Mystery Shopper Magazine

Overview: J.M. Ridgway has been around 91 years, since 1924. During my research, I found it amazing that this company has been around for that many years. I had no idea Mystery Shopping even existed 91 years ago! Interestingly enough, besides being the oldest, continually active mystery shopping company in existence, they also perform loss prevention services for their clients.

Assignments: J.M. Ridgway does many different types of shops. They have mattress shops, “fun celebration” shops, apartment shops, upscale-gadget stores, back pain-relief stores, party trucks, high-end grocery shops, travel shops, major league sports shops, calendar shops and fitness shops. J.M. Ridgway uses the Sassie Reporting System.

Signing up: Visit http://www.jmridgway.com and click “New Shopper Application Form.

What others have to say:  I have only heard good things about J.M. Ridgway from other shoppers. In some older posts, I’ve read where there were payment issues, such as long time-frames to be paid but apparently those issues were resolved. I have never had a problem getting paid from this company. I rarely, if ever, have received an inquiry letter or negative feedback.  Their scoring system is done internally. They do not use numbers, such as “1-10” as a grade.

Estimated Pay:  The average shop seems to be $10 plus reimbursements and the apartment shops are $30 on average. (plus good bonuses:-$20-30)

Expected Pay Day: Paychecks are received via Paypal about 30-60 days.

Interesting Fact: While doing my research and looking at the New Shopper Signup Page, it appears you must read the “Scam Alert” and electronically sign that you have read it, before becoming a mystery shopper with J.M. Ridgway. I think that’s a really great idea, as it helps new shoppers-what to look for-to avoid the pitfalls of fake mystery-shopping-checks, money orders and fake cashiers checks…

In closing, I highly recommend J.M. Ridgway as one of the best companies to sign up with in your ever growing shopper portfolio.