How to Become a Mystery Shopper

Have you considered becoming a mystery shopper?  It does sound like an intriguing way to make money, sneaking around secretly in order to observe customer service and other areas of the store!  What does it take to become a mystery shopper?  Basically, you need to have a sharp eye for details while observing what takes place in retail stores, good transportation to get you around to your assignments, and an ability to write out your "report" or findings on the store where you perform your secret shop.  Pay usually ranges from $15 to $50 per assignment, but you may also be compensated in free meals, products, portraits or other goods or services. 

What does mystery or secret shopping involve?
When you become a mystery shopper, you are actually assisting companies to evaluate many areas of customer service, the overall cleanliness of the business and your general experience.  Restaurants, retail stores, banks, optical and cell phone outlets are some of the places you may find yourself evaluating the service you receive.  You visit the business as a regular customer; after your visit, you will be responsible for filling out a detailed report about who helped you, how employees treated you, what they said, the neatness or appearance of the location where you "shopped," etc. 

Becoming a Mystery Shopper - Qualities That Make You a Good Candidate for the Job

Can anyone become a mystery shopper?  While it's possible, the best candidates for this type of work have a real eye for detail and the ability to pay attention to their surroundings.  You must be able to act normally as a regular shopper and observe what goes on around you - after all, you can hardly carry your reports in to the store with you.  If you're someone who can accurately report details of your shopping experience in order to help retailers and business owners improve their companies, you would likely make a good mystery shopper.  If you do decide to take on this type of work, you may want to look at it as a way to earn extra money, and not as a full time career.  Assignments can be sporadic; one week or month you may earn a great deal of money, other times there may be less work available.

I don't know of many people that couldn't use some extra money today, especially considering the shape of the economy.  If you could use some additional income to help pay household bills, pay off those credit cards or just have a little extra to spend on those things you consider luxury items, becoming a mystery shopper is an easy (and fun) way to make a few extra hundred each month!

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