Ever
fancied going out to dinner or shopping and getting paid for it? Then
you might consider becoming a mystery shopper.
What
is mystery shopping?
A vast amount of companies are interested in knowing
what their customers/clients think of their services and/or products.
This is to help them right what may be wrong and improve customer service
and productivity. To obtain this crucial data from a non biased viewpoint
they hire Mystery Shopping agencies, who are trained market researchers,
to gather the information on their behalf, which they do using mystery
shoppers. And this is where you come in. As a Mystery Shopper you will
pose as a regular customer but will actually be collecting essential
data set by the client and briefed to you via a questionnaire. Mystery
Shopping companies are always on the lookout for trustworthy and reliable
people to carry out assignments for them. Assignments vary from restaurants
to shops, banks to fitness centres, electrical shops to supermarkets,
pubs to hairdressers - the list is endless.
Sounds
like fun? It is but it's no joke, Mystery shopping is a serious business
and your reports are vital material, so you've got to be commited and
be able to complete each job as specified on your worksheet by your
agency.
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What
qualifications or skills do I need?
You
don't need any particular qualifications to become a mystery shopper,
basically anyone can do it, any age, any background. However, you must
be reliable, observant, have a good memory and be able to give an accurate,
unbiased view of your findings. The job also requires discretion as
in effect you are akin to an undercover reporter, therefore at no time
must you reveal that you are a mystery shopper during an assignment
or share any of the information that you collect with a third-party.
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How
much money can I earn?
Mystery
shopping companies pay between £4.00 - £20.00 per job, averaging
at around £7.00. Some jobs pay more, some a little less. Costs
incurred during a visit, i.e. buying food, drink or shopping will be
reimbursed and some companies pay traveling expenses too. You won't
get rich from mystery shopping but you will earn some extra cash and
a host of freebies in the process including food, cold drinks, hot drinks,
sandwiches, groceries, magazines, petrol, hotel accommodation, fitness
lessons, small electrical items, software,cd's, dvd's and much, much
more! Payment is made either monthly or fortnightly via bank transfer.
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What
is involved in a mystery shopping job?
The first step is to register with some agencies.
Once accepted you will be given an assessor number that you must quote
in order to enter the shopper page on an agents website, or quote via
e-mail or telephone if need be. All agencies have their own system of
distributing assignments but most of them offer jobs via their website.
Assignments are on an ad/hoc basis and although some agencies notify
you by e-mail when jobs become available, it is strongly advisable to
check in on a regular basis to ensure you don't miss out on all the
best assignments. Once released jobs disappear quickly! You will be
notified if you have been accepted to carry out an assignment and will
receive a brief detailing what is required of you together with a questionnaire
- everything is explained in detail including times, dates, job description
and what you need to look out for. Jobs usually take about an hour to
an hour and a half to complete including travelling. If for any reason
you accept a job then find that you can not complete it then you must
notify the agency as soon as possible in order to give them sufficient
time to reallocate it to someone else. It is best not to accept an assignment
if you are unsure about whether or not you will be able to complete
it. Once you build a good rapport with an agency and prove that you
are a reliable assessor you will be offered more evaluations.
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What
to do after an assignment is completed?
After
completing an assignment you are usually required to fill out an online
questionnaire within a set timeframe, this is usually between 8 - 24
hours of job completion. The best thing to do is to enter your results
onto the system as soon as you can while the details are still fresh
in your mind. Some questionnaires are longer than others but should
take no longer than fifteen minutes to complete.
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Agencies
to join:
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Retail
Rapport urgently requires Shoppers in the following
areas:
Chester
Grantham
Newton Abbot
Preston
Spalding
Shrewsbury
Trowbridge
Walsall
Wisbech
Wrexham
Retail Rapport has been operating since 1995
and carries out assignments for well known household-name companies.
Their assignments range from retail outlets to hair and beauty salons
- car dealerships to restaurants, garden centres, DIY stores and
more. As well as receiving payment for carrying out an assignment,
this agency also pay for mileage expenses, at 30p per mile, or travel
expenses.
TO APPLY: If
you are interested in applying then please cut and paste (or copy)
the following text:
"I've just visited
homeworking4me and understand that you need shoppers in my area.
Could you please send me details and an application form".
and send to:
giving your name, location and telephone number.
When applying, please ensure that 'Application
via Homeworking4me' appears in the 'subject line' of your email,
otherwise your message may not be read.
IMPORTANT - Please read before applying:
To qualify, you must either live or work within
a ten-mile radius of the said location. Please do not apply if
you do not live or work in the areas listed above as you will
not be accepted at this time. As shopper areas will change each
month you could bookmark this page and check-in once a month to
see if your area has been listed, or join our Free Newsletter
List for instant update notifications.
|
|
retaileyes
is a leading Market Research organisation
offering Mystery Shopping. Registration is free and once accepted
onto their books you will be eligible for some fabulous and interesting
assignments in your area. Payment per assignment ranges between
£5 - £10 along with additional reimbursement towards
any purchases you are required to make. Some of the purchases
you make you get to keep and you will still receive reimbursement
for them! Payments are made promptly by BAC (Bank Account Transfer).
If you'd like to register with Retail Eyes, or if you'd just like
some more information Click
here
This is an International offer and registration
is free.
|
A
Word Of Warning
You
may come across some sites that ask you for money, either to join
their agency or for a list of Mystery Shopping Companies. NEVER
sign-up with a mystery shopping agency that asks you for money
- becoming a shopper is always FREE.
And please do
not pay for a list of agencies, a comprehensive search on a major
search engine will give you the same results. We will be adding
new agencies on this site periodically. You can either join our
Newsletter group or bookmark this site for updates.
Click here to read our article: Scams And How To Avoid Them.
Did you like this article? Don't forget
to share it
with your friends. THANK YOU!
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