Mystery Shopping: Pitfalls to Avoid when Starting Out

So, you've heard about Mystery Shopping and have wondered whether to give it a try. You've seen those Internet ads and spam emails depicting the attractive young woman laden with bags and boxes full of merchandise, in a fit of ecstatic joy because she is finally able to make a career doing what she loves to do most. Yes, even more than that other thing. Just ask her husband.

You want to believe it's possible, but a little voice inside your head sounds a bit like Dr. Evil when he encounters an implausible scenario. Riiiiiiight, the little voice says and for good reason. Mystery shopping is not fun and games. You cannot merely walk into your favorite stores, shop for your favorite things, send off your receipts and wait for loads of cash to magically appear in your PayPal account. That's the reality. The good news is, however, it is possible to make some money mystery shopping if you do your due diligence, if you are careful about the assignments you accept and if you are realistic about (1) your own abilities and (2) the money you will make. The bad news is, this is easier said than done, so I'll offer a bit of advice of what has worked for me. If you are an experienced shopper, this advice may not be helpful, but if you are new to mystery shopping, these are some good guidelines to consider.

Never pay to sign up with a company or pay anyone to help you find companies that are recruiting. First, you don't have to; second, you are being ripped off if you do. You can find the companies that are recruiting by using the resources I suggest at the end of this article. If you come across any companies that require you pay them money to work for them, they are not legitimate. The only money I have ever paid to become a mystery shopper is a $15 certification fee. It is debatable whether having this certification is really beneficial, but some mystery shopping companies do prefer it. The test is not too difficult to pass and just preparing for it helped me learn a lot about how to be a better mystery shopper.

Don't do a shop that you wouldn't normally do as an ordinary shopper until you have gained some skill as a mystery shopper. Unless you are a graduate of Julliard, or, at the very least, have done some community theatre, you may not be able to pull off some more complicated scenarios in a convincing way. Too much "faking it" could cause you to be discovered or to skew the audit. For example, if you accept a shop that involves asking about fine watches, but you don't know a Rolex from a Casio, you may not be able to offer a fair critique of the store or its employees. Then again, if you are really interested in learning about fine watches, this might be a great opportunity, but do your homework first. Be sure to read the requirements of all shops carefully to determine if any expertise is required or if you can realistically fulfill the requirements. Be honest with yourself and your schedulers. If you're not sure you can pull something off, don't try it.

Consider gas and wear and tear on your vehicle or other commuting issues. This is especially important now because of the rising gas costs. Don't rely too heavily on map programs to give you accurate driving times, either. They don't take getting lost into account, and you will get lost. After a while, though, if you shop the same areas over and over, you will learn your way around. Also, try to do multiple shops in the same area whenever possible.

Don't overschedule. Be realistic about the time, effort and energy you will expend and be mindful that something could go wrong. Shops will almost always take longer than you think they will, especially at first. You need to allow plenty of time to get to the next shop, your child's school, your regular job, or whatever else you have scheduled that day. Also, remember the time you will need to jot down notes immediately after the shop (which I highly recommend doing) and again when you sit down at your computer to write your report. If you've done 6 shops that day and it's 11:00 p.m. before you start entering your first report, you're in for a long night. You don't want to have to do your reports when you're tired. My personal limit is 3 per day.

Think about how much it will cost to do the shop and how long it will take to be reimbursed. There are some start-up costs when mystery shopping. You will typically have to shell out some dough to be able to perform the shops. If you have only $20 to get by until payday and a shop for tomorrow requires a $35 meal purchase, you may want to skip that one for now. If you're like me and you do mostly grocery store, oil change and low-end restaurant shops, this may not be much of a factor as I have to buy groceries and maintain my car anyway and eating out occasionally is a nice treat. But shops that require a large monetary layout and are slow to pay can cause budgetary havoc if you're living on the edge financially. Play it safe at first, until you become comfortable with a company and its payment policies.

If you make a mistake, fess up right away. I once shopped the wrong location, not once, but twice in one day. I felt like an absolute airhead and did not do any shops for that company for several weeks. Eventually, I got my courage up and applied for a shop again. To my amazement, I was accepted! What I think helped is that I admitted I messed up as soon as I discovered it myself. I also admit whenever I forget to get a name or failed to ask a certain question. Some companies are more forgiving than others, but I have yet to be refused payment over a minor mistake.

If the requirements of a shop are a lot worse than originally thought, don't be afraid to bail out. Mystery shopping companies would not like this bit of advice and you certainly do not want to renege on a shop merely because you just don't feel like doing it. This is for shops that were grossly misrepresented when you signed up for them as to how much time and effort would be involved or that require you to do something you are not comfortable doing. True, you may not work for that particular company again, but, then again, they may eventually realize that not many people actually want to memorize a 45-page procedure manual plus its 12-page addendum, spend an hour and a half inspecting a gas station, buy an item for 75¢ and get a receipt for it, take 7 pictures of the facility, and make sure the labeling of the pics meets the specs of some sort of bizarre naming convention - all for $11. On the other hand, if you're feeling adventurous, go ahead and do it and promise yourself you won't work for that company again.

Keep looking for new companies to sign up with. You may become quite comfortable with a few companies after a while, but that should not keep you from trying new ones. Mystery shopping can be quite boring at times, especially if you shop the same places over and over. Also, sometimes shopping companies go out of business or lose contracts, so you want to have some backups in case your favorite cash cow dries up.

When you don't want to do it anymore, quit. Or, at the very least, take a break. One of the best things about mystery shopping is that you can stop and start again at any time. Finish any shops you have already signed up for, but don't sign up for any more until you are ready.

Volition.com and JobSlinger.com are two resources that have been especially helpful to me. Volition lists only companies that are legitimate and do not require payment to sign up. There is also a forum where you can research a company before signing up, or find out if other people are having the same problems with the company as you are, or just to chat about your experiences.

Job Slinger is a resource to find mystery shopping companies that have work available in your area. There is no point signing on with a company that only does shops in the Southwest if you live in Tennessee. Using their search engine, you can find available shops in your area, and find the type of shops that interest you.

Last month, I earned nearly $500 doing a few shops a week and doing my best to seek out shops with bonuses. I could make more if I devoted more time and effort to it, but that is not my goal right now. Being able to rake in a bit of cash while food shopping or chowing down on a fajita works just fine for me.