| How to become a mystery shopper
This guide will provide information on ways to become a mystery shopper.
A mystery shopper is someone who anonymously tests products for companies. Companies ranging from well-known multinationals to localized firms employ mystery shoppers.
Sometimes, you may get contracts to work for them direct or often it could be through intermediaries that recruit and assign mystery-shopping projects. It is a great way to earn money. Who needs mystery shoppers?
There is often an assumption that mystery shoppers tend to be women and the jobs are always in the fashion/clothing industry. This far from the truth, mystery shoppers are needed for their opinion across a range of industries such as gaming, electronics, cosmetics, etc.
Examples of some mystery shopper jobs:
- A retailer may use a mystery shopper to test out a new line of cosmetics products.
- An electronics company may use a mystery shopper to test the performance of a new plasma TV set.
- A fashion retailer will use mystery shoppers to test the new range of clothing.
Mystery shopper job contracts
Mystery shoppers are needed for both part and full time work. It must be stressed that many mystery-shopping projects are very short ones that last no more than hour or two. However, there are many others that are virtually full time jobs.
Attributes for becoming a mystery shopper
There are some attributes that would put you in a good position to become a mystery shopper.
- You are a frequent shopper and are aware of the current trends in products and services that are being sold.
- You have the ability to form an opinion on the quality of a product. Honesty is also a crucial element that is of great importance.
- You have the ability to express yourself and your opinion. A good grasp of oral and written ability is a must. Being highly opinionated is seen as a great attribute to have for a mystery shopper.
Tip: It is paramount that you are highly professional and make sure you provide well thought out opinions because one of the ways to get a permanent or future mystery shopper contracts is to be persuasive.
Finding mystery shopper work
One of the best ways to find mystery shopper jobs is to sign up to organizations that deal with recruiting mystery shoppers. Firms of all sizes use them to locate mystery shoppers to carry out projects.
Mystery shopper salary
A mystery shopper's earning will vary depending on the number of projects assigned to them. Also, you can expect to be paid more money being a mystery shopper for a large multinational firm like Wal-Mart than for example, a small-localized firm.
A mystery shopper can expect to earn anywhere from $15 an hour to in excess of $50 an hour. This is really handsome money for something people would do for nothing. It just goes to show that people's opinions on product testing is highly valued.
You can also expect to get paid for all necessary travel costs.
Mystery shopper scams
Many people looking for free mystery shopper jobs often search on the internet, and while being a mystery shopper is something that can provide a great way of earning money for those lucky enough to get free mystery shopper jobs, there are some people that are continuously looking to deceive.
You can avoid being a victim of mystery shopper scam by following several steps:
- Never ever send money after coming across a website that promises its readers mystery shopper once they have parted with their money. A mystery shopper is like any other employment; you shouldn't need to part money to become employed.
- If you search the internet for mystery shopper job sites, make sure you can distinguish between genuine and scam sites. There are lot of mystery shopper scam sites out there.
- Avoid opening up random mystery shopper emails. They are sent to you, often in a personal way, to deceive and defraud you.
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