Mystery Shopper's Manual

  • Blog
  • About
    • Privacy/Disclosures
  • The Mystery Shopper’s Manual
  • Mystery Shopping Companies

How Many Mystery Shopper Applications are Enough?

April 3, 2009 by Cathy Stucker Leave a Comment

mystery-shopper-applying-onlineThere are hundreds of legitimate mystery shopping companies—do you need to apply to all of them? Half of them? A few of them? How many companies do you need to work with?

First of all, only apply to legitimate mystery shopping companies. That means you should not apply to companies that charge you a fee or require you to sign up for “offers.” Refer to this list of nearly 200 legitimate mystery shopping companies: http://MysteryShoppersManual.com/mystery-shopping-companies

I recommend that secret shoppers sign up with as many companies as they can. You never know which company will come through with the most assignments for you, or even that dream assignment to mystery shop a resort or spa.

But your time is limited, right? So when do you stop applying and start mystery shopping? Continue Reading

Moving Soon – When Should I Apply to Mystery Shopping Companies?

September 24, 2008 by Cathy Stucker 2 Comments

moving.jpgQuestion from a secret shopper:

I am going to move to another state in about six months. Should I start applying to mystery shopping companies now, and take assignments in my present location, or should I wait until after I move to get started? Would applying now be a waste of time?Continue Reading

How Do I Know if a Mystery Shopping Company is Legitimate?

August 26, 2008 by Cathy Stucker Leave a Comment

Question from a mystery shopper:

I want to be a mystery shopper, but I am concerned because I hear about a lot of scams associated with secret shopping. How do I find legitimate companies, and how can I tell if a company is legitimate or not?Continue Reading

Mystery Shoppers and EINs

August 13, 2008 by Cathy Stucker 10 Comments

EIN stands for Employer Identification Number. You might think of it as the equivalent of a Social Security Number for businesses. Mystery shoppers are not required to obtain EINs, however, many choose to do so. With all the concerns about online privacy and identity theft, mystery shoppers are more likely than ever to want to protect their Social Security Numbers. Having an EIN is one way to do that. Here is what you need to know about what an EIN is, why you might want one, and how to go about getting one. (It’s faster and easier than you may think.)Continue Reading

“I WANT TU B UR MSYTERY SHOPPR”

February 14, 2008 by Cathy Stucker 6 Comments

My post on Reverse Auctions and Secret Shopper Pay drew this comment from the owner of a mystery shopping company:

We have noticed a substantial increase in the number of evaluations we must return to shoppers because they are incomplete, have poor explanations, or just don’t make sense. I think in most cases we pay well, but we can’t seem to figure out why the quality has gone down – other than the influence of text messaging.

Do you think this is an exaggeration? Judging by the email I sometimes receive, I do not believe that it is.Continue Reading

“Secert Shoppers” and Spelling

September 26, 2007 by Cathy Stucker Leave a Comment

Although you eagle-eyed mystery shoppers caught the spelling error in the title of this article, are you as good at finding typos in the applications and reports you submit to mystery shopping companies? Spelling is important, and submitting error-filled applications and reports will hurt your chances of becoming a successful professional shopper.Continue Reading

« Custom Previous Page Link

Mystery Shopping Companies

Updated 4/20/18! Access my free curated list of more than 150 legitimate mystery shopping companies.

Scam Warning

If you received a check or money order with instructions to cash it and wire money to someone, DON'T DO IT! This is a scam.
Click here to learn more about
mystery shopper scams.

Get ‘The Mystery Shopper’s Manual’

NEW 7TH EDITION!

Get your personally autographed copy of The Mystery Shopper's Manual here.
mystery-shoppers-manual-3d

Connect with Cathy

Follow Me on FacebookFollow Me on Google+Follow Me on TwitterFollow Me on LinkedInFollow Me on YouTubeFollow Me on PinterestFollow Me on RSS

Recent Articles

  • Do Millionaires Mystery Shop?
  • Mystery Shopper Resolutions
  • Mystery Shopping for Mystery Shopper Pros
  • Keep the “Secret” in “Secret Shopper”
  • The McDonald’s Receipt Hack

Categories

Applying to Mystery Shopping Companies Customer Service Dealing with Mystery Shopping Companies Dealing with Shopping Emergencies Employees and Mystery Shopping Grammar and Spelling Green Mystery Shopping Hazards of Mystery Shopping Holiday Mystery Shopping How to Become a Mystery Shopper Identity Theft Independent Contractor Issues Industry News Make Money Online Memory Improvement Money and Mystery Shopping Mystery Shopper Certification Mystery Shopper Ethics Mystery Shopper Fun Mystery Shopper Jobs Mystery Shopper Scam Mystery Shopper Scheduling Companies Mystery Shopper Secrecy Mystery Shopper Taxes Mystery Shopper Tools Mystery Shopping Clients Mystery Shopping Company Mystery Shopping Pay Mystery Shopping Providers Association Mystery Shopping Recordkeeping Mystery Shopping Resources Online Security Opportunities for Mystery Shoppers Preparing for the Mystery Shop Profitable Mystery Shopping Secret Shopper How-To Secret Shopper Quick Tips Secret Shopping and the Law Secret Shopping Confidentiality Sticky Secret Shopper Situations Technology and Secret Shopping Types of Mystery Shops Video Mystery Shopping Working Online Writing Mystery Shopper Reports

Copyright © 2004 - 2022 · Cathy Stucker

Copyright © 2022 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in