Mystery shopping can generate a lot of paperwork. Keeping hard copies of every bit of it can take up a lot of space. But digitizing can take time. Let’s look at what you can do to minimize the amount of mystery shopping paper you keep around.Continue Reading
What Are Your Mystery Shopping Goals?
Is mystery shopping just a hobby to you, or is it a business? If you shop now and then as a lark, then having and meeting goals may not be important to you. However, if you consider mystery shopping a business (even if it is part-time), then you should have goals for what you expect to accomplish.
Continue Reading
Bad Reporting = More Scam Victims
Every week there are stories on television and radio and in newspapers about mystery shopper scams. The worst thing you can say about most of these stories are that they are repetitive. After all, how many times have we heard that someone got a big check, cashed it and wired the money to someone, then learned the check was a fraud and they must repay the money to the bank?
Even though I have seen literally thousands of these stories, people keep falling for the scam, proving that many have not heard about them. That means that these stories serve a purpose in warning people about the scam and showing them how to avoid being victims.
Well, a few days ago I saw a new kind of scam story. New because it was completely wrong about how to avoid getting scammed. This was a story on the website of a television station, and represented a story they had run on their newscast. I am not going to link to the story, because I don’t want them to get views and clicks on ads in their bogus story; however, here are the two things they said to do to protect yourself from the scam.
Continue Reading
Staying Organized
There are lots of ways to organize your mystery shopping business, and the best way will depend on how you like to work. Some shoppers use a paper filing system or calendar, others use spreadsheets or other computer programs, and some use apps on a phone or tablet. Include mystery shopping tasks in your daily routine, so that you are checking job boards and applying for shop assignments regularly.Continue Reading
Deposit Slip Scam
Scammers are nothing if not creative. We all know about the fake check scam, but scammers are including in-person bank transactions to make their fraud seem more legitimate. So far, I have not seen reports of this associated with the mystery shopper scam; however, it is just a variation on the typical check scam, so I won’t be surprised to see it happen. Here’s how this new twist on an old scam works:Continue Reading
Did a Legitimate Mystery Shopping Company Tell You to Steal?
After my recent post on the “mystery shoplifter” scam, I heard from several shoppers who said that they had been offered assignments from reputable companies that required them to steal. Some said that they refused the assignments because they were afraid that they would be caught and might be arrested—or at least embarrassed.
These assignments have varying requirements, but many of them involve shopping at a grocery store, placing an item on the bottom of the cart and waiting to see if the cashier rings it up. In some scenarios shoppers are told to leave the store with the item, even if they haven’t paid for it.
So is it stealing? Continue Reading
Using Fake Names on Mystery Shops
Question from a mystery shopper:
Do I have to use my real name when I am doing a mystery shop? I would prefer not to give my true information as I don’t want to be identified as the shopper or get sales calls later. Is it illegal to use a false name?
There may be times when you want to use a name other than your own on a mystery shop, or even when the client requests that you do so. It is perfectly legal, but there are some things to keep in mind when using a name other than your own.
Continue Reading
How Long Should My Mystery Shop Report Be?
Do mystery shopping companies expect that your reports will be a certain length? Do they want you to include every detail, or just the most important things? How much to they want you to write anyway?
There is always an expected length for comments and narratives, but the expectations vary by mystery shopping company and client. Many report forms will give a minimum or maximum number of characters, or will suggest a minimum number of sentences for each section of the report.
Some clients want reports that are short and to-the-point. They will limit how many words or characters you may include. How much you can tighten your writing will depend on the expectations of the mystery shopping company and their client. It may be acceptable to use contractions. Some companies may allow you to remove articles (e.g., ‘the’), but most will not as that results in sentence fragments. Continue Reading
Get Off to a Good Start in Mystery Shopping
One of the things I hear from new shoppers is that they signed up for one company, looked at the job board and saw two available assignments for fast food shops reimbursing $10. Is that all there is to mystery shopping? No!
Just as with any other business, mystery shoppers do not start out at the top. The best assignments go to experienced, proven shoppers. The assignments available to inexperienced shoppers are usually the ones that are left after veteran shoppers have gotten their assignments. And here is the thing that even many experienced shoppers don’t know: The very best assignments almost never appear on a job board. They are offered directly to the very best shoppers. Fortunately, it doesn’t take years to work your way up to better opportunities.
Want to launch your mystery shopping career the right way? There are a few simple steps that will put you ahead of the crowd.Continue Reading
How Can I Make Myself a Favorite of Schedulers?
Having great relationships with schedulers means you will be on their minds when they have jobs to fill. Here are some ways to be one of their favorite mystery shoppers:
Make your application complete. Answer every question. Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation on your application. If you haven’t worked with them before, all they know about you is what they see on the application.
Be dependable. If you accept an assignment, do it. About 25% of the time, secret shoppers who accept jobs don’t complete them. Imagine having to do your job twice 25% of the time. You wouldn’t like it, and schedulers don’t appreciate it either.
If an emergency comes up and you have to cancel, Continue Reading