Ok lets get the politically correct definition of exactly what a mystery shopper is.
Mystery shopping is a tool used by market research companies to measure quality of retail service. These companies send mystery shoppers to act as shoppers to interact with the business as a normal customer and report on the experience. Shoppers are usually paid and their purchases reimbursed. The tool can also be used for the management of the quality and performances of goods and services. Instructions to mystery shoppers can include a script of behavior, questions to ask, complaints to give, purchases to make, and measures to record, such as time it takes to receive attention from an employee or receive a service, or the responses given to questions.
Mystery shopping is also known as:
Mystery consumer
Mystery Buyers
Secret Clients
Secret Shopping
Experience Evaluation
Mystery Customers
Anonymous Audits
Employee Evaluations
Performance Audits
Fulfillment assessment
Get it? Got it? Good. Lets move on. Many people understandably find it hard to believe that you actually get paid to shop or dine. Yeah right what are YOU smokin? and can I have an ounce of it? well brace yourselves....its real! Yes many companies want ordinary people to go "spy" on business and see if they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. Which can be either making sure the building is safe and clean. If the Sales people are nice and courteous. If a store clerk discriminates against a particular person. In some cases some companies have you attach a camera to yourselves to record your interaction with your "target" at a shop. No I am not kidding. There are of course many scams out there who charge people for a non service and YOU the potential shopper gets jipped.Which is why I always stress RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH! before signing on with a company. Now mind you not all shopping sites are scams if they charge you. Some sites partner with companies who need shoppers to work there shops and the website works as a liason between you two. So they charge you a fee to access all the shopper jobs. One of these sites goes by the name of shaddowshopper.com. Excellent site that I recommend. They are cheap and you get jobs daily. Normally a shopper job will range between $25-$50 a job. If you are a consistent shopper these amounts can rise and you can make a nice income from it. Some companies requesting your service pay you in different ways. Some at the end of the month. Some in a couple of days. Some by check some by direct deposit. You get the idea. Will you get rich? probably not. It takes time. With this if its something you want to do consistently you can make a nice income off of it because you will be building your "resume" for business needing shoppers. The more shops you shop the more experienced you are and the more they will want to pay you. Also in some cases you can become a "certified shopper". Which entails taking a test. This makes you look more "chic" if you will to companies looking for shoppers. Now to become a shopper you in most cases DO NOT have to pay ANYTHING. You just sign up and apply to a company offering the services and wait for an assignment. Depending on the company they can have steady work or you may go a long time before getting an assignments. Now there are many different categories that shoppers are placed in. Some are called "auditors" or you will be put in "merchandising" or "promotions" (which basically means in some cases your job will entail setting up stands at a local business for customers to see". In some cases some companies want you to have experience for the high paying jobs or their services. Also if you just want to shop for fun you can join some shopper sites that will send you out on an assignment and you will have to pay out of your own pocket for an "item" or "food" at the establishment that you are stationed for. The company will reimburse you whatever you paid. With those you are just basically shopping the store, but not really getting money for it. Its your choice. If you want some quick cash and wanna have fun doing it become a shadow shopper! Check out the links to legit sites on the left hand side and get started! Good Luck!
No comments:
Post a Comment