Getting Paid as a Mystery Shopper
In the not too recent past the service area of our nations economy has greatly increased, creating a demand for Mystery Shoppers. When a store or chain of businesses want Mystery Shoppers, they invariably seek a Market Research Firm in which to provide them. The businesses you will be in contact with in this “Mystery Shoppers Package” are mostly Marketing Research firms who have contracts with hundreds of stores across the United States.
As a Mystery Shopper, you will work in conjunction with these Businesses on a contract basis. This means that you are not their “employee”, but rather an independent Mystery Shopper. You will be held responsible for your own income taxes on your earnings and no deductions will be taken out of your paycheck. Most people like this, because it allows them to take advantage of numerous tax breaks. As an Independent Mystery Shopper you can take advantage of tax breaks involving the use of your home as a place of work and also certain tax breaks involving the use of your car.
MAKING MONEY
Now that you know how to Mystery Shop, the most important question you have might be about how much money you can make. If you refer to the list of businesses included with this booklet you will easily see that they are located in different geographic areas of the country. Some of them only have Mystery Shopping Adventures available in certain regions or states. Others are national.
When you let these businesses know that you are available to Mystery Shop, they will send you the details. After you have sent your paper work to them, they will contact you to Mystery Shop. When they do, some businesses will ask you to give them a fee that you feel you need to get paid for doing a particular Shopping Adventure. To figure out the fee you’d like to get paid, consider such things as mileage (standard mileage is around 18c per mile after the first 10 miles), how long it will take you to do the shopping, and any authorized purchases or expenses that you may incur while completing the Shopping Adventure.
The average shopping fee is about $20 per hour. This does not include mileage or any other expenses. Feel free to quote what you feel is an appropriate price for the type of Shopping Adventure you will be doing. A typical shopper may propose a shopping fee for 20 stores in a franchise, approximately 25 hours of shopping and report writing, and quote a business $600! This would include all the costs, mileage, expenses, and shopping fees.
Some mystery shoppers fulfill the larger contracts, while others fulfill the small contracts. You may work the hours that you wish and do the work whenever you prefer. You might want to shop at your local book store, receive a flower arrangement, visit a fast-food restaurant, and get your car washed all in the same week!
Average fees for “Shopping Adventures” are as follows:
Type of Visit Continuing Program One Time Shop
Short $20 to 25 40 to 50
Medium 30 to 45 60 to 90
Long 50 or more 100 or more
SHORT “Shopping Adventures” last about 5 to 10 minutes. Some examples are:
Convenience Store
Newsstand
Dry Cleaner
Gas Station
Video Rental Store
Ice Cream/Yogurt Shop
Shoe Repair Store
MEDIUM “Shopping Adventures” last about 10 to 20 minutes. Some examples are:
Book Store
Drug Store
Fast Food Restaurant
Supermarket/Grocery Store
Automotive Supply Store
Specialty Stores in a Mall
LONG “Shopping Adventures” may last 30 minutes or longer. Some examples are:
Department Store
Fancy Restaurant
Car Dealership
Hotel/Traveling
Camera Shop
Art Gallery
Bank
Auto Service Station
Without Mystery Shoppers, stores can only get information from the customers who are at the far extremes of the satisfaction scale. It is not a totally accurate viewpoint. Either they hear from those who are extremely happy or from those who are not. To get proper feedback from the majority of the customers, stores need people like you. If a store were to worry only about the extremely happy or unhappy customers, they would be missing out on trying to improve service for the people who make up the largest part of their customer base.
While it is very important for businesses to deal with those customers who are very unsatisfied and to thank those who are very satisfied, it is even more important that they try to improve upon the experience of the vast majority of their customer base who are somewhere in the middle of the satisfaction scale. Herein lies their biggest market for increased sales.
The ones in the middle spend the most, simply because of the sheer numbers. There are more of them. If a store wants to stay in business, don’t you agree that it is in their best interest to cater to the middle customers?
