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Need Some Extra Money or A New Hobby: Secret Shopping Explained
Getting paid to shop might sound like a career option that’s simply too good to be true, but there are thousands of people in the UK currently doing just that. If you’re one of those people who takes great pleasure in spending your weekends exploring the local shopping mall for bargains, and has genuine, relatable opinions on the shopping experience, we might have found you a dream job that you probably didn’t even realise existed. You’ve even probably seen a secret shopper without even realising it. The giveaway is usually the notepad or tablet.
What is Mystery Shopping?
In many ways, a mystery shopper operates at a retail outlet in much the same way as a food critic at a restaurant. If you work for a Secret Shopping Agency, you’ll be sent to a store and will be asked to purchase a particular range of items and observe how you’re treated, how easy the item is to find and how helpful the staff and management are in your experience. All off your findings will be collated in a questionnaire, with questions that will change depending on the assignment.
Mystery shopping is a handy tool used primarily by market research companies, but it is also often used by companies themselves in order to accurately and discreetly measure the quality of service and regulation compliance of specific outlets. It also allows them to gather information about specific products and services, which can be used to potentially alter the way they market said products. In essence it’s a quality control measure, and it’s one that has proven very effective. The identity of the shopper is generally not known by the outlet being evaluated, but there are exceptions.
According to the MSPA (Mystery Shopping Providers Association), there are around 50,000 secret shopping trips carried out on a monthly basis in the UK alone, with demand for shoppers increasing as more consumers take their business online.
A most eclectic career
You won’t always be asked to visit a conventional retail store. For example, in any given week you might be asked to observe your experience at a cinema, a hotel, a bank or even a fast food restaurant, it depends on the agency and whatever Tactical Solutions they are looking to offer for their clients. The secret shopper might not necessarily just be buying a product either. They might be asked to ask specific questions, register a complaint, or behave in a certain way. The data collected from each encounter will provide valuable information for the client, which they can use in any way they see fit.
Why become a Secret Shopper?
We should make it clear that there are very few “Full-time” mystery shoppers. Most use it as a form of supplemental income and also tend to do it because they enjoy it and the money happens to be a rather delightful bonus! The best thing about secret shopping for those already in employment, however, is that it can generally be done whenever is most convenient for the shopper. In some cases, shoppers can even keep the products they buy and they are always reimbursed if they have to fork out a little extra. Typically mystery shoppers can earn as much as £155 a day but spending an average of 8 hours visiting stores and then another hour or two filling out reports. Video secret shoppers, meanwhile, can earn even more by filming their experiences using hidden cameras smuggled inside their handbags or sports bags.
Another reason why some secret shoppers find the job so rewarding, is that they can visit an underperforming store many months after a visit and see the standards have improved, which amounts to a surprising amount of job satisfaction. There is also a strict ethical code in place, which means information gathered from a secret shop can only be shared with the associated parties. So if you had any worries that there was anything even remotely “Underhanded” about secret shopping, consider them quashed!
Is there a down side?
Of course there is. But they are few and far between. There is a lot of travelling involved and work is far from regular for newcomers as it’s such a competitive market. Once you’ve gained a name for yourself in the secret shopping world though and have made connections with a number of agencies, you’ll be on your way to earning a decent wage (as much as £40,000 a year in fact, with all expenses covered and a wealth of freebies) in no time at-all.
Ultimately it’s a profession that won’t be for everyone, but if you don’t mind travelling, you love shopping, and you’ve always fancied the idea of being a spy, but not the idea of firing a weapon, then secret shopping might very well just be the profession you never knew you always dreamed of!
