Information on Mystery Shoppers
Mystery shopping can be an attractive option for those looking to supplement a full-time income, or as a part-time endeavor. The industry is also valued by companies as an anonymous way to gauge how their businesses are represented by employees.
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How It Works
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Businesses pay market research companies to enlist the aid of mystery shoppers. The mystery shoppers then visit establishments anonymously, evaluate products, services, cleanliness and other aspects of the business. They then fill out an evaluation form and return it to the market research company, or submit an online version.
Compensation
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Companies pay a predetermined fee for a shopper's services. A shopper usually can keep the products he has been assigned to purchase.
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Types of Assignments
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Although not as common as the general assignments described above, a shopper might receive a request to evaluate a competitor's establishment. Occasionally, she might also be asked to do cyber-shopping, perform discrimination testing for the government or secretly test an employee to measure his honesty during a cash transaction.
Can I Mystery Shop Full-Time?
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Mystery shopping should never be relied upon as a source of full-time income. In fact, employment is sporadic enough that few would even view it as a part-time job, since assignments occur only as needed by companies.
Warning
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Unfortunately, scammers have preyed upon those seeking extra income by sending e-mails or putting out newspaper ads soliciting mystery shoppers. Victims sometimes pay a fee to find work. No legitimate mystery shopping company would ask for money in return for mystery shopping assignments, and most have no need to advertise.
Finding Legitimate Work
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The best way to find mystery shopping assignments is to do an online search, avoiding any company asking for a fee. The Mystery Shopping Providers Association is a trade group acknowledged as legitimate by the Federal Trade Commission. The site, referenced at the end of the article, offers a free directory of mystery shopping listings as well as general industry information. Although the FTC says that certification is usually unnecessary to find work, the MSPA does offer certificates for a fee.
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References
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Comments
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Great helpful information!
