A Guide To Mystery Shopping for Mystery Shoppers

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How does the idea of getting paid to shop or dine out sound?

If the answer to this question is great, and I have a suspicious feeling that it is, then you may want to consider signing up as a mystery shopper.

Mystery shopping is fast becoming a very popular means for earning some extra cash.

It appeals mostly to stay at home mums or dads, students, the retired or to anyone who wants to supplement their income.

The reason for this is because the job is so flexible that it enables you to slot it into your daily routine, between school runs, for instance, or if you’re studying or working during the day then you can carry out the assignments in the evening or at weekends.

So what exactly is mystery shopping?

It’s covert reporting of customer service to be precise, which is why it is also often referred to as Secret Shopping. Shops and large organizations want to find out what their customers really think of their services. They want feedback on staff performance; they want to know if their current promotions are being adequately supported, whether their products are desirable and so on.

So they hire a mystery-shopping agency to gather all the information for them. Agencies need reliable staff to complete all the assignments for their clients, and hence the need for reliable mystery shoppers.

So what is required of you, the mystery shopper?

Simply to visit a designated establishment, i.e. a shop or restaurant, pose as a normal shopper and report back your findings. You do not need any special qualifications to become a mystery shopper but you do need to have a good memory, access to a computer with internet connection, be able to give an unbiased account of your findings and enjoy shopping!

You must be over 18 years of age to apply and be a resident in the country of application. Most mystery shopping agencies will not pay your income tax or national insurance for you, so you will need to notify the tax office and register as self employed. They are very helpful and will be able to answer any questions you may have, as well as give you advice on how to become self-employed.

Once you’ve decided to become a mystery shopper the next thing to do is sign up with a reputable agency but remember, and I cannot emphasize this enough, genuine companies will never ask you for a registration fee, becoming a shopper is always free.

When your application has passed the screening process you will be offered assignments to complete. Each job comes with specific instructions, and friendly staff is not too far away if you get stuck. Jobs are offered on an ad hoc basis via the Internet or telephone. You don’t have to accept all the jobs that are offered, the decision is always yours, but the more jobs you do, the more money you will earn, which brings me swiftly to my next point. Money.

Mystery shopping is not highly paid per se; you can expect to receive anything from GBP5.00 to GBP20.00, sometimes more, sometimes a little less, but if you consider how long each assignment takes to complete you will find that you could be earning approximately GBP7 – GBP10.00 per hour.

As well as the shopper fee you also get to keep all the goods you are required to buy during a visit, so you get lots of lovely freebies! Assignments include restaurants, bars, retail outlets, banks, cinemas, fitness centres and more. This job is so varied you can’t possibly get bored.

When you have completed a mystery shopping assignment you are usually required to fill in an online questionnaire within 8 – 24 hours of completion, while the information is still fresh in your mind. The questionnaires are simple to complete and should take no longer than approximately twenty minutes. You will need to keep all receipts if you are making a purchase so that the company may reimburse you. Payments are made on a monthly basis and usually via bank transfer.

One of the appealing aspects of mystery shopping is that while you are earning a bit of extra cash, and helping businesses to improve their services, you are also helping the community by improving the service from the retailer to the consumer. With a large proportion of the public reputedly choosing not to return to an establishment where they have received bad service rather than complain, it deems a worthwhile job to do.

And now for the downside, and as there are two sides to a coin there is always a drawback.

Mystery shopping it is not a means of reliable work and unless you can manage to assign yourself a lot of jobs each day, you are unlikely to make a living from it.

An antidote to this would be to join as many mystery-shopping agencies as possible to ensure you are kept reasonably busy.

The other quibble is that you have to be fast and furious when it comes to assigning yourself jobs as the good ones go quickly.

This means having to log into your account, or call your operator regularly, to ensure you get sufficient assignments.

And finally, you do have to use your own money when required to buy something during an assessment, but you will be fully reimbursed the following month together with your salary.

So if you can live with these few shortcomings then you might want to give it a try.