When most people think of high stress jobs that cause anxiety and grief, mystery shopping often is not the first job that comes to mind. This certainly is not a job that is on the same stress level as brain surgery or air traffic control. However, many mystery shoppers often feel stress, anxious and altogether unhappy with their jobs. This is a job that has a lot to offer you in terms of job flexibility, the ability to shop with kids and friends, and more. So why is this job so demanding, and what can you do to make it more enjoyable?
Common Sources of Mystery Shopping Stress
Each mystery shopper will have his or her own main sources of job-related stress, but there some sources of stress that seem to cause a majority of grief for those in this line of work. These include issues with time management, issues with mystery shopping providers, the feeling that the compensation is not commensurate with the amount of time and effort required for the work and other similar complaints. If you feel as though mystery shopping is not providing you with a way to happily make money, taking time to identify which hot points are causing you the most grief and turmoil is key to taking the next step.
Addressing the Source of Stress
One of the great things about mystery shopping is that it is such a flexible job. When you think about job flexibility, you may think about how easy it is to complete assignments around a busy schedule. However, this job is highly flexible in a number of other ways as well. Consider, for example, that you have complete control over which assignments you work on. If you feel as though your assignments are not paying you enough, you can make an improved effort to pick and choose higher-paying assignments. You can also choose to work with providers who may pay you more for your efforts. Likewise, you can very easily end a relationship with a provider who is causing you grief, and you can easily strike up a relationship with a new provider.
Reviewing Your Changes
It can be amazing how making even a small change in your life can have such a drastic impact on your happiness. By identifying and addressing the root cause of your stress and unhappiness with mystery shopping, you may find that you are happier than ever with mystery shopping. A few weeks after you have made these changes, it is important to analyze your experience with mystery shopping once again. Consider if your changes made a significant impact on your stress level and overall job satisfaction. If not, consider repeating these steps again. You can also gain new insight and advice from your fellow mystery shoppers on the online mystery shopping forum. Many other mystery shoppers may have shared your some job grievances at one point in time, and they may be able to assist you with your efforts to work without stress and grief.
Mystery shopping may not be considered a highly stressful job, but there are many different ways that it can be stressful. Consider following these steps to find greater happiness at work!
I feel stressed when I have overbooked and then have to complete reports by a certain time. When first starting to Mystery Shop I often found myself in such a state, I wanted to just cancel all assignments and forget about MS. Then I realized my limits and set those so I could perform the job required and submit the report needed. I am a perfectionist and not being able to complete reports or perform the assignment as stipulated caused me a lot of stress. Now I am more relaxed and really only commit to about three or four assignments a day or no more than twenty assignments a week if they require traveling. I also do not perform more than one restaurant or fast food assignment a week. I am not a fast food person, so the shops requiring you to purchase and taste cause me issues.
I couldn’t agree more with Destiny. While it is flattering to get so many requests to do shops, I would rather under-assign that over-assign. It just ain’t worth it!