The Mystery Shopper’s Manual

There are hundreds of legitimate mystery shopping companies—do you need to apply to all of them? Half of them? A few of them? How many companies do you need to work with?

First of all, only apply to legitimate mystery shopping companies. That means you should not apply to companies that charge you a fee or require you to sign up for “offers.” Refer to this list of nearly 200 legitimate mystery shopping companies: http://MysteryShoppersManual.com/mystery-shopping-companies

I recommend that secret shoppers sign up with as many companies as they can. You never know which company will come through with the most assignments for you, or even that dream assignment to mystery shop a resort or spa.

But your time is limited, right? So when do you stop applying and start mystery shopping? …continue reading How Many Mystery Shopper Applications are Enough?

• » Comments (0)

Question from a secret shopper:

I am going to move to another state in about six months. Should I start applying to mystery shopping companies now, and take assignments in my present location, or should I wait until after I move to get started? Would applying now be a waste of time? …continue reading Moving Soon - When Should I Apply to Mystery Shopping Companies?

• » Comments (2)

Question from a mystery shopper:

I want to be a mystery shopper, but I am concerned because I hear about a lot of scams associated with secret shopping. How do I find legitimate companies, and how can I tell if a company is legitimate or not? …continue reading How Do I Know if a Mystery Shopping Company is Legitimate?

• » Comments (0)

EIN stands for Employer Identification Number. You might think of it as the equivalent of a Social Security Number for businesses. Mystery shoppers are not required to obtain EINs, however, many choose to do so. With all the concerns about online privacy and identity theft, mystery shoppers are more likely than ever to want to protect their Social Security Numbers. Having an EIN is one way to do that. Here is what you need to know about what an EIN is, why you might want one, and how to go about getting one. (It’s faster and easier than you may think.) …continue reading Mystery Shoppers and EINs

• » Comments (3)

My post on Reverse Auctions and Secret Shopper Pay drew this comment from the owner of a mystery shopping company:

We have noticed a substantial increase in the number of evaluations we must return to shoppers because they are incomplete, have poor explanations, or just don’t make sense. I think in most cases we pay well, but we can’t seem to figure out why the quality has gone down - other than the influence of text messaging.

Do you think this is an exaggeration? Judging by the email I sometimes receive, I do not believe that it is. …continue reading “I WANT TU B UR MSYTERY SHOPPR”

• » Comments (6)

Although you eagle-eyed mystery shoppers caught the spelling error in the title of this article, are you as good at finding typos in the applications and reports you submit to mystery shopping companies? Spelling is important, and submitting error-filled applications and reports will hurt your chances of becoming a successful professional shopper. …continue reading “Secert Shoppers” and Spelling

• » Comments (0)