Enjoy the freedom of setting your own schedule.
| From: | A Mystery Shopper |
| Date: | Monday, September 19, 2016 |
| Re: | Mystery Shopping Information |
Dear Friend,
You’ve seen the spam inviting you to become a mystery shopper, and perhaps you’ve even wondered if it’s real. I’ve been mystery shopping since 2005, and I can tell you that it is quite real.
Some things you may have heard about it may be true. For instance,
- Mystery shopping can be a lot of fun.
- You can set your own hours.
- It is a great way to make some extra cash to supplement your current income.
Other things may have been misrepresented. You may have heard that you get to keep what you buy while mystery shopping. That is often not the case. In fact, returning the purchase is often part of the assignment. In those instances where you do get to keep your purchase, the reimbursable amount is small or it has already been factored into the fee.
Restaurant mystery shops will often give you a budget for your shop or ask you to get certain items from the menu. These are reimbursed. Fast food shops usually pay a fee as well as a reimbursement. High end restaurants are often reimbursement only, but you get a great meal!
In all cases, you will be asked to write a report after you have done your shop. Usually this is done online via the Internet. The length of the report is typically relative to the amount of the fee but not always. Sometimes low paying assignments will be time-consuming and have an extensive report while some of the higher paying assignments can be done very quickly and require only a short report.
Some companies routinely pay well while other companies may not even pay as much as minimum wage when all time for making the visit and writing the report are considered. It may take some trial and error to determine which shops are worth doing and which to avoid.
One of the mystery shopping companies, A Closer Look, produced this great training video that provides an overview of what mystery shopping is about and tips for doing it well:
Volition.com has a forum where you can communicate with other mystery shoppers about mystery shopping and issues that come up during shops. Keep in mind that you must maintain the confidentiality of your mystery shopping companies, their clients, and their associates.
If you are ready to get started, please go to my Getting Started page for the steps to take.
Sincerely,
Image provided by © John Leaver | Dreamstime.com