Today, we’re going to be talking about mystery shopper and how you can become one and make $100 a day or more.
We’re also going to be covering the top four mystery shopping companies to work for and how you can get started working for them.
What is mystery shopping?
Mystery shopping is a little known. Really cool way to make a side income, not a lot of people talk about it, but a lot of people can make some real money on it. The structure of mystery shopping is very simple, big companies want to make sure their stores are operating well, their staff is doing tasks as they should and their stores are providing good customer service.
This task would be very complicated if they do it themselves, they can’t use someone from within their own company because they would be easily recognized. Instead, they hire people like you and me who can be a mystery shopper, your job is to go through the whole customer experience, make a purchase, collect information regarding your customer experience and at the end of your visit share the information to the company that hired you.
There are many agencies out there that source mystery shoppers for their clients.
What are the requirements to become a mystery shopper?
To qualify for mystery shopper is very simple, all you need to do is pass a basic test with a few basic questions, have reliable transportation, most of the companies require you to be at least 18 years old, and be organized. These are the basics to become a mystery shopper.
How do mystery shoppers get paid?
When it comes to payments it depends on the company that hired you to do the job, some of them pay you by check, some others by direct deposit, some will actually pay you with the items that you bought while your mystery shopping, this means that they will reimburse you for the items that you bought, and you get to keep them. Sometimes you can even get a healthy mix of both you get paid and you can keep the products.
So what are you actually going to be doing when you’re mystery shopping?
First, you need to travel to the local store that they want you to go to, next you’re going to go through the shopping experience, interact with staff, pick out clothes or any other products depends on the store that you are in, see how employees are acting, pay attention to details because you will fill out a report based on your experience.
There’s going to be a supply list of items that you may need to buy to get the full experience, and most of the cases you will need to take pictures of the store, shelves, displays and items that you are buying, just so the managers and owners of these businesses know that their stores are running properly even when they’re not there.
Some of the jobs will require to ask staff members specific questions, you need to document their answers, and obviously, you don’t want to go there with a notepad and Q&A, but you do want to make sure you remember what they’re saying or even audio record if it’s allowed and then write it down on the report.
Best mystery shopper companies to work for.
Number #1 Mystery Dining by HGEM.
This is a pretty unique company as it involves food, the food industry is one of the best to do mystery shopping, one of the main reasons is because most of the restaurants that you’re going to be doing mystery shopping for are high end, these are the ones that can actually afford mystery shoppers. So you will get a free meal out of it. Your job is to document your dinning experience.
Number #2 Clickworker.
Clickworker. It’s not just for mystery shopping, however, it can be used for mystery shopping. Clickworker is nice because you don’t have to buy any of the items, you’re just taking pictures of the store.
Another positive for clickworker is that it’s worldwide, you can do it in a lot of the continents, unlike a lot of the other companies. They also pay in PayPal and bank transfers.
Number #3 Secret Shopper.
Secret Shopper has a really nice app to use while you’re doing jobs, and also they pay anywhere between $12 and $25 dollars an hour, which is pretty good. To qualify for Secret Shopper you’re going to have to be eighteen and have at least a smartphone or computer.
Number #4 Retail Maxim.
Retail Maxim is a very popular mystery shopping agency and you can get a lot of good jobs on it. The problem is that it’s so popular it might actually be tough to find jobs that aren’t taken already, keep a lookout on their platform because there are some hidden gems that you can take advantage of.
How much do mystery shoppers get paid?
Most mystery shoppers are paid per job and not by the hour, they get paid from $8 to $10 for simple jobs, and up to $20, $50, $100 for more elaborate jobs, the national weekly average is $800 Dollars, and the national hourly average is $20 Dollars. Some of the jobs don’t offer cash compensation, but you can keep the products purchased during the visit to the store.
And lastly, did you know you can make money on YouTube without showing your face?, learn more in this article.
Is this the right side hustle for you?, let us know what you think, send us your comments and suggestions by clicking on the Contact Us page.
