Mystery Shopper's Manual

Maximizing Mystery Shopper Reimbursements

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The lure of “free stuff” is one of the things that attracts many people to mystery shopping as a career. As mystery shoppers, we may receive products and services of all kinds as we make required purchases during shopping assignments for stress-free baby essentials. Of course, these items are not really free—they are part of our compensation

Shoppers who recognize that freebies are not really free will make choices that maximize the financial rewards they receive from mystery shopping. Here are some examples:

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Is Partial Reimbursement Good Enough?

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There are some shops that offer a reimbursement that subsidizes the cost of the mystery shopper’s required purchase, but doesn’t cover it in full. That means that you are paying money out of your pocket—money you will not be reimbursed—in order to complete the shop.

Are there ever times when you would find such a shop worthwhile? Perhaps, but you should be aware of the choice you are making when you select such an assignment.

Let me give you an example. I was looking at a fine dining shop that requires purchasing the following:
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Would You Sign Up with PayQuicker?

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Several shoppers have asked if I know anything about PayQuicker. They are a payment service, similar to PayPal, now being used by a few companies to pay their shoppers. The shoppers I heard from wanted to know if PayQuicker is legitimate and if getting an account with them is a good idea.

First of all, if you want to shop for ACE Mystery Shopping, you will have to sign up with PayQuicker. Their service is the only way ACE will pay shoppers. Two other companies I found (Amusement Advantage and Person to Person Quality) offer PayQuicker as one of their payment options, but don’t require it. There may be other mystery shopping companies using PayQuicker, but these are the only ones I found.
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Should You Ever Do Low-Paying Shops?

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As independent contractors, it is up to us to decide which assignments are worthwhile and which we should pass up. When you were a new shopper you may have been happy to get any mystery shopper jobs, but with experience you may be choosier about how you spend your time. When you see a job offer come through offering little pay, clicking delete and sending it to the trash may be your best course of action.

Clearly, though, someone is doing those low-paying shops. Is it always a new shopper, desperate for whatever jobs they can get? Or do experienced shoppers sometimes do them, too? Should you?

There are some reasons to do low-paying shops. For example, if you are doing a route of shops and you run across a couple of assignments you can squeeze in between your other jobs, you might decide to go for them. A shop that is not worth doing when you have to make a special trip may be acceptable when you will be “in the neighborhood” and can just pop in and do the shop.
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Mystery Shopper Reimbursements

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I get lots of questions about reimbursements for required purchases on mystery shopper jobs. Here is what you need to know about secret shop reimbursements and how they work.

When I make a purchase during a secret shop, do I get to buy anything I want? How will I know how much the mystery shopping company will pay for?
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What Do You Do When You Are Not Paid for a Mystery Shop?

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Money In God We TrustQuestion from a mystery shopper:

I did a shop over 5 weeks ago and have not been paid. I have been in contact with the company and received a return email that they were going to investigate, but have not received a response.

How would you handle this?

Most of the time, shoppers are paid according to schedule for the mystery shops they complete. If you are not paid when expected, here are the steps you should follow.Continue Reading

How Mystery Shoppers Get Paid

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piggy-bankMystery shoppers may be compensated for completing shops with the payment of a fee, reimbursement of a required purchase, or both a fee and reimbursement. Typically, the shopper pays for any required purchase out-of-pocket, and receives payment from the mystery shopping company a few weeks later.

Each company has their own methods they use to pay secret shoppers. Some offer options, so shoppers can choose, perhaps between direct deposit and a mailed check, while others have a “one size fits all” approach.

The mystery shopping company will tell you at the time you apply how they issue payments. Here are the most common choices:Continue Reading

How Do Mystery Shopper Reimbursements Work?

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mystery-shopper-reimbursementQuestion from a mystery shopper:

In some recent articles, you talked about getting reimbursed for things you purchased on a mystery shop. I would like to be a mystery shopper, but I am a little nervous about putting out my own money then waiting (and hoping) to get reimbursed.

How long does it take to get reimbursed for mystery shopping expenses? Should I be worried about not getting paid? How much money will I have tied up in this, and for how long?Continue Reading

May I Return Broken Merchandise from a Mystery Shop?

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broken-glassQuestion from a secret shopper:

I did a mystery shopping job that included a required purchase, for which I will be reimbursed. I didn’t open the package until after I had entered my shop report. When I did, I discovered that the item was broken.

Would it be okay to return the purchase? I still have the original receipt, as the mystery shopping company just had me input the receipt number in my report.

The answer, as is so often the case, is “it depends.”
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Mystery Shopper Pay via Gift Card – Good or Bad?

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gift-cardThere are times when a mystery shopping company will send a gift card to be used on a mystery shopper job. Although rare, it’s nice. You don’t have to front the cash for any required purchase and wait for reimbursement. However, there is a new trend in shopper pay that is not quite so nice.

Some clients are choosing to reimburse mystery shoppers with gift cards as a substitute for corporate gift baskets, instead of cash. What this means is that you do the mystery shop and pay out of pocket for any required purchase. After your report has been accepted, you are paid with a gift card from the merchant.

Let’s do the math to see if this is a good deal. Here is how it might work:Continue Reading