Tag Archives: mystery shopping

Mystery Shopping: Becoming Certified: Is it Worth It?

Kori recently wrote a blog about belonging to professional associations. Part of the job of some of those associations is to set a standard for the professionals in it. These exist in mystery shopping as well. The two biggest are Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) certification, and certification and membership in the National Center for Professional Mystery Shoppers & Merchandisers (NCPMS). NCPMS is a shoppers’ organization, in contrast to MSPA, which is the shopping companies’ association. They offer a lot of virtual training and online certification. For $128, they’ll give you training that can reasonably be completed in a month, … Continue reading →

Mystery Shopping: Picking Up the Orphans

Another way to make good money mystery shopping is by picking up the orphans. Orphans? Yep. Those are the shops at the end of the month that nobody has done. There are typically two reasons for this. Either someone was going to do it and they dropped it for one reason or another (such as an emergency, or because they’re a flake), or the shop is in an undesirable or remote location. The first is better for you, but it’s more often the second in my area. You’ll see the listed price for the job start to climb as it … Continue reading →

Mystery Shopping: Paying to Shop

The first rule of mystery shopping is Don’t Pay to Shop. But is that rule ever bent? I’ll pass on the fondue restaurant that reimburses you only about half your evening. “But you’re getting a great deal!” No thanks, I’d rather go to Restaurant.com, pay for a coupon, and enjoy the meal without worrying about a report. Paying part of a hotel stay doesn’t make any sense to me either. Using Priceline.com and BiddingForTravel.com together to get the best price will often net you the same price a certain mystery company charges you to stay there. And, again, you can … Continue reading →

Mystery Shopping: How to Get the Highest Pay

I did say that pay isn’t everything. I certainly didn’t mean that pay isn’t anything. Of course everyone wants to maximize their profits. How do you get the best bottom line? The number one way is to bundle shops. That means that you’re not going out for one or two, but for four or five. Shopping companies that let you self-assign are the easiest to do this with. You simply choose those in the same general geographic area. When you’re first starting out, this can be difficult though, especially if there’s a lot of competition in your area. Here is … Continue reading →

The Best Mystery Shopping Companies

So, you’ve read the Mystery Shopping Introduction and How to Get Started segments. You’ve signed up with the two recommended starters, read the materials, and successfully completed a number of shops. Congratulations! Now you’re ready to expand your business base by signing up with more companies. Everyone has their favorites, for various reasons, but these are companies that I personally would recommend. Fast-paying. Often in mystery shopping, you have to wait 45-60 days to be paid. For some people, that’s not an option, especially if you have laid out money up front. With these three companies, I have experienced unusually … Continue reading →

Mystery Shopping: Make Millions of Dollars!

We’ve all seen the ads – “Make $80 an hour,” “Furnish your house for free!” or “Never pay for meals again.” Of course, they’re usually accompanied by a hefty fee for information. Information that’s often out of date and always available elsewhere free. Don’t fall for it. The number one rule in mystery shopping is Never Pay To Shop. Mystery shopping is a legitimate business, measuring customer service and letting companies know where they’re doing well and which areas need improvement. The pay is pretty much commensurate with the skill level. In plain English, you’re not going to get rich … Continue reading →

How to Get Started in Mystery Shopping

So, you’ve read the introduction and decided that yes, you’d like to try this! Great! There are a lot of different theories on how to get started, but I’ll tell you what’s worked for me. First, you have to understand that there are thousands of different companies that contract with businesses to mystery shop. They’re not linked; they’re competitors. That means that you have to be signed up with each individual company. Ugh. Filling out the forms and often submitting a short essay can be a huge chore! If you plan to do this full-time, you pretty well have to … Continue reading →

Secret Shopper?

Okay, if anyone has had a good experience with this secret shopper stuff, I want to know about it, please. The whole secret shopper thing falls into my “if it sounds too good to be true, it is,” category, but I still can’t help thinking how much fun such a “job” would be! Can you imagine not only getting paid to shop, but shopping with someone else’s money and getting to keep all the stuff you buy, for the simple job of reviewing your shopping experience or reviewing certain products? The funny thing is if people were actually doing this … Continue reading →