After signing up to work with your first mystery shopping provider, you may be on cloud nine. You haven’t even worked on your first assignment yet, but the thrill of being an official mystery shopper can make you feel like you are ready to take on the world. After that moment of excitement passes, however, comes your first big challenge as a real mystery shopper. That challenge is completing your first assignment.
Finding an Assignment
The first step to take in order to complete an assignment is to search through the job boards and find an assignment to complete. As soon as you are approved to work on mystery shopping assignments through a provider, you should have access to the job boards online. With some assignments, you can simply request the assignment at it is yours. With other assignments, you must wait for the provider to approve your request for the assignment. If you are like most eager, new mystery shoppers, you will want to get started on an assignment right away. Therefore, it may be best to look for a few “self assign” assignments to complete initially.
Read the Requirements
You may have read through some of the assignment requirements before requesting an assignment, but now that the assignment has officially been assigned to you, you will want to read through the requirements in more detail. Make special note of the date and time when the assignment must be completed by. Also, note if there is a requirement shop alone or with someone else. Most assignments will not specify, and this means that you can choose to shop alone or with a friend at your leisure. However, if the assignment specifies one way or another, you will want to follow the instructions. As a final note, take note of the need for other equipment such as a camera, a video camera, a stop watch or other items.
The Site Visit
Most site visits can be completed fairly easily. You simply have to follow the instructions in the assignment requirements. When you are done, you leave and return home. While most requirements are easy to follow, some may have you take note of numerous details. For example, a grocery store assignment may have you visit six different departments. At each department, you may have to note what time you entered the department, what time you left, who you spoke with and more. If necessary, use handy tools such as a fake shopping list to jot down the details that you need to remember. Just be sure that the tool that you use would fit in with the store setting. For example, a shopping list would work well in a grocery store, but it would look grossly out of place at a car dealership or jewelry store.
The Report
After your site visit, you will need to return home and complete your assignment report online. If you followed the instructions carefully, the assignment report is easy to complete in most cases. Be sure that you follow the time deadlines and submit receipts or other documents as required.
After you have completed one or two assignments, you will find that the entire process is fairly straightforward and simple. You can then pick up the pace and complete multiple assignments in a single day!