Mystery Shopping

Often advertised as a way to make some extra cash while essentially performing a service to other consumers, mystery shopping is fast becoming one of the most popular part-time jobs.

Procedures differ from company to company but the general idea is the same:

• Customers are given the details of some sort of product that they must buy, and usually from a specific shop. They are not allowed to tell the shop owner that are buying the item for a reason, hence the term “mystery” shopping.
  
• The customer must then evaluate certain things- it could be something about the product or its price, or something about the store.
  
• They send their results to the mystery shopping company and are then sent something in return- usually a reimbursement for the product, and a small amount of extra money for their time.

The idea behind it is that the results that are gathered are then passed on to the shop or product manufacturers in order to change something, or to do something as drastic as taking an item off the shelves.
Occasionally, mystery shoppers are sent to check on the performance of the staff at a shop.

When a shop employs its staff, each employee is told how they should behave- be polite, be helpful and so on. A mystery shopper can visit a store and evaluate the staff there and whether they are sticking to these instructions.

Mystery Shoppers

The mystery shopper may be sent by the managers of the store, to check on employees, or they may be sent from an outside organisation to check on the store itself. Out of date produce, general un-cleanliness and the behaviour of the staff are all things that a mystery shopper can report back on.

Although mystery shopping is seen as a casual and fun way to earn some extra money, some people do take it extremely seriously and have turned it into a living.

You are allowed to sign up for as many agencies as you wish. Some run on a ‘first come, first served’ basis- a number of assignments will be sent to people and it is the first people to respond who get to do the assignment. Some are sent to specific people, maybe if you happen to live near a particular shop etc.
One thing’s for sure- mystery shopping shows no sign of dying out. Instead, it is becoming more and more popular.