by Audra H. Anders and Peggy Smith for The Aha! Connection
This week I took my fourth trip to The Consumer Innovation Center. As you’ll know from my prior articles, the CIC pays you for your opinions! Basically you sign up, wait for an opportunity via email and once it pops in your inbox you indicate your interest/availability and then wait to see if you are a match!
Usually Peggy and I just watch the tests while we linger in the background taking notes/videos/photos. However, today Peggy got to participate in an actual taste test! The “BEVERAGE” test she took was a typical taste test and this time it was water. You arrive at the facility (conveniently located next to Politan Row at Ashford Lane) then you sign in and wait to get called back to the testing room. The process was super easy. Peggy signed into the touchpad at her station. The instructions on the touchpad walked her through the process where she smelled and tasted each cup of water brought out in sets of three. For each set of three, she was to pick the one that tasted different. Although Peggy felt like a failure for only getting one correct out of four groups of three the staff promised her it isn’t about being right!
Peggy told me: “Frankly they all tasted the same to me. On the one I got right, the aftertaste was different. I tried to pay close attention to that but I was only successful one time out of four!”
One additional piece of trivia we learned during this visit is that some taste testers are asked to complete additional acuity screening to become part of special “Discrimination Panels”. These testers qualify because they have an acute sense of vision, smell, taste, aroma, etc. We learned Peggy would likely not qualify for a “Discrimination Panel” since she only tasted the difference in one of four tests!
The Consumer Innovation Center tests range from short (around 15 minutes) to medium (around 30-45 minutes) to long (around 1.5-2 hours) … the longer the test, the higher the incentive. Usually a 15-minute test pays around $30 and a 45-minute test pays around $50 while a 2-hour test pays over $100. This is such an easy way to supplement your income. General consumers can sign up and fill out surveys to participate in available tests and earn money right away!
When I asked if they ever have too many people for testing they emphatically replied “NO”. The CIC always needs all types of consumers and would love to triple the size of their database! In particular, they are always looking for young males ages 18-25!
Sign up today to get paid for your opinion! Please forward this article to others who may be interested, especially those who live or work in and around Dunwoody! Once you’ve signed up, be on the lookout for emails with opportunities to head over and give your opinion in return for some money!
The Consumer Innovation Center
4550 Olde Perimeter Way Suite 402A
Dunwoody, GA 30346
Prior AHA! articles about the Consumer Innovation Center:
- Audra Explains How You Can Get Paid to Give Your Opinion About What Goes on Store Shelves!
- Meet Jennifer & Quincy – They get PAID to give their opinions to the Consumer Innovation Center
- The Consumer Innovation Center has relocated, upgraded and is still paying people for their opinions…right here in Dunwoody!
