The top 5 unusual mystery shops available right now

Mystery shopping can bring in a lot of rewards for you and the people around you. There probably isn't enough income there to make a full-time living out of it but there are some really great benefits to becoming a mystery shopper. Most people associate mystery shopping with going into a store and buying some goods or a restaurant and buying a meal. And a lot of the mystery shopping opportunities out there are along these lines. But there are other mystery shopping assignments available that are a little different and can be a lot of fun. Here is our guide to the top 5 unusual mystery shops available right now.

5 - Social media
Large companies encourage their customers to contact them via Facebook or Twitter to keep own costs. But social media can be a bit of a Wild West so it is advisable to keep an eye on the interactions. You will be paid a fee to ask a question and judge the response that you get. These are quick mystery shops with a low fee but the reports are usually only a couple of questions long so they supplement your income nicely.

4 - Promotional stands
You know the scene. You are walking through a shopping centre and there is someone there at a stand trying to catch the eye of those passing by. Most people try to avoid making eye contact but what if you were paid to have a chat with them? There are many mystery shops available that are designed to measure the service these promoters are giving. You can be paid to have a 10 minute chat about whatever it is they are selling and then be on your way without making any commitment.

3 - Travel agents
Although you won't get a free holiday at the end of it, there are mystery shopping opportunities available at your local branch of a national travel agency chain. You will usually have to act out a scenario and assess the service you were given. These are fun to do because you get to talk about holiday destinations and act all excited about it! The fees are usually at a high level because you will be in there for quite a while and will have to remember a lot of detail. These are great mystery shops to get your hands on.

2 - Bookmakers
As gambling becomes more and more competitive then the bookmakers want to know how well their customers are being treated. For me the real benefit of this is that you get to keep any winnings. To have a little flutter with someone else's money is the ideal way to have a bet every now and again without the potential of losing money. The reimbursements are always somewhere between £1 and £6 so there is potential to make a bit of money as you go along. There are assignment for over the counter bets and for using the gaming machines so there is enough variety for all.

1 - A day out
There are mystery shopping opportunities to go to a theme park or am historic place to see what the experience is like for a visitor. Because you get to have great fun on a day out for one, two or even the family this is the number one on our list of unusual mystery shops available right now. You get your entry paid, the chance to get something to eat and drink and often other parts of the experience too. So you can enjoy a local attraction with someone else footing the bill. Don't forget to fill out your report when  you get home!

If you are interested in these mystery shopping opportunities or any others then the first step is to become a mystery shopper. My book is available now and will help you to understand what it is to become a mystery shopper and all the advantages there are to mystery shopping. Check it out in the Amazon Kindle Store now-

The top 4 ways to help you remember your mystery shop feedback

Mystery shopping can be a great way to earn a little extra money and get your hands on free meals, clothes, drinks and more. The companies that carry out mystery shopping are paying you to do the mystery shop in return for feedback on how their teams are performing. There can be a lot to remember and you can't stand in the middle of the shop and take notes - that would be a real giveaway! But thankfully there are different ways to remember the information needed and deliver a quality report for the mystery shopping company without being rumbled. Here is our guide to the top 4 ways to help you remember your mystery shop feedback.

4 - Remember the tricky bits
You will be required to gather a lot of information when it comes to a mystery shopping assignment. The fact is that some bits will stick and others just won't. When you come to filling out the report you will remember the answers to question such as -

"Was the shop clean and tidy?"

But might not remember things like-

"How long did you have to wait in the queue?"

So it can help to jot down the details that will require a bit more of your memory so you are sure you son't miss them. The more mystery shops you so in a day then the more of these tricky little details you will have to remember. You can use this tip in conjunction with the ones below to make sure you get the most from your mystery shopping experience.

3 - Changing rooms are perfect
When you need a little time out to make some notes then retiring to a changing room really works. It gives you the chance to take a look at your notes, consider of you have missed anything and write down the important parts. It allows you to step out for a minute or two and get everything down. Using the toilet is another way of giving yourself a chance to check if you have got all the details you need to be able to file a complete report for your client. Mystery shopping is an important part of how they measure and reward their staff so you need to be accurate and objective.

2 - Send a text!
Texting has become a natural part of modern life so you can send information by text to someone else while mystery shopping and not arouse suspicion. If you need to remember a full description of the person who served you then you can easily send these details in a small text so you can pick them up later and fill them out in the report.It is an easy way to collect a few bits of information but can give you away if you spend your whole time on the phone. Also check out the rules as some mystery shopping companies won' allow you to use your phone while shopping for them.

1 - Write your report as soon as you leave
As you walk out of the door from a mystery shop the information will be really fresh in your mind and this is the ideal time to get it all down. Find a comfortable place out of sight of the location and fill out the report on your paper copy there and then so you son't miss any information. This also gives you the chance to pop back in discreetly and check any information you are missing such as whether the waitress wore glasses or whether they were displaying a certain sign at the till. You need to deliver accurate information to the mystery shopping company so they can get an accurate picture of what is going on. These tips will help you to do that.

If you are thinking about becoming a mystery shopper or want to get better at mystery shopping then my book on the secrets of mystery shopping is available now. Check it out on the Amazon Kindle Store today-

The 5 reasons mystery shopping is great for students

Mystery shopping can be carried out by just about anyone over the age of 18 with access to the internet. There are certain groups that are perfectly suited to mystery shopping. Students are ideal candidates to mystery shop because they have some free time, are often located in big cities and have a need for many of the goods and services being shopped for. Here are the 5 reasons mystery shopping is great for students-

5 - It adds to your CV

It can be difficult enough when you leave university to get your name in front of the right employers. Every company wants to know that you will know how to deal with their customers, so experience in mystery shopping lets them know you what it's all about. It also lets prospective employers know that you didn't spend ALL your spare time drinking.

4 - It helps with your skills

Although towards the end of your university course you will want to focus completely on your degree, at the start you will have time to hone your skills. The reports you file for some mystery shopping companies will stand you in good stead when it comes to putting together your uni reports too.

3 - It is flexible

University work can have peaks and troughs so you might be available to work a lot of hours this week but none the next. The flexibility of mystery shopping is perfect for student life. You can pick up assignments all over the country so you can work when at home or at university. You can pick and choose the assignments you want to do so it fits in around your schedule. Just remember to plan in advance or all the best jobs might have disappeared!

2 - A little extra money always helps

It always helps to bring in some cash when you are at university. Although you can't make enough from mystery shopping to earn a living it does add a little extra cash. It is always welcome to being in a few pounds here and there to help you with the essentials such as food and drink. Mystery shopping is great for students because you can do a few shops and earn some extra income.

1 - Free meals!

Money can be quite tight when you are a student. Thinking back to my university days I would have loved the chance to get some free meals to lighten the burden a little. I currently get between one and four free meals per week. This is the ideal reason for a student to get into mystery shopping.

If you are interested in becoming a mystery shopper then my book is a great place to start. Pick it up now at the Amazon Kindle Store.

The five ways that mystery shopping can supplement your income

Mystery shopping is a great way to spend some of your free time. It is difficult to make a full time living from mystery shopping but don't let that put you off. The little extra bits that you pick up when mystery shopping come in really useful. There is a small income to be had from mystery shopping but it's the other bits you get that I find supplement my income and improve my lifestyle. Let's take a look at the five ways that mystery shopping can supplement your income.

Gifts

I use a lot of the mystery shopping I do to pick up gifts. You can get quite lucrative mystery shops at places such as clothing retailers, department stores and fragrance shops. These are great for birthdays or to save up for Christmas. This saves me a lot of money over the course of a year. It also adds to the kids Christmas stockings - and that's never a bad thing!

Meals out

I love the fact that mystery shopping gives me the chance to have a free meal or two a week. There are loads of restaurants and cafes available on the mystery shopping websites so look out for them. You can get lunch when you are out shopping, a meal for two on date night or to take the family out. I pick these up regularly and it allows me and my family to dine out where we might not be able to afford it otherwise.

Days out

You can often find mystery shopping opportunities to have a day out. Theme parks and tourist attractions have mystery shopping programs. You can take the family and have a day out while being paid for the privilege. You can get shops where you get your entrance and meals reimbursed and sometimes even more. These are the ideal way to fund a day out.

Groceries

Supermarkets have quite extensive mystery shopping programs. So this means you can get extra groceries. This allows me to buy some extra bits that I don't usually buy or to save on my normal weekly shop. You can buy a few treats with someone else's money! The extra bits that I pick up during the year help to keep the grocery bill down. I would say that on average I find at least one supermarket shop per week at an average fee of £10, so you can see how it might help.

Free bets

I like the odd flutter. But I never do it with my own money any more. Mystery shopping companies always have loads of betting shop assignments available. You get the chance to make big money - any winnings you make are yours to keep. You can bet on the horses, the football, the dogs or whatever else takes your fancy. I love it during the football season!

If you are interested in mystery shopping then my book on how to become a mystery shopper is available on the Amazon Kindle Store. It gives you all the information you need to become a mystery shopper. Check it out today!

A Closer Look is a great opportunity for the budding mystery shopper

As my regular readers know I am a serial mystery shopper, and I like to look for new opportunities all the time. I am constantly looking for mystery shopping companies that can help you to go out there and earn some extra money in a fun way while getting your hands on free clothes, food and drinks. I was clicking through the internet the other night while the TV was on, and I found a great site called A Closer Look. I just loved the name to begin with, so I decided to read on.

Being an established mystery shopper, I actively search for features and strong reputations that will set a mystery shopping company apart from its competitors, making it most appealing to my readers. A Closer Look has just won the 2016 Shoppers’ Choice Award through the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA), so you know that they will be offering you some great opportunities to get paid to shop and experience fun nights out! It is the flexibility in scheduling and variety of shops A Closer Look offers that really wins over their shoppers.

They have a great client list, so you can get your hands on drinks, food and your favourite items from retail stores and be reimbursed (and sometimes even paid)for doing it. You’ll need an eye for detail, access to the internet and be able to post your reports within 12 hours of carrying out the shop, but these are all easily achieved. In return, there are plenty of assignments available all over the United States and Canada in locations such as:

•          Bars
•          Restaurants
•          VIP lounges
•          Shops
•          Movie Theaters
•          Hotels
•          Gyms
•          And more

A Closer Look has an easy-to-use website that shows you all the available mystery shopping opportunities near you. Pop out on your lunch break and get a bite to eat, go to the mall on your day offor enjoy a weekend away. Once you have signed up with A Closer Look and carried out a few assignments, the number of shops available to you will grow. You can sign up at https://insight.a-closer-look.com/ShopperApplication-Start.aspx; please quote reference STT001 when you apply for a chance to win $50 in a quarterly drawing!

The beauty of A Closer Look is the wide range of clients you can shop for. The details of each assignment can be found on the website, and it outlines all the things that are expected of you:

•          What times and dates you can shop
•          Whether you have to shop alone or bring a friend (great for a girlie meal out)
•          If you have to buy anything specific
•          The amount of money you will be paid and/or reimbursed

This last part is important when it comes to your taxes. The money you are reimbursed just repays what you had to spend on the mystery shop. This is not taxable. The fees that you may be paid need to be reported as income if you make over $600.

The amount of money you will earn depends on the type and number of mystery shops you carry out each month. The pay is on the 4^th Monday of the following month, so you never have to wait long to be reimbursed for your shops! Reimbursement is sent in the form of a check. A Closer Look doesn’t need you to carry out a minimum number of shops per month, so they offer the ultimate in mystery shopping flexibility. The focus on fashion (retail shops) and eating out (restaurants/bars) means that 21 to 29 year-old shoppers will see more jobs available for them to conduct. Some bars and restaurants want to ensure their bartenders and servers are asking for ID, so those in the 21-29 age group are ideal candidates to check out age compliance shops in their area. There are plenty of mystery shopping opportunities for all ages, so don’t let the age compliance shops deter you from applying!

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about A Closer Look.