The Times They Are A Changing

I’ve seen jobs for mystery shoppers on the internet and even read an article once from a person who did it as part of their income. Normally, I’m just not in love with shopping so hadn’t looked into it other than in a passing interest kind of way. Today, I decided to look into it a little further.

How it Works

You work for a company or agency that sends you to a particular business. You pose as a regular customer and find out certain things for the client. Some of these might be:

* How long does it take to be acknowledged
* How long does it take for someone to help you
* How clean and orderly is the location
* If there are requirements about dress code, signage, etc., are they being followed

You would purchase an item and you would send in your receipts and complete evaluation to the client. Payment and reimbursement is made from between 1 and 8 weeks. You probably will be required to do your mystery shopping on a particular day and time.

Type of Clients

Businesses you might be asked to frequent are restaurants, retails stores, hotels, amusement parks, car dealerships, gas stations, retail stores, to name just a few.

How to Find a Mystery Shopping Company

Knowing there are many scams on the internet is another reason I hadn’t previously looked into this line of work. However, I found a database of “honest” Mystery Shopper Companies. It’s Volition.com. You should always do your own evaluation, regardless. Once you find a company you’d like to work with, you will be asked to complete an application. When you are approved, you can go through that companies data base to see what businesses are in your area.

One rule to always follow, even regarding other internet jobs, is that you should never have to pay in order to work. If you are required to pay some fee for the privilege, then run away quickly. A scam company may also give you some guarantee about how much you will make or required you to pass some shopping class for certification. I mean, who needs to learn how to shop. What you are required to do for these kinds of jobs is not rocket science.

I’d love to hear about anyone’s experience with mystery shopping.

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