Mystery Shopping

Mystery shopping is a means of quality control that involves a company hiring an individual to act as a customer in their place of business. The process can be recorded for later analysis, or the mystery shopper can be asked to write a report or take a survey on their experience. The concept of mystery shopping has exploded in recent years into almost a billion dollar industry in the United States alone.

The internet has helped facilitate this explosion, as more and more companies dedicated to hiring and assigning of mystery shoppers pop up. It is quite easy to get a mystery shopping job through any of these websites, most of which allow you to pick and choose from a multitude of assignments.

Mystery Shopping Tasks

So what kind of task can you expect to perform as a mystery shopper? This can vary from company to company. Organizations that commonly use secret shoppers include fast food chains, retail chains, health clubs, and banks, to name a few. In some places, a company will hire a “young looking” individual to attempt to buy tobacco or adult products at gas stations without ID. It is in the company’s best interest to run these tests, as local law enforcement will often run similar tests, and the penalty for failure can be a devastating fine. Similarly, a mystery shopper may be asked to assume some sort of false condition, such as a peanut allergy at a restaurant, to test cooperation and compliance of the employees. Other times it may be as simple as evaluating and establishment’s cleanliness and presentation.

Avoid Mystery Shopping Scams

Finally, it is important to note that while most of these companies are completely legitimate, some mystery shopping programs have been used recently as a front to a common internet scam involving the passing of bad checks. NEVER participate in any program asking you to use Western Union or wire transfers. That said, mystery shopping is quickly becoming a great new way to make a few dollars on the side while doing things you would normally be doing anyway.