Overview: These assignments are all about our evolving world of commerce relying less and less on cold hard cash. Credit and financing are a business within a business. It’s the norm to use these payment options for everything from refrigerators to designer jeans.
And it’s another way to make money from the consumer beyond the scope of the initial purchase. So businesses, and the finance companies they partner with, want to encourage the use of get-it-now-and-pay-much-more later plans. That’s the purpose of these assignments – to see if credit and financing is being promoted and encouraged.
Project Variations: There’s not a lot of variation on these assignments. Basically, there is a two person interaction visit or a one person interaction visit.
Visit & Reporting Requirements: Typical time on-site for the two person interaction is 20 to 25 minutes, depending upon how soon you can get assistance from an employee. Time on-site for the one person interaction is about 10 minutes. Reporting for both is usually pretty straightforward and simple with little to no narrative, and takes less than 10 minutes.
Strategies: For the two person interaction, many times this will be specified by the assignment guidelines to engage with one employee in regards to a certain item, followed by an interaction with a cashier. The one person interaction is the same, with the exception of engaging with a cashier.
It is common for an assignment to specify that you must ask about a certain item in a big box store like a refrigerator of a certain high value. Once in the store, you will browse the department where that item is located, and hope that you get noticed and assisted quickly. When you do receive acknowledgement by an employee, you must act like a customer wanting to make a purchase now. After the employee tells you about different models and their features, you must then act as if you really like a certain one but are somewhat daunted by the price.
At this point, the employee is supposed to tell you about the credit and financing options available. You need to still hem and haw a bit in order to elicit more details from the employee on why credit and financing is a wonderful benefit to you.
Be sure to get as many take-away materials as you can about these credit and financing plans, and note wherever you seen signs and posters promoting them.
You can now tell the employee you are going to think about it and move on to the second interaction.
Start browsing another department. Usually your guidelines will specify that you should find an item of a certain dollar value, typically a couple hundred bucks. Find one and take it to a cashier. As they ring it up, check your wallet and tell them you forgot your debit or credit card. Hopefully this will prompt them to tell you once again all about their credit and financing options.
Tell the cashier you will think about it. Make a small purchase if possible of a beverage or snack to get a receipt.
What Others Have to Say: The only real issue discussed on www.mysteryshopforum.com about these assignments is providing forms of POV, or proof of visit, to establish that you were on the premises. Get as much documentation as you can, and take a pic of the store.
Estimated Pay: Pay can vary from $10 to $15 per visit, but can go higher when bonused.
MSCs: One of the mystery shopping companies that conducts credit and financing promotion assignments is Mystery Researchers.