Thursday, June 12, 2008

How to Make a Living as a Mystery Shopper American Style

By Ethan Hunter

Mystery shopping has become a great way for people to make a little extra money, perfect for stay-at-home moms, students, or those wanting to pad the Christmas fund or save for an upcoming vacation. The United States is known as the land of opportunity, which is why mystery shopping American style applies. This special type of "shopping" comes with an abundance of opportunity that includes restaurants, car maintenance, jewelry, sunglasses, clothing, and much more.

Usually as a mystery shopper, American companies will hire you through market research companies. However you may occasionally be hired directly by the stores wanting an evaluation, but that is quite rare. Their goal is to get feedback on their company and the service that the customer received so that they can improve anything that needs improving.

As a mystery shopper you can be paid in a number of ways. Sometimes companies decide to reimburse you with or without an extra fee. Others will only pay you a flat fee for your work. The main reason why companies hire mystery shoppers is because they want to stay ahead of the competition and they can only do that by being the best that they can be. So by seeing how the customer sees them, they can make the necessary steps to improve their business and get more sales.

As a mystery shopper, American companies will provide detailed instructions on how the shop should be performed. For example, if you were going to shop a restaurant, you would be advised of specific questions to ask, menu items to order, and information to gather. This might include obtaining the names of the hostess, server, and manager, taking note of the cleanliness of the restaurant, inside and outside, paying attention to the presentation and temperature of food ordered, and noting the process of receiving and paying for the check.

Being a mystery shopper, American companies expect a detailed report, which is then passed on to the company itself. From there, the information provided is analyzed and a plan for possible changes made. Using the restaurant shop as a prime example, if you had ordered a steak well done, but it came back rare, you would include this in the report. With this information, the restaurant owner or management team would have the chance to discuss the problem with the chef so future customers get exactly what they order. Being a mystery shopper American style actually helps companies in the United States provide a far more superior product and/or service.

This type of evaluation actually got started in the 1940s. Today, it has become a powerful tool used to measure the integrity of an employee, the quality of a product and/or service, and the overall performance of the business. Typically, when working as a mystery shopper, American companies have the ability to take information and then measure the value of what they offer to the public. Keep in mind that while this offers tremendous opportunities in this country, mystery shopping is also used around the globe with airlines, housing associations, churches, schools, and more.

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