In this 2010 interview by WRAL’s 5 on Your Side, Monica Laliberte sits down with a real mystery shopper to learn what mystery shopping truly is in this interview – “Mystery Shopper Shares Secrets of the Job”. Also, Monica speaks with Elaine Buxton about what companies are looking for when research themselves with mystery shoppers.
During the course of the conversation, Monica discusses how to find genuine mystery shopper gigs. Elaine Buxton, Confero CEO, recommends that mystery shop contractors only work with reputable companies and shares how to find them with the help of the Mystery Shopper Providers Association. Confero is one of the founding members of this professional association that strives to uphold mystery shopping industry standards, deal fairly with mystery shop contractors while serving their clients with useful insights and information. To see if a company is a member of MSPA Americas, click here and learn more.
Mystery Shopper Shares Secrets of the Job
The pay depends on the amount of time involved in the shop. Often, the payment is the free stuff Jennifer gets for doing the shop, such as car maintenance when she shops a mechanic and a free meal when she shops a restaurant.
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“Can you find someone to check you out? And then, how quick does that process go?” said Elaine Buxton, who runs Confero, a firm that uses mystery or secret shoppers to check out everything from mechanics to retailers to restaurants.
“A restaurant may want to know how they’re doing on a Friday night when it’s busy. They might want to know the timing of entrees, greeting, hostess, server, experience, ambiance, cleanliness – all the factors that go into that customer’s experience,” she said.
Jennifer, whose full name was withheld to maintain her identity as a mystery shopper, works for Confero.
“We’re given a specific list of instructions, or we’re given a specific scenario,” Jennifer said.
Why She Mystery Shops Explained –
She shops for about six different companies, but not for the money.
“The shopping itself doesn’t give you enough work to keep you occupied 40 hours a week,” Jennifer said.
The pay depends on the amount of time involved in the shop. Often, the payment is the free stuff Jennifer gets for doing the shop, such as car maintenance when she shops a mechanic and a free meal when she shops a restaurant.
More to Mystery Shopping than Simply Shopping –
But she said there is a lot more to it then just eating a meal.
“Everything we do is about checking what the company standard is. So, if the company provides some sort of a service and speed is their biggest issue, then you would go in with some sort of a timing device, and you would time the different things that they’re looking for,” Jennifer said.
“You have to make sure that you’re hitting everything that they ask for. Otherwise, you won’t get paid. You won’t get reimbursed,” she said.
Jennifer also does it for fun.
“It exposes me to a lot of different industries that I’ve never been exposed to before, maybe experiencing products or services that I hadn’t tried, or companies that I hadn’t tried and it was really more of an education for me than anything else,” she said.
One Drawback for Jennifer –
Jennifer said there is one drawback to the job.
“There’s one part I don’t enjoy about mystery shopping, which is when I have to say that somebody did not meet the standard or made a mistake. I feel terrible about it,” she said.
