How to Utilize Mystery Shopping in Your Normal Everyday Routine
Tags: Home-Based Business Opportunity, Mystery Shopping, Patrick Gunther, The Work at Home Woman, Work at Home, Work from home
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By Patrick Gunther
How is it that someone who is prone to panic attacks could have the gumption and fortitude to participate in an activity where it is required that you “go undercover” and meticulously record in your memory bank with accurate recall a play-by-play record of your dealings with a sales associate, as required in a mystery shopping scenario? Sometimes you just have to take the bull by the horns, step outside of your comfort zone, and conquer something that is hindering your forward progress.
When I first started doing mystery shopping, I was eager to sign up as an independent contractor with as many mystery shopping companies as possible to give me a good dosage of a variety of types of shops, and to help me gain experience so I could soon get the crème de la crème, or in other words, take my pick of the better, higher-paying ones. I also took the sage advice of not getting involved with any outfit that made claims of helping you get mystery shopping engagements but having to put up a fee or buying into a membership. Scam. You should never have to pay up front or invest any of your own money to qualify for a legitimate “shop,” as they are called, or become a contractual agent for any of the innumerable, bona fide MSPA (Mystery Shopping Providers Association) member companies. The MSPA is the BBB (Better Business Bureau) of the mystery shopping industry.
I’ve been a mystery shopper for nearly a year now come November, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself, while at the same time making some extra income. I went into it truly wanting to make a difference, and seeing improvements made on the customer service front, with the added benefit of having some extra spending money.
Mystery shopping is not all fun and games, only partly so. Do you enjoy what you are doing presently, or at least some aspects of it? Then you will probably like mystery shopping. But, if you absolutely hate what you are doing, and you think mystery shopping will be an easy way out, you may just end up hating it, too. Any kind of employment, self-employment or otherwise, depends in large measure upon your attitude.
Let me run through some of the keys do being a good mystery shopper so that you can better decide if it’s for you or not.
If you are a conscientious individual, and maybe that should go without saying (because many of the self-employed are just that by nature), you’ll probably do well. Are you observant, a people-watcher? This skill lends itself well to the art of mystery shopping. Do you plan out your day, step by step, knowing where you’ll be and what you’ll be engaged in at what time? An important part of accepting mystery shops is to work them into your daily routine, so they are not out of your way. For example, I’ve done several postal shops, both for FedEx and USPS. Sign up for several if you can in advance, and map them out, working them into your list of “Things to Do.” And reward yourself every once in a while by scheduling a “reimbursement only” lunch or dinner shop, and take a friend or business associate along.
If you write well, with a very descriptive and informative style, you’ll get good ratings from the shopping companies and may be called upon to do special assignments. Be very thorough in your online reporting. Be specific and review everything you’ve written before you submit your work. Spell check! Save your work multiple times during your entries so you don’t waste time by having to enter everything all over again. Be accurate, because many times you are on camera anyway, and believe it or not, your report could have some influence in the promotion or termination of employees.
I said you shouldn’t have to pay to be a mystery shopper, and I meant it. But, there are two important qualifications. I did pay $15 after a couple of months of being a mystery shopper so I could become Silver certified with the MSPA. This opened up new opportunities, and I was getting more restaurants with ease. Hotels stays came soon thereafter. The competition becomes less intense for these shops requiring excellent observation and reporting skills that the only the certified shoppers are trusted with. Certification is done online and includes some testing requiring memorization. Gold certification is also available from the MSPA, but neither of them is required, though they show the shopping companies you take your role as a mystery shopper very seriously. Higher paying and more rewarding and interesting shops will be offered to you. I have more than a dozen shops coming to my email inbox daily, but I pick and choose now which ones I really wish to do.
The only other qualification is that should you choose to do some of the “reimbursement only” shops, you have to front the money for the purchases. I have a separate credit card for mystery shopping only. I pay for the hotels and restaurants this way, and I have never had a problem receiving reimbursement when shopping with MSPA member companies.
Some of the more fun shops I have done: an amusement park, shopping for a Ferrari (I had to come across as being an interested buyer and was paid $150 for that shop), and a forensic loan scenario (I was paid $300 for maybe 5 hours work!) These shops don’t come along every day, but they are available once in a while. So give it a whirl. It might just be your cup of juice!
Patrick Gunther is at present a stay-at-home father of two girls, ages 2 and 6. He is passionate about food storage, outdoor survival, emergency preparedness, and self reliance. You can find him blogging and vlogging about these subjects over at Emergency Food Storage Pros.
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