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What is mystery shopping and how does it work? 
Mystery shoppers are independent contractors who provide consumer information to business owners through onsite evaluations. 
 
Okay, so that means....
 
You work for yourself and handle all of your own taxes.  You are not employed by other companies so they won't take taxes out of the money they pay you.  You should keep up with how much you make from each company over the year and if one company has paid you more than $599 then they will send you a tax form to use when filing your taxes to claim the income you have made from them.  Anything less than $599 from each company is not reported to the government.  Use a work log to keep up with passwords, usernames, work scheduled, payments schedules, etc.  A worklog is provided for you using Microsft Excel when you become a member on this site.  Now that really explains what an independant contractor is but what about the "provides consumer information to business owners through onsite evaluations" part?
 
A mystery shopper is someone who goes into a place of business as the "every day consumer" and proceeds to make a purchase and engage the employees in service.  After they have made their purchase, they make a return of the item and then fill out the questionnaire provided by the business owner or job scheduler online. Some companies will give you a spending limit and reimburse you for the item purchased and pay you for the job.  That is always nice!  Details to each job are given by the scheduling company and may vary but are generally similar.   
 
Different businesses have different scenarios they like for you to play out as a "mock" shopper, but here are 10 general points to always remember when evaluating a business!
 
1.  You don't work for them.  You are an independent contractor. You'll be running an evaluations service of your own and you provide observational research to well known businesses surrounding your local area.  You will fill out applications for each link in our directory.  (These applications are free to submit by the way)These applications basically enter you into a computer database for each company so that when they have work in your area, they contact you automatically by email.  You don't work for them - you contract your services with them.  Your service is to provide "observational research" to them. 
 
2.  You should always either be reimbursed for the required purchase up to a spending limit specified by the company, or you are required to return the item so that you can observe return policies procedures.
 
3.  It is extrememly important that you remain totally and completely anonymous during your visit.  If the employees know you are a secret shopper, it defeats the purpose of your job.  They will 'act accordingly' if they know what you are doing.  The anonymity of your work is what makes you an effective evaluator.  If you are "found out" by the employees during your shop, you should contact the company that hired you for the assignment with the information.  You also should contact the company immediately if for some reason you cannot perform an evaluation during the time you have scheduled with them.  Sometimes you can reschedule or you may loose the shop if it can't be rescheduled, but if you notify your scheduler in good time they more than likely won't hold it against you as long as you have good reasons for having to reschedule.  Many companies will tell you upfront that they closely monitor shoppers and their rescheduling frequencies, so try to keep your deadlines.   
 
4.  You should never give out information about your shopping jobs to others as it is private information owned by the company that has hired you to evaluate their business.  Businesses want their information to remain totally private.  It is okay to tell people that you are a mystery shopper, but it is best not to tell people about your experiences naming certain businesses you've worked for.  Keep the names and exact locations out of the conversations, and you'll be okay.
 
5.  You are usually reimbursed sometime between 30 days and 60 days max.  If a particular business tells you ahead of time their pay policy is longer than 60 days you should keep it in writing, keep up with your shop dates and receipts and be aware of the due date for the payment.  (Another reason to use a work log...) Most businesss pay in 30 days or less.  I would not recommend working with any company that does not offer to pay within 45-60 days.  Remember, you are in business for yourself and you are providing a service to these companies.  They pay their light bills on time as well they should pay you on time.  If this means you shouldn't work with 1 or 2 specific companies because of their payment policies, you'll be better off in the long run.  Almost all of the companies pay within 30-45 days and some pay within 2 weeks.  One company I work for pays within 24 hours.  They do this by using Paypal and many of the companies are going to using paypal to make payments to people.  It's much faster and it goes directly into the bank account you choose so it's very easy for you as well.  Signing up with Paypal is free and can be done at www.paypal.com.  Many companies will offer free direct deposit as well which is also very convenient for you. 
 
6.  If you have a credit card you can use for your assignments it would be of great benefit to you but not totally neccessary. If you had to purchase something and not return it and you are being reimbursed for it within 30 days, the cost of it is on your card basically until you receive your payment rather than from your out of pocket expenses, but either way you will be reimbursed.  This is great for restaurant assignments.  With a credit card, you have 30 days atleast to pay it and by that time you should have the money in or coming in very soon. 
 
7.  When applying to be a mystery shopper at the businesses in our directory, be sure to read their instructions carefully so you are fully aware of what they expect from you.  All of the businesses are very informative and they always brief you well before a job.  Many will give you instructions and allow you to see the questionnaire online before you do the shop so you know ahead of time what type of things to be looking for while you are there.
 
8.  Wear a watch!  You will always need this and will have to check it several times during some of your assignments.  Businesses like to know when you entered the store and when you were first approached, etc...   This lets them know if you had to wait long for service or not.  Never Never NEVER take notes or fill out questionnaires in front of employees.  They are smart, they will know what you are doing, and businesses won't pay you if they find out you have done that.  Remember, remain anonymous.  Do your best to remember names and times.  Receipts help you remember the times of purchases and returns and you can use that to help you remember, but know that the clock mechanisms on registers are rarely ever totally accurate.  You should wear a watch that allows you to time hours, minutes, and seconds.  You can also get a stop watch that fits in a pocket or can be easily used and hidden at the same time.  These are extremely accurate and very easy to use without looking suspicious.
 
9.  When giving your reports on certain questions that require explanations, be sure to be professional and objective.  Never offer up what 'you think' employees 'should have been doing', just simply state what was actually happening, when it happened, and for how long it happened.  Note how many customers were in the entire store.  Note how many were in front of you in the line to check out.  The business owners know if the information you will provide them is appropriate or not.  Sometimes you are asked for opinions, like "would you return to this location and why or why not" and in those circumstances, you may be honest for the sake of the value of the report, but remain objective even in making opinions.  You will be viewed as a valuable business asset to the company and as a professional.  The more professional and fact based you are in your answers, the more likely they are to pay you more in the future for your work and give you more jobs to do.
 
10.  Always try to get names from name tags.  Some businesses do not require their associates to wear name tags, but you will know before you shop the location if it is required or not.  Be careful what you say about employees.  Offer up only the facts.  Employees are rewarded for good work and sometimes are punished for work that is not up to 'par'.  So be careful what you say about people because someone could loose their job based on your answers in the questionnaire. If you get into reporting for an assignment and find a question you can not recall the answer, give the employee the benefit of the doubt and make a mental note to pay closer attention next time.  You want to be truthful and objective.  You are never in the store to trick the employees or catch them doing something wrong.  You are simply in and out of the business just like any other customer would be.  You gather the basic information from your visit and provide it to the business owners by answering their questions honestly and appropriately in the surveys they provide for you online.  None of your work should ever become personal.  You are just doing a job.  If the service was terrible, just describe what happened when asked to, and they will know if it was terrible or not. :) 
 
Here is a basic run down of how this works!  
  • You fill out applications for the links found in my online directory.
  • You receive assignment offers in your email inbox.
  • You reply to the emails and express interest in the jobs you want. 
  • Just Ignore the emails you are not interested in. 
  • You receive the assignment from the company.
  • You print out your paperwork for the assignment and study over it.
  • You complete the assignment on time and turn in your online report.
  • You fax, mail or scan a receipt to the company.
  • You keep up with your assignments/monies received in a worklog.
  • You GET PAID either by check, paypal, or direct deposit.

I personally have a filing cabinet for keeping records.  I keep a file in it for each company I work for, and I add to it each time I complete an assignment for the company. 

Okay, that is most of what a mystery shopper does!  It's very fun, like being an undercover agent.  Have fun and be professional!  You'll enjoy the money and material benefits of the work as well as the work itself.  Your work is helping make a difference in the type of service people receive in your community!