Mystery Shopper

A mystery shopper is one with a most unusual job, like a ghostwriter, astronaut, fortune cookie writer, foley artist, furniture tester, or Feng Shui consultant. This job requires one to be an instant critic by evaluating the services of a store, a restaurant, a hotel, an airline office, or any business that hires a shopper for his services. Yes, that’s right. The company itself invites the evaluation. It is an attempt by them to improve their businesses. By finding out what an ordinary shopper is thinking and experiencing, a company looking to improve can then find out where they should direct changes.

Here is how it works. The mystery or secret shopper as he is also called walks into a store, a restaurant, or a hotel and pretends to be a regular customer. He goes through a specific transaction, remembering all the details about his experience. He then gives feedback by making a report or filling up an evaluation form or questionnaire. The submitted report could be a very detailed one requiring much time and skill to prepare, or merely a general one like a multiple choice questionnaire. Such concerns as customer service, cleanliness, product, and safety are tackled. The evaluation form is tailor made to the needs and concerns of the business that hired a shopper. The client then gets his evaluation based on a shopper’s report.

This unusual discipline has become an industry, with a number of legitimate mystery shopping companies providing professional service. There are associations in North America, Europe, South America, and the Asia Pacific region. Conferences are being organized for member companies worldwide where topics relevant to this field are discussed. Some companies and organizations that provide mystery shopping services are the marketing research companies, the merchandising companies, and some private investigation firms. Some of these companies concentrate on small businesses, some on the big, some audit only shopping centers, or gasoline stations, or hotels and restaurants. They each have their own specializations.

To get a job as a mystery shopper one must, just like any job, apply at any of these firms. They usually need a new applicant to send a fresh face to a follow up job, for example a client wants a monthly evaluation of his business. The skills needed for this job are an eye for detail, a good memory, good writing skills, good judgment, and a minor talent for acting. These skills will help in dealing with the shop people, writing a report well and on time, recalling your transaction in detail, and observing everything about your store visit. Online sites also exist nowadays. Here, a client can apply for the service. Here also, an applicant can fill up a form. With the help of technology, the job just got easier and faster. Clients can expect a 24-48 hour response, and a shopper can get assignments online and submit his evaluation online.

As in any online transaction that is promising you income, make sure you do not give out cash instead of receiving it.