The main perk of working from home is, well, working from home. But as awesome and convenient as working from home is, cabin fever is very much a possibility. Cabin fever is that uneasy, restless feeling you get when you’ve been cooped-up in a single place for far too long.
If you’re prone to cabin fever, I would suggest you give mystery shopping a try, since the job requires you to leave the house and interact with other human beings. Best of all, these jobs usually let you set your own schedule, so you still have flexibility.
Right now, I’ll be reviewing a mystery shopper company called Shadow Shopper. In my Shadow Shopper review, I’ll be telling you whether Shadow Shopper is a scam or not.
How Do You Start on Shadow Shopper?
First, you need to register. Since you need to physically go to stores and establishments, only residents ages 18 above and living in the United States, Canada, and Australia can apply.
There are two tiers of membership - Bronze, which is free, and a Gold membership, which requires a monthly payment of $6.95. I wondered why I had to pay for the membership upgrade, then I learned that Shadow Shopper is just a middleman. when you upgrade to Gold, they push your profile to the actual mystery shopping companies that Shadow Shopper are in contact with.
I mean, it’s not a scam, but I might as well save my money and just go straight the actual mystery shopper companies, right?
How Do You Earn on Shadow Shopper?
Well, since Shadow Shopper is a middleman, you don’t actually earn through them. You earn on the companies Shadow Shopper connects you with.
This is how it works: a mystery shopper company hires you to try out an establishment. That could be a store, restaurant, or even a hotel. You go the establishment posing as a regular customer and do what regular customers do. Afterwards, you report back to the mystery shopping company and tell them what your experience was like.
Basically, you’re reviewing the customer experience. Mystery shopping companies are hired by businesses to test their own establishments. Obviously, executives of the establishment can’t go anonymously. So that’s why they hire people such as us to go undercover. It’s actually pretty fun, and I get to leave my home office when I start feeling cooped-up.
Earning Potential on Shadow Shopper
Bronze members rarely get the juicy jobs. But I’ve heard reports that Gold members can make up to $5,000 a year! That’s huge, but take note, it’s purely anecdotal. I never bothered paying for the gold membership, because I could always go straight to the companies.
The Verdict: Legit or Scam?
Shadow Shopper is legit… but it isn’t necessary, either. In this day and age, information is so easy to come by. You’d be better off hanging out in the Earn That Buck community and finding better options for you to try out.
Shadow Shopper Screenshots
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Your Turn
This is my take on Shadow Shopper. Now it’s your turn to share! Have you gotten a Gold membership and any high-paying jobs because of it? Do you think a middleman is necessary for this sort of thing?
Let’s hear your stories!
