If you are just starting to look into mystery shopping, you no doubt have taken the time to learn about all of the benefits of this rather unique job. Mystery shopping offers people the ability to control their own schedule, pick and choose which assignments they want to take on, enjoy a wide variety of work experiences, and so much more. Because of this, it is an ideal job for those looking for either part-time or full-time employment. Many people who choose to become mystery shoppers represent a wide range of backgrounds. Some are retirees who need to make some extra income on the side, others are stay-at-home parents, college students, and even those who hold down a traditional, full-time job and are using mystery shopping for supplemental income.
With the incredible benefits mystery shopping can offer to such a wide variety of individuals, it no doubt is the right job for you, too. However, before you sign up for mystery shopper, you may want to consider for a minute if you are right for mystery shopping. After all, finding a job is a two way street, and both the individual and the job have to be a good fit for a winning, profitable relationship. So are you cut out to be a mystery shopper? Here are some things to consider:
Stay Below the Radar. If you decide to become a mystery shopper, you will want to stay below the radar as much as possible during the site visits. With each assignment you do, you will have to complete a detailed list of tasks and requirements at each site visit. You will have to not just complete these tasks, but generally you will have to do them incognito, without letting on that you are a mystery shopper. Your best bet to remain incognito is to lay low, so to speak, and not draw attention to yourself. If you have the ability to blend into a crowd pretty easily, this may be a good job for you. If, on the other hand, you have a boisterous, magnetic personality and just tend to get noticed wherever you go, you may have a more difficult time mystery shopping.
Detail-Oriented. As mentioned above, with each assignment you do, you will be required to follow a list of requirements at the site visit location. While some mystery shoppers get adept at taking notes on their cell phones or jotting down notes as if they are writing on a shopping list, for the most part you will have to have a good eye for detail as well as a good memory for safeguarding those details until you get back home. At home, you will have to transfer your mental notes into written form to complete the report for your site visit.
Writing Ability. Some people enjoy writing, and for others, writing even a paragraph is like getting a permanent tooth pulled without painkillers. You may not think mystery shopping and writing go hand in hand, but they really do. With each assignment you complete, you will have to complete a report on your assignment. Some of the questions on the report are yes and no or a number rating response, but far more of them require you to write sentences and paragraphs. Keep in mind that some of these reports may be twenty, thirty, or more questions long! So there certainly is quite a bit of writing associated with this job.
If you have read through this list and feel completely comfortable with what it takes to be a mystery shopper, you likely are the perfect candidate. However, if you have concerns about your ability to meet these aspects of the job (or at least to meet them with a smile on your face), this may not be the best job for you.
I think the hardest part of doing the mystery shopping, is writing the reports after you’ve done the assignment. You (I) fell like I have tried to be so secretive during the “shop”, I want to be just as secretive doing the report. I have learned to elaborate though. Sometimes, it’s kind of tough, but I’m learning!!!
Hello Maven: I appreciate receiving your advice and thank you for sending me your emails every day.
I wish I had discovered mystery shopping before I retired. However, it has been a good fit for me since retiring. I however, am one of those people who seems to have a magnetic personality. People notice me right off the bat even when in a crowd. I recently performed a shop at one of the large appliance/electronic stores. I walked in and immediately was greeted. I tried to be inconspicuous when conducting two separate shops within this one location. However, the same individued me in cameras, decided to follow me to appliances. I enjoy your articles Maven. The one thing I find disturbing about msing are the reports. Some of the companies have ridiculous reports. It takes an hour to complete some while others take a couple of minutes/seconds.