Mystery Shopping Jobs Is It For You
ccording to conventional report them to the mystery
wisdom "There’s no such shopping company that hires you.
thing as a free lunch". Doing so, you can get paid for
That's generally true BUT...there eating out at first-class
is a way to really have a free restaurants, shopping at the
lunch and also get paid for it! mall, staying at hotels, and even
This is so awesome that people going to the movies.
can hardly believe it! They are
skeptical at first but they are A fast growing industry
so glad after they give it a try.
Mystery shopping is a prospering
Most of us don’t know it but we business and more and more
can earn money for many of the companies are relying on
activities we do everyday: eating shoppers' anonymous feedback to
in restaurants, shopping in determine how they can improve
stores, enjoying a movie at your customer service.
local theater or playing golf!
In an article entitled "Spies
In the U.S. over 700,000 people like us; Mystery shoppers keep
are paid every day for such eye on customer service" (The
"jobs". It is called Mystery Washington Times, July 2004) we
Shopping. can learn that mystery shopping
has become a "critical marketing
What is Mystery Shopping? tool" used by companies to
develop customer loyalty:
Simply put, mystery shopping is
very much like everyday shopping, "Consumers have more choices than
but for money! You just need to ever before. The smart companies
be attentive to some details realize they can compete by
during your shopping trip and to creating an optimized customer
experience.”
The industry has expanded from
More companies are relying on typical service-oriented clients
shoppers' anonymous feedback to - such as restaurants, retailers
determine how they can improve and hotels - to industries such
customer service, which plays an as banks, insurance companies,
important role in business car dealerships, funeral homes
transactions. and apartment buildings.
'If the customer has had a bad "This is a critical marketing
experience, they're going to go tool," said Jeff Hall, who is CEO
somewhere else,' said Jeff Marr, of a mystery shopping company in
Vice President of Walker Michigan. "Companies need to
Information, which provides connect with their customers -
research on customer loyalty. not just with a fake smile."
'When it comes to retailing,
you're only as good as your last "Mystery shopping is nothing more
interaction.' than receiving feedback from
anonymous customers," said Paige
The mystery shopping industry has Hall, President and CEO of a
grown over the past decade as mystery shopping company in
more companies - from small Atlanta.
businesses to Fortune 500
companies - have tried to focus A great opportunity to make money
more heavily on customer service, from home
officials say. Companies such as
McDonald's, Starbucks, Home What is your income potential
Depot, Kinko's and Giant Food are with mystery shopping jobs? To
just a handful of the companies answer this question, let’s
that use mystery shoppers. consider the income generated by
two mystery shoppers: leaves notes about his experience
so he doesn't forget details
Mystery shopper #1: Max Jakeman before he has to write the
(Alexandria, WA) report.
Max Jakeman works as a mystery Mr. Jakeman thinks his job helps
shopper during his spare time. make a difference.
His story was featured in the
article “Spies like us”, "I'm a consumer and I've been
published in the Washington places where I've been treated
Times: badly," Mr. Jakeman said. "With
mystery shopping you feel like
Max Jakeman is an undercover you're making an impact."
agent - for a pizza chain. He has
also spied on fast-food chains, The shoppers get paid different
upscale restaurants, movie amounts for their work, depending
theaters, bowling alleys and golf on the industry and degree of
courses. difficulty. For instance, grocery
stores pay $10 to $25, movie
The Alexandria resident is one of theaters pay $10 to $50 and
the thousands of mystery shoppers florists pay $45 to $100 per
who get paid to give feedback on assignment.
their overall customer
experience. Mr. Jakeman brings home $300 to
$400 a month in cash, in addition
Mr. Jakeman, who is in the Army, to about $1,000 in perks
mystery shops between three and including free movies, free oil
four times a week, usually on changes, free pizza and free
weekends and evenings. He calls rounds of golf."
his answering machine at home and
Mystery shopper #2: Jennifer banking, not counting her steady
Voitle (Baldwin, NY) supply of handouts.
The Wall Street Journal has She gets free gas, free groceries
recently featured an article on and free clothes. When her car
earning huge money with mystery breaks down, she gets paid to
shopping assignments. It explains have it repaired. She can make
how Jennifer Voitle, a mystery $75 for test-driving a Land
shopper living in Baldwin - N.Y., Rover, $20 for drinking at a bar
makes about $7000 per month from and $25 for playing arcade games
her various assignments. Here is (she keeps any winnings). Golfing
an excerpt of this article: is her latest passion, and in
addition to playing on courses
"Jennifer Voitle has mastered the around the country free of
Freebie Economy. A former charge, she gets free food and
investment-bank employee who was drinks and gifts from the pro
laid off two years ago, Ms. shop.”
Voitle has found a new career in
the arcane world of dining deals, Jennifer came to mystery shopping
gift certificates and "mystery after she lost her job. Trolling
shopping," where companies pay the Internet, she discovered an
her to test their products and ad for mystery shopping. "I
services. She gets paid to shop, thought, 'this looks too good to
eat at restaurants, drink at be true,' " she says. Mystery
bars, travel and even play golf. shoppers get paid to sample a
Last month, she made nearly company's service or products and
$7,000 from her various freebie write a report on their
adventures. By the end of the experience. For companies,
year, she could be making more mystery shopping is popular way
than she did in investment of checking on quality. For Ms.
Voitle, it was a quick source of company, and reporting back on
cash and freebies. the performance of the people who
do the hiring.”
Her first assignment was a
Pathmark grocery store, where she Bottom line:
received free groceries and $10
for a quick report. She worked Working during his spare time,
her way up to gas stations, Mr. Jakeman brings home $300 to
clothing stores and restaurants. $400 a month in cash, in addition
She quickly discovered that the to about $1,000 in perks. Working
best-paying mystery shopping jobs full-time, Jennifer Voitle makes
were for upscale businesses like up to $7,000 from her various
banks and high-end car dealers. assignments. The income generated
She earns $75 for test-driving a by these real life people
Land Rover, compared with about indicates the income range you
$30 for a Ford. can expect as a mystery shopper.
Your income will depend on the
Volume is critical. On any given time you devote to this job. It’s
day, she will mystery shop gas up to you to work as much or as
stations, grocery stores, golf little as you wish.
courses, clothing stores,
casinos, hotels, insurance Mystery shoppers are in high
companies and restaurants. She demand all over the U.S. and
even gets paid to shop for Canada. If you love shopping,
apartments and interview for it’s a great way to combine
jobs. She can make as much as $50 business with pleasure.
for applying for a job at a major
About the Author:
http://www.maximumpaidsurveys.com/mysteryshoppers.html
Sam Parker is a managing partner at Maximum Paid Surveys, a premium database of mystery shopping jobs, paid surveys and other home-based opportunities.
http://MaximumPaidSurveys.com
Read more articles by: S. Parker
Article Source: www.iSnare.com |
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