Retail Maxim - Mystery Shopping !

Advantages: Fun way to earn some extra money, get paid for expenses such as petrol and parking etc
Disadvantages: Work is not guaranteed and you have to have the money to hand and will be reimbursed later.

...OK, for those of you who read my recent review about Retail Eyes - Mystery Shopping, this review is going to be very similar except with different aspects as I believe this company to be slightly better! Again I'll start by telling you what exactly Mystery Shopping entails: What is Mystery Shopping? Being a mystery shopper is all about being paid to eat out/shop/purchase items/evaluate a service very discreetly without the selected company realising what you are doing. For example, you could be paid to go to a shop and evaluate the service you receive and the cleanliness of the store and maybe even purchase something. Then after the visit you have to fill in a questionnaire all about your experience and submit it to the shopper company (in this case retail maxim). How do I register? Registration is dealt with via...

ellebee 02.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Retail Maxim

Retail Eyes - Mystery Shopping ?

Advantages: Fun, easy way to earn some extra pocket money
Disadvantages: Assignments are not guaranteed and expenses such as petrol not accounted for.

...you have to read which lets you know the basics of mystery shopping other than that its down to you and good old common sense. I didn't find this to be too much of a problem as the questionnaires you have to fill in are pretty self explanatory and are available for you to read before you do the assignment. Disadvantages ? Like I have already mentioned, work is not always available depending on your area. Also, unlike some companies, Retail Eyes does not pay you for expenses such as petrol and parking fees which I think limits you to the work you can accept as you don't want to travel too far or it will not be worth doing the assignment as what you earn will be spent in expenses anyway. Also you have to have the money available to you to carry out an assignment and then they reimburse you for it later on. This I find can be a downfall...

ellebee 01.08.2006 (02.08.2006) · Read review
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Review of Retail Eyes

Retail Eyes Mystery Shopping

Advantages: Friendly staff, interesting assignments
Disadvantages: Work spasmodic, no travel expenses paid

...and a free eye test. Not worth doing if you have to travel more than a couple of miles to get there, as Retail Eyes pay no travel or incidental expenses such as parking or printing costs. Payment takes a while, getting on for four weeks but I think it depends when in the month you do the assignment. Entering results takes AGES, you have to justify practically everything you write making additional comments, which sometimes are just unnecessary - eg Q: Were the toilets clean and fresh? A: Yes 'Please justify your answer'. But at least there isn't a restriction on the number of characters you can enter, which is the case with Grass Roots Mystery Shopping! Queries are answered promptly, which puts Retail Eyes above some of the other agencies. Also you work on a self-employed basis, which is useful if like me you don't earn enough to...

anneh1957 30.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Retail Eyes

RETAIL MAXIM - Maximum mystery shopping

Advantages: Good communication, good rates of pay, interesting jobs
Disadvantages: Questions asked on results phonecall are sometimes different to that on questionnaire

...I joined this company as a mystery shopper in June this year. Since that time I have undertaken around 6 mystery shopping jobs for them to various types of businesses, from bakers to shoe shops. Retail Maxim usually tell you about available jobs by sending you a text message - this is good as it allows you to see the message straight away and you just need to give them a call back to find out about the job. They usually give you a choice of dates to undertake the mystery shop, therefore I can usually fit it around my job easily. The rates of pay vary from £7 upwards, Retail Maxim also reimburse mileage at 22p per mile and car parking/travel etc. This is good as some mystery shopping companies do not reimburse for travel. I always find the questionnaires easy to follow and find it even easier when I can enter my results online...

samjane99 04.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of Retail Maxim

Retailing To The Max

Advantages: Paid to shop
Disadvantages: Have to know your own schedule and work out if you can fit jobs in quickly

...After reading review upon review about mystery shopping I decided to take the plunge and apply to a few companies myself. I always wondered whether I?d be convincing enough as a mystery shopper ? I?m not very good at lying and thought I?d go bright red and get flustered. But it appears I?m a better liar than I thought and mystery shopping is my new, paid hobby. I enquired and applied to 8 companies but Retail Maxim stand head and shoulders above the competition for me. Since I was accepted in August I?ve had 10 jobs sent my way which I am very impressed with. At the moment I?m in almost weekly contact with them. ~ ~ ~ Applying ~ ~ ~ From the very beginning Retail Maxim struck me as being a professional outfit. The first stage of the application process is straightforward and can be done online at www.retail...

AnitaM 10.10.2004 · Read review
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Review of Retail Maxim

The shops have eyes...

Advantages: Earn money for shopping and get everyday items
Disadvantages: If not completed correctly you may not get paid

...In my bid to get some extra cash to make up for the lack of money I earn a friend recommended that I do some Mystery Shopping as I have a pretty central location I would be able to get numerous assignments without travelling too far. If you would like to sign up please use me as a referall and I will be forever grateful kellylouj@googlemail.com *~*~*Who are Retail Eyes*~*~* Retail Eyes are a subsidary of one of the largest mystery shopping companies in North America. Retail Eyes recruit people who pay attention to detail and have a good memory and are very observant. *~*~*What are the requirements*~*~* To become a Retail Eyes Mystery Shopper, you must meet all of the following criteria: You must be 16 years of age or older. Be familiar with webstites and now how to scan and upload documents as an attachment and have...

KELLYLOUJ 02.08.2006 (11.12.2006) · Read review
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Review of Retail Eyes

Paid To Shop!

Advantages: Paid to Shop, Can be Infrequent, Free Stuff!
Disadvantages: Need to be Flexible, Jobs go within an hour!

...receive. Companies such as Retail Maxim are actually commissioned to carry out mystery shopping visits to a wide variety of stores in order that the management can evaluate their staff and their expertise too. ** Who are Retail Maxim? ** Retail Maxim was founded in 1993 and aims to provide specialist mystery shopping services to retailers. They employ over 3,000 researchers throughout the UK to carry out the day to day jobs offered to ensure that high quality service is offered in retail outlets. ** So what does it involve? ** A typical procedure with Retail Maxim will involve me getting a call from one of their team, telling me briefly about a job in my area (such as location, fee, etc.) and if I choose to accept it they will then email me the brief and the questionnaire. The brief basically sets the scene for your visit, it...

s_jones_2003 18.06.2004 · Read review
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Review of Retail Maxim

GET PAID FOR SHOPPING, EATING, DRINKING!!!

Advantages: BRILLIANT WAY TO GET PAID DOING SOMETHING ENJOYABLE!
Disadvantages: WONT MAKE YOU A MILLIONNAIRE

...In my bid to get some extra cash to make up for the lack of money I earn a friend recommended that I do some Mystery Shopping as I have a pretty central location I would be able to get numerous assignments without travelling too far. If you would like to sign up please use me as a referall and I will be forever grateful NIPPERKIP@TALKTALK.NET *~*~*Who are Retail Eyes*~*~* Retail Eyes are a subsidary of one of the largest mystery shopping companies in North America. Retail Eyes recruit people who pay attention to detail and have a good memory and are very observant. *~*~*What are the requirements*~*~* To become a Retail Eyes Mystery Shopper, you must meet all of the following criteria: You must be 16 years of age or older. Be familiar with webstites and now how to scan and upload documents as an attachment and have access...

nipperkip 24.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Retail Eyes

What?!? Get paid for shopping???

Advantages: Get paid, free stuff sometimes
Disadvantages: not enough visits, reporting

...on the Internet. The web address is: www.retail-maxim.co.uk ~*How to join?*~ It is very simple to join. When you enter the site there are two options: 1. Mystery Shopping 2. Mystery Shopper The second one is the one you want if you are interested in joining. When you click this option, on the right hand side of the page are several options, one of them being, 'become a mystery shopper'. There's some information on becoming a shopper, some quick questions and answers and an enquiry form. The form is very simple to fill out, just some simple details like name, address, DOB etc. You then go on to fill the days you are likely to be available during the week, and then a very short reason why you want to be a Mystery Shopper. Think carefully about this bit, RM probably have lots of people signing up, so make sure your reason stands...

Rp200 31.01.2005 · Read review
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Review of Retail Maxim

I can't recommend Retail Maxim.

Advantages: Money! Potential to be useful to include on CV.
Disadvantages: Assignment briefs not sent; having to chase them up each time; unfriendly people on the end of the phone; told me they could not communicate via email instead of mobile (?); not a lot of jobs to do.

...I was looking for a small job that I could do alongside my own shopping and that would earn me a few pounds, legally! I am on Incapacity Benefit and going stir crazy with wanting to be fit enough to work full-time, but also do not have the health to consider anything more than e.g. one or maybe two mystery shopping jobs a week. I felt it would help me feel more productive, and be something positive to put on my CV for when my health is recovered, as well as being an interesting experience and something I could do that would be useful. It was easy to sign up on the site, and after about a week the acceptance email arrived, and also details for the (unpaid) test trip. These details include the sign-in details for when you have completed the assignment, so you can access the relevant section online. At first I was a little...

mossgreen 10.02.2006 (13.02.2006) · Read review
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Review of Retail Maxim