Some mystery shoppers love to “talk shop.” Mystery shopping is, after all, a unique job and one that makes a great conversation topic at parties and social events. Even mentioning the words “mystery shopping” to anyone within earshot will typically draw an audience right to you. Everyone wants to know if mystery shopping is legit, how to get started, what you actually do, and how much money you can make.
If you failed to read the fine print when you signed on to work with mystery shopping providers, you may not realize that you are contractually obligated not to reveal certain facts about mystery shopping. What’s more, not only can you not speak to other non-mystery shoppers about these items, but you also cannot share some specific information with your fellow mystery shoppers or even your immediate family. Here’s the scoop:
The Basics. The good news is that you can give people basic information about mystery shopping. You can tell folks some places you have performed a mystery shop assignment in the past. You can also share approximate pay for mystery shop assignments in general, and what you are generally required to do on your mystery shops. For instance, it’s OK to say that you usually have to report on the cleanliness of fitting rooms and bathrooms, try on an article of clothing, order certain specific menu items at a restaurant, and so on. You can give people a good idea of what is involved with mystery shopping and dispel many of the theories about mystery shopping just with a broad overview. Many people initially believe mystery shopping involves walking around the mall and having a normal shopping trip – hitting the stores you want without any real requirements, and getting paid big bucks for it. So many people will be satisfied with just a general overview of your job as a mystery shopper.
The Good Details. If someone you are talking to is pretty interested in getting started as a mystery shopper, you can definitely point them in the right direction to help them get started. It is acceptable to give them names and contact information for some of the mystery shop providers you work for. So they aren’t competing head to head for assignments you are up for, it may be better to give them a list of many providers or point them in the direction of the MSPA’s website so they can locate their own companies to work with. The last thing you want is to have that person doing all of the assignments you normally do!
Know When To Keep Quiet. What you cannot share are specific details about a mystery shop assignment or a provider. For instance, if your sister wants to do McDonald’s mystery shops, you cannot tell her that McDonald’s contracts with ABC Provider. Your sister would need to sign up with several providers herself and see if McDonald’s works with those providers. With each provider that you signed up with, you contractually agreed to keep the provider’s clients confidential.
While not a contractual obligation, there are also things you should not share for your own benefit. For instance, if you are doing a mystery shop assignment on Tuesday at noon at the local grocery store, you may want to keep quiet about that. This is particularly true if you are in a small town, but it is a good rule of thumb to follow even in larger areas. Keep in mind that people talk and the adage of “it’s a small world” is true. People love to talk about interesting subjects like mystery shopping. You never know if the person they will talk to about your next assignment knows someone who works in that store or restaurant. So don’t give away any information that could possibly put you in the spotlight on your next assignment.
In general, basic information about mystery shopping are typically OK to share. However, avoid getting into the details of names, places, and times, as you could end up spilling too much and getting yourself in trouble.
I live in a small town and because of the price of gas I’ve had to restrict the distance I will travel to do a shop. Because of this I find myself shopping in stores that I normally trade at. The way I keep from being identified is I always act the same way in the store whether I’m there for myself or to do a shop. For instance, if I will need a receipt on a shop I make sure I get one every time I’m in the store so the cashier is used to me asking for it. Also I never tell anyone I know that I am a mystery shopper and my daughter who has to know since I live in her house has been sworn to secrecy too.
You have me wondering if I’ve shared to much information on this forum!! I don’t think so, but at any rate, this is good information, and I believe that I have abided by the un~spoken rules, along with the “fine~print” contractual obligations. Another good write~in, thank you.
Thank you for bringing this up. I have spoken to people about mystery shopping and I know that I am not supposed to name names. I know sites that people can go to if they want to sign up for mystery shopping. I have done audits where I have had to reveal myself, and the person wanted to know how they can get started. I will pass along certain websites that I know have company links, but I never mention company names. I will usually ask the person where they live, for the same reason that you mentioned. I don’t want any competition in the area where I live. Just last week, I had to reveal what I was doing at the gas station. The person behind me that was waiting for gas, was too close and I had to have them back up so that I could take a picture. I had to walk over and brief them a little. They asked me a question, because they had been checking out mystery shopping. I passed on a website and they did not have a problem with backing up and being patient. I think that it is a big deal to blab too much, and I want people to have to do the research on their own.
In situations like Theresa’s I usually just tell people that I don’t have my list with me and the best way to find jobs is to google mystery shopping. This keeps the conversation to a minimum without being rude. And face it, if they don’t know how to google or have access to a computer then mystery shopping would probably not be a good job for them.
My household is not aware of my mystery shopping. I need to keep it that way because I know that confidence would not be kept. Since I did merchandising before taking on mystery shopping, when I have a “job” to do, the
assumption is that the job is “merchandising.” When asked, “What do you do?” I can honestly answer, “Merchandising.” I live in a small town as well. People talk, so I must be very discreet. My mum wants to become a mystery shopper and I may point her in the right direction, but at least she knows how to keep a secret. She is the only person who knows about the mystery shopping.
I know all the ways to make mys companies pay me when they try to not pay for a number of reasons, (all nonsense) I was a top shopper for a firm that I cannot mention due to confidentiality rules but I was delisted because a shop person said that I did not do the shop. I did but as she said that I did not, I was delisted pending an investigation. Who is going to win here. Not the shopper as we are all the bad guys. Good when we produce 100 shops a month and bad when one person who got a bad write up complains. I happen to be ethical so I will not do what I know how to do to them.
Hey witchmeadowdoc,
So how about letting me in on some of the ways to make companies pay us when they try to get out of it?
Yes, do tell witchmeadowdoc! Seems to me that if you did the shop as agreed, ethics require that you be paid for services rendered.