Mystery shopping

Had a friend ask me about mystery shopping. This is not the first time I've been asked. Here is my reply to him with things I think every potential mystery shopper needs to know.

Morning. Finally got a couple of minutes to give you a little more information. There are a few things I think any potential mystery shopper needs to know right off the bat, because these can make or break you. (Well, they can at least affect the quality and quantity of assignments.)

• In order to be a successful shopper, you need an active Internet connection, the ability to write well and a good memory. Other things that are useful for mystery shoppers: a good digital watch (almost every shop requires a stopwatch of some sort) and a digital camera. Oh. And you have to be willing to work on a deadline. You miss your deadline, you don't get paid.
• It also helps to possess a bit of acting ability. A lot of times, a company provides you with a scenario. For example, I was sent to a jewelry store where I had to pretend to be looking at diamond engagement rings for myself. (Yes, that's a pretty contrived situation, considering most women don't go alone to a jewelry store to pick out their own ring.)
• Certification is good. It costs $15 online at http://www.mysteryshop.org/shoppers/. Almost all of the good mystery shopping companies are members of this group, and certification ensures that the shoppers they hire are held to certain standards. Member companies give preferential treatment to certified shoppers when assigning shops.
• That said, you should never (ever ever) pay to get an assignment. I've had three or four people who are interested in mystery shopping tell me about a classified ad that runs in the Commercial Appeal where people pay to be a part of a company that secures you assignments. All the companies I contract with assign shops via the Internet for free. There's no need to pay a company to find you jobs.
• Mystery shopping won't pay your bills. Period. Most shop fees are around $10 or $15 plus an expense fee. For example, I did a dinner shop at Lonestar Steakhouse with an expense account of $30 for the meal (with the requirements that my guest and I had to get an appetizer, two entrees, beverages and dessert). It paid $10 on top of that. Bottom line: You have to do a heckuva lot of shops for those $10 or $15 fees to add up.
• Corollary: Most companies work on a refund basis. So, in the above example, I paid my $30 tab out of pocket, then later received a $40 check (expenses plus shop fee). I don't have a problem paying out of pocket, since most of the shops are things I'd be doing anyway (eating out, buying donuts, going to the eye doctor, etc.).

Those are the things I wish I'd known going into it. :) Now that the basics are out of the way, the fun part begins: Contracting with companies. I contract with, heck, I don't know anymore ... Somewhere between 25 and 35 companies. (They e-mail when there's an assignment in your area.) The more companies you sign up with, the better your chances of getting a fun or well-paying shop!

A good resource for choosing companies is http://www.volition.com/mystery.html. There's a link midway down the page (under a yellow box advertising their newsletter) that reads "Mystery Shopping Companies List." Under that, they've broken it down alphabetically into 3 pages: A-G, H-P and Q-Z. Visit the companies' Web sites, read through their stuff and sign up if they sound cool. Rinse and repeat. I did all of my signups in three or four hours on a Saturday. Most sign-up forms require a short essay that (a.) identifies how you'd react in a mystery shopping situation, and (b.) assesses your writing skills. Write your essay in Word or Notepad and save it. Chances are you can copy and paste it later in another company's form.

Umm, if you have questions, you know where to find me. :) Hope this helps without being overwhelming!

K