I run a home business and about ½ of my workload comes from Shopping and Merchandising jobs. It combines the freedom of owning a home office with getting out into the public and doing assignments that I find to be fun. Here I get to combine my clerical skills with some skills and activities that feed my creative side. Do you have what it takes, are you ready to become a successful Mystery Shopper?

The Art of being a Successful Mystery Shopper

By Maureen Suggitt 2006©

You’ll Be Using Detective Skills: You’ve really got to like digging in and getting to the bottom of things. You should like to find out answers and report them. Here, being a snoop can be valuable skill. You’ll need to be observant and be aware of what is going on all around you. There will be shops where your ‘spy’ tricks may come in quite handy and in fact may even be considered ingenious.

Become an Actor/Actress: You should be able to read a script and role-play when needed. You will need to remember that you are to remain in character during your shop. If you are asked to play the part of a rabbit and purchase carrots, then Gaul darn it, you had better be the best rabbit in town. I’d be hoppin’ out of that store with the information and dangling the carrots.

Be Mysterious: Remember this is called Mystery Shopping. You won’t be able to tell everyone that you are a Shopper. Each company will require you to sign a confidentiality clause- that means not talking about what you are doing. You will belong to an elite group of other Shoppers who may be found meeting in secretive places called Forums. Sometimes they have been known to form an Internet ‘Ring’. But let’s not talk about that right now. Just remember to wear your shroud of mystery proudly, be mysterious, and keep your shopping secrets.

Love to Watch People: You may need to remember Jimmie, Johnie, Jane and Judy – who they were, what they did and what they looked like.

Think like Dick Tracy: He always got the story. Try to communicate what you saw and heard into your report. Try to remember your job is reporting, not fiction writing. Remember a good Reporter REPORTS.

Love to Shop or Eat Out: This is the type of work you should do because you love it, not because you think you’ll get rich. You’ll love this job a lot more if you pick the assignments that interest you, don’t just take a luxury hotel shop for the money if you’d be missing your family’s camping trip. If you’d rather be camping, then go camping. Trust me, always put the money offered for the shop in perspective before accepting an assignment. That way, when you accept a shop, you’ll be going in with a positive mind frame.

Be a Quick Study: Sometimes you will receive a lot of material to learn. You’ll need to be able to read through their material, learn it, and sometimes take a test before going on a shop. They are paying you, so they will be expecting you to know exactly what information you’ll be gathering. You Almost Have to Become a High Tech Geek: Yep, that means learning the new lingo, like IPOD, MP3, Laptop, Internet, email, downloads, uploads, oh no! Keep going, PDF files, faxing, digital imaging….I know, it sounds overwhelming, but don’t worry, you’ll be meeting and hanging out with your new buddy, PayPal.

And last but not least, Do It for the Love of It!