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Mystery shopping can make you money |
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By Elaine Currie » If you enjoy shopping (and let's admit
it, most of us do), there's an excellent way to make - rather than
spend - money. It's called mystery shopping (or secret shopping) and
needs no previous experience, no special knowledge and no expensive
equipment.
Mystery shopping is big in North America, including Canada, with major
companies and retail stores spending major bucks to get feedback on
their products and service.
The mystery shopping companies employ men and women of all ages and
descriptions as secret shoppers in order to obtain feedback from a wide
range of different people on a wide range of services.
Some mystery shopping assignments have to be undertaken by people who
are accompanied by children in order to report back on specific
facilities in places such as theme parks or family restaurants. (If you
don't have children of your own in the right age group, don’t worry:
you are allowed to borrow them from relatives or friends.) If you enjoy
shopping, mystery shopping will be a fun way for you to make extra
money.
Mystery shopping consists of getting paid to go into a business (for
example, a shop or restaurant), without the employees knowing that you
are anything other than an ordinary shopper, and reporting back to the
mystery shopping company. A focus group is when you get paid to sit
down with other people who are also getting paid and discuss new
products or services, many focus groups are actually held online, so
you don't even have to leave home for carry out the assignment.
The reason mystery shopping companies and survey companies exist is to
provide companies with impartial feedback on their employees, products
and services. That way they can see where there might be problems and
make the necessary changes to improve things.
Mystery shopping companies will pay you to shop, eat at restaurants,
have a drink at a bar, visit the cinema, take a trip and take part in
focus groups.
If you are sent out to do mystery shopping, you might be required to
visit a particular shop and just make enquiries about an article to
test the staff's customer service level but, if you are instructed to
make a purchase, you are allowed to keep the articles and will be
reimbursed for the cost. If you are sent to do mystery shopping at a
restaurant or bar, you will be given a budget figure to spend on your
food and drink and that money will be reimbursed to you by the mystery
shopping company on top of your fee for the assignment.
You might be asked to sample new products and these items will be sent
to you free of charge. As part of your mystery shopping, you might find
yourself receiving free samples to test of anything from detergent to
chocolate. (This can also happen if you join survey companies.)
Mystery shopping jobs are obviously easier to find if you live in or
near big cities, but if you live in a smaller town, you can still earn
money taking part in online focus groups which can be found through
online paid survey companies.
After you do a mystery shopping assignment you answer some questions on
a form provided by the mystery shopping company and file your report
with them. These reports are usually set up as a series of questions
with a box for you to add any relevant details the company might
request. The reports can usually be completed very quickly and it is
best to complete your report straight after you finish your mystery
shopping so that you don't forget any detail.
Some mystery shopping companies require you to report to them by phone
immediately after you have completed the mystery shopping assignment
but, generally, the companies expect you to submit a written report by
post or email.
The way to approach mystery shopping is to remember that basically you
are like a reporter. You must never add your feelings or
recommendations to a mystery shopping report. Your job is to just
answer the questions, report the facts and describe what actually
happened during your mystery shopping expedition.
If you accept a mystery shopping assignment but then are unable to
complete it, make sure you immediately notify the mystery shopping
company so that they can make alternative arrangements to avoid letting
down their client.
When you start doing mystery shopping, make sure you accept all
suitable assignments including last minute jobs and any less than
glamorous assignments you might be offered. The top class assignments
will be offered to reliable mystery shoppers so you will need to prove
yourself and build up a good reputation by making a good job of the
lower quality assignments and getting your report in on time.
At the start, you might find yourself being asked to do mystery
shopping a the local fast food outlet or department store. Once you
build up a reputation as a reliable mystery shopper, you can look
forward to assignments where you are paid to visit expensive
restaurants and designer shops. You might even be lucky enough to get a
free trip and hotel accommodation as a mystery shopper.
Always keep in mind that, although mystery shopping is a fun and easy
way for your to make extra money, it is a business and you need to
behave in a businesslike manner when carrying out your mystery shopping
assignments and reporting the results to the mystery shopping company.
Your mystery shopping reports will be helping to shape the future of
the businesses you visit and you have the chance to make a positive
impact on decisions relating to improvements to services and facilities
which will be of benefit to you.
About the Author: Elaine Currie has a work-from-home directory and auto surf review at her Plug In Profit site for people who want to make money at home.
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