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Saturday, November 2nd
Secret Shopper has been a trusted platform for over 30 years and offers flexible mystery shopping opportunities around the world. You can explore a variety of jobs for dining, retail, and travel with payments ranging up to $120 per gig. Although Secret Shopper lacks MSPA accreditation, Secret Shopper holds an "A+” from the BBB. With its highly organized job boards and higher-than-average payments, Secret Shopper is a great spot to start mystery shopping.
IntelliShop is a trusted mystery shopping site with a user-friendly platform. Jobs are updated monthly and include unique opportunities like travel and luxury hotels. The site is praised by mystery shoppers for its ease of use and reliable payment schedule. With an "A+” rating from the BBB, IntelliShop is a solid choice for anyone looking to make some extra money with mystery shopping.
Ever wonder how different companies check that their stores are running the way they should? While most of us immediately think of watching Undercover Boss, many businesses actually choose to use mystery shoppers. Mystery shopping is a particular job where normal people like you are hired by a variety of different companies to get in-person, real-time data on what's happening inside local stores or restaurants.
As a form of market research, mystery shoppers visit brick-and-mortar businesses to check out things like customer service quality, cleanliness, and the overall shopping experience at a particular store. Sound like something you would enjoy? It's easier to make mystery shopping your next side hustle than you'd think.
You'll need good written and verbal communication skills to help you tell the higher-ups what's going on when you're browsing, but otherwise, as long as you're curious and are ready to use your great attention to detail, mystery shopping will be a great fit for you. The best part? Making purchases is usually part of the deal, so whether you're reviewing a car wash or a luxury hotel, you'll typically get reimbursed for necessary purchases. Plus, you get paid on top of that.
Here's how it works. Generally, you'll get hired through a third-party provider that will post opportunities to evaluate stores and chains near you. (Helpful hint: legit mystery shopping companies will be approved and accredited by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.) Once a company approves your application, you'll be able to choose an assignment to start shopping.
You'll find restaurants, beauty salons, car maintenance shops, banks, makeup stores, and movie theaters (among many other stores) on the mystery shopper lists. Plus, many jobs let you do hotel stays or airline reviews, so you can travel without spending a dime. If you're someone who likes to explore your local area, try new things, and shop, shop, shop, you'll want to check out mystery shopping as your next side hustle.
The mystery shopping jobs (called "shops” in the biz) are usually listed on a job board on the particular website you work with. You'll be able to see the details like distance, job requirements, necessary purchases, and the reimbursement amount before you even accept the shop. Some gigs let you assign yourself (these are first-come-first-serve), and others require a little extra application to prove you're the right fit. These are usually high-quality or luxury shops that need that particular attention to detail. So if you keep up high quality services while you work, you'll be eligible for the good stuff.
But with so many places out there offering mystery shopping jobs, how can you pick the right one? If you've never applied for mystery shopping before, or you want to get a leg up on the competition, we've put together some factors that'll help you find the best fit for your shopping skills:
To help you start making some extra cash buying the things you already love, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked today's top mystery shopping platforms. We hope this helps you get into your next side hustle, all while enjoying the things you love (like shopping, traveling, or visiting your favorite car wash!).
Select any 2 Mystery Shopping Companies to compare them head to head