Mystery shoppers don't usually get paid upfront. Companies do this so that the employee doesn't know that you are a mystery shopper, and so that the company knows that you will actually go in and complete the Mystery Shopping job, and not just take the money and run, haha. Uncertified mystery shoppers, known as research participants, can also run mystery stores, but they can't select tasks they only work on if a SEC project link specifically selects them. Personally, they almost always accepted me, as there are TONS of mystery stores available and they really need more legitimate mystery shoppers.
Beware of any email you receive claiming to be a mystery shopper company, using poor or broken English.
Secret Shopper
is a legitimate mystery shopper company, operating since 1990 and is a founding member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, the professional trade association for the Mystery Shopping industry. There are 3 main mystery shopper experiences they do: on-site, on their website, or over the phone. Also, according to the Mystery Shop Coach website, there are some jobs that only pay refunds for required purchases and not a flat rate, as is customary with secret shopper jobs.As a mystery shopper, you'll usually have access to a job board where you can select the tasks you want to perform. This is my favorite mystery shopping company, and the only one I used when I learned to become a mystery shopper. After investigating dozens of mystery buyer jobs, a closer look at some of the companies showed that many hires were disappointed with their jobs or not being paid as agreed. Soon after I found out, I learned more about how to become a mystery shopper and, in fact, I became a secret buyer.
A mystery shopper is someone who is paid by a company to perform certain tasks they set out to perform. You should check websites thoroughly and check mystery shopper job postings to make sure they are real companies.
