Mystery shoppers living in areas with relatively low populations and far from major metro areas may seem like they are at a disadvantage as compared to urban mystery shoppers. Their income potential may seem to be less, and they may be more likely to be identified as a mystery shopper if they know most of the people in their small community. The good news is there are steps a rural mystery shopper can take to avoid being spotted on a mystery shop assignment.
I Think I Know Your Husband’s Cousin. A small community is usually intricately woven, with relationships developed over the years between many of the families not just in the community you live in but also in nearby communities as well. So a mystery shopper may not be able to complete a mystery shop in many of the locations in their own community or many of the nearby cities you frequently visit.
Or maybe not! If you have kept your job as a mystery shopper very incognito, hopefully your cousins and friends don’t even know you are a mystery shopper. If this is the case, you have free range to do that grocery store shop even if the best friend of your cousin works there. Most mystery shop requirements just say that you cannot have family that works there, rather than that you cannot know anybody. So you are likely fully within the mystery shop requirement’s to complete the shop, provided nobody there knows you are a mystery shopper.
Now, if your cousin’s best friend doesn’t know you are a mystery shopper but still knows who you are, this limits your ability to concoct a “cover story” for your identity.” So if you are buying a pair of running shoes and haven’t stepped foot in the gym in twenty years, you may need to spend some time thinking of a creative story that fits into your own life and is not too far-fetched.
Oops! I’m A Blabbermouth! If you have told a couple of friends and neighbors you are a mystery shopper, unfortunately it may be safe to say that much of the town is aware of your side job. People in general are not known for the indiscretion, and the very nature and mystery surrounding this job make it one that people enjoying talking to others about. So word of your mystery shopping gig has probably traveled farther than you are aware. Anyone who knows your name and face could possibly know you are a mystery shopper. The only solution in this case is to complete shops in locations where you know absolutely nobody, which likely may mean driving a little farther out.
The More The Merrier. With rural mystery shops, if you regularly complete an assignment for one location, you have a higher likelihood of being identified as a mystery shopper. This is even more true if you write very detailed reports. The staff receives the details of a mystery shop report and may begin to associate your name with the details you mention in your report.
In urban areas, stores and restaurants typically have much higher customer volume, so if you write in a report that you saw the employee talking on his cell phone while eating a cheeseburger, an urban employee may not recognize that you were the one in the store when that event occurred. In a rural location, you may have been just one of a handful of customers that day, so you have a higher chance of being identified.
Just the Facts. Rural shoppers may want to be especially cautious about the details in their reports. While you are required to provide details about your experience, there may be instances when you can provide the right combination of details to satisfy the shop without providing so much detail that the store employee recalls you specifically after reading your report.
Less Than Frequent. Many shop providers have requirements that you cannot have completed a mystery shop assignment in the same location within the last 60 or 90 days. As a rural shopper, you may want to set your own requirement of perhaps 3 or 4 months to further avoid being identified. When you visit locations less frequently, you will have a reduced possibility of being identified as a mystery shopper.
While rural mystery shopping can be a bit trickier, there are steps you can take to help avoid being identified as a mystery shopper. By following these steps and use your own best judgment, you should be able to safely complete many shop assignments in your area.
I shop a relatively small market where I don’t want to tell anyone what I do. I always imagine them saying, “Oh really, how do I get started?” I’m such a people pleaser, I know that I would hand over all my information, including websites and before long, be wishing I could get some of my old shops back. I feel like I found all this out on my own, so why should I give it away? haha
I WOULD LOVE TO SIGN UP AND WILL ONE DAY WITH YOUR BUSINESS, BUT I AM HANDICAPED WITH A BAD HIP. DON’T GET ME WRONG MY WIFE AND I CAN DO THE JOB, BUT AS YOU KNOW WITH THE CONDITION OF THE ECONOMY, I DO NOT HAVE ANY MONEY TO SIGN UP RIGHT NOW. IF YOU ARE A COMPANY THAT JUST SELLS A LIST, THIS WILL NOT WORK ETHER. WITH ALL THE CONS ON THE INTERNET, IT IS A SHAME YOU HAVE TO PAY SOME ONE TO GET A JOB NOW-A-DAY’S.
NO CHANGES THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME
This is for Hugh Snipes: You do not have to pay to get these jobs as a mystery shopper. There are a ton of web sites on line that you can apply for jobs without having to pay any money at all…in fact, I have never paid to belong to a mystery shopping site. The point is to get paid to do this, not pay them! You can go to places like http://www.jobslinger.com to find jobs in your area and they will give you a web site to go to where you can apply. Good luck!
The only money I’ve spent for this is getting the MSPA silver certificate, which was good training and has led to better jobs. I intend to go for the gold soon. This is different from the secret shopper bronze, silver and gold levels for the pay to get on their list secret shoppers web site. I didn’t bite on that one and won’t.
I just wish the schedulers would realize that with the increased cost of gas and with the high traffic in very urban sprawls like Los Angeles County, their pay is too little for the time spent getting to the job and back, performing the survey and then writing the report, not to mention the cost of all the printing. It is less than the Federal minimum wage.
I’m with the group that is refusing $5 jobs and I will do none for less than $12 and will negotiate for additional gasoline money. I keep the end of the month free so I can respond to bonus offers.
I did spend the money to join Shadow Shopper when I started getting jobs on line. I was introduced to so many companies so quickly that it paid for itself. I’ve also spent the money to become MSPA silver and gold certified. I found the training in both very valuable even though I have a lot of experience. I keep trying to learn new things and like getting reminded of the things I’ve learned before and need to try again.
I’ve cut the distance I’m willing to travel for shops and consider the dollars very carefully. I will take a $5 fast food shop if it is not out of my way and I would have gotten fast food anyhow. I’ve passed on the low pay gas shops because the only one’s I’ve been offered ask to have you purchase $1 of gas and it’s difficult to get the pump to stop so fast anymore.
I find that if I accept shops at businesses I regularly shop there is little likelyhood they will be able to discern when I’m in for myself and when as a mystery shopper.
To Hugh SNIPES There are mystery sites that have jobs where you don’t even have to leave your house. They have phone shops.
I use to get petrol Station jobs all of the time, and I did really well never get challenged on any of them, and I loved it. I wish I could get more because most of the time, I have to be in these little towns anyway because nothing much is in this little place. I have not received any petrol Station jobs in a very long time, and I guess they are not being Mystery Shopped anymore. As a matter of fact, I really do not receive any shopping jobs anymore because they are all more than 40miles away or better and the price of petrol is just not worth it. I just cannot afford it. I love Mystery Shopping and I am on this computer everyday for hours on an end to try and find something that I can do that is close to my home, I just cannot believe that for awhile there was plenty of work in this area close to me and now hardly, anything at all. It makes me very sad but there is nothing I can do about it. I wonder if this is happening to anyone besides myself, in this situation I would like to hear from them also and then maybe I will not feel so bad about not getting shopping jobs. I am going to try merchandising jobs if this keeps up, but, I prefer shopping jobs.
To: Hugh Snipes,
To get a list of mystery shopping companies for free, send an e-mail to
http://www.mysteryshoponline.com .
Jacob Jans posts a list of 219 companies you can sign up with for free. There are alot of good companies there. I shop for some of them in my area. I hope you find what you are looking for.
try to get started
thankes