So you want to
become a mystery shopper...First learn the facts.
What is a
mystery shopper? Businesses across the country want to know what
type of service their customers are receiving from their employees. Are
they behaving courteously, eating on the job, being rude, wearing their
name tag and uniform correctly, giving correct change, using specific
language with customers, showing up on time, and even more serious
stealing. To find this out, they hire people like you to go into their
business and evaluate the level of customer service, quality of
products/food, and overall satisfaction with the company.
How much
money can you earn
as a mystery shopper?
If you believe the scammers on the Internet, you'll be making $50 to
$100 an hour, or that you will get to keep free designer clothes, or
make a lot of money for doing nothing. Be suspicious of such outrageous
claims...The average mystery shopper earns a little extra income, gets
to eat out free every once in awhile, enjoys a free video rental, and
has fun making an important contribution to businesses and helps improve
customer service. Shopper may earn from $8-$10 for a simple
assignment and up to $20, $50, $100 or more for shops that require
specialized knowledge or skill, or for remote locations that are
difficult to fill.
Does it
cost to become a mystery shopper? No, it shouldn't cost
anything to become a mystery shopper. Unfortunately, scammers find a way
to get to your wallet one way or another. If there is a membership fee
or you have to pay for a list of mystery shopping opportunities, it's
probably a scam. More recently a new scam has made it's way into the
mystery shopping arena. You'll be sent a cashier’s check and be asked to
wire the money back to a specified address, typically outside the
country. For payment of your mystery shopping, you'll keep a percentage
of the original cashier’s check as payment. Of course the cashier’s
check bounces a few days later and the mystery shopper is responsible
for the entire amount of the money they wired to the international
address – sometimes as much as $2,500.
Rules for qualifying mystery shopping opportunities:
-
Decline
any offer that requires you to pay.
-
Be
patient, it takes time, sometimes months to be contacted with an
offer to conduct a shopping assignment.
-
Complete
assignments according to the guidelines of the mystery shopping
client. You'll have a much higher likelihood of being invited back
for future assignments if you do a good job.
Below is
a list of legitimate, free to register mystery shopping services.
Customer Perspectives - Established in 1983, clients are banks,
retail stores and restaurants throughout the US and parts of Canada.
Secret Shopping Services - Clients include retail shops, apartment
communities, restaurants, casinos, professionals (Dentists, Accounting
etc.), colleges, fast food chains, grocery stores, government entities,
coffee houses, travel industry, real estate agents, malls, convenience
stores/gas stations, and pubs/lounges.
Mystery Shopper Services - Clients include restaurants, pizza/
entertainment shops, cellular phone shops, car washes, coffee shops,
furniture shops, carpet/tile shops, property tours, automotive, time
shares, thrift stores, water parks, floor stores, mattress galleries,
car counts, real estate, pet stores, hotels, and breweries.
BMA Mystery Shopping - Clients include retail shops, convenience
stores/gas stations, cellular phone shops, and real estate.
National Shopping Service Network - Established in 1986,
clients include a variety of integrity and customer service shops.
Secret Shopper - Established in 1990, clients include restaurants,
retail, hotels, financial services, grocery, automotive, call centers,
and services.
National Shopping Service - Clients include financial institutions,
specialty retailers, department stores, restaurants, service businesses,
bars, liquor stores, night clubs, grocery/drug stores, and hotels.
Mystery Shoppers Providers Association (MSPA) - Retail stores,
banks, and restaurants.
Shopper's Critique International - Clients include retail
businesses, restaurants, entertainment and theme parks, property
management, home builders and condo sales, automotive and automotive
services, banking and financial institutions.
Coyle Hospitality Group - Clients include hotels, timeshares,
vacation clubs, spas, and cruises.
