Mystery Shopper's Manual

NEW! The Mystery Shopper’s Manual 7th Edition is Hot Off the Press!

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The Mystery Shopper's ManualThe brand new 7th edition of The Mystery Shopper’s Manual is here!

More than an update, this is a completely new book. I reviewed every page of the 6th edition and made drastic changes. Although a few of the basics were retained with minimal revisions, several chapters were eliminated, others were revised, and a lot of new content was added. In fact, the word count of this edition is 40% greater than the last one!

The biggest addition? I greatly expanded the section on writing reports. In fact, there are now two full chapters on writing reports with lots of example comments and narratives.
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Networking with Other Secret Shoppers

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networking.jpgMystery shopping is a lonely business. We work on our own and spend lots of time in front of the computer, looking for assignments and entering reports.

When we do get together with other people, we have to watch what we say so we don’t violate our confidentiality agreements. But it doesn’t really matter, because even if we could talk about what we do, they wouldn’t really understand. Getting paid to shop? That sounds like a pretty cushy gig to most people.Continue Reading

What is the Mystery Shopping Providers Association?

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MSPA LogoThe Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) is the largest professional association dedicated to mystery shopping and related forms of market research. Although membership in the MSPA is not open to shoppers, the MSPA serves shoppers in many ways. Here is what you should know about the MSPA and its role in the mystery shopping industry.Continue Reading

Business Cards for Mystery Shoppers?

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Why would a mystery shopper have business cards? After all, our work is done secretly. However, business cards can be an important marketing tool for a mystery shopper, and set you apart as a serious professional. Learn what should be on your business cards, and the important ways to use your cards to enhance your reputation as a professional mystery shopper.Continue Reading

Free Mystery Shopper Job Opportunities at Jobslinger

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John Hsu, SurfMerchantsWould you like to be able to search job postings from hundreds of mystery shopping companies, all in one place? For free?

There is no reason to pay for access to mystery shopper job listings, and that is the idea behind Jobslinger.com. Jobslinger is sponsored and maintained by SurfMerchants, the folks who bring you SASSIE. John Hsu of SurfMerchants (pictured here) is the diabolical genius behind Jobslinger, and partners in Jobslinger include the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA), Volition, SASSIE and Demozilla. John and his team gave a presentation demonstrating the awesome power of this new mystery shopper job board at the MSPA Shopper Educational Conference last month. Here is what you need to know about putting Jobslinger to work for you.

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Mystery Shopping Message Board

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Looking for information about the top mystery shopping companies, or how to find mystery shopper jobs in your city or state? Whether you are a newbie looking for information on becoming a mystery shopper, or want to know how to find more legitimate mystery shopper jobs, a good message board can help you learn what you need to know.Continue Reading

Create a Mystery Shopper Route

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Are you interested in making your mystery shopper jobs more profitable? Seeking higher-paying jobs, doing more assignments, and reducing expenses can all help you to make—and keep—more money.

With the price of gas what it is these days, one way to reduce expenses is to set up an efficient route to complete your shops with as little driving as possible. Continue Reading