The Mystery Shopper's Manual

As mystery shoppers, we work with a lot of mystery shopping companies. Many shoppers are registered with twenty, fifty or more companies—some secret shoppers are in the data bases of more than 200 different mystery shopping companies!

So why do some companies seem to want to make it harder for us to work with them?

Although there is competition for mystery shopper jobs, there is also competition for great mystery shoppers. Every company wants to attract the best and the brightest shoppers so they can provide their clients with the best possible information. However, many of the things they do are likely to turn off some of the very shoppers they most want to attract.

I am not referring to big things here. Certainly, if you are treated in a way that you believe to be unfair you will not want to work for that company again. In my experience, though, there are little things companies do every day that can alienate secret shoppers. There are lots of other companies out there. Annoy me, and I will be gone in no time. …continue reading How to Lose a Mystery Shopper in Ten Seconds

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In some areas there is a lot of competition for mystery shopper jobs. However, there are some shoppers who never lack for work. They are regularly sought out by companies and, not only do they get more offers than other shoppers, they get some of the best shop offers.

How can you be one of those elite shoppers? If you are willing to put in some time and effort, it can be done.
…continue reading Five Ways to Make Yourself a More Valuable Mystery Shopper

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Question from a mystery shopper:

I am a new mystery shopper, and I have applied to several companies. I will be away from my computer for a couple of weeks next month while on vacation.

If an assignment were to come up during that time and I didn’t respond would the mystery shopping company stop sending me notices of new shops? Should I let them know I will be unavailable?
…continue reading Will Mystery Shopping Companies Stop Sending Me Jobs?

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Whenever you send email to a mystery shopping company, you should include identifying information that makes it clear who and where you are, as well as why you are writing. If you are contacting a scheduler with a question about a mystery shop assignment, you should also include the assignment number (if any), client name, location and due date.

You might be surprised how many emails mystery shopping companies receive from shoppers whom they can not identify. Or the scheduler may have to spend valuable time looking up the shopper to figure out who they are and what assignment they are emailing about.

An easy way to include your information is with a “signature” or “signature file.” …continue reading Using Email Signature Files

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Whenever you submit a mystery shop report it is reviewed by an editor. The editor’s job is to make sure the report is perfect before it is forwarded to the client.

The editor must examine the entire report to make sure it satisfies all of the criteria established by the mystery shopping company and the client. In many cases, the editor will assign a grade or quality score to your report, based on how well you met the shop requirements.

Your shop grade can influence which assignments you get in the future, so making sure your report is the best it can be not only makes the editor’s job easier, it can help you qualify for more and better mystery shop assignments.

Here is what editors look for and how you can get a great score on your next report. …continue reading What Editors Look for in Mystery Shopper Reports

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Question from a mystery shopper:

My wife and I are both mystery shoppers and work for many of the same companies. Recently, due to a serious error she made on a report, my wife’s account with one company was deactivated and they told her that she could not shop for them any more.

I guess I understand why they did that, but they also notified me that I can not work for them again, either. I have always gotten good scores on my shop reports. Can they deactivate my account even though I have done nothing wrong? …continue reading Can Mystery Shoppers Be Terminated Without Cause?

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Have you ever had a secret shop report rejected? When a shop is rejected, the client will not pay the mystery shopping company for the report. That means that you will not be paid or reimbursed, and your shopper account may even be deactivated so that you may not shop for that company again.

First, I want to stress that reports are not routinely rejected. I have mystery shopped for more than 13 years, and I have never had a report rejected. You may have the same experience. However, there are times when reports are not accepted, either by the mystery shopping company or the client. Let’s look at some common reasons for rejection, how you can avoid doing things that will get your report rejected, and what to do if your mystery shop is wrongly rejected.

Some of the reasons a mystery shop report may not be accepted include: …continue reading Avoid Rejection of Your Mystery Shop Reports

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When faced with a difficult or rude customer, many employees believe that they have encountered a mystery shopper. That fits with the perceptions of many people that the job of a secret shopper is to catch employees doing a bad job, or at least to make it harder for them to do their jobs.

Unfortunately, some mystery shoppers also have this impression. However, there are several reasons why you should not be a difficult or extraordinary customer, and only one reason why you should ever do so.

Let’s start with the reasons why you should not be a difficult customer: …continue reading Should Mystery Shoppers Be Difficult Customers?

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Although many of the secret shop assignments you receive will come through a scheduler, some companies allow you to directlyclaim the shops you want without going through a scheduler. This is known as “self-assigning” or “self-scheduling.”

When you register with a mystery shopping company, they will explain how mystery shops are awarded. Companies that use self-assigning may offer only some of their shops this way, or may use self-assigning for almost all of their assignments.

Here is how self-assigning works, and what you need to know about getting assignments this way.

…continue reading “Self-Assign” Mystery Shopper Scheduling

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