Mystery Shopper's Manual

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Keep the “Secret” in “Secret Shopper”

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When you become a secret shopper, you may want to tell everyone you know about your cool new job. However, letting people know that you are a mystery shopper could have negative consequences.

For one thing, your friends may “out” you during a shop, intentionally or unintentionally. Imagine you are in the middle of an assignment, talking to a salesperson, when your neighbor walks up to say hello. You politely chat for just a moment, then return to the business at hand, saying to your friend, “I’m kind of rushed today, but let’s get together for lunch next week.” Suddenly, a light bulb goes on over her head as she realizes what you are up to. But instead of saying, “Sure. See you later,” she blurts, “Oh, you must be doing one of your mystery shops. I’ll let you get back to work.”

She didn’t mean any harm, she just didn’t think. But now your cover has been blown and you might as well end the shop right there. And forget about ever coming back to this store once they know that you are a mystery shopper.

Being outed in the middle of a shop is only one way being indiscreet about your profession can come back to haunt you. Read on for more, including tips on how to deal with curious friends and family.Continue Reading

The McDonald’s Receipt Hack

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A former McDonald’s employee says you should always ask for a receipt. According to Kamran Adnan, who says he worked at a London McDonald’s for a year, “In the UK we have 2 periods which are known as Gapbuster Times. Basically between 12-2 and 5pm-7pm workers have to be extra careful because that is when gapbusters (mystery shoppers), who are paid, visit McDonald’s restaurants and rate their experience.”

According to Adnan, “It is easy to spot a gapbuster because they always ask for a receipt (so they can get their food costs reimbursed by the company employing them). So, if you ask for a receipt in that time everyone will be immediately alert that you could be a potential gapbuster and they’ll make sure to serve you the freshest burger and fries and give you priority over everyone else.”
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Can Mystery Shoppers Take a Sick Day?

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You felt fine last night, but this morning you have a sore throat, your nose is running and you have a headache. In fact, your whole body aches. And, you have several mystery shops scheduled for the next couple of days. You don’t have time to be sick!

No matter how well you take care of yourself, sooner or later you are going to get sick. With many jobs, you may be able to call in sick for a couple of days and rest in bed until you feel better while your co-workers fill in for you. As a mystery shopper, though, there aren’t any co-workers to pick up the slack. So what can you do when you are too sick to do a shop?

First look at the shops you have scheduled and check the deadlines. Perhaps some of the shops you were planning to do in the next couple of days are not really due until next week, but you were planning to get them done well in advance of the deadline. You have some breathing room for those mystery shops. Take care of yourself and get some rest so that you recover quickly and can get back to your life–and your mystery shops!

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Mystery Shopper Reports and the Perfect 10

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When mystery shoppers submit reports to mystery shopping companies, they are reviewed by editors. The editors not only make sure the reports are perfect before releasing them to the clients, they may also score the mystery shopper.

Most companies that rate or grade secret shoppers use a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is outstanding and 1 is for shoppers who ought to start thinking about a new profession. Don’t stress over always getting 10s on your reports. Some companies never give 10s, others give them only for The. Best. Report. Ever. If you consistently get scores of 8, 9 or 10 on your reports, you are doing great.

Even if you don’t always get a 10, there is nothing wrong with always striving for a 10. Doing your best work will help you to land more and better mystery shops. If you want to be a top-rated shopper, there are a few simple steps that can get you there. Here is how you can be a perfect 10.Continue Reading

How to Take Photos of Your Food on Restaurant Mystery Shops

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More and more often, restaurant mystery shop assignments include a requirement that you photograph your food. Although it might seem that taking pictures of everything would out you as the mystery shopper, it doesn’t. In fact, so many people post pictures of everything they eat to their blogs, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, that you will probably not be the only person taking photos.

If you are not used to photographing your food, here are a few tips to help you get better quality photos and look like your standard-issue social media junkie and not a mystery shopper.
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Too. Much. Email.

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Do you feel as though your email inbox is under siege with dozen or even hundreds of daily emails from mystery shopping companies? Ready to declare email bankruptcy and start over again with a new email address? Wait! You don’t have to take drastic measures. Here are a few tips you can use to get your mystery shopping email under control.

When you first started mystery shopping, you may have felt a little excited every time an email from a mystery shopping company showed up in your inbox. But after shopping for a while, and signing up with dozens of companies, the number of emails can be overwhelming. If you are a new shopper who is not yet at that point, this article is for you, too. Pay special attention to the section at the end about setting up email systems. These tips will keep you from becoming an email victim!

Let’s start with what you should NOT do: Continue Reading

Your Mystery Shopping Staycation

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Lots of people are cutting expenses, but still want to have a summer adventure. They may be choosing a “staycation” and having fun without leaving town, over a vacation involving trips far away from home. Mystery shopping can help you have a fun and rewarding staycation.

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.Continue Reading

Mystery Shopper Reports and Opinion Questions

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Although most of the questions on secret shopping reports are objective, yes-or-no style questions, many reports include one or more questions that ask for your opinion. Examples include questions such as:

  • Based on the service you received today, would you have opened an account at this bank?
  • Based on the rental agent’s presentation, would you have rented an apartment here?
  • Would you return to this store/restaurant and spend your own money?

These questions call for your opinion, but a good answer requires that you back up your opinion with reasons and facts. Here are some examples of how to handle these types of questions.

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Give Yourself a Raise in Mystery Shopping

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With a traditional job your boss decides how much you will earn. As a mystery shopper, you have more control over your earnings because you decide which assignments you will do, how many shops you will take on and how you will get your work done. With a few simple changes you can increase your profits and your hourly rate.

Here are some ideas that can help you be a more successful mystery shopper and give yourself a raise.

Use your non-shopping time effectively. If you start out looking at some job boards, then end up spending an hour or two absentmindedly reading some posts on a forum, you are not using your time effectively. Limit or eliminate non-productive activities. Set a timer. Have a procedure for reviewing job postings so that you do not waste a lot of time looking at listings that are not a good fit for you.
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