Mystery shopper (also called a secret shopper): Mystery shoppers go shopping disguised as a typical shopper. The purpose is to evaluate the performance of a company based on a provided checklist.
Companies use secret shoppers to keep their managers and employees “on their toes.”
Various well known trade use secret shoppers. Companies like McDonalds, Texas Roadhouse, Taco Bell, and Olive Garden are just a few that regularly use secret shoppers. Mystery shoppers often evaluate department stores, gas stations, golf courses, grocery stores, clothing stores, hotels, casinos, etc.
Yes, most work from home jobs are just scams, but mystery shopping can be the exception. Mystery shoppers are typically paid $12 to $15 an hour, but that’s not exactly a full-time income. How many purchases can you make in one day?
If you like to shop and like to check out everything from how friendly a waitress is to whether you’ve been asked if you’d like to add an order of fries to your order, to even evaluating the cleanliness of the bathroom… mystery shopping might be for you.
The different types of stores are Restaurants, Retail/Retail Returns, Apartments, Hotels, Cruises, Amusement Parks (depending on where you live), Spas, Equipment Rentals, New Construction Homes, Insurance, Banking, Investment Banking, Communication, and many, many more!
There are also Undercover Video Mystery Shops where you are logged in and record the shop from a button on your shirt and Phone Call Mystery Shops where the conversation is recorded. The amount paid per shop depends on the company you are doing the shop for; however, I have typically found the pay range to be $10.00 – $100.00 per store. There are some exceptional stores that can pay over $100.00 and you would be rare to find.