The Real-World Quick-Start Guide to Mystery Shopping
- Register an email account just for mystery shopping. You are going to be receiving a lot of email as a mystery shopper, and it will be a big help to keep it separated from your main email account. You will also want to make sure that the email address you are using is not going to disappear if you switch internet service providers. So I recommend that you register for a free email account from Google, Yahoo, or Hotmail. Be sure to pick a professional sounding name.
- Sign up for Paypal. Paypal is a free service that lets you send and receive money over the internet. Most mystery shopping companies now prefer to pay their mystery shoppers through Paypal. So — if you want to get payed…then register for PayPal!
- Register with mystery shopping companies. You can apply to companies online, completely free. Keep in mind that if they are asking for money…then they are NOT a mystery shopping company. I recommend that you save your responses to the first application you fill out in a separate document, so that you can copy and paste it into other applications. You can find companies to register with at MysteryShopForum.com, on this website, and on the MSPA job board.It helps to keep a table or spreadsheet with information about all of the companies you have registered with. Include the url of the company, the url where you log in to their website, and the username/password to log in. Also, it helps to record the date you registered, and whether or not they are likely to have assignments for you.
- Apply for assignments. Every mystery shopping company has a different process for giving out assignments. With many companies, you can ‘self-assign’ on their website. Once you get a confirmation that you were assigned the assignment, you will be able to go out and do it. It is important to keep a record of all your assignments. For each assignment, record the mystery shopping company name, the location of the assignent, the date it is due, the fee expected, the reimbursement expected, and when you expect to get paid. You will also want to record the miles driven to and from the assignment for your tax records. If this is your first mystery shopping assignment for this company, then pick a very easy assignment. If you do well on it, your ‘shopper rating’ will go up — and they will be more likely to offer you better assignments.
- Review assignment instructions. Once you accept an assignment, you should review the instructions as soon as possible. This is to make sure that you are able to do the assignment, and to make sure that you will have plenty of time to ask the company for any help in clarifying what they expect of you. They want you to do well on the assignment, so do not hesitate to ask as many questions as necessary. You will also want to create a ‘cheat sheet’ that will help you keep track of the details you are expected to observe for your assignment.
- Go out and complete the assignment. Be sure to complete the assignment on time! And just as importantly, be sure to file your report on time. And do your best. If you do well on the assignment, the company will take note of that, and they will be more likely to offer you better assignment in the future. Be sure to keep a copy of your assignment instructions and any other records/receipts from the assignment.
- Repeat steps 3-6 as much as you want. The more companies you apply to, the more opportunities you will have. The more assignments you complete, the more money you will earn. The more you ‘wow’ the company you are working with, the more likely they are to offer you more assignments in the future. So, apply to companies and complete assignments to the best of your ability. That is the formula for ‘mystery shopping success.’
- At the end of the month, review your logs. You will want to keep track of which payments you have received, and which ones you still expect. Every once in a while, a mystery shopping company will need some ‘cajoling’ before they pay you. Keeping good records will help with this tremendously.
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I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU GUYS AND READY TO SHOP!
Please delete my name from your database!!!
I am interested in becoming a mystery shopper. My husband and I are retired. We have plenty of time to complete assignments. We travel from North Louisiana to Dallas frequently; therefore, we have ample opportunities
to shop.
We competed assignments several years ago – reporting on Ryan’s Restaurants.
Thanks
I am happily anticipating this new career oppertunity. Thank you for this new experience.
Hi i’am interested in becoming a mystery shopper. And would like to make some extra money!! Looking forward to hearing from you!!
i want to make money. can i start now?
yes i would like to be a mystery shopper.
Hi i just got started with mystery shopin,hope i get contact. Thank you.
hi just starting, have recieved several bad checks, allways make sure the checks are good before using them. Are there any real companys?????
exited about working for mystery shoppers
I have just started mystery shopping and I am not getting as many jobs as I thought I would. I was told the more companies I registered with the more jobs I would get, but that’s not the case. I am located in Canada. Any suggestions on how I could get more jobs would be appreciated.
I am in college, and like all students we need all the financial
help we can get. Which is why I’m sure I can offer you the best service possable.
I would love to get paid for something i love to do!! Being unemployed, this will be perfect; I have a sick son, and it will alow me to be at his need when it is necessary! Please consider me for this job.
I’m now going from p/t to f/t shopping
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Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end?
I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.