Mystery shopping - is it right for you?
Are you looking to make some money in your spare time? Mystery shopping might be for you.
Mystery shopping, according to Wikipedia, is "a tool used externally by market research companies or watchdog organizations or internally by companies themselves to measure quality of service or compliance to regulation, or to gather specific information about products and services." Mystery shoppers most commonly check out the products and services of retail businesses and food establishments, but can also check out services from banks, health care faciliities, or car dealerships. I even know a couple who mystery-shopped a cruise, and got the entire cruise for free!
Mystery shoppers are given specific instructions on how to interact with the location they are surveying. They may be required to purchase something, or just ask questions. They then record data based on their visit and submit it to the mystery shopping company.
Sounds like an easy way to make some money, right? But before you jump in to mystery shopping, you should realize that some mystery shopping companies can be scams. Be sure that the company you wish to work for is legitimate. Check out this information on Mystery Shopping Scams.
Also, be sure to check out the Mystery Shopping Providers' Association Code of Ethics for shoppers.
Shadow Shopper is a mystery shopping company that claims you can earn $150 per week working part-time. I haven't used this company, but it's definitely worth a try! Click here to learn more about Shadow Shopper.
Have you ever tried mystery shopping? How did it work for you? Please leave a comment below!
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3 comments:
I recently signed up for Shadow Shoppers and have been disappointed. I have a bronze membership which means that all they do is show me the jobs available and tell me to pay to have a gold membership so that I can do them. I'm not going to pay for that, even though it isn't a huge amount. If any one has a gold membership I would really be interested in hearing how it is working for them.
I haven't ever tried Mystery Shopping! Nice review!
I did it briefly about 8 years ago through a reputable company, but the amount of back and forth wasn't worth it to me. Assignments would include buying an item and returning or exchanging the item within a specific time period. The times were not as flexible as I was led to believe and the reports were a lot of work (preparation before/write-up after) for the amount of money I was making. In the end I don't think I completed more than 2 assignments.
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