If you thought mystery shopping was a piece of cake, by now you know it’s not. Some people are shocked when they see the work that goes into shopping undercover and writing reports.
Here are a few tips many established mystery shoppers wish they would have known earlier in their careers:
• You Might Not Be Able to Bring Your Children With You
Some companies do not want you bringing your children because children can be distracting when you are supposed to be working. Be clear about the terms of the company and the terms of each job because this is an important thing to know. Some of the jobs will allow children, but if it is a lengthy survey that needs to be completed or requires you to do a lot of interacting with the salespeople you may want to choose to leave your child at home so you can do a good job on your assignment.
• Meticulous Recordkeeping
When you apply to hundreds of companies, it’s best to have one file that lists every thing you may need—companies you’ve shopped for, zip codes and area codes where you are willing to shop, passwords and user identifications, and a description of your best shopping experience, and a description of your worst shopping experience.
Keeping a Spreadsheet of Completed Jobs
You’ll need to list the name of the company you shopped, the date the shop was completed and the date you should be paid. Included should be a brief description of what you did on the job, the amount that you need to be reimbursed, the pay for the assignment, the contact person's email/phone number, and finally, a field that requires a yes or no answer on whether this has been paid. By keeping good records, you can save yourself the time of having to track down the old email that had the information about the job.
Your Answers Could Affect Another Person's Job
Be very careful with the criticism that you offer. Everyone has bad days at work and their bad day may be the day that you walk in and assess their performance. If you are between the ages of 21-25, you may be asked to go into various restaurants and request an alcoholic beverage. Should the waiter not ask for your identification, they will be immediately be terminated from their job. Unfortunately, you are there to report what happened, and as such, you should report this information.
• You Are Not a Critic
Mystery shop companies are not looking for your personal opinions. They want facts, like cleanliness of the restrooms, if you were greeted when you walked in, and if you received service in a timely manner. Good reporters tell the accurate details of a newsworthy story, not their feelings on it.
For further instruction in the craft of writing itself, you may want to pick up William Zinser’s The Essentials of Nonfiction Writing.
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