Written by: Keren Moros & Alyssa Sterkel
If you need some extra cash, have always wanted to go undercover, and love shopping, then mystery shopping may be your dream job.
Businesses use mystery shoppers to monitor the customer experience they provide, said Kelly Hancock, spokesperson for Mystery Shopping Providers Association, which represents mystery shopping companies.
Mystery shoppers go into businesses anonymously to complete specific tasks and report to their findings to the company who hired them. Businesses use this information to understand what’s happening in their stores, to coach or train, to make sure they’re following certain laws and to improve the service they’re providing.
Hancock said mystery shopping is used by retail stores, hospitality companies, and restaurants and even the medical field, amusement parks and churches. However, there are pros, cons and scams to this mystery job.
The pros. Mystery shopping is a flexible job. Working and going to school requires balancing homework, sleep and a social life, but this job makes balancing easy.
Hancock said sometimes a job needs to be conducted during specific hours such as when a restaurant wants to evaluate their lunchtime crowd. In other instances, the mystery shopper may have a week to complete the job, but for the most part, they will be able to set their hours.
No prior experience is necessary for mystery shopping, but Hancock said mystery shoppers need to pay attention to details and their surroundings. She said they also need to remember their experiences and be organized and to meet deadlines. Most mystery shopping reports are filed online so shoppers also need Internet access.
Because mystery shoppers are independent contractors, they can work with as many different mystery shopping companies as they’d like.
Best of all, mystery shoppers sometimes get to keep what they buy. Hancock said that any spending is discussed beforehand with the company. Shoppers know how much they can spend, and if there’s a certain item they should buy.
“A lot of times, you’ll be given a certain dollar amount that you can spend, and you’ll be reimbursed for that amount. In that kind of situation, you’ll be able to keep the items,” Hancock said. “Sometimes, you are asked to complete a return so you would need to return that item. It really depends on the situation.”
The cons. If you are uncom-fortable with criticizing an establish-ment, mystery shopping might not be for you. Hancock said that mystery shopping evaluations are mostly objective and may ask questions such as “Did the associate do this?” “Did they say this?” or “Was the restroom clean?”
“It’s not so much your giving your opinion as much as you’re saying ‘This did or did not happen.’ It’s not something where you’re going to have to confront other people,” she said.
Mystery shoppers may not know their boss or co-workers personally, and they have to motivate themselves to complete the job. If you like to work with people and know the company you’re working for, mystery shopping may not be the best choice for you.
Hancock said that a lot of mystery shopping companies conduct their work online.
“Every company operates differently, but it’s pretty rare that someone who wants to be a mystery shopper would walk into a building and apply for the job,” Hancock said.
The scams. Hancock said a legitimate mystery shopping comp-any will sometimes solicit shoppers through online advertising, but this is also how many fake companies scam consumers.
“They’re either trying to get you to buy a list of job opportunities, or they’re going to be sending you a check in the mail,” Hancock said. “If you see something like that online, be very cautious.”
Mystery shopping usually pays between $8 and $20 per assignment, so any company that offers a large sum of money is potentially a scam.
“A legitimate mystery shopping will never send you a check in the mail and ask you to wire a portion back,” she said. “That ties directly into a popular scam.”
Hancock also said that one should never have to pay to become a mystery shopper. She said it is best to work with companies that are part of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association. These companies must adhere to a code of ethics and are not allowed to mislead shoppers or charge them a fee.
So, if flexible shopping is your dream, mystery shopping might be your dream job.
