Mystery Shopping Services
Are mystery shopping services legitimate? Yes they are! You’ll want to read this great article below that looks at mystery shopping services, and the scoop on getting paid while shopping.
A Closer Look: Mystery Shopping
Is Mystery Shopping a Scam? NO! It’s not…that’s the great news, but it may or may not be for you, so let’s take a closer look! Mystery shopping is a way that some companies find information about how customers are being served, if stores are clean, and what an average customer experience is like when the associates aren’t tipped off that they are being watched.
Think about it, if you’re being watched – you’ll be on your best behavior, make sure you check all your boxes so to speak and be happy, friendly, helpful, and pleasant – maybe even a little more than usual. If you aren’t being watched, you may let that customer linger more than normal, get lost in your thoughts, maybe not be as friendly and just “get the job done” to get through the day.
Either way, companies and businesses want to know what’s going on so they can make improvements on their end. That’s where mystery shopping comes in. A mystery shopper is given an assignment or job and will go to a business and buy something, maybe have to check out the restroom, ask a question or for help, and take note of the experience. They will then fill out a report so the business can gather information to see how customers are being treated and helped. It’s not to “sneak up on an associate” to try and “get them”, it’s a way for a business to get REAL information. A business wants to please their customers, because loyal customers are what we all want.
A mystery shopper is not only looking for the bad, but also the good! Wow, the store was really in order and neat, and this one associate went out of his way to help me out. On the other hand, it could also be – the bathroom was a mess, and that one employee was short with a response and not very friendly. It’s environment as well as employees that they want to know about – the entire customer shopping experience. How long did it take for an associate to greet you? Little details make a big difference!
This is where a mystery shopper fits into the picture. If you’re interested in becoming a mystery shopper, there are some great forums with more details and information – such as lists of mystery shopping companies, which companies have a better track record, how to go about applying for them, and which companies to avoid.
If you’re interested in becoming a mystery shopper, you may want to visit one of these boards. I’d highly recommend Volition.com as your first pit stop for solid information on mystery shopping.
I hope this closer look at mystery shopping has helped some of your questions. For further reading – here are some great mystery shopping resources:
Mystery Shopper Forum Boards:
Volition.com
– **I’d go here first, nice list of companies, you’ll also find a job posting board
MysteryShopForum.com
– big list of companies here
WAHM.com
– a section about mystery shoping
MystiqueShopper.com
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Mystery Shopping Companies
Here is a short list of Mystery Shopping Companies – there are a ton more, be sure to check out the mystery shopping forums!
– Corporate Research International
– Market Force
– Maritz
– TrendSource
– BestMark
– Gapbuster
– Shadow Shopper
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Links worth visiting:
