The Mystery Shopper's Manual

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:

1. Visit www.bestmark.com/autostudy.htm.
2. Fill out an application – it’s free!
3. Email KeyAutoRecruiter@BestMark.com expressing your interest to get involved in the recruiter / referral program.

Any questions? Contact autostudy@bestmark.com or call 1-800-969-8477.

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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.

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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

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It is always a nice feeling when you get a notice that you have been accepted for a mystery shopping assignment. Because we are all busy, it is tempting to file the information about the shop away until the due date is right around the corner. However, that is a mistake that could cause you not to get paid for the assignment, or even lose future assignments.

Here is what you need to do as soon as you get a mystery shopper job: …continue reading The First Step When You Get a Mystery Shopper Job

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Do mystery shoppers really “get paid to shop”? Many of the ads for paid mystery shopper sites not only say that you can get paid to shop, they go on to make it sound as if all you have to do to make money as a secret shopper is head to the mall.

In fact, mystery shoppers provide a valuable service to businesses. And that service involves skill and effort.

Although I have had many mystery shopper jobs where I was able to do some of my personal shopping while completing the assignment, secret shopping is not just a way to get paid for going to the store. Spending time shopping is just a part of the job.

Many mystery shopper wanna-bes lose interest when they find out that when they leave the client location, their work has just begun. Here is an example of what might be involved in a routine retail mystery shop.

…continue reading Get Paid to Shop?

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Mystery shoppers get paid by the job, not by the hour, so we do not have to wait for the boss to increase our hourly rate. We can make more money per hour by working smarter and more effectively. Here are some simple ways to do so.

Choose assignments wisely. Although each of us has gotten stuck with assignments that turned out to be a lot more time and trouble than they were worth, be wary of any assignment that seems as though it could get complicated (unless, of course, the compensation makes it worthwhile). If there are companies that consistently misrepresent assignments, dump them

Look for familiar assignments. When you do shops for the same client multiple times, you spend less time learning the requirements and preparing per shop. (Of course, always make sure you know the current requirements–they sometimes change.) …continue reading Seven Steps to More Profitable Mystery Shopping

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Some of the most interesting mystery shopping stories come out of the U.K. We have seen news reports about extreme mystery shopping, mystery worshippers, and now police departments are being mystery shopped.

I have to admit that the headline, “Police search for mystery shoppers,” got my attention. My first thought was, “What did the mystery shoppers do?” But, no, the mystery shoppers are not on the lam. In fact, the Thames Valley Police Department is looking for citizen volunteers to evaluate the service provided by the staff at local police stations.

Volunteer mystery shoppers will be given a variety of scenarios to use when visiting the police stations, but none will involve making a false police report or other dodgy activities. And, no, you do not have to get arrested as part of the mystery shop.

In addition to interacting with the staff, the secret shoppers will be asked to comment on other issues commonly found on mystery shopper reports, such as cleanliness, waiting times and whether opening hours are clearly displayed. (Uh, does that mean that the police department closes down part of the day? Must be a quiet town.) …continue reading British Police Using Mystery Shoppers

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Question from a mystery shopper:

You recently wrote about doing mystery shopper jobs while traveling on vacation. I think that might be a good way to make my trips more affordable, and I also had this thought:

If I mystery shop on my vacation, may I deduct the cost of my trip from my taxes?

I am not a CPA or tax professional, so this should not be considered legal or professional advice. In fact, the best thing to do is to consult with your tax professional to get his or her opinion. However, here are some portions of the tax code that seem to apply to this question.

…continue reading May I Deduct My Vacation Costs if I Mystery Shop on the Trip?

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Question from a mystery shopper:

Can I mystery shop while traveling on business or vacation?

I love to travel, and I make at least two or three trips a year. In addition, my job sometimes sends me on the road to our remote offices. Would it be possible to mystery shop while I am traveling for business or pleasure?

Yes, certainly. Here is what you need to know. …continue reading Can I Mystery Shop While Traveling on Business or Vacation?

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