Mystery Shopper's Manual

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An Offer is Not an Assignment

October 12, 2015 by Cathy Stucker Leave a Comment

Question from a mystery shopper: I got an email from a mystery shopping company about a restaurant mystery shop in my area. I went right out and did the shop, but I couldn’t figure out how to put in my report and get paid. When I sent them an email, they said they had not assigned the shop to me. I spent $30 and now they say they aren’t going to pay me. What can I do?Continue Reading

Too Much Mystery Shopper Email?

December 22, 2012 by Cathy Stucker 2 Comments

too-much-emailSecret shoppers who are registered with several mystery shopping companies may get dozens to hundreds of job offer emails every day. The flood of email can seem overwhelming.

How can you deal with all of the email, while still having time to mystery shop and have a life?

One good first step is to have an email account that you use exclusively for registering with secret shopping companies. This way you can deal with you shopper emails separately from others. You might consider setting up an account with Gmail or another free service for this.

Be sure to associate this email account with your PayPal account, so that payments from mystery shopping companies reach you. Also, if you have an MSPA shopper certification, you will need to get a new certification code. Your certification code is tied to your email address, so when your email address changes a new code is required. Continue Reading

The Email Mistake That Costs You Mystery Shopper Jobs

December 30, 2011 by Cathy Stucker Leave a Comment

Nobody likes spam emails, but something you may be doing to avoid spam can also keep those all-important mystery shopper job offers out of your inbox. I am talking about using a challenge/response anti-spam program.

Here is how it works: You sign up for a service such as Spam Arrest that uses a challenge/response system. Whenever someone sends you an email for the first time after you begin using the system, the email is not delivered to you. Instead, the sender receives an email saying that they have to click on a link, go to a website and enter a code. Only then will the email reach your inbox. If the email sender does not confirm by clicking on the link and entering the code, the email never gets to you.

Sounds great. The spammers won’t take the time to do this, so you don’t get any more spam. The problem is that Continue Reading

Managing Mystery Shopper Emails

May 17, 2011 by Cathy Stucker Leave a Comment

Mystery shoppers may get dozens, or even hundreds, of daily emails about mystery shopper jobs. How can you handle the flood of email without spending all day at the computer?

A good first step is to set up an email address that is dedicated to mystery shopping. Use that address whenever you apply to a secret shopping company. By keeping shopper emails separate from the rest of your emails you can manage them more easily.
Continue Reading

Using Email Signature Files

November 30, 2008 by Cathy Stucker 2 Comments

at.jpgWhenever you send email to a mystery shopping company, you should include identifying information that makes it clear who and where you are, as well as why you are writing. If you are contacting a scheduler with a question about a mystery shop assignment, you should also include the assignment number (if any), client name, location and due date.

You might be surprised how many emails mystery shopping companies receive from shoppers whom they can not identify. Or the scheduler may have to spend valuable time looking up the shopper to figure out who they are and what assignment they are emailing about.

An easy way to include your information is with a “signature” or “signature file.” Continue Reading

Why Do I Get Emails for Mystery Shopper Jobs That Have Already Been Filled?

October 13, 2008 by Cathy Stucker 1 Comment

email2.jpgQuestion from a mystery shopper:

There is a mystery shopping company that sends email notices about shops they say they have just posted to their web site. I have tried several times to apply for one of these shops, but every time I get an email notifying me of the shops, by the time I go to the company’s website, all of the shops are taken.  I have actually been at my computer when the email came to me, and even if I check the website immediately, the shops are gone already.

Why do they send emails telling me about shops they have already filled?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.
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