A few weeks ago I was walking out of the Whittier Public Library when a woman and I made eye-contact. She asked, "Do you live in this area?" I had a moment of panic, because I grew up here and just moved back. I thought she might ask for directions, and that's not my strong-suit to begin with. :/ I said yes, hesitantly. She then asked if I would be interested in doing some paid market research on July 17th. She also said, "It pays $300."
WHAT?! Hell yes I am interested! So, she asked me several questions to see if I qualified, and then gave me a letter with the info. I had to go to LA, arriving by 8:00. The session went until 6:30. I would be paid in cash as I left and provided with lunch.
I looked up the organization to make sure it was legit, and according to Yelp reviews, it was. So, on Tuesday I headed out at 6:45 and attended. I signed a confidentiality agreement, so all I can say is that it was on local issues. We watched presentations and filled out questionares. At the end of the day, they put us in groups to discuss the issues while the watched and videotaped us. It was a long day, but the topic was fairly interesting. It's not how I'd want to spend every day, but when they handed me an envelope with $300 cash in it, it definitely felt worth it!
So, what am I going to do with the money?
$50=Desk for second bedroom from Walmart. I already bought this and put it together.
$50=Mac eyeshadow kit. My friend Rene works for Mac and got me to pre-order this item.
$100=New work clothes. I got rid of a few ancient pairs of pants and need some new shirts, so I'm going to start rebuilding with $100 at the outlets (I love you, Banana Republic Outlet).
$100=Vacation! We leave on our massive road trip next week, so I stashed $100 away to take on the trip.
I thought about putting some of it into savings, but I actually feel good about how I split up the money. I think it's a good mix, and since this month was VERY expensive, with moving and all, this couldn't have come at a better time.
I emailed the woman who recruited me, told her how much I enjoyed participating, and that I would love to be a part of more studies if she needs people. Fingers crossed she calls me again!
Have you ever done market research for money? Was it worth it?
That is awesome!
ReplyDeleteI used to do economics experiments in college. You generally had to make a decision, and your pay was based on your decision. Most were game thoery: you got paid more if you screwed other people over, but everyone got paid a medium amount if no one screwed anyone over (but if you chose that, and they went for the "screw people over" option, you didn't get anything.)
I made a decent amount of money sometimes, and just a little other times. It was always more than minimum wage, sometimes a lot more, and as a college student, it wasn't like I had a better use for my time since those weren't times I was scheduled to work.
And as far as human experiments go- economics is way safer than medicine!
Wow that's great!
ReplyDeletewhat?? That's awesome! And here I was excited I got $15 to answer a survey on LinkedIn lol
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I looked into market research in Vegas but I wasn't picked. Boo urns. :P
ReplyDeletePS My mom went to Whittier High School.
@Serendipity: So did my mom and aunts! How old is your mom? Mine is 54 and her sisters are all older than her. Wouldn't it be weird if our moms knew each other?!
ReplyDeleteI love doing Market Research. I always get excited when I get an email from Consumer Surveys (a company that does taste testing - pretty sure its all General Mills products since the location is just down the road from General Mills HQ). I did one a year ago that paid $500! It's great!
ReplyDeleteExcellent tips on how to become an owner of a house 30 years and also how to get money back
ReplyDeletenew homeowner list