What You Need to Know about Mystery Shopping
| August 14th, 2007
Today’s guest post is from Cathy Stucker, author of The Mystery Shopper’s Manual. Cathy has been mystery shopping since 1995, and her book is recognized in the mystery shopping industry as the best guide for aspiring and experienced mystery shoppers. I thought she would be a great choice to answer some questions on getting started in mystery shopping and steering clear of the scams.
What is “mystery shopping”?
Mystery shoppers go into businesses and act like normal customers. They ask questions, make purchases, and other things typical customers do. The difference is that the mystery shopper has been given a list of specific things to evaluate during the visit. Afterward, the mystery shopper fills out a report describing what they observed.
What kind of businesses get mystery shopped?
Just about any place that does business with the public may get mystery shopped: stores, restaurants, banks, apartment complexes, new home communities, auto dealers and service centers, movie theaters and more. Even government agencies are mystery shopped.
Why will businesses pay me to mystery shop them?
Every business has standards. For example, a fast food restaurant might have standards about how quickly customers are to be served, the temperature at which foods should be served, cleanliness of the restaurant, etc. The restaurant wants to know that all of their locations are properly upholding those standards. They also want to know if employees said and did the things they are supposed to do, such as smiling, suggesting additional products (“Do you want fries with that?”) and saying thank you.
Although you will sometimes be asked your opinion about the experience, most mystery shopping involves objective observations, such as how long after entering you were greeted.
OK, I have been dying to ask this question: How much money will I make?
That is a difficult question to answer, because it depends on where you live (and how many shops are available), how much time you want to spend mystery shopping (you control your schedule), your ability and experience (better, more experienced shoppers receive the highest-paying assignments) and other factors.
The bad news is that you will not get rich as a mystery shopper. You will not make $50,000 a year working part time. You can, however, make a nice extra income. Many shoppers working part time or “spare time” make anywhere from $500 to $1000 a month or more. Full-time mystery shoppers are rare, but it is possible to make $1500, $2000 or more a month.
Mystery shoppers are paid by the assignment, and pay typically ranges from a low of $5 or $10 for a simple assignment to $20, $50 or more for shops requiring more time or specialized experience.
Many assignments include reimbursement for purchases. This reimbursement can be significant. For example, you may be reimbursed for restaurant meals, car service, salon and spa services and more. I have been reimbursed up to $180 for a steak dinner at a fine dining restaurant, and getting free services such as a haircut, oil change or eye exam can really help the family budget.
Can I mystery shop if I work another job, go to school or take care of my children full time?
Absolutely! You decide which assignments you are willing to do, and how many assignments. You can choose shops that can be done outside of your normal work hours, or when your children are in school.
This sounds good. What do I have to do to get started?
You will work for several mystery shopping companies at once, so apply to as many as you can. You can find company information, tips for mystery shopper jobs and more on my blog at http://www.MysteryShoppersManual.com/ and there is a complete Quick Start Plan in The Mystery Shopper’s Manual.
Once you have registered with companies, you can apply for assignments by checking the company’s job board or watching for email announcements of available shops.
Never pay to apply. Legitimate mystery shopping companies do not charge you to apply. Many legitimate companies are members of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).
Also beware of the mystery shopper scam involving a cashier’s check. The scammer mails a check, asks that you cash the check and wire most of the money out of the country. You keep the rest as a fee. Sounds good, until you get a notice from the bank that the check was forged and you now owe them the money that was wired. Some victims of this scam have lost thousands of dollars.
When you get your first assignments, do a great job. Follow all of the shop instructions, and do the shop and report on time. That is the best way to get more assignments.
Oh, and have fun. Although mystery shopping is a business and must be taken seriously, being an undercover customer is a flexible and fun way to make extra money.
I’ve done a few mystery shops in the past, and it is fun but is definitely not a job that’s going to put food on the table. Unless you mystery shop a restaurant of course LOL There are some cool assignments out there to be had though and if you’ve got that patience to be observant of every detail it’s totally worth trying out. And hey, sometimes you get free stuff!
That sounds like a great part time income for a stay-at-home mom or even someone looking ofr something after work. I’m sure that its a competitive job to find.
I worked as a mystery shopper for awhile, I’d say the best deals I had were .. free gas.. free pizza.. and McDonalds.
There were some dinners out, but most of them, with the possible exception of Ruths Chris Steak House, didn’t give you enough credit to make the outing free, heavily discounted, but not free.
Still fun to be all sneaky like and stuff, if you search around a bit, there are some great free mystery shopping resources available online
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Sounds great! Your blog is one of my most favorite now
. You have hit the nail on the head, just like you always do.