-  Kids under age 18.

-  Those who do not have adequate transportation to get to and from secret shopper jobs

-  Those without internet availability -  Mystery shoppers must log onto the shop provider’s website to get info, file reports, and upload files.

-  Those who cannot write clear, detailed descriptions of their shopping experiences.  (Spelling and grammar are important!)

OK, now that we have that out of the way, if these don’t apply, who can become a mystery shopper? The answer is almost anyone.  There are mystery shoppers who are moms who want to stay home with their kids and make money on the side.  There are students who want a flexible way to pick up some extra income.   Retirees who don’t want to be tied down to a regular job, but want to earn extra cash, make good secret shoppers also.  The unemployed who haven’t found a full time job yet can also bring in much appreciated extra income while giving themselves the time flexibility to look for work.

Others, who are like myself, work at full time jobs, but enjoy supplementing regular income occasionally by doing secret shopping jobs.  Getting a free restaurant meal, a free oil change, or a free eye exam are perks that I’ve enjoyed while being a secret shopper.  My husband and I enjoyed some free wings and cheesecake as a result of my last secret shopping job.  Yum!  If I wasn’t on a diet, I’d sign up to do that one again!

Go Shopping and Get Paid! Photo by Tranкov, stockvault.net

These videos, along with the information on this website, will prepare you to become a mystery shopper.  If you have good observation, communication, organizational, and writing skills and live in an area close to many businesses, you can succeed as a secret shopper.

This video contains basic information on how to become a mystery shopper:



This woman tells of her personal experience with mystery shopping:



Here’s a news report about a secret shopper.

The myth is that on every secret shopper job you will purchase something that will be fully reimbursed. Many people believe that they will get all kinds of free clothing, toys, jewelry, and other products by secret shopping. What they don’t realize is that most shopper jobs for merchandise that costs more than a few dollars must be returned to the store. Once you start studying lists of secret shopper jobs, you’ll find that you usually don’t get to keep anything that costs much.

That is not to say that you can’t get anything free. Obviously if you are getting an oil change or eating at a restaurant as a secret shopper, you can’t return your purchase and get a reimbursement. Or if you stay in a hotel in order to do an evaluation on that hotel, you cannot “return” it.  I have received a free eye exam plus a nice reimbursement for part of the cost of my new eyeglasses. But it’s not common to get a job in which I can purchase clothing, for instance, and get to keep it.

Different companies which hire secret shoppers have different policies on this. So check carefully to make sure you understand the terms before accepting a shopper job.

Another Myth

Another myth that is often promoted by those selling expensive secret shopping programs is that you will make a lot of money by secret shopping. Realize that most shopper jobs do not pay much per hour. It may take you two or three hours to drive to an assignment, do the shopping job, drive home, and go online to fill out your report. Your pay for doing this might be only $8.00 to $18.00.

Now that’s a nice perk if you were going to go purchase the item or service anyhow. You get paid a bit for your time and possibly receive your purchase for free or at a discount. It’s a nice way to supplement your income part time. If you register with several companies, you may be able to do several jobs that can be done one after another in the same day. You can plan a route to go from one job to another and then go home and fill out your reports. But very few secret shoppers can make a living out of doing shopping jobs. Especially with the cost of gas these days!

So let’s lay the myths to rest. You CAN make some extra money. You CAN get some things that you would buy anyhow for free or for a discount. You CAN have fun shopping and turn your shopping hobby into a part time income. But you probably won’t make a lot of money unless you are a smart investor who puts all of her shopper profits into investments instead of spending them.

Click the Slideshow to Review Mystery Shopper Books

One of the first questions asked by potential secret shoppers is how to begin. It’s pretty simple.

1. Read through websites of mystery shopper job provider companies to find those who offer the type of jobs you want in your area.  If you don’t know how to find these websites, take out a membership in a directory of mystery shopping provider companies.

2. Register as a secret shopper on those websites. In some cases you may need to take a test, but most of the mystery shopper companies do not require this. The more companies you join, the more shopper jobs will be available to you.

3. Sign up to get emails of job openings from the companies that you register with.

4. View the “job boards” of the websites of those companies.

5. Sign up for the jobs you want to accept.

6. Wait for confirmation that you have been assigned to the jobs.

7. Study the requirements for the job so that when you do the shopping job you will know what to observe. Make sure you thoroughly understand every aspect of the assignment. You won’t get paid if you don’t give all the required information.

8. Do the shopping job within the time frame of the assignment.

9. Log onto the website of the assigning company to fill out the online report about your shopping experience. Be thorough and clear in your descriptions of your shopping job experience.  You will probably have to scan and upload a receipt for your purchase or fax a copy to the company.

10. Wait for your pay!  (And while you’re waiting, do some more shopper jobs!)