How to Earn Money by Mystery Shopping

Mystery shoppers evaluate drive-through restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, automobile shops, computer repair companies and even luxury vacation resorts. If you like shopping and would like to help retail stores and restaurants improve customer service, then you'll love working as a mystery shopper.

How does it work?

Mystery shopping companies are hired by large retail chains, restaurants, and hotels to help them evaluate store cleanliness and customer service.

Typically, as a mystery shopper you will work independent contractor for several different mystery shopping companies. Most companies will either use email or a website to let shoppers know of available assignments.

For each assignment, you will be sent instructions and an evaluation form. You'll print these from your home computer and then bring them with you on your mystery shopping assignment.

When you get to the location of your mystery shopping assignment, you'll read through the evaluation form so that you know what to evaluate during your visit. You may be asked to note the employee's names, uniforms, wait times in line, and cleanliness of the store.

After your assignment is complete, you will return home and fill out an online evaluation form and mail the receipt to your scheduler.

Payment is usually made within 30-60 days of the assignment.

How to find jobs mystery shopping

The first thing you need to know about finding mystery shopping assignments is that no real mystery shopping company will ever ask you to pay any fees in order to get an assignment.

The second thing to know is that there are hundreds of mystery shopping companies. Most mystery shopping companies seem to have one or two big clients and a few companies have several big clients. Some specialize in a specific industry and/or a specific geographical area.

The most effective way to find mystery shopping assigments is to sign up with as many companies as you can find because each one will offer you only a few assignments.

To find mystery shopping companies, the best place to look is the Mystery Shoppers Providers Association. At this website, you will find a list of available assignments, as well as a list of member companies. After signing up with each individual company, you will begin to get emails from some of the companies with lists of assignments.

Volition.com also offers a comprehensive list of mystery shopping companies as well as a bulletin board, and several other helpful items that you will find useful as a mystery shopper.