Mystery Shopping is something I myself did for four years, so I feel able to give good and honest advice as to how to do it yourself if it is something you are interested in trying to make some extra money – whether that be a bit extra for a treat or towards something more significant, such as saving for a holiday or wedding.
I have a rather comedy blog series about Mystery Shopping and some other things I have done for money because after years of doing this kind of work, I have many tales to tell. This time however, I have decided I want to convey in a more serious manner how you can do this because, as we all know, things have changed somewhat for many people since March 2020 and there is more demand than ever for ideas of how to make some extra money.
Aside from all the challenges that you can face by working for yourself in such a way, trust me when I say it is possible to make some decent money from mystery shopping. I know from experience that you can – you just have to want to do it and be patient until you learn more about what it all involves.
What does Mystery Shopping involve?
Mystery Shopping involves acting as a customer in an establishment purely to test the customer service and to assess the ambience and cleanliness of a place. That is basically it, but you need to act natural, be convincing as a true customer and be able to report back your findings to the company within the time frame they want. The client that has requested their business to be mystery shopped then assess whether there are any areas that require improvement.
What kinds of jobs can you do?
There are a variety of different mystery shopping assignments at any given time available to you including; in store in a restaurant or shop, telephone, video recorded, email. Anywhere and everywhere that provides a service can have – and most likely does have – a mystery shopping scheme set up. Why not try them all and see what works for you? Sometimes you just get freebies, sometimes a payment and sometimes both. You can get a free slap up restaurant meal, a free stay in a hotel a, free day out such as an amusement park or museum – the possibilities are endless and it’s really fun seeing what you might land next.
Can you make it a full time job?
Almost, yes – alongside a few other things if you try hard enough – it became one of my main sources of income for a while. It is not what I would say is easy to do but it is possible. It is important to build strong relationships with the companies you work for because that way you will prove your reliability and be offered more work. Like anything, there is a lot of work involved, don’t kid yourself that it is going to be easy, but it is great in the sense that you are effectively self-employed and in control and you have a fair amount of freedom as you can work around other things in your life. Some of the more complex jobs can be very lucrative and you can see new places as you go further afield. I have travelled to some beautiful places such as Knaresborough, Settle and Ripponden. The average fee for a mystery shop is usually £10-£15, but I have been paid up to £250 before for one job. Once I performed a job worth £15 and won a competition the company were hosting, I won £100 and was absolutely ecstatic!
What qualities make a good mystery shopper?
Reliability, first and foremost. The companies will not want to work with you if you let them down too much by cancelling assignments, taking on jobs you do not complete or consistently not filling out the reports correctly. Driving would be a huge bonus, willingness to travel, willingness to sort out your own taxes and annual leave. Self-employed work has its perks but its downfalls too. But, if you are just in this to make a bit of extra money, mystery shopping really is a great way to do this, and it is fun!
Is Mystery Shopping definitely not a scam?
I thought the same a few years ago, but I can assure you it is most definitely above board and genuine. Here is a list of the mystery shop companies that you can apply to in the UK. Be aware that these are all tried and tested by myself and any that you try for yourself that ask for a sign-up fee is a scam as no valid site would ever charge you to join. Abandon these immediately should you come across them.
*The links in this post are refer a friend links so if you click and complete a job, I would get a little reward that goes towards the running of this site at no extra cost to you. I only link to things I fully recommend! All these companies are above board and tried and tested by me.
- Esa Retail
- Performance in People
- Tern
- Amber Arch
- Yomdel
- Retail Active
- Retail Maxim
- Storecheckers – (If you tell them upon sign up that I referred you and successfully complete a job, I receive a small reward but please do not feel obliged to do this.)
- React
- Bare International
- Redwigwam
- Blue Apple
- Ipsos
- JKS
- Helion Research
- Catalyst Market Research
- GBW
- Market Force
- Grassroots
- Newlann
- ABa
- Tactical Solutions – (If you tell them upon sign up that I referred you and successfully complete a job, I receive a small reward but please do not feel obliged to do this.)
- Coyle
I especially enjoyed working with Esa Retail, Redwigwam, Tern and Storecheckers; they had plenty of work available and much of it was quite lucrative. I built up good relationships with these companies and began to see them as my employers.
Most of these mystery shop websites are quite straightforward to apply to with just a quick form to fill out, whereas some take a little more time and require you to paint a clearer picture of yourself by use of test questions and asking you to describe what qualities you have that will make you a good mystery shopper.
Is this for you? You have to try to find out! My first mystery shop was very different to the most recent ones I carried out; you learn and grow in this trade as you go along so just give it a chance and a bit of time and see if it is for you. You will at least enjoy trying something new, the extra money and the experience I am sure.
