Can You Really Get Paid to Shop?
What You Need to Know About Those "Paid to Shop" Websites
You've probably seen the "get paid to shop" advertisements that seem to swarm the Web. They promise hundreds or even thousands of dollars for going out and spending someone else's money. Are these websites too good to be true? The answer may surprise you.
Yes, You Can Get Paid to Shop
First, let me explain that you can indeed get paid to shop. That does not, however, mean you're going to get rich doing it. Get paid to shop? Yes. Get paid hundreds of dollars for it? No.
Most paid to shop companies will pay you a few bucks (usually $5 to $10) to do an evaluation of a store. This involves going to the store and making detailed mental notes of your experience, then going home and filling out a form for the company. The company then pays you for your time and sometimes for a small purchase ($2 or $3 is the norm).
No, it won't make you rich but if you're going to be shopping there anyway it can be worth your time.
Websites That Charge Money
Now that you know that some companies will indeed pay you to shop it's important to understand that these sites don't charge money to sign up with them. If a website is charging money, it's most likely selling a list of companies that offer paid to shop opportunities.
Are these lists worth it? That depends on how resourceful you are. You can get the information for free, but if you don't want to spend time researching on the Web you might find it's worth it to shell out a few bucks for a compiled list.
Just remember, no matter what the company tells you, you can not make thousands of dollars a month getting paid to shop. Can you get some extra cash? Yes. But not wads of it.