Why wouldn't you mystery shop?

The vast majority of us shop at one time or another. If we don't shop then we go out for a meal or a coffee or a pint. The fact is that we spend money in various places during the course of a normal week. All mystery shopping does is put some money in your pocket for these occasions.

Stay with me for a few minutes as I let you know the places I have mystery shopped recently to get an idea of how it could help you. At the end of this short article I want you to ask yourself the question -

Why wouldn't I mystery shop?

The family meal

At a popular location restaurant I got to treat my family of four (including me) to a meal which was covered by the reimbursement and the fee. Although I didn't walk away with any money in my pocket (or my bank account to be more precise) I did get to feed the four of us. In return I had to -

• Spend around 5 minutes reading the notes so I was ready
• Time certain points in the restaurant such as how long top be served, how long for the label to be cleared
• Remember the name and description of all who served me (notes on the iPhone works perfectly here)
• Take a photo of my meal and of the venue
• Spend around 10 minutes filling out the report online afterwards

I think that's a price worth paying.

A coffee and cake

A multinational coffee chain also needs to be mystery shopped too. I got two free coffees, two treats and still made a little extra money on the side. I found this even easier than the family meal as there were no distractions from the kids. It is an easy way to get a free coffee, especially if you were going for one anyway.

Some free groceries

This was in my town, right next to the supermarket I usually visit. I popped into his other, smaller supermarket on the way there. I had to make an enquiry on the shop floor and then buy some items at the till. I was looking for cleanliness, clear aisles and great customer service, including queue management. It took a couple of minutes each for the preparation, the shop and the online feedback. Easy money!

And these are not the only places you can mystery shop...

If you don't spend your time like this then there are other opportunities that you might like to gain from. The use of social media by companies is under the spotlight and they are always looking for mystery shoppers to send a tweet or fill in a contact form to see the response times and quality.

Bookmakers are a popular UK mystery shopping destination and I've even seen mystery shops to hotels or for holidays in my time after you have worked up to the required level. I'm sure that there are opportunities out there for you.

If you are thinking about becoming a mystery shopper but don't know which way ti turn then my book is the ideal place to start. It is available on the Amazon Kindle store now -

Is there such a thing as a free lunch? I think so....

Mystery shopping has been a fun companion to my days out and shopping trips over the last few years. It's an interesting pastime and adds to the enjoyment of a day out in a local town or city. Being organised before the day out and knowing where you are going should mean that you don't change the day too much by adding a mystery shop or two to your shopping trip. And of course it can bring in some money and some free things to make the day go a little smoother.

A free lunch is my most often accompaniment to a day out shopping. Whether it's a coffee shop, a restaurant, a sandwich bar, a takeaway, a fast food joint or a pub there's usually somewhere that I can find lunch with one of my mystery shopping companies. Even the catering facilities of hospitals, workplaces and supermarkets are mystery shopped to see if they come up to standard.

Even if all you mystery shop for is free food then it can really help you along the way.

If you're interested in mystery shopping then my book can help you to become a mystery shopper.

Read about how I went out shopping and came home with more money than I started with!

It's strange sometimes the way mystery shops fall. It's been ages since I did any home improvement store visits then there's two in the same day. Add in a clothing concession in a department store and a coffee shop for lunch and it's a day for generating income rather than gathering free stuff. Let me explain-

Mystery shop 1 is about checking product availability and staff knowledge. I had to check stock levels of certain products before asking someone a question relating to a home improvement problem. The response should have directed me to certain products as a solution.

Fee = £6.00

Reimbursement = £1.00

Spend = £1.55

Profit/Loss = +£4.45

The second shop was a similar home improvement visit. However this one ran a little differently. I was to browse for ten minutes to see if I was approached by a store colleague. On this occasion I want approached, so the mystery shop company required me to make a small purchase and leave. It felt unsatisfactory but those were the instructions.

Fee = £5.00

Reimbursement = £1.00

Spend = £1.30

Profit/Loss = +£4.70

And the third one was the clothing concession, and a rare thing with UK mystery shopping companies - the ability to take the item back for a refund! This is usually frowned upon by mystery shopping companies. They go to all sorts of lengths to warn you against refunding the items you've bought. But with this shop I can take the item back for a full refund any time between 30 minutes and 28 days after my purchase. It means that the whole fee comes in as cash.

Fee = £0

Reimbursement = £12.00

Spend = £20.00

Profit/Loss = +£12.00 (as I will return the item for a full refund)

The final mystery shop was a franchise operation of a massive coffee shop. It was to make a basic purchase and to see if the team member upsold me to any further purchases. It's a basic enquiry and the fee almost covered lunch for two. Not a bad end to a morning of shopping!

Fee = £6.00

Reimbursement = £6.00

Spend = £13.65

Profit/Loss = -£1.65

TOTAL = +£19.50 + a tester pot of paint, 2 tiles and lunch for 2

It's by having these days where you gain money but little free goods that can balance out your mystery shop account. All-in-all, from the preparation, the travel, the conducting of the shops and completing the reports, I probably spent 4 hours on this.

If our are interested in mystery shopping then my Amazon Kindle book is a good point to get started at. It shows you step by step how to apply to become a mystery shopper and then how to complete shops like those above-