The Mystery Shopper’s Manual

This year, it is a good idea to get your taxes filed by April 15th and not file for an extension. The IRS will start mailing the stimulus payments (as much as $600 per taxpayer) in May, but you will not get your payment until after filing your 2007 tax return.

Do not rush through your tax return, though. Make sure you claim every legitimate deduction so you do not overpay your taxes. As an independent contractor, you can deduct the reasonable and necessary costs of doing business when calculating your mystery shopping profits. These deductions are taken on the Schedule C you file with your 1040.

Remember that if you do not use something exclusively for business, you may only deduct the business portion. For example, if you use your computer 40% for business and 60% for personal and family purposes, you may deduct 40% of the expenses related to the computer.

Here are some of the deductions you may be able to take, and what to do if you missed any deductions on a return you have already filed (even in a past year): …continue reading Secret Shopper Tax Deductions

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It is hard to believe, but true: There are some secret shoppers who fake reports. Fortunately, there are not many of these dishonest shoppers, but the few who are out there harm the industry and all of us with their fraud.

It seems as though it would be more difficult to make up a report and all the necessary details and documentation than to just do it. However, there will always be people who want to feel that they got away with something by faking the secret shopper report instead of doing it right.

Mystery shopping companies and clients can spot the fakers, though, so even if they get away with it for a while, fraudulent secret shoppers will get caught. Here are some of the ways that mystery shopping providers and their clients spot these con artists and their fraudulent shop reports. …continue reading How Mystery Shopping Companies Spot Fraudulent Shops

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The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is asking transit riders to be their eyes and ears as part of a mystery shopping program. Although CTA employees have been conducting these undercover evaluations since last summer, the public is now being invited to participate.

Riders must register, and they are given a card with information about what they are to look for during their ride. Afterward, they complete a survey online or via mail.

For more information about CTA’s mystery shopping program, see the CTA web site.

The first 1000 participants to turn in completed surveys will receive a CTA transit card with one prepaid fare (a $2 value). And we thought we were paid badly.

Photo of a Chicago subway train by Seth Anderson. Used under a Creative Commons license.

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Last week, Cory Jensen of I-Spy Mystery Shoppers shared information about how his company works with mystery shoppers, and how to become a secret shopper with I-Spy. In part 2 of my interview with him, he takes on mystery shopper pay and how changes in the industry have affected mystery shoppers and mystery shopping companies. …continue reading I-Spy Mystery Shopping Company Interview (Part 2)

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This is the latest post in my series about improving your mystery shopper report writing skills. Note that the rules for punctuation of quotations are different in the United Kingdom.

Adding direct quotations to your secret shopper reports provides a level of detail that will be appreciated by the mystery shopping company and the client. Which of the following do you think is better?

Maria smiled and said, “Welcome to Buck’s Steak House. Would you like to start with an appetizer? The Potato Poppers are delicious.”

Maria greeted me and smiled.

Pretty obvious, isn’t it? But what about those pesky punctuation marks? Do periods and commas go inside the quotation marks, or outside? What about question marks and exclamation points? And should you capitalize what is contained within the quotation marks? None of these will be a problem for you, once you understand a few basic rules. …continue reading Quotations in Your Mystery Shop Reports

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We have all heard of “re-gifting”: giving a gift we received to someone else on a gift-giving occasion. Opinions of whether or not this is appropriate vary, but what about using something you got on a mystery shop as a gift? Is it unbearably cheap, or just smart?
…continue reading Secret Shopper Perks as Gifts

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Cory Jensen, owner of I-Spy Mystery Shoppers, recently shared some comments about secret shopper pay, giving us the perspective of a mystery shopping company owner. I invited Cory to tell us more about his company and how they work with mystery shoppers. In part 1, Cory tells us what makes a shopper valuable to I-Spy and more.

Next week, I will share part 2 of this interview, where Cory again addresses the issue of lower pay for mystery shoppers and what shoppers can do about it. Be sure to subscribe to updates via RSS or email so you don’t miss the rest of this interview. …continue reading I-Spy Mystery Shopping Company Interview (Part 1)

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The latest post in my series about improving your mystery shopper report writing skills.

Restaurant mystery shops have a language of their own. Spell check software may not recognize a word and mark something spelled correctly as an error, or may lack suggestions for words you have misspelled. It is always a good idea to keep a dictionary handy for looking up those hard-to-spell words.

Do not rely on the spelling of a food item found on the itemized receipt. It may be wrong. Even menus can have errors and typos. If you are not sure how to spell something, look it up in your dictionary or through a reliable online resource. Often, just going to Google and entering a misspelled word will do the trick. Google often comes back with a response such as, “Did you mean . . .?”

To make writing my restaurant secret shopping reports easier, I created a list of words I found myself looking up time after time. Why is it that I have never learned to spell “broccoli”? I have added a number of words to my original list to create a more general list for anyone who mystery shops in restaurants. …continue reading Spelling Tips for Restaurant Mystery Shop Reports

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When several mystery shopping companies were asked what makes someone a good mystery shopper, they came up with remarkably similar answers. They said that their best mystery shoppers are those who care about customer service and want to help businesses improve. The best shoppers understand the importance of the work and take mystery shopping seriously. And, although they like making the extra money and getting the free perks that come with mystery shopping, they truly enjoy the work and aren’t in it just for the money.

According to the companies surveyed, a mystery shopper must be: …continue reading Do You Have What it Takes to Become a Secret Shopper?

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