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How to Become a Beer Auditor (Free Beer and $$$)

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Today, there are so many cool ways to make money.

One particular job I came across while doing my daily research in ways to make cash had to deal with beer and money.  I mean, what’s not to love about this thought?

So, if you like drinking beer, this may be the post for you.  Even if you don’t, you may still want to stick around as there is money to be made.

What’s known as a “beer auditor” or “alcohol compliance officer,” it’s basically your job to visit various companies, such as a convenience store or grocery store, to perform audits.  Just about anywhere that sells beer.  I will get into more details next, I promise.

For now, if you want to make money shopping for beer and/or visiting places that sell beer, then this could be the perfect freelance side gig to consider.

How to Become a Beer Auditor

What is a Beer Auditor?

In short, a beer auditor is responsible for visiting a company, whether it’s a grocery store, gas station or convenience store.  It’s basically anywhere that sells beer.

And, your job will be to visit a location given to you ahead of time and to either buy a case of beer to see if the clerk asks for your I.D. and/or perform an audit, which usually involves checking out a display case, looking at the inventory or even judging the cleanliness.  These jobs vary, but you will always know what’s expected of you in the job description before you even accept the job.  Yes, you do get to choose the jobs you want and you get to work at your own pace.

Why do these companies need beer auditors, you may be wondering?

These private companies, not to be confused with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau that actually enforce laws, just want to ensure that the companies they are working with are complying with the laws so that it doesn’t ruin their brand image.

In general, you won’t work with the beer companies directly, but rather, you will work with the many mystery companies that partner with them.  Later on, I will talk about this and let you know about the many companies that want to hire you.

Aside from compliance, these companies also want to make sure their beer is fully stocked and in great condition.  As you know as a shopper, there’s nothing worse than looking at a display and it looks as if a kid destroyed it.

It’s going to be your job to make sure stores are doing its job.



Your Job Duties

If you’re able to find a beer auditor job, most of them work in the same way.

You will either have to see if they check for an I.D. at checkout and/or check out a display and answer some questions.  You will almost always work undercover so that a company just assumes you’re another shopper.

In the case of an I.D. check, you will be asked to bring a case of beer to the counter as if you were a regular customer. Remember, since you’re working with a mystery shopping company, you need to remain as a mystery and blend in with the public.   Most of the time, these mystery shopping companies work with major retailers, such as Walmart, Kroger, etc.

Next, it will be your job to see if the clerk asks for your I.D., which they should, regardless of your age.

In the case they do, again, which they should, you will either proceed with the purchase and make a mental note or some companies may ask you to make an excuse to see if the clerk lets it slide.  So, for instance, you could say “I forgot it at home” or “I lost it.”

The entire time during this job, you will be asked to make a mental note of who rung you up and what they said.  You will also be asked to save the receipt as this proves that you visited the store and bought the beer.  Yes, you do get to keep the beer and consumer later if you so choose.  Do not lose this as this will void your mystery shopping opportunity!

After your job completes, you will then be asked to log into your mystery shopping account and upload your receipt as well as write out a small job detail, basically letting them know what happened.  The entire process should take you no longer than 10 minutes on average.

Once you click submit and your job is approved, then you get paid for the amount specified before you accepted the job.

As for checking out a display, this one is a pinch different as you will be asked to check out the condition, if the display is fully stocked and/or answer additional questions in relation to the display.    Sample questions could include “was the beer fully stocked?” or “were the displays in great shape?”

All of your directions will be noted and it’s so important that you follow them to a T to ensure that your job gets accepted.  As long as you answer the questions, you shouldn’t have a problem being paid.

How Much Does a Beer Auditor Get Paid?

How much you make really depends on the mystery company you’re working with and what kind of job you want to accept.

As you’re going to be an independent contractor, per se, it’s up to you as to when you want to work and which jobs you want to accept.  You never have to accept any job that you don’t want to.

In general, again, based on the above-mentioned factor, jobs can pay anywhere from $10 to $40+ per assignment, with the average assignment, at least from my understanding being around $10 to $25~.

Aside from the job payment, you will also get reimbursed for the beer you buy, again, as long as you save your receipt.

So, not only will you get paid up to $40+ per assignment, but you get free beer as well.

How to Apply for (and find) a Beer Auditing Job

As I mentioned earlier, you will have to work with one of the many mystery shopping companies online that help connect you with the companies that are looking for beer auditors.  They are a middleman basically. So, again, you won’t apply to beer companies directly; rather, you will want to apply to one of the many legitimate mystery shopping companies I note below.

Now, there are a lot of scams in the mystery shopping world, so to help save you the troubles of applying to one, I went ahead and did the dirty work for you, listing some of my favorite.  Keep in mind that some of these companies may not be working with beer auditors at this time but it doesn’t hurt to at least add your name to the database.

Without further ado, here are some companies to consider…

Your results will vary with these options, but they will have tons of mystery shopping jobs regardless.

There are more mystery shopping companies out there, but these are some of the bigger ones.

Again, I can’t stress it enough!  Not all of these companies will work with beer auditors at a given time, so don’t be bummed if you see no jobs pop up if you sign up.  I would recommend you check out the ones near the top as I had the most luck with these.

All of these companies will work in the same way.

You can browse a list of projects, accept the ones you want to complete and then perform the job in the time frame to get paid.  In many cases, you may have to pass a small training test before you can even begin, but most of the time, this only takes 15 to 30 minutes to complete.

And lastly, depending on where you live, there could be hundreds of jobs or next to none.  Your results will vary.

Additional Things to Know

  1. If you do apply for a mystery shopping company, many will ask that you pass a qualification test before you apply to the job.  These tests are designed to make sure you perform the job correctly and get paid.  Think of it as training.
  2. There are a ton of mystery shopping scams out there, as I mentioned.  With that being said, never EVER pay to join.  Check out the MSPA and even BBB to ensure they are legit.
  3. Most companies do ask for your social security number so that they can send you a 1099 form, but before doing this, please make sure you at least research the company to ensure they are legit, especially if they are not on the list above.  It’s okay to submit this information as long as you’re working with someone legit.
  4. You are NOT reimbursed for gas, so make sure that you choose your locations wisely.  If you do plan on doing it, maybe snag a few jobs for the day to ensure it makes financial sense.
  5. As you need to buy beer, you must be 21+ to qualify.

Final Thoughts

Beer auditing jobs are absolutely possible, but you will need to find the right mystery shopping company that gets you enough beer-like jobs.  Be sure to check out the many I listed above as there are a lot of great ones!

And, how much you make, again, will depend on the company you choose and how often you want to work.  If you want to make a few hundred dollars a month doing it, it’s possible, but you just need to make sure you’re signing up with the right companies and applying to the right jobs.

Who knows?  You could make thousands.  This PennyHoarder article, for example, noted they could make up to $5,000 a month! Get good enough and the companies may send you the jobs first so that you don’t have to compete for them.  Nonetheless, there’s money to be made.

Regardless of whether it’s a beer auditing job or another mystery shopping job in general, mystery shopping is an awesome way to make a ton of money on the side, sometimes as great as a full-time job.  Plus, you get to work whenever you want.  How great is that?

If you like the idea of getting free beer and/or even shopping undercover, then I hope I explained the job enough in detail so that you know what’s expected of you.  If you like what you see, then I just recommend you start with the list and start applying.

Sooner or later, you should start to see beer auditing jobs pop up that you can apply for and make some great cash.  Best of luck to you!

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Tom Nathaniel

Hi! My name is Tom Nathaniel, and I created LushDollar to help share my honest thoughts on everything money. You won't find gimmicks here. It's the Internet's most honest money site after all. I graduated from Arizona State University, and I have worked in the finance industry since 2006, consulting with multiple Fortune 5000 companies.

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