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 |
|
|
|