Taking the "Mystery" Out of Mystery Shopping
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SageMommy.Com
You go shopping at your favorite stores and get reimbursed for your purchase
PLUS paid for your time. It’s almost too good to be true.
Pros: Did you read the paragraph above? Paid. To. Shop. Plus, as a contractor,
you can accept or refuse jobs according to your own schedule. A lot of the shops
can be done with children—after all, you’re supposed to look like just another
shopper.
Cons: The forms are tedious and deadlines are tight—often detailed reports have
to be filed within hours of your purchase. You must have moderate acting abilities,
an almost-photographic memory and be super sneaky at writing things down
without being noticed, even by the security guys watching the cameras. You will
have to lie to unsuspecting store employees and maybe even get them fired. The
scenarios you are asked to act out can be ridiculous and sometimes they don’t
change for years. One shop I worked regularly required me to ask the same
questions about the same rare product of every employee in the store. They had
to know. As for materials, you’ll probably need a fax machine or scanner, a digital
camera, and an online computer. High-speed internet access is recommended
unless you want to spend all day in front of a flickering screen waiting for the copy
of your receipt to upload.
If this sounds like a sweet deal, even with these cons, go to the Mystery Shopping
Providers Association at www.mysteryshop.org. Do not—DO NOT—try to enter the
field by clicking on some lame email or pop-up, and most definitely DO NOT pay
someone who claims they can help you get started. We do not pay to work—we
get paid. A great book for starters is The Mystery Shopper's Manual, written by a
professional mystery shopper and currently in it's 6th edition.
PLUS paid for your time. It’s almost too good to be true.
Pros: Did you read the paragraph above? Paid. To. Shop. Plus, as a contractor,
you can accept or refuse jobs according to your own schedule. A lot of the shops
can be done with children—after all, you’re supposed to look like just another
shopper.
Cons: The forms are tedious and deadlines are tight—often detailed reports have
to be filed within hours of your purchase. You must have moderate acting abilities,
an almost-photographic memory and be super sneaky at writing things down
without being noticed, even by the security guys watching the cameras. You will
have to lie to unsuspecting store employees and maybe even get them fired. The
scenarios you are asked to act out can be ridiculous and sometimes they don’t
change for years. One shop I worked regularly required me to ask the same
questions about the same rare product of every employee in the store. They had
to know. As for materials, you’ll probably need a fax machine or scanner, a digital
camera, and an online computer. High-speed internet access is recommended
unless you want to spend all day in front of a flickering screen waiting for the copy
of your receipt to upload.
If this sounds like a sweet deal, even with these cons, go to the Mystery Shopping
Providers Association at www.mysteryshop.org. Do not—DO NOT—try to enter the
field by clicking on some lame email or pop-up, and most definitely DO NOT pay
someone who claims they can help you get started. We do not pay to work—we
get paid. A great book for starters is The Mystery Shopper's Manual, written by a
professional mystery shopper and currently in it's 6th edition.