By now, you should have a pretty good idea about whether you want to move forward with your mystery shopping venture. You will need some equipment and supplies. Here is what you absolutely must have before you can do an assignment:
- A computer with Internet access. This is your vehicle for getting assignments, downloading your paperwork, and submitting your reports.
- A scanner. If you have a good digital camera, you can often get by with that. The mystery shopping companies request scanned receipts for the vast majority of assignments.
- A printer. You will be doing a lot of printing. When choosing a printer, consider the number of sheets you can print with a supply of ink or toner and factor in its cost. You can find this information in the technical specifications for the printer. I use a Brother duplexing black and white laser printer that prints on both sides of the paper. This printer has the lowest cost per page that I could find in my target price range, given the number of pages it can print per toner cartridge. It also prints multiple pages per side. I usually print two pages per side on both sides of the paper. This means that I can print four pages on a single sheet. The printer was an excellent value given its features. Not only do I save paper and toner, but I also need less space to store my files.
- Paper. Since I do quite a lot of mystery shopping, I buy it by the case.
- Some way to keep time. You will be asked for the time you went in to a location and the time you came out. You may be asked for other times as well such as when you joined a line, when you were helped, and when you received your purchase. Restaurant shops have an even more extensive set of timings. A wristwatch will work. Lately, I have been using my cell phone to keep time. Now that so many people have smart phones and use them everywhere they go, use of the cell phone as a timing device is non-obvious. I am currently using an Android app called USpyCam (Ultra Spy Camera). With it, you can take time-stamped photos simply by touching your phone’s screen while within the app. The screen shows a modified version of your home page, so your phone will look fairly normal while it is in use. It isn’t necessary to aim at anything since only the time stamp is important. The time stamps can then be used to answer timing questions on the reports. I am currently working on a better tool, but it may be some time yet before I publish it.
Some other important items you may want to get quickly include:
- A box of file folders. For most companies, it is sufficient to keep your notes for three months. A few companies want you to keep them for six months. I use Post-It Notes to label the file folders with the date and name of the shop. That way, after three months when I clear out the file, I can just remove the Post-It note and reuse the file folder.
- A filing cabinet or file box. You will need a place to store your files for three to six months. All of my mystery shopping files fit in a single drawer, so you should not need a large cabinet or a lot of space.