mystery shop program
Mystery Shopper Companies
The National Center For Professional Mystery Shoppers Merchandisers
Mystry Shoppers
Mystery Shoppers Certification
Mcdonalds Mystery Shoppers
Top Mystery Shoppers
Mystery Shopper San Diego
Best Mystery Shopping Companies
Mystery Shoppers In Virginia
California Mystery Shoppers
Mystery Shopping
Retail Business

being a mystery shopper
That is, always turn in your work on time and dont cancel shops often. We just said that you did not have to pay for all that much when it comes to mystery shopping, right? Those boards are just like the mystery shopping message boards out there and in some cases are the same things.

Chapter 4: Getting Started: Tools for Mystery Shopping

Congratulations on making it this far in developing your mystery shopping business. You will need to insure that you have all that is necessary before getting started though. You may be thinking, just what in the world do I need to do in order to mystery shop?

There are several key things that you will need to have in place before getting started. Again, each mystery shop is different and requires a different set of tools. Yet, there are some that are standard throughout the industries that are used regularly. You will want to make sure before starting your mystery shopping business that you have what it takes to do a great job at it.


What You Need

There are several things that are key to mystery shopping. Here are some to take into consideration.

Internet Service. You will need to get on the web regularly not only to input your data for your mystery shop, but also to help in aiding in apply for mystery shops. Most of the shops out there are done through the web and the web only. You will need to be able to get online with a secure service. If you can not count on it, have a back up plan in place as reports that are filed late are not able to be used!

Stop Watch. Some mystery shops will require that you have the necessary tools to time an employee. Many mystery shops have to do with the fast food industry in which timing to the very second is crucial. If you do not have the necessary tools to time it, you can not provide an accurate detailing of the shop. Therefore, you will find you cant do the shop. Look for a stop watch that offers ease of use.

Paper/printer/computer programs. You will want to take into consideration several things here. First, you can not take with you any of the forms for the mystery shop to the location. Even leaving them in the car can allow someone to spot them, giving you up. Therefore, having a notebook, preferably one that can be hidden easily will help you to keep details straight.

Second, you will need a printer that prints fairly well. Most of the time you will need to fax reports to the company including receipts that must come from the mystery shopping company. Of course, you will need a way to fax or scan these receipts to the company as well. If you do not have this type of service, you can often find local services that can provide it. Yet, this is done at your expense.

Finally, you may also want to consider having a program such as Microsoft Excel which will allow you to track your mystery shops, the amounts that are paid for them, when you receive the funds for them and more details. This is a key product to staying organized.

All of these things will help you to perform your mystery shopping business. You will want to insure that you have transportation as well! In some mystery shops, you will need a digital camera to take shots of the location. While you can limit the mystery shops that you do to just what you have the tools to do, this will limit the number of shops that you can do.