Advertisements for secret shopper jobs seem to be everywhere
these days, from employment boards to unsolicited texts and email messages.
While mystery shopping may be an easy part-time source of income, the industry
has more than its share of scams and shady employers.
Is it worth it to become a secret shopper? If you do your
research and choose a fair and legitimate company, working as a mystery shopper
can be an easy way to make extra money.
What Is Mystery Shopping?
Mystery shopping began in the 1940s when companies hired
people to determine if a store or bank employees were acting ethically.
Today, businesses hire mystery shoppers to find out how
customers and sales clerks (or customer service reps over the phone) interact.
You may also be asked to gauge how easy-to-use websites are for clients.
All types of businesses need people for mystery shopper
jobs. They include clothing stores, fine-dining restaurants, hair salons, home
improvement centers, fitness centers, amusement parks and fast-food
restaurants. Business owners want to know if employees are performing their
jobs correctly, and they may also want to discover how to improve work
procedures. Mystery customers help companies find out how to improve their
services.
The best mystery shopping companies may hire you to do one
or more of the following tasks:
Discrimination Shopping
You provide information to determine if a store, restaurant
or company discriminates against shoppers of a particular race, ethnicity, age
group or religion.
Event Tests
You attend a conference, concert or other events and provide
the mystery shopping company with a critique of the overall experience.
Online Shopping
You book an airline ticket or buy a product online and
provide information about the experience. (Ease of navigation, clear
instructions, website forms, email response time, etc.)
Purchase and Return
You return an item for return or exchange and evaluate the
experience.
Telephone Shopping
You call a company or order a product or ask for information
and report back on the experience.
Questionnaire
You fill out a questionnaire about your past shopping
experience.
According to JobMonkey, the most successful shoppers have
the following qualifications:
- Objectivity
- Enjoy working with people
- Detail-oriented
- Flexible work hours
- Ability to complete reports promptly
- Excellent communication skills
You’ll also need “acting” ability to portray a shopper
interested in a certain item/service.
How Much Can You Earn?
Mystery shopping earnings vary, depending on the company you
work for and the type and length of the assignment. Earnings from this line of
work can provide you with a decent supplemental income, but it won’t pay all
your bills.
Online or telephone secret shopping offers housebound or
disabled people a great way to add to their income.
Secret shopping assignments are quite easy, and anyone can
do them. You’ll get free products or services in addition to a cash payment.
The freebies range from a free restaurant meal to free gasoline from a service
station.
An assignment, or “shop” as it’s called in the industry, can
pay as little as five dollars. You can earn a good supplemental income if you
find accessible, consistent shops. For many people, the perks, such as free
meals, oil changes or cruises, offer more of an incentive to get into this line
of work than the small cash payments.
Some people have earned as much as $14,000 a year from
mystery shopping, but this is an exception, not the norm. You’d need to
register with several legitimate companies and spend a lot of time traveling to
and from shops to earn that much money. Few people have the time or inclination
to do that.
Secret Shopping In-Store vs. Phone
Independent callers can make calls to businesses and ask
questions about services and prices. These shops pay per call, and you can earn
up to $2 a call depending on the assignment.
In-store shopping requires you to travel to and from a
store, which can take a lot of time (and gas money or bus fare) depending on
where you live. You can earn money by in-store shopping if you live near a
shopping mall or retail district.
Phone or online shops may be better for you if you live in a
secluded area far from malls or stores. In-store shops or restaurant shops
offer perks like free meals or even products in some cases. A free meal or free
day at a health club may be worth the drive, even if the shop lacks a
substantial cash incentive.
Many companies reimburse you for restaurant meals, and the
upfront cost, along with driving to and from the restaurant (and parking costs,
if applicable) can be too pricey for some shoppers.
You may need to spend more time documenting your experience
with in-store shops. Take this into consideration if you’re the impatient type.
Payment can be delayed on more complicated in-person shops,
and this may be a factor if you need to be paid right away.
Best Mystery Shopping Companies
Below, you’ll see a round-up of the best mystery shopping
companies out there right now.
Best Mark
Best Mark’s clients include Fortune 500 companies and Global
500 companies. They belong to the Mystery Shopper Provider Association (MSPA)
and offer scam alerts on their website. The company, founded in 1986, has over
500,000 field workers.
Reviews of Best Mark from present and former workers vary,
from scathing to positive. Several people mentioned receiving a scam email
purported to be from Best Mark. Avoid
scams by registering directly with the company on their website. It may be
likely that some of the bad reviews are based on experiences with scammers, no
the real Best Mark.
Best Mark has been accredited with the Better Business
Bureau since 2010.
Market Force
Market Force belongs to the MSPA, Better Business Bureau,
and received the MSPA North America Shoppers’ Choice Award in 2016. They serve
over 350 clients and have offices in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, and Spain.
With over 100,000 shops a month, Market Force offers plenty
of work for independent contractors. The company offers retail, restaurant,
hospitality, grocery, gas station and retail banking assignments.
You can register as a theater checker or CFA (Certified
Field Associate) and watch movies for free while checking the customer service
offered at theaters.
The Colorado-based company received two positive and four
negative reviews from contractors on the BBB website.
Confero
Based in Carey, North Carolina, Confero Inc. has been in
business since 1986. They offer phone, web, video and in-store shops, customer
exit interviews and performance consulting.
You’ll have plenty of industries to choose from if you work
for Confero. The company serves retail, banking, health/medical, automotive,
restaurants, supermarkets and entertainment.
Confero pays via PayPal or direct deposit only and does not
issue paper checks. Some clients require prospective shoppers take a test to
qualify for the assignment. You can register to be a Confero shopper here.
There has been only one complaint about Confero on the
Better Business Bureau website, and the company pays twice a month. Some
contractors have had a problem with slow or no payment. Confero, like several
other companies, has been a victim of the check in advance scam.
A Closer Look
A Closer Look offers secret shops in restaurants, retail,
hotel, health and wellness, transportation and home improvement. The company
has been in business for over 20 years and prides itself on having contractors
who work for an average of 8.5 years.
This market research/ undercover shopping service tests all
prospective applicants before allowing them to do their first shop. Testing
ensures that contractors have excellent writing, verbal and comprehension
skills. Apply for work at A Closer Look, and once your application is approved,
you can do your first shop.
Contractors lacking MSPA certification need to complete
lesser assignments before becoming eligible for higher-paying shops.
Reviewers praise ACL as one of the top-secret shopping
companies. Aside from occasional late payment, contractors have no major
complaints.
Intelli-Shop
Intelli-Shop provides web, brick-and-mortar and phone
mystery customers for businesses. This research company serves over 60
industries, including legal, home goods, food service, retail, museums,
clothing and government agencies. Intelli-Shop can be a good fit for you if you
like variety in your shops.
Fill out the shopper application, and you can start looking
for assignments on the company’s job board. You’ll get better shops if you have
Gold or Silver MSPA certification, or if you have Hero Citations for shops well
done.
The Intelli-Shop website has a TalkShop blog and forum for
shoppers to learn more about assignments.
Accredited by the Better Business Bureau in 2001,
Intelli-Shop has an A rating with 3.46 out of 5-star rating.
GAPbuster
GAPbuster, also known as GBW, is headquartered in Australia
with 400,000 shoppers and auditors worldwide. The company, founded in 1994,
serves the automotive, retail, grocery, telecom, entertainment and banking
industries.
The GBW website has an alert regarding scammers who pose as
company representatives and send emails to unsuspecting individuals. Ignore
emails that come from domains other than gbwsolutions.com.
GBW pays monthly. Apply for an independent contractor
position as a shopper and completing the orientation and training modules.
Reviews from contractors show that GBW sometimes brands
completed shops invalid for no real reason (according to the reviewer) and that
they pay late or not at all. Many of the negative reviews are from non-U.S.
shoppers.
Experience Exchange (In-Touch Insight)
Experience Exchange (In-Touch Insight) has been listed as
one of the top-secret shopping companies on several review websites. But there
is not a lot of information available online regarding the company.
The company, founded in 1992, provides shops and research
for multi-location businesses. It has offices in Chicago, Charlotte, Ottawa and
Montreal. Industries covered include retail, convenience stores, and
restaurants.
Log into the company’s website after your application has
been approved to look for assignments.
The company received a B- rating from the Better Business
Bureau and lacks BBB accreditation.
Amusement Advantage
A secret shopping service in Arvada, Colorado, Amusement
Advantage has been providing guest experience solutions since 1996. Clients
include Celebration Station, Water World, and New England Aquarium. As the name
implies, Amusement Advantage focuses on amusement parks, zoos, aquariums,
bowling centers and similar establishments.
Apply online only, and beware of scammers sending fraudulent
emails and posing as company employees. The company pays via PayPal in 21-28
days and values shoppers who are MSPA-certified.
The Better Business Bureau gives Amusement Advantage an A
plus rating, with one negative review.
GFK Mystery Shopping
GFK offers mystery shops in the U.S, U.K., and Ireland. The
U.S. headquarters are located in New York City. The company performs shops and
research for the retail, automotive, entertainment, health and financial
services industry.
You can sign up as a shopper here. The GFK website lacks
much information about contractor qualifications, payment or other information
on the general site. You need to register as a shopper to learn details about
payment and work requirements.
GFK receives mixed reviews. Some contractors enjoy the
assignments but say shops may be sporadic. Others claim completed reports are
labeled “Invalid” and unpaid even when done correctly.
Secret Shopper
Offering online, onsite and over-the phone evaluations, this
MSPA member company offers shopping apps and has Better Business Bureau
accreditation.
This mystery customer service organization, founded over 25
years ago, serves most industries that need employee or service evaluation.
Possible shopping contractors can connect with the company
via this link to apply for work.
Unlike many other companies, payment is by check. Most
assignments pay between $12 and $25. You may be reimbursed for a meal as pay
for restaurant assignments. You must
submit all shops online.
This legitimate Minneapolis-based company offers information
on avoiding scams. Online and text scammers have sent emails and texts to
unsuspecting contractors posing as company reps.
Second to None
Second to None offers market research and mystery customers
in the retail, government, education, e-commerce, restaurant, financial service
and healthcare fields. Founded in 1989, Second to None provides secret
customers to help clients refine the shopping or dining experience for “real”
customers. The company also offers compliance audits, customer surveys, and
employee feedback.
Fill out a brief shopper application to be added to the
company’s database.
Participants on one shopping forum complained about late
payments and lack of jobs near their region. Although Better Business Bureau
accredited since 2009, the company’s BBB page has no reviews.
Mystery Shopper Scams to Avoid
Unscrupulous individuals or organizations spoof legitimate
companies or pose as secret shopping companies to rip off independent
contractors seeking legitimate work.
Scams come in the form of unsolicited texts or emails
offering work. Many recipients fall prey to fake correspondence because they
recognize the name of the company. Always check the address of the email sender
to make sure it comes from a legitimate company domain, and not from a .edu or
foreign email address.
Unscrupulous promoters may use internet or newspaper ads that
request a fee for information about performing as a mystery customer for
companies. All the information you need is readily available for free on the
web.
No legitimate company will charge you for information about
the industry, company lists or ask for an application fee.
Other scams involve evaluating a money transfer service.
You’ll receive a check, and be instructed to deposit it in a bank account and
then withdraw the amount in cash.
You’ll then be told to send the money to a third party. Any
assignment of this nature is a scam. The check is a fake, and you’ll be
responsible for paying back the bank. A
legitimate secret shopping business will never send you a check before you
complete a shop.
Be wary of any company that requires you to do any of the
following:
Charge a fee to apply for or access jobs
Sell lists or information on how to become a mystery shopper
Ask you to deposit a check and wire money to someone else
Guarantee a job immediately
Find a legitimate job in the field by:
Look at online sites for tips on how to find secret shopping
companies
Check review sites and forums for information about
legitimate companies and scams
Real companies will never ask for fees
The MSPA website has a list of legitimate companies that
belong to their organization. Check out these companies first to find work.
The MSPA has legitimate certification programs, and you will
need to pay a fee for these certificates. However, you can apply for shopping
companies and complete shops without a certificate.
Some companies will offer better assignments to you if you
have an MSPA certificate, but you can also land better assignments without a
certificate by completing lower-paying assignments.
Use common sense if you receive an unsolicited email or text
regarding a shopping company. Ignore the correspondence if it has grammatical
and spelling errors, as many scam emails do.
Find shops by applying on legitimate company websites. Avoid
ads, even ones on job boards. Many job boards don’t have time to check for scam
posts. Go directly to the source for the best shops.
