Shop for free, get paid too
Mystery shoppers evaluate customer service undercover
By CHRISTIAN DANIELSEN
30 November 2004

As you walk in the popular clothing store's entrance, you notice the dusty shelves and a shirt that looks like it's been lying on the floor for weeks. A young female employee approaches you in exactly 45 seconds and asks if she can help, but she doesn't smile and she has a stain on her shirt. The lights are pleasantly dim. You make a mental note of it all.

You're not obsessive-compulsive. You're a mystery shopper.

Every year, thousands of retail companies hire people to go to their store locations, pretending to be ordinary shoppers while critiquing anything from customer service to the cleanliness of the windows. In exchange, companies usually reimburse mystery shoppers for purchases made on their "shops" and sometimes even pay them small fees.

Mystery shoppers provide evaluations that help companies determine what's working in their stores, and what isn't. With the holiday season approaching, many companies will hire mystery shoppers to help them get their stores in top shape.

"Mystery shoppers provide a snapshot of the customer experience," said Jana Conley, spokesperson for the Mystery Shopper Providers Association. "Companies use the information to understand trends and improve their business."

Getting paid to shop isn't all rewards, however. The field is intensely competitive; many jobs are snapped up within hours of a company's request. An average shop only pays $15 to $20, often in store merchandise, and some companies may ask for extensive and detailed reports.
These hurdles make mystery shopping a part-time job for most people. But for those who are serious and establish a good reputation, the rewards can be substantial.

"One of the most extravagant shops we did was sending a shopper to a resort in Vail," said Steve Pearce, a director for nationalshoppingservice.com. "For about 30 minutes of note-taking a day, she got a room for eight days and seven nights, airfare, food, drinks, rentals, massages, day trips -- all covered."

To earn the upper-tier shops, a shopper must establish a track record of good performance. A shopper might have to put in time at less glamorous locations -- like gas stations or fast food chains -- before they are offered a restaurant or a hotel. Good writing skills, attention to detail and quick turnaround times for reports are also critical.

Besides the material payoff, Pearce said, many people are attracted to the undercover nature of the job.

"It's fun and mysterious," he said. "A lot of [mystery shoppers] are almost like actors -- we give them a job and say 'here's what you're going to be pretending today.'"

People wanting to get their feet in the door should start with the Internet, where hundreds of sites provide message boards and links to potential jobs. Beginning shoppers should be wary of sites that require a fee, as the information is usually available free of charge.

Although all kinds of people work as mystery shoppers, Pearce added, the flexible hours and fun payoffs make it attractive to college students.

"It's a good way to make side money," he said. "The cool thing is a lot of these shops are things you can do in your spare time."