Mystery shopping can be an entirely lucrative job, but it is not a perfect job by any means. Some mystery shoppers do complain that their income isn’t quite at the level they would like it to be. Others complain that they cannot achieve the level of income that other mystery shoppers seem to earn with ease. The fact is that there are a few things that some mystery shoppers do that actually results in lower income. By identifying these things in your own work activities, you may be able to take steps to eliminate them and boost your income.
Dawdling On Site Visits
Some mystery shoppers work in this field to earn a small amount of income while passing the time. They may be retired or stay-at-home parents who have a few extra hours each day to fill and want to be productive during those hours. These mystery shoppers have ample time to dawdle and enjoy spending time in stores on site visits. For those mystery shoppers who are trying to boost profits, the goal should be to walk into a site visit location, complete all aspects of the assignment requirements quickly and move on to the next site visit location. Taking an in-and-out approach may serve you well if you want to boost income.
Rushing Through Reports
It may seem like rushing through your reports would help to boost your efficiency. After all, if you can complete a report quickly, you can move on to other assignments. However, if rushing through a report triggers a revision request, you actually end up slowing yourself down at some point. Revisions can be time-consuming because they require you to read the revision request, read what you wrote and try to figure out what you did wrong. You may have completed the report the previous day or several days before, and you may have to spend time recalling the details from the site visit. This is time that is wasted unnecessarily, and that time could have been spent on other activities.
Choosing Random Assignments
As a mystery shopper, you have complete control over which assignments you work on. You don’t have to feel inclined to work on assignments that you feel are a waste of time. However, some mystery shoppers choose assignments based on the location or how much expense reimbursement they will get. They don’t reflect on how long the assignment will take to complete or if the assignment requirements are tedious and time-consuming to meet. By spending a few minutes picking out better assignments that are easier and faster to complete and that pay a decent rate, you may see a boost in your income.
Maximizing your income as a mystery shopper is a common goal shared by many, but many mystery shoppers are shooting themselves in the foot by their own work behaviors and habits. If you can relate to any of these behaviors and habits, you can easily make an effort to adjust your habits so that you can become a more profitable mystery shopper.