Try Mystery Shopping! This is my favorite company that does fun spots!

Is mystery/secret shopping worth it?  Can you really make money?  How do you apply for good companies?  How much time is involved?  I’ve done it for 20 years, on and off.  I’ll give you my tips & explain the process, and also point you to one of my favorite companies.

Below is one of my favorite companies to work for, that does fun spots.

What is Mystery Shopping?
Mystery shopping is when you pose as a customer and conduct normal business, with the intent to evaluate and report on the company’s service and/or products you receive.  Sometimes, there is a cash payment involved.  Other times you just get a reimbursement with or without a small payment.

It’s very rare that you work directly with the company.  You are usually an independent contractor, working for third party companies.

Over the years, it’s changed a lot.  I remember taking pictures of a floral delivery I received, having to go get the film developed at a 24-hr place, and then mailing the pictures to the company.  You won’t be doing that now!  I’m feeling really old.

With a few exceptions, everything is done digitally.  You will apply for, find available jobs, and accept them online.  That’s also where you’ll find all the directions and submit your report and any pictures, if they’re required.

Is Mystery Shopping Worth It?
Mystery shopping is a great way to add some perks to your life, but you’re not going to get rich.  There are some where you get a decent payment, without taking something home or enjoying an experience or other benefit.  They are more rare, but include things like opening a bank account, test driving a car, or visiting a retirement or daycare center and posing as potential customer.

I stay away from those since I still don’t feel the payments are good enough to justify the time involved, but they’re not all lousy.  I just prefer the perks since they can be more of a generous “payment” for my time and it’s more motivating for me to get to experience something I normally wouldn’t.  If I make $20 for going to a daycare center, the money will end up in my bank and I’ll buy groceries.  Not exciting enough.  :)

Yes, I realize cash is a necessary part of life and we all need groceries.  I just don’t feel like mystery shopping is the ideal way to make consistent money.  If that’s your goal, you will probably be disappointed.

There are people who say they make a good side income or claim to do it full time.  I will tell you you’d have to apply for a lot of companies and it would take a long time to get the right jobs lined up and find enough that are worthwhile.  It would be a huge time investment.  Personally, I’d rather go get a “real job” and have less stress in my life, but … well, no jobs are stress-free and we all like different things, so I’m not saying it can’t be done.

For the ones I’m willing to do and most familiar with . . . at best, you’re going to save money by getting a product or service for free.  At worst, you’re going to completely waste your time and be stressed out, wondering why you just did it.

I think the worst mystery shop I’ve seen was for socks.  (Some other shops have come close.  There are some ridiculous paying ones out there!)  They wanted me to spend something like 20 minutes in a tiny sock store in the mall, buy socks, then return them.  Seriously?  I’m going to spend 20 minutes interacting with the one associate in the store, over a pair of socks??  Then, I have to come back and return them, probably to the same associate on duty?? Nope!  That’s not for me.  Plus, I think there had to be at least two hours between the purchase and return and it paid something like $8.  Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not willing to drive somewhere for all that and then come home and spend 30-60 minutes (for the simple ones) writing up a report about it for eight measly bucks!  That doesn’t include all the time it took me to find/get that job, read all the directions and prepare for the shop, scan and upload my receipts, etc.  NO WAY!

What are the Mystery Shops & Reports Like?
Be discerning!  Calculate all the time involved for the actual shop, then doing the report.  Whatever time you think it will take to enter the report, double it.

Most companies ask you to fill out a check-box style form to evaluate each aspect of customer service and also report on physical aspects like the bathrooms or the condition of the exterior.  For each section, you can be asked to provide additional written information.  Some may ask for a specific number of words or sentences.  Some ask for a sentence to back up each answer.  Others will ask for a couple paragraphs.  A few will just let you check the boxes with little narrative required.  It can vary quite a bit.

Reports may ask for employee names, ages, heights, hair color, condition of uniform, etc.   They may want to know exactly how long it took for you to be greeted, how long it took for your entree to arrive, if the bathroom floor was clean, how many other customers were in line, what the landscaping looked like, if you heard music playing, if they asked a certain question, what their greeting was … anything along those lines.

Just make sure you familiarize yourself with the report and take notes you can glance at, from your phone.  It’s much easier to record things since everyone is on their phone and it’s not suspicious.  Years ago, I used to run to the bathroom and jot down notes, when my brain was full and I needed to download some information.

When it was a dining shop, my husband was a good partner.  If you have someone you can prep ahead of time, give them a job!  I’d tell him a few thing he was in charge of, so I could focus on other things.  He would time things, look for a name, or estimate a height, while I interacted.

You’re looking for a lot of details.  It can be stressful.  I’ll warn you ahead of time.  But, it gets easier with practice.  Being well prepared makes a huge difference.  Don’t think you can just read over the report you’ll be filling out, walk in, then come home and fill out the report.  There are way too many details that you’ll forget.

You need to be able to follow directions precisely, or you won’t get paid/reimbursed.  You need to have a good eye for detail and a decent memory to pull off a shop.

When I take notes about the shop, before I get there, I don’t write anything down that I know I’ll remember.  For instance, if I know I need to check the bathroom, I may write “bathroom” but I know I’ll be checking for trash, cleanliness, was the TP stocked, mirrors clean, etc.  I don’t need to take extensive notes on that.  But, if I’m afraid I won’t remember to notice if there’s music playing, I’ll jot down, “music?”  If I need reminders to check something basic or fill in very specific information I may forget, I jot it down.

My notes may look something like this, though usually much more than this unless it’s a super simple shop.  This might be for entering an entertainment place.

Arrival time

Time for greeting
Welcome quote/greeting

Cashier name
Height
Age
Hair color

Concession time in line
Name
Height
Age
Hair color

Departure time

If it’s going to ask me if it’s raining or sunny, I don’t need a note.  I’ll remember that.  If I need to remember if the exterior is clean and the landscaping is manicured, I remember that.  If they need to know if the trash cans are overflowing, I may jot a note in case I forget to look.  You get the point.

Too many notes for what to look for slows you down and may cause you to miss something.  On the other hand, not reminding yourself about a question they ask is worse, so more is better, until you become pro.  Write down what you may overlook and won’t be able to “rewind” your memory on.

Beyond just gathering all the correct details, you also need to be a good writer in regards to content and style as well as grammar and punctuation.  They aren’t looking for perfection, but if you can only compose a short text message, mystery shopping isn’t for you.

For lack of a better way to say it … you need to babble on about things and give details you don’t even really care about or think are important.  They want it all, sometimes stated more than once.  You can’t hate to write.

They are not looking for feelings (unless they ask, sometimes at the end), but pure facts.  They want you to paint a picture from start to finish, usually.

If someone takes 20 minutes to come help you, they don’t want to hear you go off on them and say how horrible they are.  They want you to explain exactly what happened during the wait …  “Jack greeted us 2 minutes after Jill seated us at our table.  He asked us if we wanted anything to drink.  We ordered one Dr. Pepper and one Coke.  After 17 minutes, Jack came to our table, gave us our soda and asked if we were ready to order.  No apology was given for the wait. …. ”  That’s better than, “Jack didn’t show up for 20 minutes and nobody else seemed to care.  It was extremely rude and we will never return.”  You get the point.

How do you Start Mystery Shopping?
You can use Google to find companies.  NEVER pay to get on their list.  All the reputable companies do not charge you to become a mystery shopper!

Some may tell you the type of clients they have, but they do not disclose exact business names.

When applying, many will ask for a sample of your writing, by having you answer a specific question(s).  Take that part seriously and give them your best.  Keep what you write somewhere since the next application will ask something similar.  You can tweak it or just copy the same thing over.

Some give you instant approval/access to their job boards.  Others, you’ll have to wait to receive directions.  Some send out emails a lot, others not as much.  They expect you to check in with them.  Keep a good list of companies you applied for and a list of clients they have, so you can keep yourself organized and can check in on some of them that interest you.

Do I Still Mystery Shop?
I don’t do mystery shopping often because it’s just not worth the effort for me.  There are few jobs that are worth the time investment for me, since I keep myself pretty busy doing other things.

Since I don’t actively mystery shop anymore, I’ve unsubscribed from almost all lists.  I don’t have all my past records.  :(  If I can backtrack and remember what companies I used to like, I’ll come back here and update this post (and let you now) someday.  For now, I have one company to suggest because I haven’t unsubscribed from their emails since I often like the jobs and payment involved.  I still do them from time to time.

Mystery Shopping Company I Reccommend for Entertainment & Family Fun Spots
The company I still receive emails from sent an email, that they’re looking for shoppers.  That reminded me that I should share about my mystery shopping experience, since I get a lot of questions when people find out I’ve done it.

Full disclosure:  I receive a commission for anyone who completes a shop since I became a recruiting partner with them.  But, I promise you that I would share the sock company or about 30 others that I’ve worked with.  I have very few that I’d recommend.  This is one of them.  (As I said, if I come across more, I’ll update this post someday.)

This company stands out.  It’s called Amusement Advantage.  Mystery shopping companies do not let you share your reports or information about their clients.  So, I can’t tell you exactly what companies/job to expect to see.  I can tell you that this company does all fun-related venues.  They are all places you would probably want to visit with kids.

I am allowed to tell you, in general, what they do … bowling, skating, small amusement-type parks, miniature golfing, etc.

You don’t have to be in the Phoenix area.  If you’re in Tucson or Flagstaff even better!  For Flagstaff, there’s almost always a bowling alley shop with a very generous reimbursement.  Right now it’s up to $134 + $10 payment!  Also, for Tucson, I often see some fun places sitting there, waiting for someone to pick up.  I’ve been tempted to take a couple and go down and make a day out of it, but them I’m reminded of the effort it takes to get there and then all the work I’d have when I return.  Remember, it’s not “free money” or a free outing.  You pay in time!

You will, absolutely, work for your payment.  For Amusement Advantage, the usual pay is only something like $5-$10, but their reimbursements are generous, in the $75-$100+ range, depending on the venue.  (Beyond admission, you may be asked to buy some food, a souvenir, play an arcade game, etc.)  I think they say to allow 1-2 hours to complete a report.  If you’re just starting out, count on at least two hours for your first report.  They want a lot or narratives and there are a lot of details to report on.

If you’re going out of state on vacation and willing to set some time aside to figure out what they want, take notes while your family is having fun, then dedicate a couple house to doing the report … “free” entertainment is waiting somewhere.  You can search by state.

If you want to register for Amusement Advantage, go here.  Be aware that there is no approval process.  Once you’ve registered, go to their job board and request any shop you’re interested in.  Bookmark their site and come back and look for new jobs later.  The ones around the Phoenix area often disappear after a short time.  Keep checking in on their job board!  They will send occasional emails, but it’s not too many and by the time you get them, the good jobs may be gone.

Summary
The point of this is for those with some interest and a little time, to give it a try.  I’m trying to paint a realistic picture.  It’s work.  It’s not as easy and glamorous as you may have heard.  Yes, there are cruise mystery shops.  Yes, you may be able to do them one day if you have some experience.  But, no, you won’t start there and even if you end there, how much do you want to work on your cruise?  Spending hours and hours each day evaluating and writing up reports, for some services/places I’m not even interested in is not appealing to me, even for a free cruise.  Take the ones you like, pass the ones you don’t. Enjoy the new experiences along the way!

If you have mystery shopped and don’t mind sharing your favorite company with some samples of payment and the type of companies they work for, please email me and I can update this.  (juli@bargainbeliever.com)

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