Mystery shopping is an exciting job that can be provide you with a wide range of new experiences each and every day. New assignments can take you into unique and different locations, and you may constantly be meeting new people while out and about working on different assignments. That is what mystery shopping could be like, and that type of work environment may have been one of the key reasons why you started mystery shopping in the first place. However, the fact is that for so many people, mystery shopping has become stale, mundane and even somewhat boring. The fact is that mystery shoppers do need to expand their horizons when choosing assignments and when selecting which providers to work with, and for more reasons than one.
Gaining Work Experience
Some mystery shoppers have been working with the same providers for years now, and these providers often have the same rotation of mystery shopping assignments available for you to choose from. Of course, you cannot work on the same assignments every month, and you may feel like rotating those same assignments out every four or six months provides you with plenty of variation in your work experience. However, when you do the same things with your assignments all of the time, you will reach a point of stagnation with your skills. You always need to be trying new things and enjoying new experiences as a mystery shopper if you want to grow in the field.
Boosting Your Income
When you work with the same providers, you not only are forced to take on the same assignments periodically but you also are forced to accept the pay they are offering on those assignments. You may have heard that old cliché about the grass being greener on the other side. The fact is that unless you actually look at what the other side has to offer, you will never know. In this case, of course, “the other side” is different mystery shopping providers. You may be able to enjoy a boost in income simply by expanding your horizons and signing on to work with different providers.
Keeping Your Identity a Secret
Many mystery shopping providers have some pretty stringent rules in place regarding how soon you can sign up to do the same assignment twice. These assignment rules are in place to prevent you from being identified as a mystery shopper. The fact is that there are some very detail-oriented and conscientious workers in some of the assignment locations you may visit. It only takes them remembering one small detail about you and relating it to the day their store was “shopped” to make the connection that you may be a mystery shopper. This may be the fact that you were wearing a pair of shoes they own, that you had a piece of lettuce stuck in your teeth, that you look like their best friend or some other factor that you may not have even been aware of. When you visit the store again, however, they will remember you from this connection. When you add variety and take assignments on less frequently, this is far less likely to happen.
The fact is that it really is easy to fall into a comfortable routine as a mystery shopper. However, these are just some of the many reasons why you may consider branching out and exploring new horizons in your line of work.