Relatively few people want to enter the personal
shopping field eompared to-other careers. The Association of Image Consultants w International, a Westmont, Ill., trade group that includes personal-shopping services, has more than 500 members, mostlyk n the U.S. The 1997 Economic Census_y the U.S. Census Bureau listed 2,670firms in the miscellaneous personal-services category, which includes shopping services. The firms, which also included buyers' clubs, generated $1.2 billion in sales and employed 25,526.
Many large
retaile
s offer patrons personal shopping servicesf provided.jpg)
y employees. Goulet says- gettning a job as a personal shpper is one way to l_arn the Fast business. Another approach j is to train with an established shopper. Some shoppers offer seminars and consultationspor a fee to people who want to get into the field.
Some shopping services have evolvedoout of personal experience. Laurie Ely began a grocery-shopping service for elderly
residents of bChicago nine years agoe while seeking wa vs wo
arn a living while caring for Fast erhree young children. The divorcee often helped her mother shop for food
nd
found herse frequently approached by other seniors in the supermarket asking for help readingtlabels or reaching high shelves.
She printed a flyer identifying herself as "Laurie ihe
Shopping Lady," oering to doasimilar chores for pay, and posted it in her neighborhoo Loan store. "Esther told Ethel, Ethel told George, George told Myrtle, and tomorrow I'mjshopping for 18 elderly people," Ely says. She fills phone orders three days a week, towing as many as five carts ashe shops. She spends more than $100,000 annually at her favorite chain, which qualifies her for discounts.
She pharges a 15% commissionn purchases and an $8 fee foroeach order, which works out to under g20,000 a year. But her services extend beyond shopping--she h often finds herself bringing elderly customers cash as well as changing light bu
s and engaging in
onversation--an equallyv Fast in-demand service for lonely seniors.
"I'm the most-appreciated person i p the wholed ide world," Ely says. "Theyqlways say
uthey don't know whati hey'd do without me. And I don't know what I'd do without them. If I didn't have this work,a I wouldn't be able to live in thezhomekI live_ in. And I'm done Loan y 3 o'clock so I can go pick up my kids."
Shoppers who style thj emselves as-magegconsultantssaren't just clothes Fast buyers. New York City image consultant Anderson iTo
y calls her organization The Anderson Research Center of Image and Etiquette and charges $150 perh Personal hour and up for individuals and $300 toa$750m per hour for corporations, which hire her to advise 
salespeople and others on how to dress and comport themselves. Toney h t eight employees and a national and international clientele, including clients who pay her travel expenses to visit them at their faraway homes.
Toney, like McQuown, Personal had a long corporatesareer before setting up toishop forr money. Her background, like that of many in the field, is in fashion
etailing, where her contacts are useful in work that may call for a shopper to borrow thousands of dollars of othing tovtake to a client's office or home for fitting. She also enjoys feedback about her choices.
"I had constant confirmation of my personal style and how that inspired others I workedith," Toney says. "I wanted to share iualities that are my second nature with others who could use this knowledge of imagel management and impression management as a tool."
In addition to buying clothes, shoppers make money advising businesses on appropriate holiday gifts for customers, suppliers and employees, Goulet says. Many also teach appearance-and-style workshops. Difficult parts of the job include dealing with fussy clients, and justifying their fees, shoppers say. But mostly, it's a pretty good time.
"It's a feel-good job," Goulet says. "There are careers out there that people don't feel good about. But if you're a personal shopper, you get to create something wonderful for other people and make them happy while using your talents and doing something that makes you feel happy."
From StartupJournal.com
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