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What Is A Secret Shopper?"Is Mystery Shopping Legitimate?" Some people have never heard of secret shopping. Others have misconceptions. A secret shopper is someone who signs up with mystery shopper provider companies to visit a business and report back to the provider company about his or her observations while doing a "mystery shop." A secret shopper does this secretly (of course!)so that the people working at the business don't know they are being evaluated. For instance, you could sign up with a company that sends secret shoppers to a fast food restaurant or a shoe store. Once your registration is accepted by that company, you can go to the company's website to check for available secret shopping assignments that are in your area. When you see one you would like to do, you follow the instructions of the company to sign up for that assignment. Then you print out guidelines for the assignment and the questions you will be answering. You study these before going on the assignment so that you know what you are doing when you get there. Once you are there, you observe everything needed to answer those questions. You do not carry your guidelines or questions into the business unless they are hidden in a pocket or purse! You don't want to give away the fact that you are a secret shopper. If you need to check on them during the visit, use the restroom and privately take a look at your guidelines again while you are in there. Once you leave, you write out your answers to the questions - normally on an online form that the provider company has for you to fill out. You will also need to fax or scan and email your receipt to the company. Give complete, thorough answers. The more specific information you give, the better. If you complete the assignment correctly, you will be paid a fee and/or be reimbursed for the cost of your purchase. Some secret shoppers only work occasionally, while others register with enough companies that they work several assignments per week. It is their choice because they are not employees of the provider companies. Instead they are independent contractors. As an independent contractor you may be entitled to tax deductions! Need to know more about what a secretshopper is and does? Some great resources are available here! You can register to be a secret shopper by searching for individual websites of companies that assign mystery shops and then registering at their sites. Or you can register with a service that enables you to have access to a number of secret shopper job providers such as the Mystery Shopper Registration Website. Or use "My Easy Little Mystery Shopper Job Finder" to find listings of shopper jobs. Why Do Companies Hire Secret Shoppers?Simply put, businesses want to know how customers view them and whether their employees are following training guidelines. They want to be sure that their customers are served properly and that they won't lose business due to poor service. Read this article to find out more about why businesses use and need secret shoppers.
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