Mystery Shopping

A few years ago, I discovered the magical world of mystery shopping.  I had always heard about this phenomenon, but wondered how it worked and how to get involved.  I never really had time to do it but I was always fascinated by the idea of getting paid to shop. Eventually I acquired a comfortable work schedule that allowed me enough free time to try out mystery shopping.

Here's how it works:

Once you decide which company to work for (I chose a few for more opportunities,) you can sign up with them, using your social security number in the case that you make enough money to pay taxes.  Based on your area, the company's website (or app, in some cases) will show you available "shops" within the regions you have selected.  You can choose which shops to complete and you are not obligated to complete all or any of the shops.  Each shop has instructions to follow, a report to fill out and a completion deadline.  Some of the reports are more complex, requiring long narratives regarding the visit, while others are short and to the point.  Many shops will require a purchase be made, some reimbursed, some not, but returns are always allowed.  You will be rated on the quality of your shop performance, usually on a scale of 1-10, and as long as you have followed all of the requirements, you will be paid.  Payments are usually dispersed via Paypal, though other options may be available, and can take up to 8 weeks depending on the company.

An example of a mystery shop scenario:

A female shopper will go into a clothing store and walk around for 5 minutes until she is approached by a salesperson.  If she is not approached, she will seek out a salesperson.  She will ask the salesperson if a specific item is available in her size.  She will evaluate the performance of the salesperson, noting their name, appearance, professionalism, knowledge of the inventory, etc.  The shopper will then utilize the fitting room to try on at least two items.  They will evaluate the fitting room attendants, as well as the cleanliness and availability of the fitting rooms.  Finally, they will make a purchase of at least $10.  They will evaluate the wait time to be checked out, the cleanliness of the checkout area and the associate at the checkout counter.  Upon departure, the shopper will take a picture of the front entrance of the store.  Once all of this is completed, the shopper will then complete the form for this shop.  They must use proper grammar, void of spelling errors, to describe in detail the experience that they had.  They must upload the photo of the store's entrance, as well as a photo of the receipt from the store.  After the completed form is submitted, the administrators will update the form to show that the shop was received and later will note when the shopper has been paid.


Companies to check out:

Intellishop
http://www.intelli-shop.com

See Level
http://www.seelevelhx.com