Mystery Shopper's Manual

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

Can Mystery Shoppers Take a Sick Day?

August 17, 2017 by Cathy Stucker

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. You can visit regenerative medicine clinics like QC Kinetix Kansas City for treatment.

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!

Continue Reading

When Is It OK to Cancel a Shop?

May 14, 2012 by Cathy Stucker

When a mystery shopper accepts an assignment, that is a commitment to follow through and do the shop. A shopper who doesn’t complete an assignment as agreed risks being deactivated from the mystery shopping company’s data base and receiving no future jobs from them.

Schedulers get frustrated when shoppers cancel at the last minute or just fail to do a shop. It happens more than you might think. In fact, it happens often enough that we have an industry term for it: It is called “flaking” on a shop.

Continue Reading

What to Do When You Mess Up on a Mystery Shop

December 30, 2009 by Cathy Stucker

embarrassedYou always do your best as a mystery shopper…until that one day. Maybe you didn’t get an important bit of information for the shop, or you went on the wrong day, or at the wrong time or to the wrong place. Or you completely forgot to do the shop.

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.Continue Reading

Forgot a Name – What Can I Do?

December 16, 2008 by Cathy Stucker

forgot.jpgQuestion from a mystery shopper:

I just completed a secret shop, but I have forgotten the name of the employee who assisted me. The report requires the name. What can I do?

Whenever there is a problem in completing a report, one option is to contact your scheduler and ask what you should do. For example, they may be able to accept a description of the employee instead of the name.

You may be able to salvage this situation on your own, though. If you did get the name, but just can not remember it, make an attempt to recall how you got the name. Was the employee wearing a name tag? Did she introduce herself? Did you overhear another employee call her by name? The more you can recall about how you got the name, the more likely you are to remember the name.

Still don’t have it?Continue Reading

Check the Hours Before Doing a Mystery Shop

October 15, 2008 by Cathy Stucker

hours_sign.jpgIt has been a long day, but you have arrived at the final location you are to mystery shop. You head toward the doors and . . .uh, oh. Is that a “Closed” sign you see?

To avoid this problem in the future, take a minute or two to check the hours of business before heading out to do the shop.  Even if you think you know their hours. I once had to reschedule a shop because I was certain a location was open later than it actually was. Checking first would have saved the need for an embarrassing email (“I’m sorry, but I am an idiot . . .”) to the scheduler, asking if I could do the shop the following day.

Web sites often list the hours along with other location information, such as address, phone number, maps, etc. However, I would not trust the web site. Hours can change without the change making its way to the web site.

The best way is to call the location. You may be required to make a phone call prior to your visit anyway, so use that as your opportunity to verify the exact location and hours of operation.

It is also a good idea not to show up ten minutes before closing time. Many guidelines will specifically say that you are not to begin the shop within 30 to 60 minutes of closing. Even if that is not part of your instructions, showing up at closing time will not give an accurate and fair report.

So you know how to prepare for the next shop, but what should you do now, standing in front of a closed business?Continue Reading

Mystery Shopper Emergency Kit

August 17, 2008 by Cathy Stucker

Anyone who drives should have a roadside emergency kit in the car. Things such as jumper cables, a flashlight, reflectors, duct tape and other supplies can be not only handy but lifesavers if your car breaks down.

As a mystery shopper, you should also have a shopper emergency kit. These are the supplies you may need when you are out on the road doing shops.

The specifics of what will go into your emergency kit are up to you and will depend on the types of shops you do and how you work. Here are some ideas to get you started:Continue Reading

Secret Shopper Subs – Can You Get Someone to Fill in For You?

December 7, 2007 by Cathy Stucker

sick_woman1.jpgYou had every intention of completing the mystery shopping assignment you accepted, but the deadline is nearly here, your kids have the flu, your car is in the shop, the cat just threw up on the carpet, and you are not feeling all that good yourself. You do not see how you can get the shop done on time.

Why not just call your best friend and ask her to handle the shop for you? Well, there are lots of reasons why not. We will look at those reasons, then examine what your options might be.Continue Reading

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 - 2023 · Cathy Stucker

Copyright © 2023 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in