Large corporations such as McDonalds, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, and others contract a mystery shopping company to do their mystery shopping.This company is the one who pays you.
Why do they pay me?
Mystery shopping is one of the best ways that companies can figure out how good their customer service, cleaning, and other attributes measure up.Companies realize that employees act differently when management is watching them than they do when management isn’t present.It is the job of mystery shoppers to report how stores are doing.
What do I have to do?
For most jobs, it involves entering a store, seeing how clean it is, making a purchase, note the customer service, and leave.Often, you will return the item and note the customer service and cleanliness during the return.
Does it cost me money?
No.Never pay to mystery shop.You should be paid reimbursement for any purchase you have to make and/or a base fee for your service.Usually both.Never take a job that is going to cost you money.
Is this a way to share my opinion?
NO!Mystery shopping is about the facts, not about opinions.If a person is rude, explain why: did they not make eye contact, did they not greet you, did they have a private conversation in front of you?If they said something that was rude, report the exact words, not just your impressions.Reports must be accurate with details.Often, employees will be rewarded or punished based on your reports.Also, most places have security cameras.They WILL verify the accuracy of a report if it causes concern.
Profile & Sample Shopping Trip- Tips & Tricks to Stand Out
When you first sign up at a mystery shopping company, they'll probably want you to do one of two things: either write a profile on why you would be a good mystery shopper and/or write about a recent shopping experience you had.
Some simple rules to follow:
Use complete sentences. This sounds simple, but you would be amazed at the people who have profiles that read something like "30's, smart, detail oriented." This is not likely to inspire confidence that you can write a complete "story" of a shopping trip that a company would want to pay for.
Don't lie! Claiming to have a master's degree isn't going to get you more jobs. It's going to be regarded as suspicious (unless you can back it up). If you lie on your profile, a company has every right to remove you from their list of sub-contractors.
Play up the positive. Have three kids? Brag up your knowledge of a variety of kid-friendly products. Used to be a waitress- point out how familiar you are with the food service industry.
Spell check and grammar check. And not just with the "auto" feature. A sentence like "Customer service rep Mike didn't smiled or make eye contact" makes you look like an idiot. (Sorry, no offense). And spell check won't pick up that error.
Use facts, not opinions. "Sarah seemed rude" is all right, but "Sarah didn't greet me, make eye contact, or smile. Her tone was also a bit rude throughout the visit" is great. You're there to report the facts, not share your opinions.
It's a good idea to write up a sample profile and shopping trip before you even start applying. Read it through, tweak it to sound a bit better, and use those as your base when filling out applications or profiles.