If you fancy earning yourself a little extra cash and have a bit of spare time to play with, Mystery Shopping could be the answer for you. It's fun, rewarding, not too time consuming and assignments are varied and interesting.

So what exactly is Mystery Shopping? Do you really get paid to shop?

It's not as simple as being paid to do your weekly shopping. You're normally asked to complete an assignment at a specified store, or restaurant, or hotel and to act out a scenario whilst posing as a normal customer. The job involves assessing staff performance, customer service and store tidiness and cleanliness. You might also be asked to check on merchandising or asked to audit a store in some way. Each assignment is different, depending on the needs of the client. But the one thing you must never do is reveal yourself as a mystery shopper - posing as a normal customer is essential!

Some assignments require you to make a purchase to assess customer service and efficiency at the till, some may ask you to return a purchase to evaluate the stores return/refund policy. Be prepared to be flexible!

Can you make a full time living out of mystery shopping?

Some do, but the majority don't. MS is rarely full time and work is normally allocated on an ad hoc basis. You may be offered lots of assignments one week, and then nothing for a month or two. It's a great means of supplementing your income or an opportunity to earn a few extra pennies in your spare time. If you register with as many MS companies as you can, your chances of receiving a lot of assignments will increase. And one nice thing, you are never obligated to accept any assignment offered to you, so you can pick and choose!

Does it pay well?

Pay rates differ from company to company, but as a general guide, telephone assessments pay on average between £1 and £5, physical mystery shopping visits pay up to £15 per assignment, and covert video mystery shopping up to £30 per visit. Each job comes with its own fee dependent on the amount of work involved. Some companies also refund your travelling expenses (public transport at cost or a mileage allowance averaging 23p per mile and car parking charges) and all will refund any necessary purchases. Some purchases you can keep and still be refunded for!

Recent trends have shown a big drop in fees compared to, say, a year ago. This is mostly due toan increased number of companies tendering for too few clients in what is a very competitive industry.

What’s the best thing about being a Mystery Shopper?

It's fun and it's varied. You never know when the phone is going to ring offering you that plum job at your favourite local restaurant, pub, hotel, or clothes shop and so on. The brief for each job differs each time and you find yourself discovering outlets that you may not have come across before. You get to travel to local towns and cities and see new sights, eat at different restaurants and pubs (with costs refunded!) and are often paid a fee for the privilege too!

What's the worst?

There are a number of factors you should consider. Some jobs are very poorly paid for the amount of detail you have to remember and record. Some companies won't pay travelling expenses, some won't pay a fee and expect a free meal/drinks to be reward enough. Deadlines are often very tight and you should never accept an assignment unless you are 100% sure you can complete it in the required time. Sometimes scenarios don’t pan out the way you expect, or a staff member may suspect you of being a mystery shopper - don't ever let on that you are, always plead ignorance! You have to be flexible and be able to think on your feet. It can be tiring, and stressful and can involve travelling a good distance.

Despite the pitfalls, I'm still interested. How do I become a mystery shopper and how do I find companies and agencies that offer Mystery Shopping work?

Register at our forum! The forum is a great information resource for those looking to get into this field and we have a comprehensive list of companies that offer this type of work. Membership of the forum is completely free of charge. Be wary of those selling information on EBay etc, there really is no need to pay for it. All the info you need is either freely available at the forum or on the web using any search engine. Representatives of mystery shopping companies/field work agenciesare also registered with us and often post offers of work to our forum members. We support each other and offer advice and tips to get you started. (Please note that you will need to be UK/Eire resident and have a valid email address - free web based email addresses are not permitted due to continued abuse in the past. Membership is now by referral or invitationonly . For further information, please email squiggles@mysteryshoppersuk.com)