5 Mystery Shopping Myths

By Barbry-Ellen Booth, Customer Impact Scheduling Manager

Myth #1: Mystery shopping is a scam.

The Reality: There are hundreds of legitimate mystery shopping companies ready to hire you as a shopper! The best advice here is to do your homework and only sign up with companies that are members of the MSPA (www.mysteryshop.org).

Myth #2: You can earn thousands of dollars every month.

The Reality: While this might be possible for a handful of individuals, generally speaking, it just isn’t possible to generate that much income every month from mystery shopping. Most shops pay between $5.00 and $15.00 per shop, so one would have to complete upwards of a hundred shops a month to reach the thousand dollars a month mark.

Myth #3: Companies will mail a cashier’s check or money order to you in order to complete their shops.

The Reality: I have yet to find a legitimate mystery shopping company that will do this. If you find a company that does, please proceed with caution. It’s quite likely that the money order is fraudulent and the company is attempting to scam you out of your hard earned money.

Myth #4: If I submit a report that causes the restaurant/retail establishment to get a low score, the company will not be as likely to use me as a shopper on future shops.

The Reality: The purpose of all mystery shopper reports is to provide the facts of the shop. As long as a shopper reports the facts and gives an honest assessment, there is no reason to fear that they will be dropped as a shopper.

Myth #5: All the shops available are in large cities.

The Reality: Mystery shops take place in all markets, big and small! Our clients are usually interested in the performance of all their locations, regardless of the market size. So, my advice to shoppers who live in cities with populations of 20,000 or less (yes, even you with a population of 500 or under); register and see what’s available! You might be surprised…that gas station just down the road could be shopped on a monthly basis. You’ll never know unless you sign up with some companies and see for yourself.