The job isn't as easy as it sounds, but you can add a little adventure to your life and get some freebies and cash in the bargain.Get paid to shop! Score free meals and clothes! Visit casinos, water parks and luxury hotels on someone else's dime!
Sound too good to be true? With mystery shopping, it is -- sort of.
You'll get "free" stuff. You'll work for it, though. You'll have to make one or more site visits. The evaluation forms can run to multiple pages. Generally, you pay upfront and wait weeks to be reimbursed. If you don't follow directions, you won't get paid or reimbursed.
That said, an organized and motivated shopper can consistently earn $100 a month or more. Or you can look at it this way: Mystery shopping gets you the small luxuries you can't otherwise afford, such as fancy coffee or dinners out. It can also help shore up your budget by paying for things like vision exams, oil changes or veterinary care.
You might score pet food, vitamins, doughnuts or bone-density testing. You can get paid to go bowling, test-drive a luxury car, drink a microbrew, eat at a fancy steakhouse, ride a roller coaster, rent a car or visit a nursing home. You can mystery-shop a supermarket and get reimbursed for up to $10 worth of groceries.
So how do you get a piece of that? By asking for it. Here's how.
Find the gigs for free
First, a piece of advice: Never, ever pay to become a shopper. Those Internet ads that promise the inside scoop are selling information that's available for free. Two legitimate sources of mystery shopping companies are:
Volition.com, a freebie site whose forums offer a place for shoppers to network.
The Mystery Shopping Providers Association, or MSPA, an industry group that has more than 150 member companies on four continents.
Volition.com, a freebie site whose forums offer a place for shoppers to network.
The Mystery Shopping Providers Association, or MSPA, an industry group that has more than 150 member companies on four continents.
Sign up with more than one company to increase your chances of getting assignments. There's plenty of competition: Approximately 1.5 million mystery shoppers have worked at least once in the past year, by the MSPA's estimate.
Registration may be as simple as filling out a form. Some companies will ask you to read an introduction and take a short quiz, or to write a make-believe account of a shopping trip (I thought of it as an audition). Once registered, you can check company sites for available assignments or read the MSPA's job board. Companies also send e-mail notifications of jobs, sometimes several per day.
Registration may be as simple as filling out a form. Some companies will ask you to read an introduction and take a short quiz, or to write a make-believe account of a shopping trip (I thought of it as an audition). Once registered, you can check company sites for available assignments or read the MSPA's job board. Companies also send e-mail notifications of jobs, sometimes several per day.
'You prove yourself'
Don't expect to be sent to a high-end restaurant or a posh hotel right out of the chute. Schedulers don't hand those assignments to just anyone. You'll have to take more than a few low-key gigs (coffee shops, fast-food restaurants, retail stores) to establish yourself as competent and reliable.
"You prove yourself, and the more you prove yourself, the more exposure you get to good jobs," says Christopher Warzynski, the vice president of mystery shopping company Beyond Hello.
How do you prove yourself? By writing articulate, sharply observed reports. "Not giving us enough detail" is a common problem, says Tom Mills, the CEO and president of Service Sleuth.
For example, it's not enough to write that "the waiter was friendly." Clients want to know if the waiter made eye contact, if he introduced himself, if he mentioned the daily specials, if he checked back at frequent intervals, if he offered drink refills promptly, if he suggested dessert, if he thanked you for choosing the restaurant.
Another common mistake: not following the shop guidelines. If you're told to buy the doughnut between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m., don't roll in at 10:15 (your receipt will give you away). Make sure you're ordering the right meal combo. (Warzynski tells of a woman who didn't order the required burger at Wendy's -- she was a vegetarian, she later explained.)
"You prove yourself, and the more you prove yourself, the more exposure you get to good jobs," says Christopher Warzynski, the vice president of mystery shopping company Beyond Hello.
How do you prove yourself? By writing articulate, sharply observed reports. "Not giving us enough detail" is a common problem, says Tom Mills, the CEO and president of Service Sleuth.
For example, it's not enough to write that "the waiter was friendly." Clients want to know if the waiter made eye contact, if he introduced himself, if he mentioned the daily specials, if he checked back at frequent intervals, if he offered drink refills promptly, if he suggested dessert, if he thanked you for choosing the restaurant.
Another common mistake: not following the shop guidelines. If you're told to buy the doughnut between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m., don't roll in at 10:15 (your receipt will give you away). Make sure you're ordering the right meal combo. (Warzynski tells of a woman who didn't order the required burger at Wendy's -- she was a vegetarian, she later explained.)
Playing smart, playing dumb
Often you follow a script, which is fun; there's a certain frisson that comes from pretending to be somebody you're not. My daughter Abby, a seasoned mystery shopper, once had to pass as a Department of Transportation employee attending a conference. Impersonating a bureaucrat is not exactly James Bond territory, but she got an overnight in a very nice suite with room service and a one-month pass to a popular downtown gym. A pretty nice gig, given that her evening would otherwise have consisted of "Law & Order" reruns.
Be prepared to do a little research and/or think on your feet. Shop for pet food and an employee might ask how much your dog weighs. If you're impersonating a pet owner, you'd better know how big a 3-year-old golden retriever should be.
Fortunately, many scripts specifically ask you not to know much, in order to see how well the employees do their jobs. That means waiting to be offered information. Or beverages. Abby had to train her husband not to order drink refills, because the evaluation forms ask how long a glass remains empty.
Be prepared to do a little research and/or think on your feet. Shop for pet food and an employee might ask how much your dog weighs. If you're impersonating a pet owner, you'd better know how big a 3-year-old golden retriever should be.
Fortunately, many scripts specifically ask you not to know much, in order to see how well the employees do their jobs. That means waiting to be offered information. Or beverages. Abby had to train her husband not to order drink refills, because the evaluation forms ask how long a glass remains empty.
More tips from the pros:
Never take notes openly. Go to the restroom or wait until you've left the building.
Keep track of your earnings for tax purposes. Companies send 1099 forms if you've made more than $500 from them in a year.
Don't accept a shop to which you cannot do justice. (See "vegetarian at Wendy's.")
Be prompt. Most reports are due within 24 to 48 hours.
Get a watch that times in minutes and seconds. Some clients want to know exactly how long you waited in line.
Set up a new e-mail address; you will get tons of updates.
Get a PayPal account; some companies require it. If a company asks for your bank account number during registration, you're being scammed. (You're also being scammed if you're sent a check to deposit and are asked to wire a portion to "another shopper," then write a report on the experience. The checks are bogus.)
Never take notes openly. Go to the restroom or wait until you've left the building.
Keep track of your earnings for tax purposes. Companies send 1099 forms if you've made more than $500 from them in a year.
Don't accept a shop to which you cannot do justice. (See "vegetarian at Wendy's.")
Be prompt. Most reports are due within 24 to 48 hours.
Get a watch that times in minutes and seconds. Some clients want to know exactly how long you waited in line.
Set up a new e-mail address; you will get tons of updates.
Get a PayPal account; some companies require it. If a company asks for your bank account number during registration, you're being scammed. (You're also being scammed if you're sent a check to deposit and are asked to wire a portion to "another shopper," then write a report on the experience. The checks are bogus.)
Better gigs, if not fame and fortune
The more shops you do, the easier it becomes. As you improve, schedulers may e-mail or call to offer you first crack at a job.
One way to help that happen is to step in at the last minute when another shopper flakes out. The scheduler will remember you fondly. I'm not suggesting you cancel a wedding to go out for a burger. But if you planned only to balance the checkbook or do laundry that evening -- well, it's hard to beat someone wanting to cook your dinner and pay you to eat it.
As your experience grows, you'll be offered better gigs. My daughter, who's been mystery shopping for seven or eight years, has been sent to fine restaurants, amusement parks, nice hotels, cultural attractions and even casinos (which includes gambling cash).
What you won't get is rich.
One way to help that happen is to step in at the last minute when another shopper flakes out. The scheduler will remember you fondly. I'm not suggesting you cancel a wedding to go out for a burger. But if you planned only to balance the checkbook or do laundry that evening -- well, it's hard to beat someone wanting to cook your dinner and pay you to eat it.
As your experience grows, you'll be offered better gigs. My daughter, who's been mystery shopping for seven or eight years, has been sent to fine restaurants, amusement parks, nice hotels, cultural attractions and even casinos (which includes gambling cash).
What you won't get is rich.
Service Sleuth employs a select group that evaluates casinos, hotels and fine dining in Las Vegas. Jobs exist that pay as much as $1,200, Warzynski says, such as evaluating a mall. Naturally, these jobs are hard to get and may not even be advertised.
"(The shoppers) have been doing it long enough to where they get the choicer jobs," Warzynski says.
I've earned as much as $95 for a shop, but that project (opening and using a bank account) involved several steps -- and reports -- over a monthlong period. Most jobs pay $10 to $25. For many restaurant shops, the pay is minimal or even nonexistent; you do it for the free food.
Also, reimbursement takes a long time, so don't mystery shop if you need that cash to pay current bills or your rent. Many companies work on a 60-day reimbursement cycle, says John Swinburn, the executive director of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.
"(The shoppers) have been doing it long enough to where they get the choicer jobs," Warzynski says.
I've earned as much as $95 for a shop, but that project (opening and using a bank account) involved several steps -- and reports -- over a monthlong period. Most jobs pay $10 to $25. For many restaurant shops, the pay is minimal or even nonexistent; you do it for the free food.
Also, reimbursement takes a long time, so don't mystery shop if you need that cash to pay current bills or your rent. Many companies work on a 60-day reimbursement cycle, says John Swinburn, the executive director of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.
Shop for what you need at the moment
The pay may not be great -- and you'll have to decide whether the jobs are worth your time -- but don't underestimate the value of freebies. Mystery shopping can pay for things you want or need:
Are you without wheels? Watch for car-rental gigs and use the vehicle to shop for things that are tough to get home on the bus, such as soft drink multipacks or 35-pound bags of cat litter.
Ready to repay the $100 a buddy lent you? Look for a shop that pays you to purchase a money order.
Want to go downtown? Schedule one or two parking-garage shops and get free parking plus $10 to $20.
Overdue for new glasses? A vision shop gets you as much as $100 toward a new pair of specs.
Have a friend who was kind during your recent spell of unemployment? A bar or restaurant shop lets you treat your pal without compromising your return to financial stability.
Are you without wheels? Watch for car-rental gigs and use the vehicle to shop for things that are tough to get home on the bus, such as soft drink multipacks or 35-pound bags of cat litter.
Ready to repay the $100 a buddy lent you? Look for a shop that pays you to purchase a money order.
Want to go downtown? Schedule one or two parking-garage shops and get free parking plus $10 to $20.
Overdue for new glasses? A vision shop gets you as much as $100 toward a new pair of specs.
Have a friend who was kind during your recent spell of unemployment? A bar or restaurant shop lets you treat your pal without compromising your return to financial stability.
Would you make a good mystery shopper?
The most important thing about mystery shopping is honesty. Don't soft-pedal mediocre service because the waiter was cute or because you felt sorry for the overworked young woman behind the counter. The evaluation form requires you to report whether the employee did or did not follow company policies. If he did not want to follow those policies, he should not have taken the job.
It's the same with mystery shopping. If you're not detail-oriented and organized, then give secret shopping a pass. But if you like impersonating DOT bureaucrats? This may be the job for you.
It's the same with mystery shopping. If you're not detail-oriented and organized, then give secret shopping a pass. But if you like impersonating DOT bureaucrats? This may be the job for you.
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