The Mystery Shopper’s Manual

One of the reasons a shop report may be rejected by the client is that the shopper went to the wrong location. That may be hard to believe, but it happens. Many large chains have locations that are very close to each other and if you do not verify the address, you could end up shopping the wrong place. That means the report will not be accepted and you will not be paid.

As part of your preparation for the shop, here are a few things you can do to make sure you go to the correct location:

• Go to the client company’s web site and look for a map of locations. Compare the address in your assignment to the locations on the site.
• Use Google Maps or other online mapping systems to check the address. You can also get directions there, if you are going to an unfamiliar part of town.
• Call the client location and ask where they are. The phone number is usually in the guidelines. If not, look it up online or in the telephone directory. Many shops require a pre-visit call, so that is a good time to ask for directions.

Don’t forget to check the address when you get to the location, too. Look for an address on the sign, building or door.

Making the effort to verify the location before the shop takes very little time, but is an important part of doing your secret shopping assignments correctly.

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Do you ever take your laptop on the road while mystery shopping? If you ever use wireless hotspots, you may be making your data–including passwords, credit card numbers and more–visible to others. But even wired connections are not always safe. Here are some simple steps you can take to keep your data safe. …continue reading Wireless Security for Your Laptop

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The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) is the largest professional association dedicated to mystery shopping and related forms of market research. Although membership in the MSPA is not open to shoppers, the MSPA serves shoppers in many ways. Here is what you should know about the MSPA and its role in the mystery shopping industry. …continue reading What is the Mystery Shopping Providers Association?

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Next week there are two important tax deadlines: April 15th is the deadline for filing your annual Federal income tax return. And, if you pay quarterly estimated income taxes, remember that your first-quarter estimated tax payment (using form 1040-ES) for 2008 is also due on April 15, 2008.

If you can not file your annual return by April 15th, you may file for an extension, but there is a good reason not to do that this year. …continue reading April Tax Deadlines and the Stimulus Payment

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You already know about phishing scams. Phishing is where scammers send emails claiming to be from PayPal, eBay, Amazon, Google, banks and other well-known companies and attempt to get you to give up your personal information. For example, they may say that you need to update your credit card information and ask you to click through to the site, log in, and update your account.

The scam? The link in the email takes you to a page that looks like the real site, but is actually owned by the scammer. You enter your log in and password, credit card numbers and other identifying information, and they can now use that to charge things to your account or even steal your identity.

Now there is a new twist on phishing that tries to pass itself off as an online survey. In this new scam, …continue reading Online Survey Scam

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