Guest Author - Lili Pintea-Reed

Since many of my readers are on fixed incomes of one source or another, or downsized and trying to make ends meet on a limited budget, I sometimes check put ways to make "a little extra cash."

One method suggested to me was "mystery shopping" the common name for paid customer service evaluation. You simply list with a service that does these things, and go to stores in your area to evaluate their customer service. You turn in an online report that is mostly a checklist of required customer service behaviors, and maybe write a brief paragraph on your experience.

Armed with this information and a couple of mystery shopping job listing URLs, I decided to look into "Mystery Shopping."

It turned out like most things to be tiny bit more involved than just the description, but even in my VERY rural area of western NY state I mangaed to pick up a couple hundred dollars in a month. I noticed that in areas near big cities there were literally hundreds of these jobs listed over the month. You could if organized and disciplined actually make a living doing this sort of thing!

This is because they usually, but not always, pay around $10 for each store you shop. The highest pay I got for one location to shop was $20, and the lowest was $5. If you live in or near a big city, you could easily shop ten stores a day make $100. If like me you live in a rural area a few times a year you can shop all the local chain sores and make some extra "pin money." I also paid for a trip to a nearby city by doing several mystery shopping stops near my destination. We did this several times to pay for tourist visits we would not have made due to the expense.

To get started you need a www.paypal.com account. This is way for companies to email you payments. Most of these employee evaluation services pay via Paypal.com. If you don't have a paypal.com account get one before you begin.

Then go to the two main listing sites for these types of jobs.

Shadow Shopper
http://www.shadowshopper.com/index.cfm?rfid=353874

MysteryShop.org
http://www.mysteryshop.org/shoppers

These are both good sites, but in my case here in rural NY state I got most of my jobs from the listing on: http://www.shadowshopper.com. This was for several reasons. They are more user friendly, and you can actually have job leads emailed to you as they appear in the job postings. Since these jobs are first come first serve, I had an edge on others as I get my email early in the morning when my Husband goes to work. They also let you check by zip code to see if anything nearby is available. For the first month trial, I was charged a small fee of $5. I thought this trivial in the face of earning a couple hundred dollars in just a few days. And if I had wanted to drive further, I could have made more. They also certify you as a Registered Mystery SHopper for Free.

The MysteryShop.org
http://www.mysteryshop.org/shoppersis nice but only lists jobs by state, and you have to plow through long lists scanning for your town or zip code. But the listings are free. They do suggest you get their MSPA Certification, and many of the people who list with them give hiring preference to people with this certification. MSPA CERTIFICATION costs $15, but is a very easy test on basic good shopping habits. Its almost exactly the same thing as the Shadowshopper Certishop Certificate test. No big deal.

To get jobs in the USA most sites require:
1) A social security number (they report earnings to the government)
2) A crime free record
3) Paypal.com for pay
4) Some ask for a demo paragraph to show writing skills --some don't.
5) Some require proof of residency or citizenship (you send a notarized copy ID)
6) A few have dress codes -- but most don't.

I used Both services since jobs in my area are few and far between --basically seasonal.

I recommend you do the same thing.

So check the listings and see if there are MYSTERY SHOPPING jobs in your area. You could spend the summer in air conditioned stores seeing if customer service is up to snuff --- while doing your regular shopping. Not a bad past time.

The requirements of the job are Specific to the Assignment. Some require you to go check to see if re-called items are removed from store shelves. Some require you to target specific employees and reward them with a company bomus certificate if they fulfill certain customer service requirements. But most simply ask you to go to a store "under cover" and anonymous and do a shop. You make a small purchase of a dollar or less to generate a receipt. Later, you report online as to how things went, and mail/fax the receipt copy. So you need to be flexible and able to handle changes in directions.

Pay times vary. They can be a as quick as a week to 60 days after the shop. Most companies pay by Paypal.com, but some send checks via the mail. In the case of being and undercover person on a cruise or hotel vist, the free stay is the pay.

If you live out of the USA are these sort of services too!
Mystery Shopper.org lists some out of USA sites or you can try the sites below.

In Canada try:
CampBell Edgar, Inc.
http://www.retailmysteryshoppers.com/

Corporate Research Group
http://www.thecrg.com/

In the UK try:

SMBS
http://www.smbs.co.uk/

Aba.com
http://www.aba.co.uk/

In Australia try:
Mintel.com
http://www.mintel.com

Hoed Mystery Shopping
http://www.hoedholdings.com.au/

WARNING:Like everything else, are some Mystery Shopping Scams out there -- so please stick to these well known certified sites unless you have good reason to try others.

Happy Shopping!