A mystery shopping staycation means working during your adventure—there are observations to make and reports to write—and you have to take your mystery shopping assignments seriously, even if you are thinking vacation. But you can have fun you might not be easily able to afford without mystery shopping. Here are a few ideas.

Take a break from cooking. Do a few fast food shops and give the kids their favorite food while you take a vacation from the kitchen.

Have a special dinner with your honey. Many companies offer restaurant mystery shops at upscale casual dining and fine dining establishments. Even if dining out isn’t in your budget, you can have a wonderful dinner by doing a dining mystery shop.

See the sights for free. Many attractions, such as amusement parks, museums and other tourist spots, get mystery shopped. Watch for these assignments and have fun while you work.

Go to the movies. Although many movie theater shops involve spending lots of time at the theater to, for example, verify the number of people at each showing of a movie, there are some where you just go to one showing.

Go bowling. Bowling alleys are air conditioned, so you can get some exercise without losing your cool. Bowling alley shops may include refreshments as well as covering your lane fees.

Treat yourself to a massage or other pampering. There are salon and spa shops where you can have your hair done, get a makeup lesson or even enjoy a massage.

Get away from home. Pick up a hotel shop and get away from home for a night or two without having to leave town. Although the high-end resort shops are hard to come by, many companies have secret shops of mid-range hotels available. Enjoy some time by the pool and just being away from home.

Want an out of town trip? Look for out of town hotel shops and assignments at restaurants and other places at your destination or along the way. These shops can be easiest to locate using self-assign job boards. Or, if you have good relationships with a few schedulers, contact them to let them know your plans and see what assignments they may have available for you.

Don’t want to work during your staycation? Do some extra shops ahead of time and stash the cash. Use the money to fund the fun you want to have. By doing a few extra shops here and there in the months before your vacation you can do what you want to do without working on your time off.

Enjoy your staycation! How are you using mystery shopping to have more fun without spending your own money?

Hi! We have a mystery shop available for you. Log in to your account to learn more about this fun shop!

You go to the mystery shopping company website, log in to your account, click on Available Shops and discover that:

1. the shop location is nowhere near you;
2. it is a type of shop you do not like to do;
3. the pay stinks;
4. you must complete a test before you can even request the shop (with no guarantee you will get it);
5. all of the above.

My policy? If a scheduler can not give me basic information about the shop in the email, I just delete it. Do it often enough and I will stop the emails or even deactivate myself from their database.

Schedulers, if you want me to work with you, you need to stop wasting my time. Give me a little more to go on.

In my opinion, a shop notification email should include at least:

Shop location. I realize they may not want to give an exact address, but how about a city and a zip code?

Deadline. When does the shop need to be completed?

Type of business to be shopped. Is it fast food? Casual dining? Apartments? A bank? A car dealer? I don’t expect the client name in the email (although I love to see it) but at least give me a hint.

What is required in the shop? Is it dine in, take out, retail no purchase, purchase and return, teller shop, or what? Is there a requirement that the secret shopper spend a certain amount of time there?

Are there special requirements? Does the shop include taking three digital photos? Do you need to have a companion on the shop? Do you have to be male? Female? A certain age?

How much does it pay? Fee? Reimbursement? Both? What purchase requirement is there, if any?

Do I have to qualify to shop this client? Some clients and/or mystery shopping providers require that shoppers review all of the shop information and pass a test before they can even apply.

So a shop notification might say:

We have a Benny’s Burger shop in your area. These are lunch dine-in shops for up to four people–children OK. Maximum reimbursement is $17. You may spend more, but you will be reimbursed up to $17. The client requires that you upload a clear digital photo of your burger, so your party must order at least one burger.

To apply for this shop, log in to your account and go to Available Shops. You must have a current Benny’s Burger certification before you may request this shop. Go to the Shopper Education Center in your account to complete the certification, if you have not done so.

Must shop any day between 7/6 – 7/11
Locations available:
Houston – 77006, 77027, 77098

Is that so hard? Really? I know that schedulers are busy, but so are we. This could easily be set up as a copy-and-paste template that is just modified with the due date and locations.

I always tell mystery shoppers that to get more assignments they must be easy to work with. Make things hard on the schedulers, and they will be less likely to give you future assignments. Well, schedulers, that works both ways. Make us waste our time chasing assignments and you will find it harder to get shoppers to even bother to read your emails.

What is the location? Do not assume when you see the name of the client or a street name that you know where the location is. Verify the address to be certain you know where you will be going on the shop. For example, I live in the Houston area. If all you know is that the client location is on “Westheimer,” it could be anywhere in a 20-mile stretch of that road. And many companies have more than one location on Westheimer.

When is the shop period? On what days, and at what times, may you complete the shop visit? Look beyond just the range of dates to see if there are restrictions. For example, it may say that the shop may be done on dates running from Thursday, April 7 through Tuesday, April 12; however, the shop may not be done on Saturday. Also check to see if there are required times to do the shop, such as before 5 p.m.

What is the report deadline? Can you do the shop then complete the report before the deadline? For example, some fine dining shops may require that the report be submitted within 12 hours. If you complete the shop visit at 9 p.m., and have to be at work at your “real” job at 8 a.m. the next morning, you have to stay up late to do the shop or get it done very early the next morning. Can you do that (especially after having some wine with dinner), or should you wait until a weekend shop date is available?

What are you required to do on the mystery shop? Is it a simple purchase shop, or a purchase and return? If a return is required, when must it be done? Making a special trip the next day to make the return adds time and expense to the shop. Does the shop require you to do anything that would make you uncomfortable, such as a scenario that is far removed from your real life?

How much does it pay? I remember hearing some years ago about secret shops that required the shopper to buy a sink and then return it later. The fee for making two trips to the home improvement store, schlepping a sink back and forth, and writing the report? $10. Gee, and I bet they wondered why they had trouble finding shoppers to do that one. Make sure the pay is worth your time and effort. Remember that a reimbursement can make a shop worthwhile, if it is something you want or need.

Do you want to work with this mystery shopping company? You may find that some companies are not a good fit for you. It may be that they are unreasonable, or it may simply be that your style and theirs do not mesh. Whatever the reason, if you find it difficult to work with the people at that company do not take assignments from them. There are lots of others you can work with happily.

Take a moment to think before you apply for or accept a mystery shopper job. It is better to take the chance that someone else will claim a shop you might want than to get a shop and realize you have no desire to do it.

Most of the time this is not a problem on restaurant mystery shops. The guidelines may state that you must order an appetizer, entree and side, but not specify the exact menu items to be ordered. There are shops (usually fast food), though, that will specify specific foods to order. Even if you may choose any menu item you wish, there may be limitations on special requests, such as asking for sauce on the side or substituting items.

So what if someone has a long list of foods that can not or will not eat? Can they still do restaurant mystery shops? Sure! Here are a few tips anyone can follow to make sure their food preferences do not clash with the mystery shop requirements.

Read the guidelines. If the full guidelines are available, review them to see what you must order. Even an email offering an assignment will generally describe ordering requirements. Most of the time they do not require that you order specific items, but sometimes they do. If so, make sure it is something that you will eat.

Consider your companion. Restaurant mystery shops often allow or require that you have someone with you. Does your companion have dietary requirements or preferences to be considered? For example, because my husband does not like seafood I would not accept a secret shop at a seafood restaurant. Your companion may be willing to eat things you are not. If there is a requirement to order something you will not eat, perhaps your companion could order it.

Know the menu. Most restaurants post their menus online, so you can review them prior to accepting a restaurant mystery shop. Make sure that there are dishes both you and your companion will eat.

Be cautious with special orders and substitutions. In general, when you are secret shopping you should not special order items that are not on the menu. You may be able to request modifications or substitutions, but read the guidelines to be sure. For example, you might be able to ask for your burger to be served without grilled onions, or that they substitute mashed potatoes for french fries. Some shops, however, specify that you not ask for any changes to the standard item, so verify what you may order before doing the shop.

Do not order “to go” unless allowed by the guidelines. If you must order something you do not want to eat, do not assume that you can order it “to go” and take it home. You may, however, be able to take a few bites then ask for the dish to be wrapped up for you. It all depends on what the guidelines say, so read them carefully. When in doubt, ask your scheduler.

And what about alcohol? There are restaurant mystery shops that require the shopper to visit the bar before or after the meal, or even to eat at the bar. The shop may require that at least one alcoholic beverage be ordered. If you do not drink, or do not wish to drink “on the job,” your companion may be able to fulfill this requirement.

Bon appétit!

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.

Don’t forget your errands. Need to pick something up from the dry cleaner? Mail a package at the post office? Buy toothpaste at the drug store? Include the little errands you need to run in your itinerary for the day and get them out of the way between mystery shops.

Double up. Take a companion with you who can help you review the guidelines and reports for each shop as you drive from place to place. Or have them drive, so you can jot notes from the last shop and prepare for the next.

Catch up. Don’t get to spend enough time with a friend or family member? Take them with you, and use your travel time to catch up. If you need to do your mystery shopper jobs alone, they can pop in to a nearby store or get a cup of coffee while you work.

Learn something. Get an instructional program on CD, such as a language course, and listen to the lessons as you drive. Or choose an audio book of that new novel you have not been able to make time to read. Amazon has great prices on audio books, and many libraries have extensive selections of books on CD.

Be safe. Do not do things while driving that will distract you from your most important task: Driving. No texting, no conversations that cause you to lose focus, nothing that takes your attention away from the road and other drivers.

Using your travel time effectively makes you more productive and more profitable.

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.

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?

For providers, the most pronounced change has appeared in client requirements regarding shopper selection. Whereas clients once allowed open standards with who could be offered an assignment, we now work within much more tightly defined criteria, including gender, age, household income, lifestyle attributes and the like. Once we have identified a pool of eligible shoppers for a particular program, the selection process is further refined through project-specific testing and interviewing.

Certifications and shopper “rankings” are prevalent among mystery shopping providers as a way to demonstrate the credibility clients expect. The same is true for extensive pre-shop orientation and testing. As a shopper, if you have not already, you will soon come to see more and more detail related to shop guidelines, a broad use of video-enhanced guidelines, as well as webinar training sessions. In order to be offered a wider variety of assignments, mystery shop providers will be looking to broaden their understanding of your lifestyle attributes – such as they type of vehicle you drive, the types of stores and restaurants you frequent, etc. Clients are increasingly interested in mirroring the mystery shopper with their target customer base.

Non-traditional applications are on the rise. These “shops” are often in health care, luxury brands, or in very specific areas of retail. For example, shoppers may be asked to negotiate for a specific price on a luxury item as a way to determine discounting practices among retailers.

What can shoppers do to prepare for non-traditional shops?

• Get certified. The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) certifications are highly regarded. As well, many providers have their own certification programs. Certification demonstrates not only competency, but commitment.
• Allow for shop preparation time. Non-traditional shops often require shoppers to role play a specific customer-type. Jane Q. Public isn’t the target of these shops. Shoppers need to understand the shop scenario and, often, practice that scenario ahead of time.
• As part of your shopper tool set, have a digital camera, webcam or video camera. Not only will the camera help in role play prep, some mystery shopping providers are asking for video recorded responses to interview questions as a way to identify the best shoppers for specific non-traditional scenarios.

As the needs of mystery shopping end-user clients continue to evolve, we look forward to working with our shopper community to help each individual be as successful as possible.
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About the Author
Jeff Hall is the CEO and Founder of Second To None, Inc, a leading mystery shopping provider servicing Fortune 1000 brands worldwide.
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About Second To None
Second To None, Inc. is a multi-disciplinary customer experience and customer satisfaction measurement firm specializing in mystery shopping, customer feedback surveys, and compliance audits. We assist Fortune 1000 brands in measuring, understanding and optimizing their brand performance across all points of customer interaction by providing actionable, forward-looking information about the customer experience. For more information, visit www.second-to-none.com or call +1 (734) 302-8400.

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.

Let’s start with why they ask the question. Some schedulers will ask a question on the page where shoppers apply for the shop just to see if the shoppers are paying attention. If a mystery shopper fails to answer the question, they clearly are not good at reading and following directions, and probably can not be trusted with the shop. So the most important thing to do is answer the question.

But what should your answer be? Some schedulers would be fine with you saying that you could complete the shop anytime during the period of 3/1 to 3/10. Others want a specific date. They may want you to enter a specific date so that they can schedule other shoppers to go to the same location, and they need to have a number of days between visits. Or they may just want to see a date that is between 3/1 and 3/10, not before or after those dates. Or the scheduler may want to know when to expect the shop report and when to become concerned that perhaps the shop has not been done.

That brings up another point: If you say you will do the assignment on 3/1, you may be more likely to get it than if you say you will do the shop on 3/10. That is because schedulers prefer that shops are done early in the shop period. That way, if something goes wrong (e.g., you get sick or your car breaks down) there is time for you to reschedule the shop before the deadline, or for the scheduler to find another shopper, if necessary.

I sometimes hedge my bet by entering something such as, “I expect to complete the shop on 3/3, but could do it on other days, if required.” That lets the scheduler know that I plan to complete the shop on the 3rd, but if they need me to choose another date (e.g., to coordinate with a visit by another mystery shopper) I am willing and able to do so.

Without knowing how the scheduler plans to use the date information, it is hard to say if you must clear any changes with them. If your confirmation does not state that you will complete the shop on a certain date, then it may not be necessary to do the shop on that date. However, I would still advise the scheduler that you need to make a change and make sure that does not create a problem for her.

Bottom line: Always answer the question, give a specific date, and (optionally) you may also indicate that you are willing to do the shop other dates, if necessary.

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.

When you realize you goofed up, fess up and apologize. I once missed doing a shop on the required day because I didn’t realize that location closed earlier than others, and I got there too late. Dumb mistake—I should have verified the hours when I was planning the shop. As soon as I got home, I emailed my scheduler and told her what had happened.

I didn’t know if there was any flexibility in the deadline, but I told the scheduler I would do the shop first thing the next day and immediately submit the report, if that was acceptable. She said that would be fine, and I was able to complete the shop and submit the report. Whew! No harm, no foul, as it turned out. Many times (but not always) the company has a little “fluff” built in to the deadline. Don’t count on it, but it could save you in case of an emergency or a dumb mistake.

Offer to do the shop on the day of their choosing. That may be the next day, or it may be another day if they are coordinating with other shopper visits. And what if that is not acceptable? Apologize again and ask what you can do to make up for your error. You caused the scheduler extra work, and may have caused lots of problems for the mystery shopping company. If you have a history with that company, remind them that you have always been reliable in the past, and this was a one-time occurrence. Many companies will not want to lose a good shopper over one mistake, even a big one.

What if you don’t have a history with them, or maybe with anyone? Impress upon them that you understand the seriousness of messing up a shop, and that it wasn’t because you took your assignment lightly. The fact is that there are a lot of shoppers who do not care about doing a good job—the “flake rate” for mystery shops averages about 25%—and you do not want to be lumped in with them.

If you are sincere in your dealings with the mystery shopping company, all may be forgiven. If not, well, there are lots of other companies out there. Just don’t make that mistake again! Once was enough for me to learn my lesson and make sure I verified all the location information before the shop. If you haven’t made one of these big mistakes, learn from my experience and don’t blow a shop–ever!

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.

Some shop guidelines specify a method of payment. If the guidelines say that you must use a credit card, you must use a credit card and not a gift card. Gift cards, even the ones issued by credit card companies, are not the same as credit cards and should not be used when the client wants you to pay with a credit card.

I would also recommend not using a gift card when the guidelines specify that you should pay with cash. Even though gift card purchases are, in many ways, like cash purchases, they are not the same. For example, the client may want you to pay with cash because they want you to make observations about how the cash was handled. There may be questions on the report about whether the cashier counted back your change, if the cash drawer was closed immediately after the transaction, etc. If you pay with a gift card, you would not be able to answer these questions.

Most shops do not specify that you use a particular payment method. In those cases, paying with a gift card would be fine. (Unless, of course, the guidelines say not to use a gift card; however, I have never seen that.)

There are clients who now provide mystery shop reimbursements in the form of gift cards. If you receive a gift card instead of cash from the client, there should be no problem using the gift card on a future secret shopping visit.