Every mystery shopper has a bad day on the job from time to time. Sometimes there are issues with the mystery shopping providers, and sometimes there are issues with the reports, with the employees or customers during the site visit, and more. Mystery shopping is unpredictable, and you just never know what is going to happen on any given assignment. When a mystery shopper has a bad day, however, you don’t necessarily have a boss or co-workers standing right there to vent to, and your family and friends can’t really understand your dilemma fully unless they, too, are mystery shoppers. So what can you do when you’ve had a bad day mystery shopping? Here are the top five things you can do to make your bad day of mystery shopping a little less negative:
Take A Break. Every once in awhile, mystery shoppers just need a self-imposed time out. If you feel that you are about to lose your cool on an assignment with the employees or customers at the store, or if you are about to blow up and give your provider or scheduler a piece of your mind, it’s definitely time for a break. You may just need five minutes to recompose yourself and cool off, or you may need several days. If you need a longer break, be sure to finish your assignment so you can get paid on it, and then by all means give yourself some free time to relax and enjoy yourself. You will feel better about mystery shopping once you’ve had time to cool off.
Commiserate. You may not be able to look your co-workers in the eye while you commiserate, but you can definitely vent away to people who know exactly what you are going through! The online mystery shopping forums are the perfect place to tell other mystery shoppers just like you all about your bad day. They not only will understand and offer advice if necessary, but they also really do want to hear your story. Mystery shoppers can learn from other people’s challenges on the job, so they definitely want you to take some time and let it all out by making a post on the forum.
Get Right Back to Work. Sometimes it’s good to take a break, and sometimes it’s good to vent. Other times, however, you just need to gather your thoughts and jump right back in there. If you are in the middle of an assignment, you typically won’t have time to take a break. In this case, you need to regain your composure and figure out a solution to any situation that arises on the fly. For some people, it will make you feel better to get your problem solved and behind you rather than sit and dwell on it with a self-imposed break. You know yourself and what works best for you!
Confrontation. If you are having an issue with a provider or scheduler, you may simply need to lay it all on the table and figure out your issue with a confrontation. This may be done via email or over the phone, but some things simply are too important to be swept under the rug and forgotten. Before any confrontation, however, be sure you take a moment to cool off so you can present and discuss the issue in a calm, rational away.
Call It Quits. Some mystery shoppers just have too much baggage with a certain provider or two, and when you have had enough bad experiences with a provider that you are noticing a recurring theme, it may be time to call it quits. It’s really easy to stop working for a provider. You simply stop requesting assignments from them. There are so many other providers out there to work for that you can very easily find a provider that will give you great assignments without all of the drama.
Whatever approach you choose to take when handling your bad day mystery shopping, keep in mind that tomorrow is a new day filled with new opportunities and experiences for you to enjoy!
All very good suggestions; thank you for posting.
Honor thy scheduler and editor. When the editor sends back a reply, it is to help make a better shopper out of you. It is their job to do that. Don’t get mad at the scheduler – besides – you were then one who said yes and made the promise. Even if it is midnight after the shop, suck it up and get that report turned in!
As last resort, get dowm on your knees, send a dual addressed email – scheduler and editor – and admit that you were wrong and how much you DO appreciate their assistance in providing quality reports to the client. It takes many people in this food chain to have that $10 payment make it to Pay Pay!
and yes, cutting back or deleting your name from some shops is always the best way to end frustration. There are a lot of lowball payment shops that can ruin your day and profits fro what is invested in completion! Pick and choose your battles and come back another day to be the winner!
You right! Take a break as long as you need it to be, after all its not a full time job for most of us.