Make some money (Mystery Shopping in general)

Member Name: kingseany

Product:	Mystery Shopping in general
Date:	16/09/05 (2349 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Extra cash, fun

Disadvantages: Like being a spy

I started mystery shopping early this year, for fun really, and to make a little extra money for the next holiday fund. Mystery shopping is all about collecting information on how companies deal with various situations, observing stores, staff and so on. This information is used by head offices to see how well / badly they are performing etc. Information collated gives them a basis to look at future strategies, sales campaigns and identify training needs. It's all important stuff.

As a mystery shopper, I'm not going to tell you who I work for, nor which companies have I carried out shops for, however I can say that all have been large international companies which are well known world wide. If you are interested in signing up for a mystery shopping company, check out google which will bring up some good matches.

I have only taken part in four projects so far, but earnt approximately £200. It won't exactly make you rich. The assignments have mostly taken only around an hour, but one did take around 10 hours work in total.

All my dealings with the mystery shopping company have been via the internet and email, including registering, recieving assignments, completing reports and electronic payments to my bank account. I find this great, as there is little paperwork to deal with, and I've never had to mail a letter.

Assignments are emailed out to people in areas where needed, and you respond if you think you can carry out the job. You may not always get allocated to it though, it depends on how many others respond, and how many assignments are available. Once you are assigned to the job though, you must complete it or it will look bad for you when it comes to future assigments.

You will get a detailed job spec, which you must read and understand before you carry out the mystery shop. It's a good idea to read through it a few times on the day you are doing it. I always record my store visits using my hidden MP3 recorder, which gives me an idea of times of waiting, responses by the salesperson and so on, when I complete my report later on. It's important to act normal at all times, and not give any indication that you are anything other than a normal shopper.

Electronic reports are required for each assignment, and they are graded by editors from 1-10. The better your report, the more chance you have of getting more work in the future. I am doing rather well with an average grade of 9 at present. Some reports can be lengthy, and detailed, others short and simple. Being electronic though, they are easy to send off.

Once graded, the shop is complete - and payment will be pending. It may take up to 2 months for the money to go through, which is fine, as it's just a bonus anyway.

Let me tell you about the sort of assignments I have done so far.

My first project involved a designer clothing store, where I had to pose as a customer and interact with the salesperson, try on garments, ask specific questions, as well as observing the store itself for cleanliness. I also had to make a purchase, which I got to keep, as well as claiming the full price back, this on top of the payment for the assigment. I found the whole thing fun, not difficult nor scary. You'll need to be confident, observant and have a good memory too for most of the assignments you carry out.

My second project involved the financial industry, and was a longer term project. There were problems with this assigment, and I could not complete it, but was still paid in full - as my report was still very useful.

The third assigmnent was for a credit card company, and was more of an audit than anything - checking for signage in various stores around the city near where I live. I carried out almost 40 audits for this company, which were very quick and easy, paying well.

Lastly I have completed an assigment for a mobile phone company - one of the biggies. This assigment was very specific and required a lot of details to be remembered and reported on.

Mystery shopping is available in most countries, so if you have some time on your hands, give it a go.

Summary: Make a few hundred quid easily