Mystery shopping is a fun way to earn a small extra income and get some pretty neat free gifts too!

A great option for moms, students or retired people mystery shopping flexible and easy to do.

You can become a mystery shopper with the minimum of fuss, few special skills are needed and you can be almost any age! What could be easier than going to the bank or to a restaurant with your kids or stopping at the supermarket to pick up a few items? You probably already do these things for no money at all!

So how can you get paid for doing what you do best? Follow this easy guide and see if you would like to become a mystery shopper too:

What Does a Mystery Shopper Do?

Mystery shoppers visit stores, restaurants, banks and many other businesses and secretly observe and evaluate the service provided by filling out questionnaires. Services you will rate include helpfulness, safety and cleanliness. Recently mystery shoppers have gone ‘virtual’ and there is now a growing demand for online mystery shoppers to evaluate e-commerce sites (so you never even have to leave home!).

How Can You Become a Mystery Shopper?

Get started by registering with a mystery shopping company. You will occasionally receive assignments with detailed instructions and a time-frame by which you need to complete your task.

For example, you might be asked to visit a clothing store and ask for assistance from a store clerk whose assistance you will evaluate afterwards or to visit a fast food restaurant and order a kid’s meal and time how long it takes to be served. You may get assigned to visit a bank and open a new account and measure the customer service you receive.

How Much Time Will being a Mystery Shopper Take?

Most assignments take about a half hour of ’shopping time’ and another half hour to fill out the questionnaire.

How Much Does Being a Mystery Shopper Pay?

You aren’t likely to become a millionaire by being a mystery shopper but it is a good option for students or mom’s as it can be done part-time and you can take the kids along.

You will earn between a range of about $5 for a supermarket or fast-food evaluation to $100 for a complex, time-consuming trip to the bank to open a new account or evaluating service standards at the airport ticket check-in counter.

Most mystery shopper jobs pay in the $20 to $40 range. You will also get the additional benefit of coupons for free dinners or movies. There are companies that don’t pay cash but offer coupons, free products or services or gift certificates.

What Skills are Needed?

A mystery shopper needs to be detail oriented and have a good memory since you will only be able to make notes afterwards. During the ’shopping trip’ you are required to act like any normal consumer and can’t bring any undue attention towards yourself. You will also need good record-keeping skills so you can keep track of the expenses you incur on your trips for example gas and mileage. You will need a driver’s license in most cases and if you ’shop’ online you will need to be conputer literate.

What Equipment is Required?

You will need a car to get to and from your assigned stores and a computer if you are going to be an online mystery shopper. It is preferable to have a fax machine or e-mail/fax service.

Start-Up Costs

You are responsible for the costs incurred for each mystery shopping assignment. This could be the price of a meal, tickets to a movie or groceries at the supermarket. You will bill the mystery shopping company for the expenses when you submit your evaluation form and they will reimburse you.

Mystery shoppers work as independent contractors so you can write off any non-reimbursable expenditure on your tax form.

How to Sign Up

Register your particulars with several mystery shopping companies. This helps to get as many jobs as possible on a regular basis.

You can become a mystery shopper today. It’s just so simple to sign up and start making money. The hours are flexible, you can take the kids along and you get some pretty decent perks too. Why not earn a little extra cash for those extras your family loves but can’t afford? Become a mystery shopper today and start earning those dollars!