Guest Post: What You Need to be a Mystery Shopper

This is a guest post by Nirra, Mystery Shopping Expert!

If you haven’t read the first article about mystery shopping, click here. You will want to know all about what it is before you learn about the tools you need to become a mystery shopper. Mystery shopping is a job that anyone can do. You need no type of special training or knowledge. If you can follow directions, you can be a mystery shopper.

There are a few tools you need to be a mystery shopper, however. You will need a computer with access to the internet. You can’t do without that. You might be able to go to a library or another place where you can gain internet access but it is really best for you to have your own. It might be worth it for you to save up your mystery shopping earnings until you have enough money to get a computer. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just enough for you to get on the internet so you can send in your reports.

You also need a scanner. Many mystery shopping jobs require you to scan receipts from purchases that you make so you can be reimbursed. I know of a couple of companies that allow receipts to be mailed in but you are always taking a risk by mailing in receipts. They can be lost in the mail or damaged beyond recognition and then you don’t get paid. I would recommend getting a printer, scanner, and copier all in one so you can easily scan your receipts.

I would also recommend purchasing a camera. Nowadays a basic camera doesn’t cost very much. The benefit of owning a camera is that it allows you access to more mystery shopping jobs. Some jobs require you to take pictures and they specifically say not to take pictures on a cell phone. By making a small investment in a basic camera, you can make much more money mystery shopping by gaining access to a variety of jobs that ask for pictures to be taken.

If you have decided that you want to try mystery shopping, you might be interested in a few legitimate mystery shopping companies to get you started. I have a compiled a list of companies that I use for mystery shopping. You can always do research and try other companies once you have had some time to get some experience mystery shopping. You can also click here to go to my blog and read about some of the mystery shops that I’ve done.

Here are a few companies you might be interested in trying. These are all companies that I’ve done shops for.

• www.aboutface.com
• www.marketforce.com
• www.ritterassociates.com
• www.imyst.com
• http://www.msishopper.net

These are just a few companies that you can sign up with to get started mystery shopping. I recommend you sign up for about a dozen so you can find some that have shops available in your area. You might want to set up a separate email address just for mystery shopping companies because they will send you emails about mystery shops fairly frequently.

Sign up here with Shadow Shopper. This is a company that has listings of mystery shops and you can put in your zip code to find shops in your area. They have a free option and a paid option. I recommend signing up for the free option so you can see the types of shops in your area. It won’t tell you the company that the mystery shops are with but you can at least see what kind of payment to expect for mystery shops close to you. After trying the free version you can sign up for the paid version. I’ve never used the paid version because I have been able to find most of the mystery shops that were offered with just a little research. Give it a shot! You can make decent money and every little bit helps.

Nirra blogs about mystery shopping on her blog, Mystery Shopping Teacher. Check out one of her recent posts about mystery shopping to learn how you can get started as a mystery shopper.

Are you interested in guest posting on Family Friendly Frugality? Please email me heather @ familyfriendlyfrugality.com. I’m looking for anything in the family friendly/frugal niche, but specifically how-to’s, DIY posts and RECIPES! Must be original content not posted elsewhere.