by Hannah Stark

In order to begin my Mystery Shopping story, I want to give you a little background about myself. I’m probably very much like you. I’m a Mom and a wife. I like to shop and eat out. The Mom job and the Wife job usually include both shopping and eating out. My life is comfortable but we have to pay attention to where our money is spent. In this economy, dollars have to be budgeted.

One day, I had been searching around the computer, looking at ways to earn some pocket change and yet keep my personal schedule intact. Even with the economy going downhill, there were many ads looking for help. A lot of them peaked my interest. I started seeing repeat ads that said, “Make money, eat for free.”

The more I investigated the ads, the more I got excited. I had an idea it was for Mystery Shopping but I wasn’t really sure what that meant. I went to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) site, which had been mentioned in some of the ads. The site is a great place for both beginners and experienced shoppers. There is a ton of information, lots of forums and job offers. I saw that a shopper could take a brief and inexpensive ($15 at the time) test and receive a certificate. The more I read, the more I wanted to get involved.

Was it really possible to earn some extra money to help out the household budget and get to eat or shop for free? It sounded too good to be true. Well here I am, three and a half years later, letting you know that it is true!

I passed that quiz (it was not hard, mostly common sense) and got my certificate. I knew I was on my way. There was a whole world of shoppers out there and I was going to be one of them. Over the next week, I looked up some of the companies that offered things that I wanted. The MSPA site was helpful and I also found other search engines called Volition and Jobslinger. Both of these companies act like a bulletin board for the scheduling companies that offer the jobs. With Mystery Shopping (MS) you work as an Independent Contractor. You have to fill out an application with each scheduling company. And each company has several clients so you could be shopping a grocery store one time and a fast food restaurant another. Shoppers work directly with the schedulers for the MS company, not with the client company.

Organization is important. Attentiveness is important. To get started, I thought about what I needed and what I wanted. I knew I was low on printer paper. I figured I would need some kind of a journal. Some of the MS companies talked about a stop watch. So I started with what would help my budget. I found a job offer for an office supply store. I filled out an application with that MS company and applied for that specific shop. It was exciting and fun. I prepared myself, memorized what I had to pay attention to and I kept track of my timings. I had to ask a question and visit one of the departments. That’s not hard – I do that naturally when I shop. I had to make a purchase. What, make a purchase?

Here’s where it gets better. Yes, the cost of the purchase was reimbursed. So you know I went home with a ream of printer paper that day. The next shop I did, I purchased a journal. And so on. It got better and better. When I needed cash, I applied for shops that pay the shopper a fee instead of a reimbursement. And when I felt like having lunch out, I applied for shops that reimbursed for the meal. Over time, I set up a filing system. It took a few tries but I have it completely organized now.

The few friends I have told about this job are curious and think it’s clever of me. They appreciate that I can make my own hours, supplement my income and have fun doing it. Life before Mystery Shopping was not as carefree fun and while I can get a job elsewhere, this gives me the most amount of freedom and control of my schedule. It has changed my life by relieving some of the stress with finances, by allowing me to get paid for things like clothes and household items. I get to eat out as often as my waistline will allow and as I have become more experienced and successful, I am able to choose the higher paying jobs and eat at the nicer restaurants.

I live in a small town so I don’t like to say I am a Mystery Shopper or a Secret Shopper. I don’t want to be recognized if I am doing a job. I say I work as a Freelance Evaluator. When someone asks me what I do, I explain that I work for several companies to evaluate different areas for them and submit a report of my findings. There are many names for this business but for me, I nick-named my shopping business, “My Treat”. That’s what I say when I bring home some goods or take my hubby out to dinner. It’s My Treat! I have taken family and friends out to dinner and sometimes they didn’t know I was working.

I am now signed up with over 50 companies and I am a serious shopper. I typically take jobs for fun dinners or fine dining and clothing stores with a reimbursement and a shop fee. That’s right, I have been able to find shops that pay a fee for the report and a reimbursement for the food or purchased item. Being a Mystery Shopper is a win-win situation. I get the goods and they get a dedicated and reliable shopper. I invite you to join me!