Mystery shoppers first stop here

[SabrinaTelv]

Originally Posted by mmeff1949

I just have a question totally new to all this the site, forums, etc. hope i posted correctly. I have been getting emails from a company called Shadow Shopper, i have not really looked at the emails yet, but has anyone heard of it, any advise about it and another question, is to be a mystery shopper, you at least have to upfront the money for whatever the job is, like in a resturant or grocery store, and they once your report is submitted, etc, then your reimbursed? thank you for the answers to my questions. Is having a digital phone or camera phone essential to doing a good job or report? thanks again..

Shadow Shopper can be a great resource, however, most everything posted on Shadow Shopper is posted on other sites you can access for free. One of my favorites is Volition®. In addition to a job board, a forum for mystery shoppers, and an extensive list of mystery shopping companies with whom you can register, there are many other resources for mystery shoppers to utilize in making their business more efficient.

You do need to make sure you have money on hand to perform shops where purchases are required. Some shopping companies pay within a few days, but others can take 3 months or longer. You have to be prepared to be out of pocket for a period of time.

There are many assignments that require digital photos. Most companies require some sort of proof of visit - either a receipt, business card, or something similar. Shooting a digital photo of this proof of visit allows you to quickly upload the image with your report rather than having to fax or break out the old scanner to submit the proof of visit.

Happy shopping and good luck!

[charlieh]

Please be careful who you are mystery shopping for. It is my understanding that a lot of the time mystery shopping jobs are actually scams, and you are ripping the company off that you are mystery shopping for.
My friend found out that an affiliate marketer was using mystery shoppers to click on his banner advertisement and then call her company thus getting him credit for sending a customer, and my friend was the victim of calling companies and pretending that she was a real customer. He had put an ad in craigslist looking for a mystery shoppers. Then the people who he "hired" would make calls to companies thinking they were mystery shoppers but in fact they were not hired by the company at all. They were hired by the affiliate marketer who just wanted money for sending a customer.
Be careful.

[2LookYounger]

Thanks for the information that the advertisement for the mystery shopper could be a scam.

[JRSD5715]

idid a quick chek shop for iccds i arivt 1259 pmand left at150 pm i went home does to myreport i put the in time in at 1259 pmand 150 pm they sad in vlid h to be in form of hh mmam/pm what did i oes wrong dont workfor iccds i am ver happy to be on wahn forum mystery sahopewr is the bestwhat is the best mystery shoppping to work for

[TheGoingGreenTeam]

Glad this post is still up from 2006, hopefully the info on the initial post is still valid, I'll have to check it out. I was a mystery shopper at one time, but I don't remember who it was with and I'm thinking I may like to get into it again.

[Diana77]

I have thought about Mystery Shopping. This is good advice.

[paminca]

Good morning everyone. I am the President of the Independent Mystery Shoppers' Coalition(IMSC). The IMSC is a mystery shopper support organization. If you ever have a question about the legitimacy of a mystery shopping company or offer such as one of the checks and emails that some receive, feel free to email us at info@imscnews.com and we will help you. If you have never mystery shopped and would like free information, we will send that to you as well.

Mystery shopping can be a lot of fun, but it is a lot of work as well. Be careful out there and please do not fall for any of the scams.

[marimar]

Just to add...
My mother is a branch manager of a bank. She states she has people monthly trying to cash checks from mystery shopping and it ends up being fraudulent. She has people in her office crying because of the money they have put out and have lost. This is why this site is so great so people have a place to go to check out the company and get feedback.

[melba.peele]

I'm glad I read this I was about to pay to become a mystery shopper. I didn't know I can do is for free.

[JobSeeker12]

Hi All,
I've come to notice that not all MS companies have secured (SSL) sign up pages. I made a boo boo and registered at/filled out forms at some non-SSL sites. I got a weird feeling before doing so and have since stopped doing that. The non-SSL pages had no padlock icon or https designation.
Do any of you have any words of wisdom about this concern (non-SSL sign up sites)? I started to question the integrity of the MS company and the security of my information.
Please and thank you.