Tips for Getting Receipts on Secret Shops
Most mystery shopper assignments require that you submit a receipt in order to be paid. Most often you are instructed to upload a scanned image or digital photo of the receipt. You may be allowed to fax or mail the receipt instead. In some cases, you may be asked to mail the original receipt, and in others you may only have to enter information from the receipt when you submit the report from your secret shop.
No matter how they ask for the data, you will almost always need to have a receipt from the mystery shop in order to successfully complete the shop requirements. Here are some tips to help you deal with receipts and mystery shops.
Read the guidelines carefully to know what you are supposed to do if a receipt is not offered. Some clients will tell you that you should request one. Others say that you should not draw attention to yourself by asking for a receipt. Know beforehand what you are to do.
If you ask for a receipt, do so casually. You do not need to give a long explanation about needing the receipt because your spouse is having you budget and track every cent you spend, so you need to have a receipt so he can enter expenses into Quicken and run reports to compare your expenses from month to month and create a pie chart…whew! Slow down and take a breath. Keep it simple. Just ask, “May I have a receipt, please?” If you think you must give a reason, make it short and sweet: “I need it for my taxes,” or “I need it to get reimbursed by my boss.”
Make it easier to remember to get a receipt by always asking for a receipt, even when you are not mystery shopping. If you make it a habit, you won’t forget and you will feel completely comfortable asking for receipts.
Put the receipt in a safe place, such as your wallet. Do not just slip it into a pocket. (I did that once. Then I came home, changed clothes and threw my slacks in the washer. Do you know what a receipt looks like after it goes through the washer and the dryer? It’s not pretty.)
When your secret shopping assignment includes a purchase and return, make a copy of your receipt before making the return. You may be able to photocopy the receipt, scan it or take a digital photo. That way, if they keep your receipt when you make the return you still have a legible copy to submit.
Some receipts are difficult to read because the print is very light. It may be possible to make the receipt easier to read by scanning it an adjusting the brightness and contrast. Do not write over the numbers or letters on the receipt to make them darker, at least not without the prior approval of the mystery shopping company. It may appear that you have altered the receipt.
And what if, despite your best efforts, you forget to get a receipt or you lose it (or run it through the washing machine)? Immediately contact your scheduler. Let the scheduler know what happened and ask what you can do to complete the shop.
on September 4th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Great article. One of the biggest take-aways, that can apply to most any shop is, “Slow down and take a breath. Keep it simple.”
It is much more likely an assignment will be done incorrectly or the shopper will be remembered when they try to add unnecessary details or create an elaborate story for their assignment.
Keeping it simple is key. Adding more details has resulted in us having to reject more than one evaluation because the details, while they seemed harmless, actually took the interaction off it’s intended course and ended up not being the interaction the client wanted.
Have a great holiday weekend,
Cory Jensen, Owner
I-Spy Mystery Shoppers
on September 21st, 2009 at 5:12 pm
This IS a great article! Many of my shoppers express concerns about obtaining receipts for their quick-service shops and I’m always trying to think of ways to explain that it might be easier than they think.
I love the advice to make it habit of asking for a receipt. If the shopper is always asking for a receipt even when they are not trying so hard to remain incognito, it will help them be more natural and calm when they need to be.
Thank you for the great articles. I have sent many of my shoppers this way for tips & advice!
Amy Melanson
Client Services Manager
Goodwin & Associates Mystery Shopper Program
on February 25th, 2010 at 10:09 pm
I use a great little notebook I print myself. The website is called POCKETMOD.com. I use the back side of scrap printed pages to print these up. Follow the instructions closely, and you will have 8 neat pages you can adapt any way you want. Any page with a wrench is able to be modified, say with your name and address. You have to click the page and drag it into position. Pages are movable. It has some open pages, easy to stick a business card or receipts into. Any prep questions you want to ask or make a note, employee description, times, etc. you just scribble into your handy PocketMod! You are going to be a happy mystery shopper!