Mystery shopping is one of my favourite ways to earn extra money – after all, who doesn't want to get paid for shopping or eating out. If you have thought about becoming a mystery shopper then I am going to show you how in this blog post.
What is it?
Mystery shopping is a tool used by companies to evaluate their quality of service.
In order to do this, companies employ outside agencies to recruit mystery shoppers to carry out assignments. These shoppers will act like a normal customer and look at certain aspects of the service they receive. The shopper then completes a report after the assignment and receives a payment for doing so.
The skills you need to be a mystery shopper
Before embarking on your new side hustle as a mystery shopper you need to think about whether it's is for you.
There are certain skills you need to be successful.
You need to:
- Be punctual
- Be able to report accurately
- Remember details
- Have time to complete a report
How to become a mystery shopper
In order to become a secret shopper you need to find legitimate companies to register with, then once accepted you can apply for assignments.
During your application process you are usually asked things like your name, address and sometimes your employment history.
Some will want you to write a paragraph or two explaining why you would make a good mystery shopper, or you might need to create a report based on one of your last shopping or dining experiences.
Top tip: save everything you write onto your computer or cloud so that you can use it for your next mystery shopping company application.
Once you have been accepted you will be able to see the assignments available to you.
Select an assignment, read the notes and if you believe that you can complete the job within the time frame then you can go ahead and apply for it.
How much does it pay?
The amount of money you can earn from mystery shopping varies greatly, from the type of assignment to the length of the report.
Sometimes the assignment will only pay you a reimbursement – for example you might get a meal for two worth £40 for free in exchange for your report.
Other mystery shopping assignments will give you a fee and reimburse your purchase.
If you complete two of these assignments per month, then I estimate that you will earn yourself an extra £240 per year.
Best companies to sign up for
There are so many mystery shopping companies out there, knowing where to start can be a minefield.
You should not have to pay to join a mystery shopping company.
Here are some of my favourite, legit companies:
- Market Force
- Helion Research
- Red WigWam
- Amber Arch
- Grass Roots msyery shopping
- Bare International
- Catalyst
- ESA Retail
- GBW Solutions
- Mystery Dining Company
- Performance in People
- QDOS mystery shopping
- Retail Active
- Retail Maxim
- TERN
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