How To Get Paid To Eat And Shop — Cracking The Code On Mystery Shopping
Mystery shoppers serve an important role by providing strategic feedback on how a business is treating its customers. Over the years, this has been one of the most popular side gigs that people have asked me about. Typically, you are paid a fee (and many times reimbursed for your purchase as well) to eat at a restaurant or shop at a store and provide feedback to management. Each mystery shopping gig is different and there is work involved. You will not only be investing the time that you are posing as a customer, but you will have to complete a questionnaire detailing your visit and submit documentation for any reimbursements.
How It Works
After registering with Gigspot, I was offered a mystery shopping gig for a gourmet pizza chain. The offer was $5 and up to a $50 reimbursement for food. Another offer was for a national eyeglasses chain for $25 and up to $800 reimbursement toward new glasses or contacts lenses. Each gig is unique and will have its own requirements, pay, and incentives. Who wants to go out and eat $50 worth of gourmet pizza and pick up a free pair of prescription glasses?
Don’t Get Scammed
It is unfortunate that mystery shopping has gotten a bad name due to the large number of scammers that have used the concept to rip people off. The mystery shopping scams vary, but most involve a requirement for you to pay money upfront, or even bizarre scenarios where you will be asked to cash checks on behalf of a third party and wire out funds. The best advice is to stick with the big name companies that are known to be reputable.
Top Mystery Shopping Firms
Please use the comments section below to share your own experience with mystery shopping and we can really turn this article into a great resource.
