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!

See why efficient searching for jobs helps the mystery shop process

I've been looking at all aspects of the process of mystery shopping and one area where I have worked hard on trying to be more efficient is the search for jobs. Each mystery shop company has a slightly different way of allowing you to see and choose the mystery shop assignments you can conduct for them.  I'll take you through my process this morning as I look through ten of the mystery shop companies I use-

Company 1 has an easy log-in and goes straight through to a map where you can draw your own search areas to make things easier for you to find the places that you are willing to travel to. Under the map is a list of those available jobs in your area, so you can search that way if you prefer.

This is my favourite mystery shopping company and I find most of my work with them. As I search today I see loads of bookmakers, quite a few drinks-only pubs and a lot of bakery mystery shops. None are really what I'm looking for given the time restraints I have this week, so I move on to the next company.

Company 2 used to have quite a wide selection of High Street names and the jobs were really interesting. Although the interest level hasn't dropped, the number of clients has. There are only really 2 clients available and, although both are good payers, both also don't have a many locations near to me.

The way of selecting jobs here is to go to each client in turn and then search your local area for available shops. It's nowhere near as functional as company 1, but with only 2 current clients to search it doesn't take long.

Company 3 lets you know by email whenever there is something available, but I always have a quick look at the website as well to make sure that I haven't missed anything. It's a little like company 1, where you set your own areas and the mystery shop company shows you what is available in those areas. You set up a postcode and it shows you everything within 10 miles of that postcode. As I expected, there's nothing here so I move on.

Company 4 is a company I still check, although I've not carried out an assignment for them in 20 months. They are very much focused on fast food companies and this just doesn't fit what I want to be shopping for. Again there is nothing there. As you progress with them you will need to pass accreditation for each client they serve to be able to shop that client. You then have a drop-down menu of areas and when you select an area it shows you what is available in that area.

Company 5 is another favourite, although their availability of jobs ranges from none to 30+ usually depending on what time of the month you go on their website. Today they have 17 fairly close to me but none that actually match what I'm looking for. The jobs have to either fit together (one visit to several locations close to each other) or be somewhere I'm already going to make me want to jump. A single mystery shop in a location that I have to drive to and potentially pay to park is unlikely to bring me a profit.

This company has a range of jobs from social media, retailers, concession stands and financial services - it's what makes it one of the best as you can often find something on there.

Companies 6-10 all use the same base system - it's a map with a list of available jobs underneath. You type in the postcode you want to search on and the radius you want and the system does the rest. You have to go to each mystery shop company individually but once you are on their site, the process is the same for all.

There's a range here from chemists, butchers, jewellers, clothing stores, charity shops, discount retailers, supermarkets, communication companies and more.

It's by having a set routine of the companies you will check and the frequency you will check them you will get the most out of mystery shopping. To have regular companies that you know will provide assignments that you can do and want to do will make your transition into a mystery shopper the more rewarding and will build confidence.


Like what you read? Want to become a mystery shopper?

Check out my book on the Amazon Kindle store-

See how a 2 hour quick mystery shop can be profitable

Yesterday was a quieter day on the mystery shop front, but a quick 3-shop trip out paid dividends, as well as only taking up less than 2 hours. Plus, although I visited 3 locations, all had free parking to ease the strain!

First stop was a local chemist or pharmacy store. I've carried this an similar for the same mystery shopping company (one of several I use) and I always find an element of the shop intriguing. There is always a question about the purchase being under-rung or the money not going in the till in my presence. It makes me think that there's something underhand going on in these locations. My imagination flies away and I think that I'm going somewhere that the staff will steal from me as soon as look at me! Obviously that's not the case, but I'm always looking behind the questions to see what the company is measuring and what they want to know about their teams.

This is a really simple shop, purchase and get  a description of the team member. Easily done and quite well paid for the amount of time and effort taken.

Fee = £7.00
Reimbursement = £3.50
Spend = £3.50
Profit/Loss = +£7.00

The second visit was to a branch of a nationally-recognised health and beauty chain to ask about cosmetics and make a purchase. I like these assignments where I am playing a role that I don't usually play and the chance to be a man buying cosmetics is too much of an opportunity to pass on. SO when I saw this appear in the jobs list of my favourite mystery shopping company, I couldn't let it go.

The mystery shop itself wasn't quite as interesting as the build-up and it was a straight-forward enquiry and purchase.

Fee = £4.75

Reimbursement = £5.00

Spend = £5.54

Profit/Loss = +£4.21

The final visit of the day was for lunch, at a national pub chain. This chain is a regular mystery shop for me, and I know the routine like the back of my hand-

1. Order 2 drinks and a meal
2. Take servers details
3. Take details of the person who brings you your food
4. Assess food and drink quality
5. Check for any promotions
6. Assess the toilets

It's a nice, easy, regular payday and it gets my wife and I a free lunch approximately once every week or so. This visit was no different to the regular ones - great food, great service, great mystery shop.

Fee = £3.25

Reimbursement = £9.75

Spend = £15.13

Profit/Loss = -£2.13

TOTAL = +£9.08 + toiletries and lunch for 2

Like what you read? Want to be a mystery shopper?

Check out my book on the Amazon Kindle store.