I enjoy being a mystery shopper, but if you would have told me three years ago that I would have a job doing something I love, in an industry I didn’t even know existed, I would have said you were just being silly.
I am a naturally shy person. It used to be hard for me to talk to strangers. But mystery shopping forced me to change that part of my personality. Why? A major part of being a shopper is being able to talk to strangers and adjust to the different scenarios the shop requires. Mystery shopping requires skill. You have to be detail oriented, and able to follow directions.
Becoming a mystery shopper has brought out skills in me that I didn’t even know that I had. I can plan. I can alter that plan with ease. I am much less scattered than I used to be. My memory is great now. Which is important, because I have to recall the names and features of the associates I am evaluating.
I have become an actor of sorts. You have to be in this line of work. Sometimes I have to give five different performances as I go about completing my shops.
Before I started shopping professionally I would go into a store and shop for what I wanted, pay for my purchase and walk out. Now when I go shopping I do a mental evaluation of the store, its employee’s, count the number of customers that are at the register. I have to look at the name badges of employees because it has just become a habit.
I get benefits from my shopping that are not always tangible, I love it when a comment that I have put into one of my reports is being implemented by the location. I know it probably sounds corny, but it makes me feel like I have made a little bit of a difference in helping the store to improve the shopping experience for their customers.
Now, when I’m planning to go out to dinner, I check for available assignments. Instead of paying for dinner, I often get paid to go out to dinner. This works very well when I’m on the road. I can just pull out my phone and look for assignments.
I never would have thought that a job that as low key as mystery shopping could have had such a positive impact on my life.