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A while back before my sister opened her own in home daycare center, she asked me what I knew about mystery shopping. I did not know much other than it was a hot topic on many mom related message boards and I was constantly getting spam emails regarding it.

I decided to take a better look into mystery shopping because so many women were reporting being able to make some extra money plus get free things too. Mystery shopping usually involves going to a store, restaurant, or service business and evaluation everything from customer service to cleanliness to the speed of the transaction. The location does not know that you are evaluating them and treats you as a normal customer.

Companies contract with mystery shopping companies to come in and evaluate the way they do business. The mystery shopping companies in turn work with independent contractors to perform the actual visits.

You will receive a checklist of items specific to each shop. For some shops you may have to go to a restaurant, order a specific combination of foods, visit the restroom, and ask about the specials for the day. In others you may need to visit an instant oil change business and have your car serviced. For all shops you will be paid a fee in order to perform the shop. If you have to purchase something you will be reimbursed for that as well and you get to keep the item.

I did end up signing up for a few mystery shops myself to see what it was like. I figured if I had to buy things anyway and could get them for free, plus get paid to do it why not? I performed two mystery shops. The first was at a jewelry store and the second at a card store. Sadly I didn’t get to buy any jewelry to keep but I did get to try on some big diamond rings. I thought they were fun and not too difficult to perform. It was not something I wanted to do all of the time though so I have not done anymore.

Are you a mystery shopper? Do you earn good money each month? You can learn more about mystery shopping at Mystery Shoppers Providers Association.

Warmly,
Mia