Covert shoppers fulfill mission by filling bags
By David Zizzo
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Published: October 1, 2009
They’re out there. Somewhere. Anywhere. Everywhere among us. You can’t tell who they are, and that’s the way they like it.
But they have their orders, usually provided by someone they’ve never met. On their own, they must formulate a plan and set out on their mission — buying toothpaste, floor wax and baby wipes.
Mystery shoppers. One might be right next to you at this very moment engaging in mysterious shopping as you scan the refrigerated section for Pigs-in-a-Blanket, providing you’re reading this while shopping.
Who are these shadowy figures who carry out covert shopping? How do they do it? Do pigs also come in a Slanket? According to
Cathy Stucker, aka the Idea Lady, mystery shoppers enter businesses posing as normal customers. They interact with employees, shop (mysteriously, of course), buy things and sometimes even return them. Then, under cover of darkness, or possibly in a sunroom while watching
Oprah, they do their dirty work, dirty in the sense that they might spill their
General Foods International Coffee while filling out evaluation forms.
Mystery shoppers are easy to identify by their large, insectlike eyes, gray hairless skin and forked tongues. Or am I thinking about alien beings? Anyway, these market minions report everything that happens during their shopping trips, commenting on cleanliness of stores, evaluating the attitude of clerks and checking the layout of air-conditioning ducts. I’m guessing about that last one because all covert operations at some point involve
Bruce Willis or
Tom Cruise crawling through roomy, clean and well-lighted ductwork.
Mystery shopping is a way to make loads of cash doing something you love. At least that’s what the e-mails say. In reality, skulking around the small appliance aisle, Burger Barn or a credit union as a mystery shopper might pay only $5 to $10 per shop.
A few of those trips, and you could be well on your way to owning your own Slanket.
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1. As with any industry, shoppers need to be aware of internet scams. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is so stay away from the company or opportunity you are being offered. Make sure you check out the companies you are thinking about working for, thoroughly.
2. Understand that mystery shopping is a very serious job. Many of the client companies we work with, who mystery shop, use the data collected from the shoppers to improve their training programs, reward their employees, or decide major marketing strategy. It's work - serious work.
3. Mystery shopping companies depend on their shoppers to be honest and fair in the assessments they make. They expect that their shoppers will carry out their assignments explicitly following the directions that are provided.
4. Mystery shopping comapnies want their shoppers to be good communicators. Not only do you need to have good writing skills, you should also never hesitate to pick up the phone and call the mystery shopping company if you have questions about your assigment, or you run into difficulty completing it.
Overall, this is a fabulous way to earn extra income and with the holidays appraoching, who couldn't use a little more cash?
Angela Megasko, Pres.
Market Viewpoint, LLC
www.MarketViewpoint.com
www.AngelaMegasko.com
www.twitter.com/MarketViewpoint