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Cathy Stucker has been a mystery shopper since 1995. She is the author of The Mystery Shopper's Manual.
| Mystery shopping is a legitimate way to make money; however, if you received a large check and were told to wire money somewhere, don't do anything until you read about mystery shopping scams. |
Many mystery shoppers spend a lot of time in the car, traveling from one client location to another. That can be lost time or, with a little planning, you can put it to good use. Here are some ideas on how you can use your travel time.
Plan your route. Use mapping software, such as Microsoft Streets and Trips, to plan your route before you get in the car. With this software, you can enter a list of addresses, and the software will map out the most efficient route. That way you will not spend a lot of time (and gasoline!) backtracking or getting lost. …continue reading Making the Most of Travel Time
Giant Eagle stores are seeking customers to mystery shop their pharmacies.
Qualifying shoppers will be given guidelines for the shop. After completing the visit and online report, they will receive a $15 gift card.
Giant Eagle stores are located in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland.
For more information, see the Giant Eagle website.
Guest post by Jeff Hall, CEO, Second To None
The recession that began in 2007 has affected the mystery shopping industry. Not long ago, traditional shopping assignments were abundant, requirements were straight forward and payments were generous.
What a difference a few years make.
Many retail and restaurant operators have experienced measurable declines in revenue, as a rising unemployment rate and general economic anxiety have forced consumers to tightly manage spending habits. As brands have struggled with losses, many have reconsidered the resources allocated to market research and within this environment, mystery shopping.
This era has also ushered in a new corporate mindset regarding the value of market research, with increasing emphasis on custom research projects. Our firm has witnessed a shift toward non-traditional applications of mystery shopping—the type of assignments that demand significant preparation, instore interactions and increasingly complicated cognitive and observational requirements.
Today’s economic environment has forced businesses to assess their own operational performance through increasingly complicated mystery shopping efforts. While businesses continue to recognize the value mystery shopping adds via critical business intelligence, end-user (client) expectations are becoming more sophisticated.
What impact does this have on service providers, and shoppers?
…continue reading A New Era of Mystery Shopping
Question from a mystery shopper:
I am puzzled by something I sometimes see when applying for shops. There will be a date range for completing the shop (e.g., It must be done between 3/1 and 3/10) and they will ask on what day I will do the shop if it is assigned to me.
They have already said it has to be between the first and the tenth. What do they want me to say? Do they want me to give a specific date? Or just say that I will do it between 3/1 and 3/10? Or can I just ignore the question?
What if the date I plan to do the shop changes after it is assigned to me? Do I need to let the scheduler know?
There are several reasons for asking on what date you will complete the shop. The best answer to give will depend on how the scheduler plans to use the information; however, there are some “safe” answers that will almost always be acceptable.
…continue reading What Day Will You Do the Mystery Shop?
You always do your best as a mystery shopper…until that one day. Maybe you didn’t get an important bit of information for the shop, or you went on the wrong day, or at the wrong time or to the wrong place. Or you completely forgot to do the shop.
Dumb mistakes? Yeah, but every shopper has probably made a dumb mistake or two somewhere along the line. So what do you do now that you have really messed up on a shop?
Some mystery shopping companies have a “one strike and you’re out” rule, and if you make a major mistake that would cause the client to reject the shop report, they will deactivate your account. Others will consider your history with them and other factors. Even the companies that will automatically deactivate you may reconsider if you take the right approach. …continue reading What to Do When You Mess Up on a Mystery Shop
A mystery shopper asks:
I got several gift cards as Christmas gifts, and including some for stores and restaurants I sometimes visit as a secret shopper. May I use these gift cards on mystery shops, instead of paying with my own money? What about gift cards that are issued by the credit card companies (e.g., Visa, American Express), not the store or restaurant? May I use those on mystery shops?
Generally, you should be able to use gift cards on mystery shopping assignments. However, there are a few exceptions. …continue reading May I Use Gift Cards on Mystery Shopper Jobs?
BestMark has been the leader in Mystery Shopping since 1986 and is currently accepting applicants for opportunities ranging from casual & fine dining to electronics retailers, amusement parks, and automotive establishments.
There are thousands of opportunities throughout the country, and all you have to do is fill out a free application to be considered! BestMark is hiring right now for these opportunities and more, so visit:
http://www.bestmark.com/become_a_shopper.htm
Tell them Cathy Stucker sent you!
Looking for mystery shopper opportunities?
BestMark Mystery Shopping has teamed up with leading automotive manufacturers to launch a national research study that includes 14,000 lucrative mystery shops in October and November. BestMark has opportunities to both perform the mystery shops and to help recruit others to perform shops in your area. Those who conduct shops for the Automotive Study receive a free minor auto service (oil change, tire rotation, etc.) and a $25-60 cash payment for performing a service evaluation, depending on the vehicle. In addition, by recruiting and referring shoppers to participate in the study, you can earn money and large cash prizes!
What you need to do to get involved:
Any questions? Contact autostudy@bestmark.com or call 1-800-969-8477.
The folks running mystery shopper scams are becoming even more brazen. In Idaho, they used a job board operated by the Idaho Department of Labor to troll for victims.
Using a state-sponsored job board is just another example of the things criminals will do to make their scams appear to be legitimate. Many job seekers probably believe that companies and their postings are reviewed and approved by the state before a job can appear on the board. Not true. From this article about the mystery shopper scam, it sounds as if it was a job seeker who discovered the fraud and informed the state. Fortunately, the state did take action when they learned about the bogus jobs.
The lesson in this is not to be too trusting and assume that anything with a cloak of respectability is actually respectable. The people behind these secret shopper scams do things to make themselves appear to be legitimate. They use the names of legitimate mystery shopping companies. They claim to be mystery shopping for respected brands, such as McDonald’s and WalMart. And now they are soliciting victims through state employment agencies.
Learn more about mystery shopping scams.
Find legitimate free mystery shopper jobs.
School is out for the summer, and you may be planning to take your children with you when you do your mystery shopper jobs. Stop for a moment before you do so, and make sure you are not making a mistake.
Although you may take your children with you while doing some secret shopping, you should not assume that it is always a good idea.
Do not take it personally if the guidelines say that no children are allowed. The fact is that children can be a distraction and create disruptions. Your children may be the best-behaved in the world, but other people’s children are not. Rather than saying that you may bring your children if they are well-behaved, the client chooses to say you may not bring your children.
However, even well-behaved children can be a distraction. If you have to keep one eye on them, or your toddler starts asking for food, or needs to use the rest room in the middle of the sales person’s presentation, you will be distracted. The employee may also be distracted by your children, affecting his performance on the mystery shop, and timings and other measures may be thrown off. …continue reading Secret Shopping and Kids
