I recently wrote Part I of my blog series, which gave a brief introduction to my experience of mystery shopping over the last few years.
Welcome to Part II.
Mystery shopping or secret shopping as it is sometimes dubbed, is the act of going into an establishment, sneaking about like a Praying Mantis and pretending to be someone you’re not with a view to, essentially, spying on the staff and praying they are stood about gossiping – so you can dish all the dirt – and then scuttling out like a crab on heat.
Ok, I joke. Well, actually, it pretty much is that, only a bit more complicated. And nicer. Unless you get a kick out of deliberately upsetting honest working members of the public but I would hope that not be the case.
You see, one of the most important qualities you must possess as a mystery shopper is integrity. You are actually making a difference – you know when you receive amazing service in a shop or restaurant and you walk out the door with a jaunty little step feeing like you’ve truly been seen and get a warm feeling that only a shockingly friendly stranger could provide? Well, that’s because the staff member has been bribed by a mystery shopper earlier in the week and they have a tag strapped to their ankle beneath the till – if they make one false move or stray from the appointed script, the whole store will ring with an ear-splitting alarm, and the staff member will subsequently be led away in handcuffs.
Ok, in all seriousness – because this isn’t 1984 – mystery shopping involves being given a brief; a set of instructions from the company you’re signed up to. This could be specific staff to target, a purchase to make, something to sign up for or just general observations regarding the customer service such as how they treat you and other customers, their manner, their enthusiasm for the role. Your job is to basically follow these guidelines in order to feed back your findings to the client via a detailed report.
As a mystery shopper, you need to be observant, focused, have a good memory and decree a certain amount of confidence to be able to pull off such a scheme.
My First Mystery Shopping Experience
My confidence was basically zero during my first assignment. I hesitantly signed up to the first company I trusted – even then I was doubtful. I could see that lots of these websites were scams claiming you could leave your full time job, work on your own terms and have the perfect life…if you paid them ten pounds to sign up. There’s always a catch with a scam. A genuine company will never charge you a sign up fee and if you look closely, you can normally distinguish between a fake and a genuine website by the quality and use of language. So I soldiered on, did more research and ended up with my first job.
I was to express interest in having a new carpet fitted in my bedroom. I wanted the cash but gulped at the thought of me enquiring about a carpet- the last time the concept of a new carpet had come up had been when I was on my knees profusely apologising to my friend for spilling red wine all over hers. Despite my apprehension about participating in this spurious activity, I needed the cash and was keen to try something new. So, I exhaled. And I did it.
As the man stared quizically into my eyes, I stared vacantly back into his. I had remembered I was lying. I needed a carpet no more than Greenland needed the President of the USA and as the air around us thickened with tension, I reminded myself that I was merely acting, not lying and swiftly located the section of the script from my cerebellum that had been temporarily shrouded by the incredulity of the task at hand.
The interaction began to take a more authentic shape as I answered questions regarding dimensions, colour and style. But still, in my cloud of paranoia, the staff member had pegged me as a mystery shopper long ago and was merely taking the necessary steps so as not to make this unfortunate situation any more awkward than it needed to be.
Perhaps he was already planning what he could spend his gift voucher on after word had got out that he had been awarded top marks by a mystery customer – we both had reputations to uphold after all. This was purely business and if he just went along with this and played ball, he would come out unscathed and maybe never see the likes of me in his place of work again.
I suddenly realised I had once again digressed to an unwelcome place after the staff member asked me if I needed a glass of water with a genuine look of concern in his eyes. I was being ridiculous, it was much more likely he had concluded that I was just an unfortunate person with very little experience in the realm of carpet purchasing. The conversation continued in such a way that actually made me start to feel empathetic towards his cause; he spoke with such enthusiasm about the carpet and his hands performed with an alacrity so admirable that I almost became fully engrossed in what was being said regarding the width, length and depth of a material that would always remain immaterial to me.
The interaction finished up with a warm parting of ways and my clammy hand grasping a print out of ‘my dream carpet’ complete with delivery details and a contact number. I stood outside the store and resolutely breathed in the pollution of the car park, vowing that in the future I would be less hard on myself and more prepared. After all, there was no real way that the staff members could know I was mystery shopping unless I told them outright. It was like a big game where your opponent could either be a champion or an underdog but were wholly unaware of their participation.
It didn’t seem fair in many ways but this was a brand new world that I would have to become accustomed to with all its quirks and qualms. An underground world that only a select few knew about, I felt like a spy, a ninja, a deadly assassin. I had the power to observe, to examine, to manipulate.
I was ambivalent in my emotions, part of me felt euphoria, thrill, excitement whilst the other part; guilt and grave uncertainty – now the beast within me had been awoken, would I ever be the same again? Would my dreams of a freelance career become reality? Was it truly possible to be in charge of my finance driven quests – to get up when I wanted each day, to have control over how many hours I did a week, to actually enjoy my work and not feel suffocated by a mundane routine of work/sleep/alarm, work/sleep/alarm.
The answer is yes, it was possible, but it would not be without compromise. I would have to do more, put more into what I was hoping to get out, make sacrifices. I would have to not just be a mystery shopper, I would have to become a fully fledged freelance worker. That simpering, drizzly night, armed with green tea and a determination that could cut through iron like butter, I set to work and delved into deep research.
What other jobs were out there that could supplement my new autonomous career in mystery shopping. I was unconvinced that this would reveal anything genuine. My panacea surely could not be found here, in the clandestine crevices of the world wide web. Until – I found something that piqued my interest but made me shudder when I read further. A money making website with a post about various ways to make money without having to have a ‘proper’ job. The words ‘smelly socks’ caught my eye, I gasped and looked away. After a few moments, I mustered up the courage to look back at the screen.
I had to know more.
Read Part III here.
