It’s really no mystery! A mystery shopping company is a firm specializing in providing retailers, restaurants and other businesses with secret shoppers – also called mystery shoppers.

The reason? These shoppers get the benefit of experiencing a visit to the firm that an upper level management employee would never see on an official visit. Let’s say that you’re a district manager of a convenience store chain. You visit your stores weekly or maybe every other week. And you have a set day for visiting each store.

You know that the manager – if he values his job – will have every employee on his best behavior that day, the store will be immaculately clean for you and every clerk will smile at every customer, say please, thank you and attempt to up sell. It’s just human nature.

However, a mystery shopper is treated just like every other shopper on any day you – as the district manager – aren’t present. And because of this, these shoppers get the true insight of how the employees in this store are really treating customers day in and day out, how clean the store is and what the placement of products really are.

Mystery shopping has been around for more than 35 years. It’s an effective way to get a true “snapshot” of a store or restaurant.

How can you tell if a mystery shopping company is legitimate, given all the scams that seem to be out there?

Before you even make an initial commitment, discover whether the firm you’re looking at is a member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association. To be a member of this organization, a mystery shopping firm must undergo an approval process. And then it must agree to uphold a set of ethical standards.

If you’re in doubt about the status of the company you’re considering working for, go to this organizations web site at http://www.mysteryshop.org/. Here you’ll find a listing of its membership. If the company you’re considering isn’t a member of this association, that doesn’t mean they’re not honest and legitimate.

When you’re considering a job as a mystery shopper, just keep one idea firmly in place: no legitimate firm will ever ask you for money to work for them. And no legitimate company will ever ask you to cash a check for several thousand dollars and mail it off to some unknown address.

Mystery shopping is a great way to get paid doing something you love. But you’ll never become insanely wealthy from it. If you keep those two thoughts in mind, you’ll have a great time as you mystery shop.

And we’ve just taken the mystery out of mystery shopping!

Well, pretty much that’s what you do — sometimes minus the trench coat though.

Mystery shoppers are in high demand. Always have been. Always will be. But, there is no way that you performing these duties will get super rich, super fast off of this job. But it’s a great way to get reimbursed for activities you perform any way — like going out to eat or shopping at your local chain store.

And yes, there really are companies that provide specialize in providing mystery shoppers to various firms.

What kind of services do some businesses supply?

All mystery shopper services provide what’s called an “on-site evaluation.” The mystery shopper is busy evaluating from the moment he pulls into the firm’s parking lot (Is the lot clean? Does it have ample parking?) to the time he pulls out. This includes product placement, cleanliness of the store, availability of products (are the shelves well stocked, or is the firm out of the specific item you want?).

It also includes an evaluation of customer service. Are the employees greeting the customer, are they friendly and helpful?

But today, you can even find mystery shoppers evaluating telephone encounters. How many of us, have sighed and perhaps even hung up when met with a rude telephone operator or an automated system that never seemed to let you talk to a real person?

Experiencing and evaluating the level of quality telephone service can provide a business with valuable insight into the experience of its customers. Even a first impression over the phone can turn a customer off — never to return — or create a loyal follower.

And today — with competition in some areas so fierce — a firm can even hire a mystery shopping service to evaluate its competition! In this way, the firm knows what makes the other guy “tick” so to speak and why it’s so successful. This could be a priceless tool for a firm to get a fair and balanced view of how you stand next to your closest competitor.

There are many legitimate reasons for a firm to hire the services of a mystery shopping company. It’s a great way to evaluate and improve a company’s customer service and appearance!

Hmmm. That quote comes from Shakespeare. Do you think he was ever asked to be a mystery shopper? Highly unlikely. But he really nailed the topic of “the mystery shopper scam.”

Yes, there really are people out there who are true mystery shoppers, those individuals who work for a retail outlet and just go to various stores, buy an array of items and grade the individual store, clerk and manager on their services.

It’s been an effective approach to discovering the true level of quality of customer service for decades now. Sometimes these are called secret shoppers because the store obviously doesn’t know you’re reporting back to the main office of the company.

But as with every seemingly easy job, there always appears to be some people who need to prey on it and dupe people out of their money. And this niche is no different. Here’s how the scam works.

An individual reads an ad for a mystery shopper. They’re told the basics of the job; you get paid for shopping at different stores or eating at a variety of restaurants. (Talk about a perfect job; for the shopaholic it sounds like heaven!)

The company sends them the employment package. Along with all the typical forms, the package includes a cashier’s check, ranging between $2,000 and $4,000. This is your “training assignment”. You are to go to the bank, cash the check and wire the money to an address in Canada.

Sounds cool, right? Wrong! Because, the check is fake. But it doesn’t “bounce” until after you’ve wired the money to Canada. Now, the anonymous person in Canada is several thousand dollars richer and you . . . well, you’ll left with a deficit the size of a black hole in your checking account!

So why do people wire the money even before the cashier’s check clears. First, cashier’s checks are theoretically guaranteed money . . . that is when they’re legitimate. That’s the only reason the bank will dole out the money to you instantly like that. Cashing a personal or even payroll check that size at any bank would, indeed, mean waiting the several days to a week for it to clear.

But the scam artists also state in the employment packet that you must complete the first assignment within 48 hours in order to keep your job. Who wants to lose a cool job like that?

Remember, a legitimate mystery shopper position will never ask you to cash a check and wire it to an address unknown to you . . . in Canada or anywhere! If you’ve answered an ad and that’s what you find, toss it all away and keep looking! There really are legitimate mystery shopping positions available. Just watch out for the scammers.

Who wouldn’t love to get paid to shop and to dine out in all sorts of restaurants?

It sounds like the ideal job. And in many ways it can be!…

That is if you’re a mystery shopper or a secret shopper. Yes, there really is a job called mystery shopper and people really do get paid to shop (and then evaluate their experience) and dine out (and yes evaluate their experience).

Perhaps this is the one job in the world that breaks the proverb “If it sounds too good to be true it probably is!”

Today, more than ever, mystery shopping firms – companies that specialize in providing unbiased evaluations of a company’s performance – are in need of mystery shoppers.

A mystery shopper – or secret shopper as some companies refer to them – enters a store, perhaps makes a purchase and then evaluates the total experience. You don’t announce that you’re a mystery shopper. The employees treat you as they would any ordinary person walking into the store.

This gives the store itself an insight that upper level management seldom views. After all, when known managers walk into a store, every employee is on his or her very best behavior.

Normally, a shopper gets paid by the job, not the hour. The pay ranges from $8 or $10 for a simple, straightforward assignment to upwards of even $100 for a more complicated or detailed report. It all depends on the time that is estimated to perform that particular evaluation.

Additionally, if a purchase is made, you get reimbursed for that. Restaurants, though, are willing to pay for not only the purchase of your meal, but also that of your companion. You may be asked to evaluate the services of a hair styling salon. What better way to try a new style than have the cost reimbursed?

You may also be asked to evaluate hotels – which would require the stay in the established – to be reimbursed of course. Some shoppers even get to visit theme parks and theaters!

If you have read this far, I can see that you’re now interested. So how do you get started?

There are many mystery shopping companies that would love to hire you part time. Start by contacting the Mystery Shopping Providers Association at http://www.mysteryshop.org. It’s an organization composed of legitimate mystery shopping service providers. They have a complete list of their membership on line. Contact several of these firms. You’ll find them very approachable and friendly.

Just keep in mind that no legitimate mystery shopping firm will ever ask you to pay a fee up front to work for them. And no firm who is honest will ever ask you to cash a check and send money to some anonymous address. These are scam (or is that scum?) artists who are just trying to make a quick buck or two off of the popularity of this job.

You’ll never retire rich from mystery shopping. But you can have lots of fun in the process

Soon, you too, will be staying in four-star hotels and getting reimbursed for it, eating at great restaurants and even sporting a new hair style from that styling salon across town!

So many people love the mall. Okay, maybe I should say that so many women love the mall, and then there are a few men in there somewhere. Regardless of your gender, you can become a mystery shopper. What stores tickle your fancy? Do you have access to a city that’s infused with shopping amenities? If so, maybe it’s time you became a mystery shopper. This is one way to make some extra bucks while browsing for things you love anyways. Who in the world gets paid to shop? Can you even imagine telling your friends that you get paid to buy things and keep them? That’s nuts! A woman I met in college was a mystery shopper in Portland, Oregon. She was putting herself through school by doing this. We discussed it one day over lunch and I sat in awe. I couldn’t believe that this lady made money just doing what so many others do for fun. It’s hardly fair.

If you have the itch to become a mystery shopper, hop on the Internet and begin your new and exciting job. This is the perfect way to bring in some extra cash and purchase things for free. The employer will pay you for each gig you accept, in addition to giving you an amount of money to spend on a purchase. Now, what they want in return is your feedback. They want to hear about your shopping experience. Was it good, poor; did they help you in a sufficient fashion? These are some basic questions you can expect to answer. When you become a mystery shopper, it doesn’t end with malls and shops. You can also pick up assignments that concern restaurants. Do you like dining out for free? Who doesn’t! It’s unbelievable that people get paid to eat out. Jump online today and become better acquainted with the mystery shopping industry. You can become a mystery shopper in your area. It’s only a mouse click away.