Keep Your Paperwork

Most the of mystery shopping that I do requires some kind of purchase. I always staple the receipt to the input paperwork and keep it stacked up near my desk. This way, I can look back and find what I need IF there is an issue. For example, I got an email today that there was a question about a shop I completed this past weekend. The email stated that the time on the receipt did not match the times I said I was there. I found the paperwork and the receipt. Sure enough, the time was off by an hour. I replied that the time I had inputted was correct and the receipt was wrong! I keep all of my paperwork for at least a month. If there is an issue, it arises within a few days of inputting the information.


The main thing, is make sure you have a system and KEEP THOSE RECEIPTS. I also have a copy of the receipts on file in my computer on the hard drive. I have a folder for each company in MY DOCUMENTS and then within that company folder, I have a folder for each month. I back these up to my external hard drive and keep them for about six months, then delete them.

Dieting and Mystery Shopping

I decided to go on a diet a few weeks ago and it hasn't been easy. I have still taken several fast food shops, but I have to NOT eat what I buy. I usually don't eat everything I buy at the fast food shop, but it is hard when you are hungry. I have been checking calories online to make sure I know what I am getting into when I go to a shop. Thankfully, these shops fall on the weekends, because I don't do them during the week. Sometimes I bring the food home for Jacob to eat...he is a teen and he eats ALL the time! I have lost weight every week, so I guess I am doing a good job. I may need to try to find another company to work for that doesn't have so many fast food shops.



This weekend my partner and I are going to a nice Italian Restaurant for a mystery shop. We will be bringing leftovers home, that is for sure!

Scheduling Shops

My partner and I are always checking each companies web site to see if there are new shops. We text each other when we see new shops. After a while you begin to learn the rhythm of a company. We know that each month around the 20th one company comes out with all of its Fast Food shops for the next month. Notice, I said AROUND the 20th....because we just never know. We know another company releases its gas shops each quarter and we begin to start looking for them, but we never know the exact date they will come out.

We check each website at last 4-5 times daily. I can't always check them while I am at work, so she keeps an eye on them. We go days with no new releases. They always seem to come out in the later afternoon or early evening hours.  Sometimes I check a company's site and am shocked to see a LONG list of shops available!

Sometimes in my haste to get a shop, I sign up for one I didn't mean to just by clicking on the wrong shop. For one company, this is not a big issue. I can cancel it all on my own. I can also reschedule a shop with this company on my own. Other companies require that you email them to ask them to remove or reschedule a shop. This isn't usually a problem and they will do it, but is more of a hassle than just being able to do it yourself.

I can sign up for as many or as few shops as I want for a weekend. I tend to work more over the holidays when I have more time during the week. I like having the summer off, when I can really spread out the shops.

I am so glad that my partner was around to help me learn the skills I would need to become a good mystery shopper!

Dressing for Shops

We have had a real cold snap come through this area and I had several outside shops this weekend. Let's just say I got the pictures I needed and got back into my car to complete the paperwork. It is important to remember to have the correct clothing when completing a shop. Some shops require casual dress attire for inside office shops. Others require you to dress down because you are posing as someone who typically visits that kind of shop. Other shops don't give a dress code. For one of the gas shops I complete, I have to wear a safety vest! I also have to upload a picture of me in a safety vest!

I am keeping my gloves in the car at the moment, so I always have them when I am out and about and doing my shops. I also keep my vest out there. I keep an eye on the weather reports so that I can be prepared for the weather. Last week, I completed a few evening shops in the rain! Thankfully, it was just to run in and buy something. I didn't have to be standing in the rain!

Supplies You Will Need

I have written about the skills needed to be a mystery shopper, so now I am going to give you a list of supplies you may need to mystery shop.

• pens, pens and always another pen. I never seemed to have one in my car when I need one, so I bought a large box of pens and put them in my glove box.
• clipboard--truly a must have. When you are sitting in your car completing your input form you need it to write on. You also need it when walking around gas stations completing the form.
• pocket folder--it doesn't have to be a pocket folder, but something to keep all of your forms in for the day.
• something for receipts--I like to use a clear zip plastic envelope type thing. It's official name is a poly zip check envelope. Comes in handy!
• digital camera--truly a must have when doing audits. You can sometimes use your camera phone for small jobs, but you really need a camera for the larger ones.
• printer/scanner--again, a must have. I scan all of my receipts to send electronically in to verify my shops. I sometimes have to scan other forms. I got by with an ink jet printer for a while, but now use a laser jet printer for my shops.
• paper--well of course you need paper...duh! YOU NEED A LOT of paper! Take advantage of office supply stores that offer you rebates and/or rewards when buying paper.
• clips--paper clips to the large black clips that can hold a LARGE stack of paper...get clips.
• stapler--you need a good stapler and a LOT of staples. First you staple the input sheets together and then once you completed the shop you staple the receipt to your input sheets. This way if there is a problem you have the receipt and the input forms together.
• GPS--I wrote a whole blog on this, but I wanted to mention it again. A MUST HAVE!
• Stopwatch--most cell phones now have some kind of timing device or at least an app you can purchase to act as a stopwatch, but this is also a MUST HAVE.
• calendar--OK it doesn't have to be a calendar, but you better have some way of keeping up with your shops. I have shops scheduled through the middle of February right now. Before I even schedule a new shop, I look to see what is already on my calendar. I don't want to overbook myself, or be driving from one side of town to the other. I try to cluster my shops together by city when I can!
• Good computer--you need a good computer and good computer skills. Organize your documents on your hard drive into folders.
• File cabinet--again, it doesn't have to be a file cabinet. I use a drawer on my desk that holds files, but someway to organize the shops you have printed.

This should be a good start! I am sure something else will come to mind. Good luck, if you decide to become a mystery shopper. Keep a list of your expenses, you can write them off on your income taxes.