It's a way to get paid while you shop. All you have to do is download a free app on your iPhone called Field Agent and then you become a "retail spy."
The mission is to gather intelligence on product pricing and customer service. All you have to do is check the app before heading out the door. Field Agent will let you know if there is an assignment available in your area, how far away, how much it will pay and what needs to be done.
Recommended Videos
The list of clients for Field Agent is private, but it includes retailers and manufacturers that might need information to compete in the marketplace.
Consumer Acacia Vierbicky signed up with the app. She was given an assignment at Target. She had to take pictures of some products in the detergent aisle and answer a few questions. "They were a little difficult to find and I did tell them that but that's part of the app, the questionaire: Where they hard to find? And I put very difficult," says Vierbicky.
But for the five minutes of spying she did in Target, she was given $8.50. "Within two hours it was in my paypal account," says Vierbicky. "There's real money in there and I've already transferred it to my bank account."
Other examples of tasks for Vierbicky include one for cat food at Walmart and one for Jimmy Dean Sausage. There was also one at Dillards where agents were asked to evaluate the performance of employees at a makeup counter, rate their overall customer service and then answer questions about the experience.
There are some downsides to the Field Agent app. Depending on your location, there may not be any jobs available. Or the jobs could be too far away, with only a two-hour time limit to complete them. This could change however, as Field Agent signs up more companies.