ID Check

I just got a pay check in the mail a few days ago for some ID compliance shops.

What is an ID compliance shop? This shop ensures that a retailer is checking IDs for contorled products such as cigarettes or alcohol.

There are several mystery shopping companies which conduct these types of shops, and they are all different. I have done over 50 of these shops and I have noticed at least three different scenarios:

1) Reveal/Reward. I suspect these are a proactive move by the company to ensure they are doing the right thing. After the interaction you give a card or letter to the employee which states either "You did the right thing" or "You did not do the right thing." Most of these shops ask that you never show your ID. If asked say that you left it at home.

2) Secret Very similar to the above, except you don't reveal the shop to the employee. You simply go home and write up a report. Again, never so an ID.

3) ID Check This time, if asked you will show your ID to the employee. If you are not asked, don't offer it. Pay attention to what they do with your ID. Do they swipe it or just glance at it?

I am sure there are variations on the above. So just make sure you read your instructions and you will be fine. Grab as many of these shops as you can. They generally pay pretty well. I have never seen one for less than $8 plus reimbursement. I have been paid as high as $18 plus reimbursement (each!) If you make a route, you can knock out quite a few. I have done 20 in a day. Not a bad mystery shop pay check that month.

Also, there is an age limit on these shops. Most companies won't let you don them if you are older than 25. But if you have a baby face, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to ask. Either way, you have to take a photo of yourself and send it to your scheduler.

Finally, ASK FOR A RECEIPT! Most of these locations don't automatically give a receipt. If you forget to get a receipt, you won't be paid. This has happened to me, don't let it happen to you.

Apartment Shops

I did an aparment mystery shop not to long ago, and I wanted to pass along a few tips to help you with this type of shop.

These shops are great because unlike retail shops, you don't have to buy anything. They also tend to fetch a higher fee.

The biggest thing to remember with apartment shops is you need to be sellable. That is, you must act like you are very interested in the apartment and you have to be the decision maker on the apartment. You need to give the person you are shopping a chance to show they know what they are doing.

Also, make sure to raise one objection/question about the apartment. For example "I am afraid there is too much city noise here." The client is interested in how well the leasing consultant can overcome criticism.

The truth is better than lies. These shops require quite a bit more interaction between you and the sales associate. You could go in and completely lie:

I am moving in from out of state with my wife, who is a hotel heiress. I just got a new job at Spacely Sprockets as the new VP in charge of marketing. Did I mention we drive a BMW?

It is going to be very hard to remember all of your lies, and unneccessairy. Tell the truth, with the exception that you are moving. If you are in school say so, maybe add that you are graduating and that is why you looking for an apartment. If you are single or married say so. These details don't matter for the shop so tell the truth. If you get caught in a lie, your cover will be blown as a mystery shopper.

Of course, you will want to go in knowing why you are getting an apartment. Just think of a logical reason which fits in your current life-setting. That way the shop will go more naturally for you.

Drive Thru

I just did a drive thru shop this past week (got a 10 out of 10 on the report!).

I thought it would be nice to give you some highlights on some common questions when It comes to drive thru shops.

1) Times! Especially with the QSR study by Insula Research. (Note: this shop was not part of the QSR study) The client will want to know who long you waited in line, how long it took to be acknowledged, how long you waited at the window, and the final time you leave.

I use my ipod touch mounted in a FM transmitter near my middle console. I use the stop watch app which comes built in. I can hit the lap button every time I reach a new point which needs to be timed. The employees will think I am just playing with the radio. At the end I can add up the times as I need to.

2) Signage. Clients will also want to know if their signs are easy to read. Look for hand writen signs, or dirty glass or missing items. There are some shops which are only interested in the signage.

3) Cleanliness. This is a good one to remember for all shops. Look around for trash in the parking lot, overflowing dumpsters and the like.

I am a big fan of the drive thru shops because I get a good meal out of the deal. Also, it is interesting to contribute to large studies like the QSR.

Tip: Setup your email

Okay, so you have signed up for a ton of companies and you notice an option on most of them: "Get shop offer emails: on or off."

Just about every mystery shopping company I have signed up for can send you emails when new shops become available. This is a great way to get more work, but it is also a great way to clutter up your email's in-box.

One option is to register for a free email address specifically for secret shopping. I've tried that for a while but it is a hassel to log into a different email address. I would forget to check it and miss out on jobs, which kinda defeats the point of email notifications.

I found a way to use my real email address for mystery shop notifications without cluttering my inbox! I use Gmail by google which is free. I am sure that other email clients have the options I am about to show you, but I will speak specifically about gmail.

1) Set up a label called "mystery shop" or "secret shop" (your preference).

Click on "settings" in the top right corner of the window.



Click on "Labels" at the top of the settings box.



Scroll to the bottom of the screen and find the text box which says "create a new label." Enter "mystery shop" or "secret shop" or whatever you want to label your shopping emails. Click create.



2) Set up a filter.

Click on settings again, in the top right corner of the window.



Click on "Filters."

Scroll to the bottom and click "create a new filter."



In the "From:" field enter the domain names of the mystery shop companies you registered with. Separate each email address or domain with an the word "OR". Add new emails and domains to the list as you receive new mystery shop emails. Click next step.



Check the following boxes: "Archive it," "Apply the label:" and select your mystery shop filter, and "Apply filter to conversations below."



This will cause all your mystery shop emails to by-pass your inbox. You can check them by scrolling down a bit on the left hand side to your labels section and clicking on the mystery shop label. The number of new messages is in parenthesis.  Click on it to see your mystery shop emails.



Be sure to add new email addresses (preferrably the domain names) to your filter. Do so by clicking on settings and then edit your mystery shop filter. Separate domain names or emails by "OR" and you are all set.

This method will help you keep your inbox clean without the need to set up a brand new email address.

Getting Started part 3 Signups

If you have been following my getting started guide you have:

• Familiarized yourself with the jobboard at MSPA.


• Found a job in your area.


• Found a mystery shopping company that has jobs in your area.

Now you need to sign up for the company that has the shop in your area. You will need to sign up for every company you want to do mystery shopping for. Here are some tips to keep you from going crazy with the monotony:

Submit to multiple sites one time (Sassie and Prophet). Sassie and Prophet are the two most common online mystery shopping systems. Prophet allows you to submit your information once, and it will be distributed to companies who use the Prophet system. You can go to their submission form here. Or learn more about the Prophet system here.

Sassie does not have a one-shot submission method that I am aware of (if you know otherwise, please leave a comment!). However, I have had mystery shopping companies import my info from other Sassie systems. So, once you sign up for one Company which uses Sassie, you can ask other schedulers to import your info. You can find more info on Sassie here.

Use google auto-complete. Some companies use their own systems and sign-up forms and you just have to type it in over and over again. I use the google tool bar AutoFill function. I have my name, address, and other info and with one click of a button all that info is typed in for me. It is a real time saver. Get the tool bar here.

Once you sign up for companies that have jobs in your area, you are ready to request assignments which will be the subject of the next blog post.