How To Become A Mystery
Shopper
by Melissa Olivero
http://www.melsatticimages.com/
While this article is a little
long, I am sure you will find this introduction to the world of
Mystery Shopping a thorough one. What is Mystery Shopping? It is
the business of getting
paid to shop. Sounds like a dream job, right?
Mystery shopping is truly going
into a store and either purchasing something predetermined by the
store you are shopping in or to pretend to be looking for
something in particular. One of the ways that major chains assure
themselves of quality customer service and
knowledgeable sales personnel is to pay someone to go in,
check them out and
then write up a report about their transaction.
It sounds like a dream job to A
LOT of people and there is stiff competition in getting leads. It
will take several years before you receive enough work to make a
living doing it. You must have patience and be on top of your
game. It is not a career choice I would recommend to everyone. If
though, you would like to do it occasionally for fun and then just
see where it takes you, then more power to you.
Okay, I am sure you are familiar
with staffing agencies and contracting agents. In Mystery
Shopping, there are "middle-man" agents too. They are the ones who
deal directly with the companies so that they don't have to deal
with interviewing hundreds of people every year. So, getting in
with a good recruiter is your ticket to getting more jobs. In the
meantime, there are websites that you should dutifully check first thing
every morning and then periodically during the day. There are also
mailing lists on Yahoo that you should
become a member of - especially the one for Emergency Shops. When
a shopper tells their agent at the last minute they
won't be able to make it, there is a special list for those
shoppers who don't mind dropping everything to get the job. If you
become someone who is always there in a pinch, then you can start
getting more steady work that way.
In my small foray into doing it,
I received 4 assignments... 3 of which I was able to do. I'll
start with the ones that I did do. The first one was for a
furniture store. It was about 20 minutes from where we live.
Brendan & I took Alex to pretend to look at kids furniture.
Something that we felt that we did need and could buy. We weren't
to purchase anything during that trip though. Our assignment was
to time the sales people in how long it took them to approach us
and then once we were left on our own -- how long it took to get
back to us. We also had to check out the
bathrooms and the general cleanliness both inside and outside the
store. We spent about 20 or 30 minutes in the store. Then we went
home and wrote the
report. The report took about 20 minutes. Six weeks later we were
paid $35.00 for that basic 1 hour and a half of work.
Our second assignment was for a
grocery store. We were to go to a specific one to do our normal
weekly grocery shopping. We had to go to each department to ask
after an item - one clerk at the deli stayed on the phone with her
friend until we finally had to verbally get her attention. We also
had to check out the
bathrooms (I found a half-eaten chicken leg in mine). Then when we
got home, I had to write
the report. The report took a little long because I knew it was
part of the job to tell on the deli clerk, but I felt guilty and
concerned that she would lose her job. What should have taken
around 15 minutes, took around an hour to do as I waffled over
what words to choose to describe the situation. Around two months
later, we received a check for $15.00 for
our report.
The last assignment we took was
for the same furniture company as the first but in another town --
about 20 minutes in the opposite direction. This time we decided
to look at patio furniture. The
store was spotless, everyone was on their toes and we were offered
cookies and drinks when we arrived. We believed that somewhere
along the chain of command that the word leaked out that someone
coming in that day would be a mystery shopper. Everything was
perfect and yet forced and faked. Six weeks later we were paid
$35.00 for what took a little over an hour.
The assignment that we turned
down was to play the part of prospective home buyers. We were
supposed to visit a new development and pretend to be looking for
a home. The problem I
had with this was two fold -- A. This would be a complete acting
job for us as the homes were high-end starting at a half a million
dollars and B. As soon as a sales person saw our car -- then the
charade would be over. I was already having doubts about this
field for several reasons and the $40 payment was just not enough
to make me feel good about it.
To me, Mystery Shopping is the
perfect example of making sure what home career path you
choose is suited to your unique personality. Now, for me -- I take
too much to heart. All I kept thinking was perhaps that deli clerk
lost her husband the week before and that was her first day back
to work. Her eyes were very sad. By my reporting her, she may have
lost her job -- the only thing left in her life. You see? I
couldn't handle the guilt. Now -- if you your imagination doesn't
go into overdrive like mine does and you are able to keep the job
in perspective -- hey -- it is fun!
The different types of "shops"
you'll do include department stores,
fast food places, apartment shops, ID checks, restaurants and
more. Payment ranges from simple reimbursement (say $5 a meal at a
fast food drive through) upwards to $40 or so for an apartment or
home shop. The more
detailed the report has to be -- the more you will get
paid.
You should have a strong writing
background. It is important to have the ability to write clearly
and concisely. Your grammar and spelling should be beyond
reproach. Your vocabulary should be on a profession
level.
In terms of personality, you
should be able to act, be a quick thinker and be very personable.
You will need to be a bit aggressive to get the job leads. You
will need to be able to always look the part of whatever type of
shopper they are looking for. Now, granted -- for the "Shopping
for a New Home" assignment
- we could have borrowed my mother's Cadillac without a problem -
but it would have been inconvenient and not worth the payment
amount.
One last, but very important
item. NEVER pay anyone for information on how to mystery shop.
Using the links below, you will find out everything you need to
know. Join some mailing lists on Yahoo and fellow
shoppers will be there to help you. More important, just read and
follow links within the MS community.
If you do decide to give mystery
shopping a try... please remember to not get discouraged in the
beginning in getting assignments. The more you put yourself out
there on the groups and forums... the more it will come for
you.
Inspirational Resource For Work At Home Moms!