Author: Chantel Seabrook

I am always on the lookout for scams, I hate scams, so the first time I came across “mystery shopping” I thought for sure it was a total and complete scam. I mean who would really believe that you could make money by shopping right? Well, I have to admit the mystery shopping isn’t always and totally a complete scam, but there are red flags and warnings that you need to know before investing time into this type of venture.
So, what exactly is mystery shopping?
Mystery shopping is when you pose as a customer, and observe the overall quality of a store (employees, services, cleanliness, ect.) Because you are a “mystery” shopper, the employees obviously should not know who you are or what you are doing there. The company that you are working for will give you an assignment, in which you are given about a week to complete.
After you have observed the details of a particular venue, you will most likely be given a questionnaire to complete on the service that you received. These questionnaires differ in length, and you should look over the questionnaire before you go on assignment so that you know what to look for when filling it out. Most questionnaires are completed online.
The next big question, how much does it cost?
I really don’t like jobs that take an initial investment, since my budget doesn’t allow for much spending. However, I do know that there are times when you have to spend a small amount to earn a larger one. This is often the case with mystery shopping, since you often need to try the product or service you are evaluating. Some mystery shopping jobs require that you make a purchase, but I tend to only choose jobs that don’t require me to invest anything over twenty-five dollars, and the more minimal the purchase the better.
So, how does a mystery shopper get paid?
Here is the set back, some jobs pay nothing except for reimbursements of what you bought. This sounds crappy at first, but if it was something that you were going to buy anyway then you just got your item for free (kind of). There are some, but few jobs, that pay a lot, even up to a hundred dollars, but most companies require that you have a good reputation in place before you are given those jobs.
It can take anywhere from three to six weeks before you get paid or receive a reimbursement. This is another fallback for me, since our resources are limited and if I am spending money to make money, the wait for the check can be crunching.
Still want to try it? Here are some tips for being successful.
While mystery shopping sounds pretty easy, it is actually a lot of work, which takes preparation time and detailed documentation. Companies want people who can portray the services they received accurately. You need to keep clear and accurate records, especially if you are completing more than one assignment.
Lastly, you have to remember that your answers could potentially affect another person’s job. You need to be very careful when criticizing the performance of workers. Remember that you are being paid not to be a critic, but a reporter.
If you decide to be a mystery shopper, I wish you the best of luck. Come back and tell us about your experiences. And once again, do your research before you make any commitments!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/taking-the-mystery-out-of-mystery-shopping-63351.html

About the Author

Read more articles by Chantel at www.wahm-connect. You can also find money saving tips and advice at www.frugal-girl.com

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Author: Michael J. Mcgroarty

You are welcome to use this article on your website or in yournewsletter as long as you reprint it as is, including thecontact information at the end. Website URLs must be activelinks. You are welcome to use this article with an affiliatelink, http://www.freeplants.com/resellers.htm

There is nothing quite as welcome as those beautiful springflowers that seem to emerge from nowhere to welcome the arrivalof spring. Bulb type flowers are really unique plants, becausethey spend most of their days resting quietly beneath thesurface of the soil. Then right on schedule, up they come, fullof bloom and vigor, and then almost as fast as they came, theygo. Except for the green leafy part of the plant that tends tolinger longer than we would like them to. ? Despite their shortbloom time and unattractive foliage after the blooms are gone,they are still a wonderful addition to any landscape. But howshould you care for them? First let’s talk about how to use themin your landscape. Flowers of all kinds are best when planted ingroupings. Many people buy 25 or 50 bulbs and just go around theyard planting helter skelter. That’s fine if that’s what youwant, but when planted that way they tend to blend in with thelandscape and really don’t show up well at all. When you plantthem in large groups they are a breathtaking showpiece. ? In theearly spring start thinking about where you would like to createa bed for flower bulbs. Prepare the bed by raising it with goodrich topsoil, and if at all possible add some well composted cowmanure. Do this in the spring while you are in the gardeningmood; you may not be in the fall. Over the summer fill the bedwith annual flowers to keep the weeds down, and to pretty upyour yard for the summer. Come fall all you have to do is pullout the annuals and plant your bulbs to the depth recommended onthe package. ? If you think you could have a problem withsquirrels digging up the bulbs and eating them, you can alsowrap the bulbs in steel wool, leaving just the tip of the bulbexposed so it can grow out of the little wire cage you’vecreated. Or you can just plant the bulbs and then cover the bedwith chicken wire or plastic fencing until the bulbs start togrow in the spring. ? When the bulbs come up in the spring andstart blooming, you should clip off the blooms as they start towither. This keeps the bulb from producing seeds, which requiresa lot of energy, and you want the bulb to use all of itsavailable energy to store food in preparation for the bulb’sresting period. Once the bulbs are completely done blooming youdon’t want to cut off the tops until they are withered and dieback. The million dollar question is how to treat the tops untilthat happens. ? Many people bend them over and slip a rubberband over them, or in the case of bulbs like Daffodils tie themwith one of the long leaves. This seems to work because it is avery common practice among many experienced gardeners. However,Mike is about to rain on the parade. ? I strongly disagree withthis theory because back about 6th grade we learned aboutphotosynthesis in science class. To recap what we learned, andwithout going into the boring details, photosynthesis is theprocess of the plant using the sun’s rays to make food foritself. The rays from the sun are absorbed by the foliage andthe food making process begins. In the case of a flower bulbthis food is transported to the bulb beneath the ground andstored for later use. ? So basically the leaves of the plant arelike little solar panels. Their job is to absorb the rays fromthe sun to begin the process known as photosynthesis. If we foldthem over and handcuff them with their hands behind their back,they are not going to be able to do their job. It’s likethrowing a tarpaulin over 80% of a solar panel. ? In order forthe leaves to absorb the rays from the sun, the surface of thefoliage has to be exposed to the sun. On top of that, when youbend the foliage over, you are restricting the flow of nutrientsto the bulb. The veins in the leaves and the stem are a lot likeour blood vessels. If you restrict them the flow stops. ? Youdecide. I’ve presented my case. Bending them over seems to work,but I’ve spent a lot of money on my bulbs. I want them runningat full speed. What I do is clip the blooms off once they arespent, and just leave the tops alone until they are yellow andwilted. If they are still not wilted when it’s time to plant myannual flowers, I just plant the annuals in between the bulbs.As the bulbs die back the annuals tend to grow and conceal them.If one shows through I clip it off. It seems to work well for me.

Michael J. McGroarty is the author of this article. Visit hismost interesting website, http://www.freeplants.com and sign upfor his excellent gardening newsletter.? Article provided byhttp://gardening-articles.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/planting-and-caring-for-flower-bulbs-1527.html

About the Author
Michael J. McGroarty has more than 30 years experience in the landscape gardening/nursery industry. He’s spent the better part of his life on his hands and knees in the dirt working with plants and his hands-on experience allows Mike to write in a manner than many gardeners find to be helpful and beneficial.

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