Types of Audit
Opinions
for Mystery Shoppers
There are many different types of audit opinions that you can do as part of the mystery shopping business. Audits are assignments where you visit a business as a vendor and not as a secret agent. It may not make sense to you, but many of the audit assignments are handed out by mystery shopping companies.
Business owners have these assignments available to people like you as a cost-cutting measure, so they don't have to spend more money to hire people to travel around the country to do this. By participating in these audits, you help businesses with their research so they can make informed decisions to stay prosperous. Plus, you can make some extra money on the side.
Many of these assignments require you to take a lot of photos. You can easily take pictures on your smartphone or mobile device and upload them to the questionnaire. Many times, you are required to submit the pictures and report while you're in the store. A number of assignments are photos only and must be uploaded right away.
Your mobile device will also allow you to check-in as proof that you visited the right store at the right time and date. If your device doesn't allow for this check-in, you'll have to make a small purchase at the store as proof. You upload the receipt in your report. Reimbursement will be between $1 and $2.
One audit that is assigned to someone is the compliance audit. This audit is an independent review of the operational policies of a business and to confirm its legitimacy. You meet with the business owner or manager to conduct these business verifications at their place of business. You are given a list of questions to ask and pictures to take to show that they are operating properly. That client has the same list of questions and photo requirements, so it shouldn't be a surprise to them. (Unless they didn't read the instructions.)
Some of the pictures to take include the storefront (or front of someone's house if they work from home), workplace area, shredders, business license and other items that the questionnaire asks for. Some of these assignments are fairly short. Others can be quite lengthy with a lot of information to enter and pictures to upload. Avoid the lengthy ones because, many times, they don't pay much more than the short ones.
The only requirement before you can perform these assignments in some cases is to complete a certification the mystery shopping company provides and/or a background check.
I've had other business verifications where all I had to do was take a picture of the storefront. The client wants to see if the location looks like it's been inhabited. Those are quick and easy assignments.
Other types of audit opinions
Other types of audit opinions include client preferences with the visual displays in the store. Retail stores often want their specials and slogans clearly displayed in the aisles. I've had audits where I had to check specific brand names of printers to see if they were on display. If I didn't see a model on display, I would ask an attendant to help me find it or ask why it was not on display.
Besides uploading pictures, most of the reports you submit are multiple choice questions and possibly a few sentences to write.
Another audit is a price check on specific products. The auditor will be required to verify prices from a store or several Stores. One grocery store audit may require a shopper to enter prices on 20 to 30 products in the vegetable section. Or you may have ink displays to check.
I had a monthly assignment on certain milk products for a while at several grocery stores. I had to buy several cartons of milk and taste test them at home. The mystery shopping company sent me a thermometer to take the temperature of the milk in the store. I was reimbursed for the milk and given a shop fee for the assignment. I also had plenty of milk in the refrigerator that my family had to drink up pretty fast.
Some businesses require a mystery shopper who is performing an audit to wear a vendor badge. I was asked a few times when I had my questionnaire and pen in hand looking at products in the store. I was approached by an employee who told me to check in at the desk. That person also helped me out when I had questions about items not on display. A few times, the employee told me the product was taken off the showroom floor because of poor sales.
You don't have to be a technical genius to do these assignments. However, if you are adept using software applications and have a technical mind, that can be a plus. Performing audit assignments provides a great learning experience for a mystery shopper. You gain insight into why business owners want and need this information for compliance and regulatory reasons.
The mystery shopping business is always looking for new faces to visit different places. Learn how you can start your own mystery shopping business from my book, "Take That Job And Mystery Shop It!." I also list close to 200 mystery shopping companies that you can click on their website and fill out an application. There's information about each company and I indicate which ones I've worked with.
