Mystery shopping is an activity where a mystery shopper, or secret shopper, contacts a business and reports on the interaction. The mystery shopper can conduct a business transaction in person, on the phone, via live chat or online. The result of the mystery shop is then reported to the business to review. Businesses use mystery shop reviews as part of employee reviews, as well as measuring tools on how well their employees interact with their customers.

Mystery shoppers conduct evaluations many different ways. If they conduct an in-person mystery shop, they would look at items such as the working conditions of the business and would also rate the employees. Some of the items they would review may include employee appearance, did the employee smile, were they friendly, did they suggest additional products and services, and more. If they conduct a phone mystery shop, they would report on how long it took to answer the phone, how long they were put on hold, did they have to be transferred to another person to answer the question, and other aspects of a phone transaction. Similar lines of questions can be included in online and chat interactions.

Many companies hire mystery shoppers to see how well employees grade out in certain situations. To become involved, contact some of the larger companies in your area and offer to help. Other companies utilize professional mystery shopping firms to conduct the shops. These companies often are looking for local residents to assist with the mystery shopping tasks. They can be found through the Internet by searching for mystery shopping.

If you are looking to begin work as a mystery shopper, you must make certain it is not a scam. While you need to use judgment, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office has some guidelines on how mystery shopping scams operate:

• Advertise jobs for shoppers on the radio, in a newspaper’s classified or “help wanted” section or through unsolicited email. Legitimate secret shopper companies generally do not advertise for jobs in this manner.
• “Guarantee” a job as a mystery, secret, or investigative shopper.
• Charge a fee just for applying or charge a fee for access to secret shopping job opportunities. You should not pay any fee to apply or to obtain job information.
• Appear to be located in places outside the country, such as Canada. If the company does not have an established office nearby that you can visit in person, be very cautious.
• It is always a good idea to check with the Better Business Bureau and investigate any business offering this sort of employment.

Here are some links to check out on mystery shopping and mystery shopping scams:

Become a mystery shopper

The secrets of mystery shopping (FTC)

Voucher codes

Shadow shopper

How to become a mystery shopper

Secret shopper scam

Tips on finding secret shopper jobs