What mystery shopping has done for my Christmas

With only a week to go it is good to look back on the last few months of mystery shopping to see what they have done for my Christmas. It is a great way to get your hands on some free stuff that takes some of the pressure off over the Christmas period. I use my mystery shopping assignments to get hold of some extra things and to take the pressure off rather than to generate an income. If I can pick up extra things throughout the year for birthdays and Christmas and break even then I am always happy. This is easy to do if you know how. So here is what mystery shopping has done for my Christmas.

Stocking fillers

The reimbursement from a mystery shopping company for an assignment is rarely massive. So you can't often get an assignment that will give you £50+ to spend on gifts. Even the shops in jewellery stores are usually only to make an enquiry rather than a purchase. For this reason I use the mystery shops for those little extra presents that fill stocking rather than try to use mystery shopping for main presents. The kids are still fairly young so it helps to have something extra for them to open on Christmas day.

I think that mystery shopping can really help in this way as you can get your hands on those smaller extra gifts that help make a good Christmas for the young ones.

Gifts for other family members

We have many people that we buy 'a little something' for that only costs a few pounds. It is a gesture of our appreciation, especially if they buy something for the kids and don't have children themselves. So mystery shopping can really help here. many mystery shops give you the chance to pick up something that would be prefect for a gift, such as-

• perfume
• a candle
• a box of chocolates
• a bottle of wine

And these are ideal to give to people as a small token of our love.

The Christmas table

Again, you will be unlikely to be able to find a mystery shop with enough of a payment to buy a turkey but you can pick up extras like chocolates, wine, Christmas crackers, etc that will help to make the day go with a little more style without spending any more money. Mystery shopping opens doors for people to make their Christmas day a little more special. If you have a set budget then mystery shopping will allow you to push out the boat a little.

Much of this takes planning. I generally start thinking about mystery shopping for Christmas when the kids go back to school in September. This gives me plenty of time to pick up those extra items that will make a big difference to the day.

If you are interested in mystery shopping then my book is a great place to start learning all about it. Check it out on the Amazon Kindle store now.

The 5 reasons why stay at home mums are perfect for mystery shopping

Mystery shopping is a great way to bring in some extra money or to pick up some freebies. Because many of the mystery shop assignments have to be carried out in the daytime it needs someone who is available during that time. Step forward the stay at home mum. Here is my guide to the five reasons stay at home mums are perfect for mystery shopping.

5 - You probably have the free time
If the kids are at school then you may well have enough free time to go out and carry out the odd mystery shop or two. If you are going to a local town or shopping centre then you will often find a mystery shop available there. Whether it's to get a bite to eat or to pick up something free, it can help.

Mystery shopping can take up very little time at all. You can select as few or as many assignments as you like, even making yourself unavailable during the school holidays if needed. This makes it the ultimate job for a stay at home mum.

4 - It can help with the bills
Getting something for free can really help. I use a lot of my mystery shops to get a few groceries, lighten the financial burden at Christmas or for little treats. This means that you can make your weekly budget stretch that little bit further.

You won't get rich from mystery shopping but it can help out here and there. Those little extras mean that you can keep your weekly spending to the essentials. All the extras you get from mystery shopping can make life a little more luxurious.

3 - A free cup of coffee or lunch - with a friend
It can be good to hook up with other people every now and again. If you can get this paid for by the mystery shopping company then all the better. There are loads of opportunities to mystery shop cafes or restaurants so you can invite a friend and get a free meal.

It is good to spend time with others on a regular basis. The fact that a short mystery shopping report is all it needs to make it free should have you making a regular thing of it. This works whether you are grabbing a coffee on a shopping trip or meeting someone for lunch.

2 - Clothes (for you or your kids)
There's no two ways about it. Clothes are expensive. This is the same whether you are buying for yourself or your kids. Sometimes you have to put all thoughts of a new top to one side as you have other expenses with a family.

But mystery shopping can provide the answer. Many fashion retailers need their stores mystery shipped so you can pick up a bargain or two along the way. The fact that you can supplement your wardrobe with a new item every now and again is helpful.

1 - Get out of the house and meet people
Although you are not making lifelong friends through mystery shopping, there is ample opportunity to get away from looking at the same 4 walls. Mystery shopping can get you out and about as well as earning a bit of extra money.

I use it to go back to places I haven't been for a while or to explore new ones. Mystery shopping can open a lot of doors and getting you out and talking to other grown ups after days of dealing with nothing but kids can be quite therapeutic.

If you are interested in mystery shopping then my book is a great place to learn what it is all about. Check it out on the Kindle store now


 

Mystery shopping is easy when you know how

I have carried out what must be two of the easiest mystery shops of my life today. They were both simple purchases made and all I really had to remember was the name and description of the person who served me. This is the beauty of mystery shopping sometimes as you get to carry out fun assignments that don't take up a lot of time.

There were other parts to the mystery shop such as was the place clean and we're team members wearing a uniform but these are general points that are really easy to remember at the point of completing the report. The reports is what you fill out when you get back home and often there are large parts of it that you will remember as a matter of course. The general impressions of a place are still there in your mind when you get home and are asked to reflect on them.

Mystery shopping can be an easy way to make some extra money and pick up some free stuff. Today I made enough money to pay for the petrol I used to get there and back, a few pounds for my time and I got -

• A pack of toilet rolls
• A tube of toothpaste
• A pack of toothbrushes
• Curry, side dishes and drinks for two

Maybe not the most glamorous of shopping trips but all of this was paid for by someone else (in fact by two different mystery companies) and it was somewhere I was going anyway. This is the beauty of mystery shopping. Many of the possibilities will be in one of your local towns, cities or shopping centres so you will be visiting these places anyway.

Mystery shopping reports can look daunting when you first start out but they are not difficult. In many reports there may be up to 70 questions but the vast majority will be simple yes/no clicks of a button and move on. The reports today took me around 6 minutes combined. Add this to the visits and this was an easy way to make money and get free stuff. It is best practice to take a copy of the report with you so you can complete it as soon as you leave, that way yo can record all the important details and even possibly go back and check again if you need to.

If you are thinking about becoming a mystery shopper then my book is a great place to start. It contains a step by step guide on how to be a successful mystery shopper. Check it out now!