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Info On Mystery Shopping

(Lewis T. Pace, Jr. asks...)

Do you happen to have any info on legitimate mystery shopping contacts and opportunities? (And, the editor thinks you are also wondering how to avoid those offers out to scam shoppers.)

Coleen, the working while RVing editor comments:

If you enjoy shopping and are detail orientated, if the idea of free products appeals to you, if you have a lot of time with nothing to do, and if you don't particularly need an income, you might like to give it a try.

I've done some mystery shops. I thought it would be fun. Although the company I reported to was legitimate, I felt it was a waste of my time. Maybe that was because the products I bought to test had little value to me -- they weren't something I would otherwise have purchased.

It turned out to be a lot of work for very little pay. Granted, the work wasn't hard. But, it was very time consuming. The actual shop took considerably longer than I was told it should take. Filling out the forms… if they said it would take 10 minutes, I could plan on it taking an hour.

But, back to your question about legitimate mystery shopping companies.

The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) is a good source of information for you. Their website lists their business members and provides contact info for them. It also contains a lot of general information, such as explanations of terms, such as "merchandising audits" and "incentive based shopping program." You can also search for assignments from the MSPA site.

Mystery shoppers work as independent contractors.

You should not need to pay a fee. They should pay you. If they ask you to pay a registration fee, that is a sign of a scam -- not a legitimate mystery shopping opportunity.

Go from this info on mystery shopping to the Workers On Wheels Work for RVers and Campers blog.