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Take the Mystery out of "Mystery Shopping"
Author: Randy Wilson
Looking for full or part-time work? Try Mystery Shopping, where merchants and various companies hire people like you and me to go shopping. Sounds simple, right? Well, it isn't that difficult.

Mystery shoppers are used for many different purposes. The most common being shopping in a store to check out the customer service. You will be walking around checking things like employee integrity, how long has trash gone without being emptied? See how the managers are handling their duties throughout the store.

Mystery Shoppers, or sometimes referred to as "Mystery Customers", are a vital component of a merchants ability to run a quality store. It helps companies to evaulate their employees. To find out how phone calls are handled, and similiar types of evaluations critical to the success of a store.

Mystery Shoppers are sometimes referred to as "Spotters" or "Secret Shoppers". The merchants will put you thru training to show you what to look for and how to conduct yourself in the store or on the phone. In return, they need your qualified evaluation of the current status of operations in the store.

This gives them the information needed to make changes where needed. Or to properly train and/or evaluate their employees for a more efficient and therefore more profitable store.

You might be hired by not just merchants, but banks, government offices and resturants. With over 200,000 Secret Shoppers and over 750 companies hiring Mystery Shoppers, the field is very competitive. Also, the pay is low for starting Secret Shoppers, but you can work your way up by doing above standard work. However, you can shop about 75 businesses a month to earn $1,000 or more if you are good at it.

The average pay is from $7 to $15 per visit, depending on the type of merchant. This would be a good way to shop, if you enjoy shopping anyway, and earn some cash on the side. You are allowed to purchase items for yourself too, while purchasing items for the company and being reimbursed for those. So if you like shopping anyway, this is just the ticket for you.

When filling out the application, pay close attention to spelling and grammatical mistakes. They also want observations without being critical. Keep the report short but make sure to include the important details. Also make sure to fill out everything on the application, any blank spots will diminish your chances of getting some of the Secret Shopper assignments you want.

Roughly 70% of shoppers don't make the grade for various reasons. Incomplete reports or not doing the assignment your are given. If you file short, concise and complete reports, and do every assignment on time your chances increase greatly at getting more assignments. The top "Secrets Shoppers" might even get to pick the assignments they want to do.

One thing that you cannot do is share your experiences. Mystery Shoppers are generally required to sign a confidentiality agreement. You are not allowed to disclose the location of the job or the details of the assignment.

Here is an alphabetical list of the best online Mystery Shopper database companies.

Amazing Offers

# of Companines Listed: 140+

Guarantee Terms: 90 days

Mystery Shopper Fee Range: $10 to $40 an hour

One-time subscription fee: $24.95

More Information: target=_top>Amazing Offers

GetPaid2

# of Companines Listed: 160+

Guarantee Terms: Not Listed

Mystery Shopper Fee Range: $10 to $90 per hour

Bonus: Get Paid to Surf the Internet

Get Paid to Read Email

Get Paid for Taking Surveys

Get Paid for Focus Groups

Unlimited, Lifetime Access

One-time subscription fee: $34.95

More Information: target=_top>GetPaid2

Shop Until You Drop

# of Companines Listed: not listed

Guarantee Terms: 90 days

Mystery Shopper Fee Range: $10 to $125

Bonus: Get Paid To Take Surveys

How to Drive a Car for FREE or Get Paid to Drive Your Car

Get Paid To Pass Out Samples

Ebay Secrets

One-time subscription fee: $24.95

More Information: target=_top>Shop until You Drop

Shopping Jobs

# of Companines Listed: 200+

Guarantee: Yes
Guarantee Terms: Not Listed

Mystery Shopper Fee Range: $10 to $40 an hour

Bonus: Get Paid To Take Surveys

Get Paid To Drive

Get Paid To Pass Out Samples

DropShip Your Way To Profits

How I Started My Own Home Based Business By Matthew Lesko

One-time subscription fee: $25.00

More Information: target=_top>Shopping Jobs

Shopping Jobs Here

# of Companines Listed: 100+

Guarantee: Yes

Guarantee Terms: Not Listed

Mystery Shopper Fee Range: $10 to $40 per hour

Bonus: Get Paid To Drive

Get Paid To Pass Out Free Samples

Get Paid To Read Emails

One-time subscription fee: $29.95

More Information: target=_top>ShoppingJobsHere


So apply to one of the online services above and start earning an income today.

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

About the Author

Randy has dozens more home based business articles such as Small Business Franchise and Financial Consultants.

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