Since being founded in 1987 in San Antonio, Texas, Sinclair Customer Metrics (SCM) has offered mystery shopping services to numerous clients that operate in various industries throughout the United States.

Those industries include banking, convenience stores, grocery establishments, quick and full service restaurants, retail, and automotive service and sales.

In general, the compensation range for shops is from $5 to $20 which does not include the reimbursement provided for required purchases. A stated reimbursement amount for any required purchase is given prior to conducting the shop. Payment for all completed shops can be expected during the last week of the month following the completed shop. This payment method can be initially confusing. To clarify, whether a shop is completed September 1^st or September 28^th, payment for both would be issued in the last week of October.

Becoming a shopper with Sinclair is quite simple. First, you will need to logon to www.sinclaircustomermetrics.com and select the “New Mystery Shopper Sign-Up” tab at the top right corner of the site. This is where you are given clearly detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to become a shopper. To get started, you will need to enter your name and e-mail address at the bottom of the page. This will give access to the steps involved in the sign-up process.

The first two items of the sign-up process are documents to review. It is extremely important to thoroughly read the introduction documents and become absolutely clear on the expectations of both you and SCM. The Independent Contractor Agreement is a legal document. It is imperative that you have complete understanding of this document as an agreement is required before you can be considered as a shopper. You will find that an Independent Contractor Agreement is required with any mystery shopping company you conduct shops for and is nothing to be alarmed about, but should be thoroughly read. Next, you will complete an online application which requests general information and specific questions regarding the technology you have access to and your mystery shopping experience. (Note: Not having any mystery shopping experience does not mean you will not be offered assignments.)

After completing your application, you will be assigned a Shopper Login-ID and Password. This will allow access to your “Shopper Home Page” going forward. The next stage of the process is to take the “Sinclair New Shopper Challenge” and the “New Shopper Survey”.

These questionnaires will ask questions based on the Information for Mystery Shoppers document you will have already reviewed. After successfully passing these short surveys, you will become a shopper and can begin preparing for shops that are of interest to you. It is critical that you spend time carefully reading through the information provided on your home page as it contains everything you will need to know while working with SCM.

Signing up for shops with SCM is simple due to their “Online Scheduling” feature located under the “Available Shops” tab of your home page. Before scheduling a shop, you will need to review the “Briefing” and pass the “Qualification Test” which can be found under the “Training” tab. After passing both the Briefing and Qualification Test, you will then be able to self-schedule shops for that specific client. Each available shop will give the business name, address, shop time, payment structure, account assistant, and open dates you may conduct the shop. Once you choose the date and select “schedule”, you have committed to performing the shop in accordance to the detailed instructions provided. You must read the instructions carefully as missing any step may result in a rejected shop or a reduction of pay.

Although applying to become a shopper and signing up for shops with Sinclair is relatively easy, it will be worth your while to read what other shoppers have said about working with SCM. You can do this by joining a forum such as www.mysteryshopforum.com to read shopper comments. On this forum, for example, there are mixed reviews about working for SCM.

The majority of the shoppers report that working with this company is easy, straight-forward, and payments are issued on the agreed schedule listed on the SCM website. On the other hand, you will find sporadic negative comments regarding the pay offered for shops. Fair payment is uniquely determined by each shopper. What is considered low to one shopper may be perfectly acceptable to another. I have completed more than 20 shops for SCM including quick service restaurant, banking, retail, and automotive sales shops with pay ranging from $5 to $60, not including applicable reimbursements.

The payment for SCM shops is typically in direct correlation with the difficulty and the time, both performance and reporting, that is involved. You can expect that higher paying shops will require much more time to conduct and a more in-depth explanation of details in your shopping report.

Working with this company has been a very positive experience and one that I will continue indefinitely. By positive, that does not mean there have not been frustrating circumstances, including loss of pay, that have occurred along the way. I consider it to be a positive relationship as schedulers are easily accessible and eager to answer any questions I may have. Additionally, the instructions for each shop are clear to understand and detailed in the reporting expectation for the completed shop. For the shops I had trouble with or did not receive payment for, it was ultimately my error. My schedulers have always been easy to reach and have made attempts to help recover the incomplete shop, but have not always been able to do so.

Following all instructions and contacting your scheduler for any clarification needed will result in full and timely payment for your completed shop. From my and many others experience, Sinclair Customer Metrics is a company that any mystery shopper should consider.