Regardless of how long you have been a mystery shopper or how many assignments you take on, there may come a time when you notice yourself losing interest in mystery shopping. The shop assignments may be entering your inbox, and you delete them before looking at them. Or you may look at the new shop assignments but none of them seem to be worth your time and effort. You may even be thinking about quitting mystery shopping altogether. It may seem a bit of a paradox to renew a dwindling interest in mystery shopping by taking a break, but that may be exactly what you need!
Here are some key ways to tell if you need to take a mystery shopping break:
Sloppy Shops. Lately it may seem like you are having trouble completing your shop reports. You failed to make note of all of the required details during your store visit and don’t have the information necessary to complete a full and accurate report. Another sign you may be losing your edge is schedulers contacting you more often than they did in the past to clarify your report. The thought may have even crossed your mind that the schedulers are getting pickier these days. Perhaps the problem isn’t with the schedulers, but with a dwindling effort on your part.
Keep in mind that you may not be paid on any shops that aren’t completed fully, so if you find that you are becoming less detail-oriented in your shops or are making more errors in your reports, it may be time for a break.
Not That Again! If you have been feeling a sense of frustration at seeing the same old shops come through your inbox and have little desire to complete them, it may be time for a break. To be great at your job, you really need to have a desire to not only want to do the job in the first place, but to also do your best at it. There’s an old adage that says, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” If you feel that the shops are no longer worth doing, you likely don’t feel that they are worth doing right. With so many details to keep track of on any given assignment, you need to be at your best with each and every shop or you risk not getting paid for it.
Building Steam. As you are completing your shop, are you having trouble keeping a neutral attitude towards the service you are receiving? Perhaps you have gotten frustrated with the sales associates on your last few shops, even if they have made only minor mistakes. Or you may be getting hot-headed with your schedulers constantly asking for more details, even details that were not requested in their questionnaire originally. While there may be understandable reasons to get a little hot under the collar, if you feel that you are increasingly getting frustrated or upset even over small issues, it may be time to take a break and cool off.
When you spend some time away from mystery shopping, you will have some distance to re-evaluate all of the great reasons you started shopping in the first place. Perhaps it was the flexible schedule or the enticing extra income. Or perhaps you felt a sense of service with this job that you are unlikely feel with many other types of jobs. Take however long you need, whether it’s a week or a month or even longer. The great thing about mystery shopping is that it will still be here for you when you are ready to return.
Thanks for the info, my interest has waned lately. Partly the price of gas, and the same shops. I thought it was just me getting bored.
I went on a two week vacation and had a constant urge to get on the computer to see what I could book for when I got home. Then, once I was home I couldn’t get back in the swing of going out, mostly because it was just more of the same. So, I have decided to cut back drastically for a couple of months, but to stay on the lookout for new assignments and those that I especially enjoy so that I will feel like I am treating myself.
Here’s a bit of a different twist: My husband and I just booked a cruise and now I can’t wait to do all kinds or shops to pay for it. The anticipation makes each shop more interesting and exciting. (Of course, secretly, part of the anticipation is knowing that I will have a whole week of no reporting. But I find that using my shops to make the money it takes to get the extras I want hepls keep it fresh.)
I have done mystery shopping for about 5 years, full time. I have about 70 companies I shop for so this gives me lots of variety in which ones to choose to do shops. Granted not all of them have shops in my area every month, but at least this gives me an opportunity to mix it up when I feel myself becoming disinterested. My advise, sign up with as many M/S companies that you can. Of course I have my favorites that I shop every month, the grocery stores, the dry cleaners, a variety of entertainment venues, which I look forward to every month. They reimburse for my expenses for the most part, and it’s something I need to do (or enjoy) every month anyway.
I find that the some editors ask nonsensical questions and do not listen. I did a shop that required a business card in order to get paid. However, the person did not have a business card nor had she worked there for two days. I wrote to the company and complained that I should be paid and got no response. Now I am frustrated by this and stop doing shops for a good firm because of the non caring attitude of a editor. I think I need a break as I should be able to abide a fool once in a while without dropping a company for one idiot editor. You are correct. Maybe I will take a month in Maui to recover from this trauma.
I have taken a break away from Mystery Shopping mainly due to the gas and in this area where I live, they do not have too much to offer except gas stations once in a while. I am getting some merchandising work, and if I want it, I take it and if I do not want it, I just don’t accept it and it is not bad at all. I read my instructions very carefully and see just what they want me to do and do and cross it off after it is done. I still love Mystery Shopping, but it is nice to get a break.
I haven’t exactly taken a break from shopping but I’m doing other things most would not consider mystery shopping. I keep a couple of mystery shops I like a week but everything else is either audits, data collection and anything else I can find that seems interesting.
I did get bored doing the same shops over and over again. Bored with the same questions, the same equipment, the same-O-same-O.
The things I’m doing now I find interesting and I need a little more brain power to do each week.
Change is good. And the pay is fantastic!! 🙂