If you're willing to devote some spare time to prowling the high street, mystery shopping can get you freebies as well as a bit of money on the side. We look into the world of mystery shopping to find out how it works.
What is mystery shopping?
Mystery shopping may seem like a relatively new phenomenon but it’s a tactic that’s been employed by marketing and retail giants for decades. It involves hiring individuals to pose as customers, shop as they normally would, then feedback their shopping experience.
Mystery shoppers are expected to comment on different components of their shopping experience such as the kind of customer service they received, how tidy and clean the shop was, and how long they had to wait in line before they were served.
The idea is that by tapping into authentic customer experiences, businesses can get an insight into how well they are performing and identify areas in which they need to improve.
This is where you come in – to be a mystery shopper you’ll get to shop for free, often have your expenses paid for, and get freebies or a payout for your trouble – all just for giving your opinion of your shopping experience.
Why mystery shop?
Retail companies aren’t the only ones looking for mystery shoppers; in fact almost any company whose success depends on how their customers rate them are in the market for mystery shoppers. These companies are eager to know how they are really performing and find out how the general public perceives them.
Mystery shopping is by no means a get-rich-quick scheme, but for those willing to give up some spare time, and particularly for those willing to travel, becoming a mystery shopper can earn you a bit of extra cash as well as some free goodies.
How does it work?
To try out mystery shopping for yourself you’ll have to sign up with a mystery shopping recruitment website. There are lots to choose from, and you can sign up with as many as you like.
Some of the sites worth visiting are:
- Checkout UK – specialise in feedback on customer service
- Performance in People - specialise in feedback on customer service
- JKS Mystery Shopping - specialise in feedback on customer service
- Retail Maxim - specialise in feedback on customer service
- Challenge 21 Mystery Shopping – mystery shoppers investigate if retailers are correctly asking for ID
- Selfridges – employ mystery shoppers for the worldwide Selfridges brand
- Retail Eyes - specialise in feedback on customer service
- Grassroots – specialise in retail as well as restaurants, banking, and leisure
- Gapbuster – specialise in retail and restaurants.
It's important to note that you should never have to pay to become a mystery shopper, as most legitimate sites will add you to their database for free. If you encounter sites that request a fee to join, these are certainly worth avoiding.
Every site will differ, but generally once you’ve signed up you’ll be asked to provide information on any past mystery shopping experience and where you would be able to travel. After this point you’ll start to receive emails or texts with new assignments in your area, and can take up any offer you wish.
The mystery shopping agency will send you assignments that might be of interest to you in nearby towns, and you can choose either to leave the assignment for someone else to take up or to accept the assignment, after which you’ll be sent all the details you need to start.
When you’re sent job offers there’s no obligation to accept them or to visit a certain number of shops per month. You shop at your leisure, take on only the assignments you’re interested in, and a contract never exists between you and the mystery shopping agency.
When you carry out an assignment as a mystery shopper you’ll need to be observant and are usually only required to behave as you normally would do in a shop. Sometimes you may need to ask the staff specific questions, or time exactly how long you had to wait in a queue before being served.
You’ll then be required to write up a report on your experience – some reports will need to be more detailed than others and could run to several pages. This will need to be delivered back to the agency promptly, who will then feedback your comments to the shop or business you visited.
It’s worth noting that assignments may not always be available in your local area, and you may have to travel to get to your shopping destination (some agencies will pay travelling expenses, so this is worth checking). As such you may be required to hold a full driving license to complete an assignment. In some cases you may be asked to travel to several different locations in one day, visiting a variety of shops and businesses and evaluating the service you receive.
Shopping may not be the only thing you’re asked to do. Some assignments could involve staying at a hotel overnight, opening a bank account, eating out at a restaurant, having a pizza delivered, or going to a pub for a drink. Each of these ventures may be paid for in different ways.
Some mystery shopping agencies will ask you to pay for your shopping up-front, and reimburse you several weeks later. Others will allow you to eat, drink, sleep and so on for free as remuneration for your trouble. Others will simply pay you for your time in cash or gift vouchers. Challenge 21 Mystery Shopping, for example, will pay you for your shopping, pay your travelling expenses, and allow you to keep any goods you buy.
What else should I consider?
Though mystery shopping can be a worthwhile activity on the side to get you some freebies and a bit of extra cash, it’s unlikely to provide you with a stable income. It may be best to limit the mystery shopping you do to the shops you would normally visit, so that the potential costs of travelling and waiting to be reimbursed don’t outweigh the benefits you’ll receive.
It doesn’t cost anything to sign up to most mystery shopping sites, so you should avoid sites that ask you to pay a fee to join – these are likely to be scams. It’s also worth noting that if you do start accepting assignments and receiving pay for them, you’ll be responsible for completing your own tax return detailing this extra income.
After you’ve completed a mystery shopping outing you’ll need to set aside some time to write up reports, fill in forms, gather your receipts, and send them to your agency as soon as possible, so this will also have to be factored into the equation.
