Many people think that mystery shopping (or secret shopping as it's sometimes called) is a scam. They think this way because either they never heard of this home-based money-making opportunity, or it just sounds way too good to be true; after all, who ever heard of getting paid to shop or to eat out as a business?? I'm here to tell you that mystery shopping is NOT a scam! It's a REAL work from home job that pays real money.

I've been mystery shopping for the past ten years, and not only do I make some extra cash, but it's fun and my kids can come with me.

What if I told you it was possible to get paid $10 to $40 an HOUR or more (I got paid $100 to test drive an Audi) just to go to your favorite mall to shop, eat at your favorite restaurant, golf at your favorite course, or enjoy a movie at your local theater ... AND get it all for FREE!!!! And, not only get everything for FREE and get a paycheck for it, but someone pays for the gas in your car!

This is what mystery shopping--an opportunity you can do from home-- is about and again, it's not a scam. I have gotten paid to visit banks ($25 for 10 minutes of work), restaurants, pet stores, card stores, grocery stores, music stores, airports (I got paid $10 per shop to do 15 shops in the Philadelphia airport for a total of $150 for 1 1/2 hours of work plus the time it took me to fill out short reports), department stores, specialty shops, home improvement outlets and more. I even bring my kids on some of my assignments. This is the perfect work from home opportunity for stay at home moms to make a little cash (or maybe a lot of cash depending on how many shops you want or can do in a day).

The best way to get started in this business is to first understand what mystery shopping is all about so you get started on the right foot, and then apply to as many mystery shopping companies as possible so you have a better opportunity to get selected to do a shop. A great place to do this is at http://www.volition.com/. There is a huge list of mystery shopping companies listed on this website. Keep in mind that there should never be a fee to sign up with an individual mystery shopping company, however, there are some good websites out there that may charge a fee to have access to all of their resources, such as this one --including a list of mystery shopping companies. Also, be prepared to accept some low-fee jobs at first. Take them and get your feet wet. It's a great way to become familiar with mystery shopping procedures and writing reports. These assignments may be fast-food shops as they tend to be lower paying, however you will be reimbursed for your meal, and you can probably bring the kids!

Another website to check out is http://www.mysteryshop.org/ which is the site of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association. Here you can learn more about mystery shopping, search for jobs, and learn how you can become a certified shopper (I'm a Silver certified shopper. The next level would be a Gold certified shopper).

If you are still skeptical, feel free to leave me a comment. I don't mind helping others with this very cool income opportunity!