Mystery Shopping Tips

So,  you may be interested in signing up with ShopNChek as a mystery shopper. Well, I have for you some good news and some bad news. First, the bad news.

ShopNChek no longer exists. You can’t shop for them anymore.

The good news: ShopNChek has been bought out, and the company that bought them has a very good reputation, and I highly recommend mystery shopping for them. That company is Market Force.

So, if you’re interested in becoming a mystery shopper for Shop ‘n Chek, then sign up with Market Force mystery shopping. And let me tell you, they’re a good company to sign up with. They might not pay the most, but they have a lot of assignments all over the world, and generally treat their shoppers pretty well.

So, what does a mystery shopper do anyways? Well, you basically go to a store, buy something, keep track of how you’re treated, how clean the place is, etc, then go home and fill out a form on your computer. It’s that simple. Well, then you wait a few weeks or months, and then you get paid. (That’s the downside, whether you’re shopping for Shop ‘n Chek (now Market Force), or any other company, you usually need to wait quite a while to get your reimbursement and your earnings.

Oh, and here’s a Shop ‘n Chek Scam Warning : If you ever get a large check in the mail from someone claiming they’re from “ShopNChek”, don’t deposit it! The check is fake. Especially if its a really large check. Just report it to the police, or the post office.

So, you’re interested in mystery shopping fine restaurants, hotels, cruises, and all the rest of the best? Well, then Coyle Hospitality just might be the company you’re looking to sign up with. But be warned: They’re known to have very thorough instructions, detailed reports, and high expectations of their mystery shoppers.

There is a lengthy discussion of them on MysteryShopForum. Many shoppers express disillusionment about Coyle, though I suspect it is simply because their are far more shoppers than there are fine-dining assignments. This is a company with quality assignments that many shoppers want.

They do want you to succeed though. On some assignments, Coyle Hospitality provides you with a ‘fill-in-the-blanks’ narrative to help you report your experience. To do well with them, stick to the formula they provide.

Coyle’s website has an impressive client list. Including Princess Cruises, Hilton Grand Vacation Clubs, Destination Hotels and Resorts, Bobby Flay’s Restaurants to name just a few.

If you’re interested in signing up with this company, register here.

This is about Nascosto Consumer Intilligence. If you’ve browsed mystery shopping websites very often, you’ve probably seen their ads, and wondered if they’re legitimate. A few things.

First: I recommend that you do not sign up with this company. I have personal experience with their unethical behavior.

Second, they pose as a mystery shopping company, but they are not a mystery shopping company. They are simply trying to lure you into signing up with various offers. However, by claiming that you are a “mystery shopping” for Nascosto, they are defrauding the companies you sign up with. In my opinion. Not cool.

So, if you’re interested in registering with this company, go ahead. If you feel like dealing with scumbags and liars. My opinion, which might seem harsh. But in the world of mystery shopping, the bad apples often spoil the many many good ones.

Lets help the good apples win. Register for real mystery shopping companies, such as BestMark, Sinclair, or Marketforce.

If you’re a mystery shopper, A Step Above Service Evaluations is one possible company to work with. They appear to be a smaller mystery shopping company based in Floria. They’ve been around for quite some time, but don’t appear to have many assignments.

There is little discussion of this company on the forums. One shopper in Florida has been signed up with them for quite some time, but has never found any assignments with them.

They do appear to be legitimate.

It’s always worth checking to see if A Step Above Service Evaluations has assignments in your area. Here’s their website.

They appear to do retail mystery shopping, competitor shops, phone shops, and compliance audits.

Scam Warning: Keep in mind that if you ever receive a large check in the mail from anyone claiming to be representing a ‘Mystery Shopping Company’, the check is fake! Do not cash it! Do not wire any money! Report it to the police. Even if they are claiming to be from “A Step Above”, just don’t do it. Its a pretty easy scam to avoid.

For more about this company, I recommend keeping up on MysteryShopForum: A Step Above Service Evaluations.

Helion research is a relatively new mystery shopping company based in Antwerp, Belgium. They are reputable, and seem like a good company to work with. They’re a member of the MSPA, and work in quite a number of fields, including retail, hospitality, and automotive, to name just a few. For being so new, Helion Research already has over 5,000 fans on Facebook. Which just might be a good sign.

Rumor has it that the founding owner of Helion used to work for Bare Associates International.

In a forum post on June 10, 2010, one of their employees stated that they’re mostly looking for shoppers outside the US. So, if you’re an international mystery shopper, take a look at this company!

Here’s just some of the companies they operate in:

AE,BG,BH,BM,CN,RS,CY,CZ,EE,GI,ES,GR,HK,HR,ID,IN,KR,KW,LT,LV,LY,ME,MT,MY,PL,SK,OM,PH,QA,RO,RU,SA,SG,SI,TH,TR,UA,GB,FR,DK,DE,NL,BE SE