Movie
Theater Mystery Shopping
How about getting reimbursed for a ticket and refreshments when you do movie theater mystery shopping at assigned times at your local theater? There are a lot of assignments like these all over the country and the world. Your primary duty for these assignments is to evaluate the service and cleanliness of the theater rather than you being a movie critic. You'll be asked to take a few pictures of the lobby, the marquee, and other items the instructions as for. It's an opportunity for you to can catch up on a lot of movie releases that you otherwise wouldn't bother to see.
From there, the mystery shopper and the company never hear another word about the results. I've heard that some places take these reports very seriously and give reprimands to people who dropped the ball that day. I've also heard that employees are rewarded in some fashion for a positive report.
There are a handful of companies that have consistent assignments for movie theater mystery shopping. Many companies have multiple they serve in addition to movie theater mystery shopping. I have a list of mystery shopping companies and the various industries they serve in my book "Take That Job And Mystery Shop It!"
The Requirements for Movie Theater Mystery Shopping
When you are accepted to perform a movie theater mystery shop, you'll be given a list of instructions and a deadline to submit your report. I've had assignments where I had to commit to a specific time, place and movie to view. You need to read over the questionnaire before you do your assignment. If you make a copy of the instructions and take it with you, make sure it is not visible through the window of your vehicle. Some people have had their reports declined (and not reimbursed) for making this error.
If you're spotted as a mystery shopper, employees usually won't say anything to you. They know there are people who come in to evaluate them all the time. What they may do is be extra nice to you, or make sure to give upsells at the concession stand. Clients prefer to have their employees evaluated based on their normal routine. The mystery shopping reports are for training purposes.
Your assignment starts as soon as you park your car. You check the exterior for cleanliness before you walk in. You monitor the service you receive when you purchase your theater ticket. The instructions will vary for each assignment, but you may have to check the restroom for cleanliness.
Learn about
the legality of mystery shopping.
You don't always have your choice of movies to attend. The instructions usually require you to see a specific movie. More often than not, the movie I was assigned to was not the most popular of the weekend. It was usually a movie that wasn't expected to do well at the box office. Part of the instructions required a headcount of people in the theater.
Movie theater mystery shopping will see several shoppers assigned for all the daily showings. I remember an assignment where I had to take a photo of the marquee that lead to the theater before and after the showing. As I was getting ready to take the picture before the 3pm showing, I ran into the mystery shopper from the 1pm showing taking the marquee picture after the movie. We laughed for a moment and compared notes on what to expect. I also found out if the movie was any good (we were discreet about it).
It's important to be as thorough as you can when submitting your report. There will be a few yes/no, true/false, and multiple choice between 1-5 questions to answer. However, there will be some areas where you will have to write some narrative. The more information you write, the better it is for the client to learn more about their business. I always put bullet point notes on my cell phone to remind me of important details later (again, you have to be discreet to do this).
We're not talking about writing a novel. But, it only takes a few extra minutes to write a couple of sentences to give the client more feedback. That's what they're looking for. Your thorough and descriptive reports will make you in great demand for future assignments. I've been invited many times by mystery shopping companies to take on movie theater and other mystery shopping assignments. The assignments become more numerous and lucrative after a while.
Beware of this scam in the mystery shopping business.
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.
