How to Start Mystery Shopping
as a Complete Beginner
If you're trying to figure out how to start mystery shopping, don't make it more complicated than it needs to be. You don't need previous experience, special training, or a pile of equipment.
You need to be observant, follow instructions, meet deadlines, and write a decent report.
Mystery shopping is market research. A company wants to know what happens when an ordinary customer walks into one of its locations. You may be asked to evaluate how quickly you're greeted, whether an employee follows certain procedures, how clean the business is, or whether someone attempts to sell you an additional product.
You complete the assignment and report what happened.
Want more help getting started? My book, Take That Job And Mystery Shop It!, walks you through finding assignments, completing shops, writing reports, and avoiding many of the mistakes new shoppers make.
How to Start Mystery Shopping Without Getting Overwhelmed
I recommend starting with easy assignments.
A convenience store, fast-food restaurant, coffee shop, office supply store, or telephone shop can be a good first assignment. You get an opportunity to see how the process works without spending hours completing the shop and report.
I wouldn't make a new home shop one of my first assignments.
New home assignments can pay considerably more, but there's a reason. You may have to use an assumed name, telephone number, and email address. You'll probably spend quite a bit of time with the salesperson, and the report can contain a lot of narrative.
Save those until you have some experience.
Read Everything Before Accepting the Shop
Read the instructions before you accept an assignment whenever they're available. Find out how much you're being paid, whether you have to purchase something, how much will be reimbursed, when you can perform the shop, and when the report is due.
Pay particular attention to timing.
If the instructions tell you to enter a restaurant between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m., don't walk through the door at 5:59. I've had assignments with windows that strict.
Missing one requirement can cause an otherwise perfect shop to be rejected.
The Report Is Part of the Job
New shoppers sometimes concentrate so much on performing the assignment that they forget about the work waiting for them afterward.
A 20-minute shop could have a five-minute report—or one that takes an hour.
You might be able to view the questionnaire before you accept an assignment. If you can, look over the questions to see how many there are and how much narrative you need to write. It will also tell you what details you need to remember, and other details like employee names and descriptions.
After you've completed several assignments, you'll get much better at remembering the information you're going to need.
I take notes as soon as I can after leaving the location. Don't stand in front of the business writing everything down and announcing to the world that you're the mystery shopper.
Don't Sign Up with Just Anyone
Unfortunately, scammers use mystery shopping because it sounds like an easy way to make money.
Be suspicious if someone unexpectedly contacts you with an enormous fee for a simple assignment. Never send money to someone to become a mystery shopper, and be especially careful with offers involving large checks, money transfers, or gift cards.
Legitimate mystery shopping companies don't do that.
When you're starting out, research the company before providing personal information. Go directly to its official website rather than trusting a link in an unexpected email or text.
I have a list of over 150 mystery shopping companies in my book Take That Job And Mystery Shop It!
Don't Expect to Get Rich on Your First Shop
Mystery shopping can produce some nice extra income, but your first assignment might pay $10 or $20.
That's okay.
You're learning how the company operates, how its reports work, what schedulers expect, and whether you even like doing this.
Once you submit some good reports, schedulers will remember you and give you more assignments. I've had companies contact me directly for many opportunities. Sometimes, they needed an assignment with short notice and offered bonus pay on top of that.
I've also received package deals involving several locations and assignments with bonus or travel money added.
You generally don't start there. You build your way there.
Find the Shops That Work for You
Not every mystery shopper likes the same assignments.
Some people enjoy restaurant shops because they get reimbursed for a meal. Others would rather do apartments, automobiles, banks, new homes, retail stores, or telephone assignments. Video mystery shopping is another option and can pay considerably more once you have the necessary experience and equipment.
You'll eventually figure out which assignments give you the best return for your time.
Don't judge a shop by the fee alone. A $40 assignment with a two-hour report may be less attractive than three easy $15 shops located within a few miles of each other.
Your First Mystery Shop
If you want to know how to start mystery shopping, start small.
Find a legitimate mystery shopping company. Choose an uncomplicated assignment close to home. Read every instruction before leaving. Complete the shop exactly as requested and submit a thorough report before the deadline.
Then do another one.
You'll learn more from completing your first three mystery shops than you will from spending three months reading about them.
Mystery shopping isn't difficult to enter. Becoming a shopper that schedulers want to use again and again takes a little more work.
That's where the better assignments begin.
You can start by applying to mystery shopping companies online. Legitimate companies will have encrypted websites where you will be added to a database. I have a list of over 150 mystery shopping companies in my book, "Take That Job And Mystery Shop It!"
The mystery shopping business is always looking for new faces to visit different places.
About the Author
I'm Mystery Don, and I've completed mystery shopping assignments for restaurants, hotels, apartment communities, automobile dealerships, and new home builders.
I created this website to help people avoid the mistakes I've seen—and to show new shoppers how legitimate mystery shopping really works.
My book Take That Job And Mystery Shop It! lists over 150 mystery shopping companies to contact. I offer beginner-friendly tips and honest guidance without hype.
We're always looking for new faces to visit different places.
Buy the Kindle eBook (instant download)
Buy the Paperback (best field manual)
Buy the Hardcover (durable reference copy)
