the interaction, review the recording, upload a large video file, and submit a written report.
Calculate the entire assignment before accepting it.
A $75 shop isn't necessarily a good $75 shop if it consumes most of your day.
On the other hand, you may be able to combine several assignments along the same route. That's when traveling farther from home can become much more profitable.
A Deadline Can Mean Exactly What It Says
One of the most important lessons I've learned about choosing shops with tight deadlines is that you can't assume there's a grace period.
I've had steakhouse assignments where I was required to enter on a specific day between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Not 5:59 pm.
If I walked through the door one minute early, the shop could be invalid.
That may sound picky, but the client has a reason for establishing the window. Perhaps they're evaluating staffing during the dinner rush. They don't want information about what happened before the designated period.
When an assignment gives you an exact window, plan around it.
I would rather sit in my car for 10 minutes than risk losing the entire shop by entering a minute too early.
Watch for More Than the Arrival Time
A tight window doesn't always involve when you enter the business.
Instructions may specify when you must make a telephone call, when you can place an order, how long you must remain at the location, or how much time must pass before taking another action.
You may also have a deadline for submitting the report.
A shop completed at 8 p.m. might require the report before midnight. That's important if the assignment has a long narrative. A restaurant report with detailed observations can take much longer to complete than a simple retail questionnaire.
Read those requirements before accepting the shop, not after you get home.
Be Careful With Video Assignments
I once had a video mystery shop at a dental office. Assignments like that add another consideration to a tight schedule: your equipment has to work.
You don't want to drive an hour to a location, arrive during the required window, and discover that your camera isn't recording properly.
Before leaving home, check your equipment according to the assignment requirements. Make sure everything you need is ready.
A tight deadline leaves very little room for a second attempt.
Twenty-Four Hours Means Move Quickly
I've accepted assignments that had to be completed within 24 hours.
Those can be good opportunities because the scheduler isn't looking for someone who might be available later in the week. The company needs someone who can commit immediately.
Before saying yes, look at your schedule.
Can you travel to the location? Is the business open during the hours you need? Do you have enough time to complete the report? Do you need to reach a specific employee who may not be working that day?
A bonus isn't much of a bonus if you accept the assignment and then discover you can't complete it.
Reliability Can Lead to More Offers
Schedulers remember shoppers who help them solve problems.
If you repeatedly accept last-minute assignments and complete them correctly, you may start receiving direct emails or phone calls when a difficult location needs coverage.
That can lead to bonuses and other opportunities.
But reliability doesn't mean accepting everything.
The smartest approach to choosing shops with tight deadlines is knowing when you can confidently say yes—and when you should say no.
Look at the fee, bonus, travel, reporting time, exact shopping window, and your own schedule.
If everything works, a last-minute assignment can turn somebody else's deadline problem into a profitable mystery shop for you.
About the Author
I'm Mystery Don, and I've completed mystery shopping assignments for restaurants, hotels, apartment communities, automobile dealerships, and new home builders.
I created this website to help people avoid the mistakes I've seen—and to show new shoppers how legitimate mystery shopping really works.
My book Take That Job And Mystery Shop It! lists over 150 mystery shopping companies to contact. I offer beginner-friendly tips and honest guidance without hype.
We're always looking for new faces to visit different places.
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