Mystery Shopping – Is It for You?

I was asked about Mystery Shopping in a comment on one of my blog posts-here is my answer!!

Not everyone will enjoy Mystery Shopping—and it is a job—you actually have to do some work. I Mystery shopped for about a year until the gas prices went through the roof and did enjoy it. You get to use your acting abilities as you browse a store, or order meals or many other activities so no one catches on that YOU are a mystery shopper! It helps to have a good memory or a portable recorder which is small enough to hide on your person. You will also need a computer because you will be reporting your jobs on-line. A scanner is almost mandatory as you will have to scan any receipts into your computer as well (so that you get paid back for any purchases and to prove you were really there!).

A pretty good definition given by Wikipedia:
Mystery shopping or a mystery consumer is a tool used externally by market research companies or watchdog organizations or internally by companies themselves to measure quality of service or compliance to regulation, or to gather specific information about products and services. The mystery consumer's specific identity is generally not known by the establishment being evaluated. Mystery shoppers perform specific tasks such as purchasing a product, asking questions, registering complaints or behaving in a certain way, and then provide detailed reports or feedback about their experiences.

Mystery shopping was standard practice by the early 1940s as a way to measure employee integrity. Tools used for mystery shopping assessments range from simple questionnaires to complete audio and video recordings. Mystery shopping can be used in any industry, with the most common venues being retail stores, hotels, movie theaters, restaurants, fast food chains, banks, gas stations, car dealerships, apartments, health clubs and health care facilities. Since 2010, mystery shopping has become abundant in the medical tourism industry, with healthcare providers and medical facilities using the tool to assess and improve the customer service experience.[1] In the UK mystery shopping is increasingly used to provide feedback on customer services provided by local authorities, and other non-profit organizations such as housing associations and churches.[2]


Another thing you really should be aware of—NEVER pay to be a Mystery Shopper!! There are lots of places on the net that are trying to sell you lists which with a little bit of searching the net on your own you can come up with yourself.


Here is a place to get you started -- Volition.com -a great resource for Mystery Shoppers.

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