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Thread: Mystery Shopping Interviews on CNN & Others: Earned $7000/Month

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    Mystery Shopping Interviews on CNN & Others: Earned $7000/Month

    From a transcript:

    FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: For the next half hour, we'll be talking about your money, how to get more and make what you already have work better for you in this rough economy. We begin with some inspiration from a New York investment banker who lost her six-figure job and made a successful career out of the freebie economy, where companies pay you to test their products and services. So how might you cash in? Let's bring the woman in, who has masterminded the freebie economy, Jennifer Voitle.
    Well, good to see you, Jennifer.

    JENNIFER VOITLE, MYSTERY SHOPPER: Good to see you, Fredricka. Thank you so much for having me on.

    WHITFIELD: Well, great. How in the world did you do this? You lose your six-figure job, which I would imagine sent you into some mild depression, and then somehow you tapped into, you know, really, this jewel of a find in which you can make a living off getting freebies. How did you start?

    VOITLE: Well, pretty much what you said, when people are laid off, they all try the traditional means. You look for jobs. I interviewed with pretty much every bank on Wall Street, but with thousands of us on the pavement, it's tough to get a traditional job. So what are you going to do? I wrote a book. But that was -- it paid my August mortgage, and that was gone. So I was trolling the Internet one day and found out about mystery shopping, and, know, I started out ...

    WHITFIELD: And what is it, exactly? Explain what mystery shopping is?

    VOITLE: OK. Sure. Basically, we are hired to evaluate company services. Companies know today that customer loyalty is of crucial importance. You know, you spend a lot of money to get the customer in the door, now what are you going to do to keep them there? So we mystery shop everything. I mystery shop the hiring process, which is pretty ironic to me, being laid off, I'm kind of an expert in interviewing. So I check that out, because the employees that are hired are the first lines for the company. They're the face of the company, the companies have to make sure that they hire the right people.

    WHITFIELD: So in other words, there are some companies that want to hire you -- or they'll pay to you to apply for a job...

    VOITLE: Right.

    WHITFIELD: ...and you say collect $50 in which to apply for the job. And this is a job that you don't necessarily expect to get or even accept?

    VOITLE: No, I'm trained to present myself as the ideal candidate. And my job is to go in there and get that job offer, which is, you know, pretty funny. And then -- go ahead.

    WHITFIELD: Now, I understand that in one month you were able to make $7,000.

    VOITLE: More or less.

    WHITFIELD: More or less, from this kind of, you know, freebie economy. You've gotten vacations. You've, you know, gotten products such as groceries, et cetera. Now, how do you really begin this? What are the tools that you've got to have in order to take advantage of this freebie economy? I guess for one, you've got to have Internet access, right?

    VOITLE: Right. Right. I'm so glad you asked that. I think there's three essential components that you need, Internet access, you have to have a car, at least, you know, in areas other than the city, and a cell phone, to me is really important, because I'm out on the road, and companies will call me that I shop for, and I'll be able to react very quickly and nimbly.

    WHITFIELD: All right. So for example, let's start with the Internet access. You actually want to visit certain Web sites, don't you, that target mystery shopping. And you sign up with these mystery shopping Web sites online. Then what happens?

    VOITLE: Well, I'd start with a free site. You should never pay to mystery shop. Or you can search by state and industry that you're interested. If you're interested in casinos, or hotels, you can find it there. Sign up with as many companies as you can.

    I spent eight hours a day when I first started for months. And then finally -- I got my first job. A lot of times you'll self-assign, you go to the Web site once you got the password, the user name, or the companies will contact you through e-mail when there's something available in your area. And then you just start building from there.

    WHITFIELD: Now, it seems like a dream, and it sounds pretty easy. But you even kind of profess that it can be exhausting, just kind of running around all day from appointment to appointment, et cetera. Describe what a typical day is for you.

    VOITLE: OK. Well, I do many things other than mystery shopping, and basically I really have about 15 jobs and ventures that I do. And the first thing I do is I check the Internet to see if I've sold a book on Amazon.com. The next thing I do is I'll plan out my route. Usually I look about two weeks ahead, and I schedule around the few jobs that I actually do have, the few part-time jobs where I do merchandising. And I'll try to layer everything in there together, and that's how I really make the money. Because you can't really survive just on any single thing that I do, but building everything together, you know, makes a very powerful synergy.

    And I'll lay out a map, and a route. And a lot of the stores I do can be done within a window of let's say a two-week period. So if I'm going to be out in Staten Island, I'll look and say, oh, yeah, this job needs to be done, or this one needs to be done. And you know, I'll just have things on the way out to Staten Island or Newark that I can make money at.

    So it's like a money hunt.

    WHITFIELD: Yes, it certainly sounds like it, and it's paying off for you. So Jennifer, we want to ask you some tips in a moment, but first we want to encourage people to send your questions, you know, to our e-mail. We are accepting some of those questions.

    (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

    WHITFIELD: All right. We're talking about how you can live large and pay very little doing it. In fact, get paid for doing it. Our guest, Jennifer Voitle, is a mystery shopper who's paid to shop, travel, and dine out. She's taking your questions about the little- known freebie economy.

    And Jennifer, I've got some e-mails for you. In fact, it is a mystery how it is you're able to try out these products, try out foods, even travel, even play golf, and get paid for doing it. Matt writes -- "Most free stuff offers are , just getting people to look at a product. Are there actual, real offers out there that are true to their word? If so, how do you distinguish between and real offers?"

    VOITLE: Well, Matt, the first thing I'd tell you is never, ever pay to do this kind of work. There are many reputable companies. You can find through Volition.com, it's a free site, and they've been around for at least six years. And you're dealing with real companies, real department stores, real retailers, real restaurants that you're already familiar with. So don't worry about it.

    WHITFIELD: So you don't want to give anything to get anything. Because I have seen some of those vacation packages that say, you know, if you pay us this, and we'll send you on this free trip, and then we'll owe you another trip, you say don't go for things like that?

    VOITLE: No, absolutely never do that.

    WHITFIELD: OK.

    VOITLE: There's so many ways to get free travel that you don't even need to deal with any of that.

    WHITFIELD: Here's another e-mail from Edwin of Toronto. He says -- "I find free stuff is old stock that a company would rather give away than throw away. The problem is, knowing when this is the case and knowing when to trust and when to see it as a sucker's deal." So what do you advise? He has a good point there.

    VOITLE: Well, I'm not really sure that applies with the mystery shopping. I know what he's talking about. But, you know, when you're paid to go out to dine at a restaurant, you know, or go see a movie or go, you know, golfing or go -- what else do I do? You know, everything.

    WHITFIELD: It's natural that everybody would be suspicious, though. Because you can't get something for nothing. And that's why I think a lot of folks are wondering, how can this really be true?

    VOITLE: Well, let me point out that we are providing a valuable service. We are the eyes of the customer and the ears of management, and we are trained, we're basically business analysts part improv actor and part MacGyver.

    WHITFIELD: And kind of like consultants.

    VOITLE: Right, we are. And you know, we get -- sometimes I'll get a document that's 10 or 20 pages long, that's very specific. This is why you're going into this bank and financial service, and this is exactly what you're looking for. And in return for the free product or service, or even cash that we receive, we do write reports. And I'm so glad that question was asked.

    WHITFIELD: OK, Jennifer. We also have someone on the telephone, because we're encouraging people to call in with their questions as well. And Herman from Miami is on the line. Herman, what's your question or comment?

    CALLER: Yes, I would like to know if in Florida, in Miami, do you have an office where I can approach and talk to them and see if I can participate in the program as, like, what you've done?

    VOITLE: Do you have Internet access? Because almost all of these jobs -- it's -- that's the mystery part about it. We don't ever actually meet the schedulers, it's pretty much all done on the Internet. And once they know you, they will start calling you. That's why the cell phone is so critical, or they'll start e-mailing you.

    CALLER: I'm on the cell phone right now calling. I just heard someone told me about it, and I called.

    VOITLE: If you're in Florida, there's a company, Bear Associates International, there's service evaluation concepts, there's so many really good ones. They've all been tested. There's forms there.

    WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot, Herman.

    All right, Jennifer, that's the hard part to believe, that this is all free. You're not giving anything in order to get all these goods and services. So I imagine, you know, you've been doing this for a while now, after being laid off from your six-figure job. And now you're able to supplement a pretty good income and live off it. So what are your favorite, I guess, things that you get for free?

    VOITLE: Well, my top favorite thing, I hope you can see this, I'm going to hold it up. This is one secret I'm not going to give away every day. But can you see these?

    WHITFIELD: Credit cards?

    VOITLE: Free gift cards? Free gift cards like ******* $75. American Express gift checks. This is $50. I love to get free miles. Best of all. And the very best thing, there's a lot of promotions going on right now, like Northwest Airlines, fly free fast for three, you can get 10,000 miles.

    WHITFIELD: So you're getting free miles, you don't have to actually fly anywhere to accumulate those miles, but you're just given these miles?

    VOITLE: Well, I mean, I work at it. Like let's say you're going to dine out at a restaurant and you're already partnered with Northwest Airlines in their frequent flier program or Continental or whatever you like. You can sign up with Idine.com, and use your mileage on your credit card, and you'll get $10 per mile spent, and you also get a $1 per $1 spent on your mileage credit card. It just multiplies like crazy. And if you get Northwest credit cards, there's another 15,000 miles. So right away you've got a domestic ticket free.

    WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. That's what you'd call living large. OK. George from Ohio is on the phone and he has got a question or comment for you, Jennifer.

    CALLER: Hello, Jennifer.

    VOITLE: Hey, George.

    CALLER: Hi. How are you?

    VOITLE: Great, thanks.

    CALLER: I just wanted to say that I have a degree in hotel restaurant management, and I do know that this is legitimate, because I've worked in many restaurants which had been upscale restaurants, and we have had secret shoppers come in. And we usually get some kind of tip somehow some way. But they're very, very cautious of how we treat people all the time, of course, but even more so when they think that somebody or a secret shopper is in. It's unbelievable to see the upper management running around the restaurant like crazy people. And I think it is a wonderful program. And I myself have enjoyed the benefits from working with it as well.

    VOITLE: That's great, George. I actually also worked selling printers for Mosaic Sales Solutions. And the funny thing to me is I'm actually mystery shopped myself, so I know what you're talking about.

    WHITFIELD: Wow! OK. Well, Jennifer, we've got an e-mail from Scott that I want to read to you as well. If we can put that up on the screen. "Do mystery shopper companies look for a particular demographic of shopper?" That from Scott. Jennifer.

    VOITLE: That's another great question, Scott. And actually, when you apply, almost all the time you will be asked to provide your demographic information.

    And there are many reasons for that. Don't ever let it scare you off, like let's say you're going for a mortgage. They might want to test out a match pair type of thing where they've got one couple of a certain demographic applying against, you know, another one. Or, you know, they want certain -- the clients actually will specify the type of customer, they'll want a certain age group, or sometimes they have to have men and I can't do that, or they'll have -- actually the most interesting thing, if you've got a teen at home, or between 18 and 21, they need people to do compliance audits. So you'll actually go and buy beer and cigarettes -- I mean, what a job. And then you test to see, did they check for ID?

    WHITFIELD: Is there ever information that you don't want to give out, that makes you a little bit suspicious about a company?

    VOITLE: You know, when I first started applying, they asked for my Social Security number right off, I'd always give a fake one. And then by the time they call me and they're starting to pay me, then I'm, like, OK. Because you worry about identity theft. And who are you giving your information to? Because we don't meet these people in person.

    But I think if you stick with them, all those companies are reputable as far as I know.

    WHITFIELD: All right. And I'm going to look for your final thoughts now, perhaps your final tips, your best tips that you're willing to share with some of -- what could potentially be your competition out there as a mystery shopper.

    VOITLE: Well, I'm just hoping that maybe more businesses will see the benefits to using mystery shoppers, and the entire size of the pie will just increase.

    And people can try this. There is hope out there. That's the one message I want to give. If you're laid off or if you're struggling and you don't know what to do, you should give this a try.

    And you're going to start out -- I started off real slow, like, $10 a day, $15 a day, and I set goals, like $100 a day, and once I hit that, it took a couple of month, then I'm like, I'm going to make $200 a day. ($4000 to $5000/month)

    And you just have to keep at it. You have to be very methodical, very organized, and you'll be able to do this and you'll be able to enjoy, you know, doing things that maybe you couldn't otherwise afford.

    WHITFIELD: All right. Jennifer Voitle, thanks very much, appreciate it. Thanks for the tips on living large and not even having to pay much for it.


    UPDATE:
    (Thanks to Brenda Templin's tip!)

    From the Wall Street Journal:
    How One Free AgentLives Large -- for Free

    By Robert Frank From The Wall Street Journal Online

    STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- On the breezy patio of the Silver Lake Golf Course here, Jennifer Voitle was hard at work.

    "Cheers," she said, hoisting a frosty Corona with lime. Tanned and relaxed after playing a few holes, she finished up the beer and ate a cheeseburger. The golf and burgers were all part of the job, as were the strict instructions from her boss to "consume at least one alcoholic beverage."

    Her morning jobs were equally trying. She went dress shopping, stopped into a bank to cash a check and visited a Saturn dealership to look at new cars. After golf, she was headed to Manhattan for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. All these activities were paid jobs. Her total earnings for the day: about $300. "Can you believe they call this work?" she said.

    Jennifer Voitle has mastered the Freebie Economy. A former investment-bank employee who was laid off two years ago, Ms. Voitle has found a new career in the arcane world of dining deals, gift certificates and "mystery shopping," where companies pay her to test their products and services. She gets paid to shop, eat at restaurants, drink at bars, travel and even play golf.

    Last month, she made nearly $7,000 from her various freebie adventures. By the end of the year, she could be making more than she did in investment banking, not counting her steady supply of handouts.

    She gets free gas, free groceries and free clothes. When her car breaks down, she gets paid to have it repaired. She can make $75 for test-driving a Land Rover, $20 for drinking at a bar and $25 for playing arcade games (she keeps any winnings). Golfing is her latest passion, and in addition to playing on courses around the country free of charge, she gets free food and drinks and gifts from the pro shop.

    Weekend trips to Hawaii and Mexico? "I don't pay for anything except occasional meals," she says. She does much of her work on a free hand-held computer.

    "My friends tell me I should just get a job," says Ms. Voitle, who is slim and blond and gives her age as "somewhere over 30." But, she says, "Most full-time jobs out there don't make economic sense."

    Number-Cruncher

    Ms. Voitle never planned on becoming a freeloader. A trained engineer and financial expert, with four advanced degrees and a gift for numbers theory, Ms. Voitle worked for years as a number-cruncher for Detroit's auto factories. Her real dream was to make it big on Wall Street. In 2000, she got her break when Lazard LLC, the storied investment bank, hired her to analyze fixed-income derivatives in the firm's asset-management business.

    Single, with a salary of more than $100,000, Ms. Voitle bought a house in leafy Baldwin, N.Y., complete with a pool and gym. She spent weekends golfing, traveling or playing with her cats -- Continental and Northwest. In the fall of 2001, she was laid off. With thousands of other investment-bank workers losing their jobs, Ms. Voitle couldn't find any financial work. Last summer, her unemployment checks ran out and both her electricity and phone were shut off.

    "I woke up one morning and said, "That's it". I have to start looking for money, wherever I can find it," she says.

    Trolling the Internet, she discovered an ad for mystery shopping. "I thought, 'this looks too good to be true,' " she says. Mystery shoppers get paid to sample a company's service or products and write a report on their experience. For companies, mystery shopping is popular way of checking on quality. For Ms. Voitle, it was a quick source of cash and freebies.

    Her first assignment was a Pathmark grocery store, where she received free groceries and $10 for a quick report. She worked her way up to gas stations, clothing stores and restaurants. She quickly discovered that the best-paying mystery shopping jobs were for upscale businesses like banks and high-end car dealers. She earns $75 for test-driving a Land Rover, compared with about $30 for a Ford.

    Volume is critical. On any given day, she will mystery shop gas stations, grocery stores, golf courses, clothing stores, casinos, hotels, insurance companies and restaurants. She even gets paid to shop for apartments and interview for jobs. She can make as much as $50 for applying for a job at a major company, and reporting back on the performance of the people who do the hiring. The only catch: If she's offered a job, she has to turn it down. "For someone who's unemployed, I get a lot of job offers," she says.

    Not that freeloading is easy. Ms. Voitle spends most of her day racing around New York in a battered Mercury minivan, piled high with files and road maps, empty 7-Eleven cups and nutrition bars. She says she usually gets home after 11 p.m. and writes reports on her computer until 1 or 2 in the morning, starting again the next day at 6:30. Her cellphone rings constantly. Usually the calls are from companies that use her as a shopper."

    "A golf course in Hawaii?" she says to a recent caller. "I think I can do that."

    Beyond mystery shopping, Ms. Voitle also collects gift certificates, travel deals, two-for-one coupons and cross-promotional deals. She does detailed cost-benefit analyses of most of her deals. She's always on the lookout for what she calls "freebie synergies," or combining multiple deals to get more value. Before she sets out each morning, she plans a detailed travel route to make sure she hits the greatest possible number of stores.

    On a recent morning in Long Island City, she mystery shopped a bank and earned a quick $15 for visiting the teller and trying to cash a check. She spotted a Saturn dealership across the street and got a $50 gift certificate to Target for test-driving a car -- another cross-promotion. Pulling out of the car dealership, she saw a bridal shop and made another $15 for trying on dresses for half an hour.

    Ms. Voitle does have a few real jobs -- but they also include multiple freebies. She stocks grocery-store shelves for consumer companies, getting as much as $13 an hour in salary and $100 a day in travel expenses, which she can use to subsidize her mystery shopping. On Sundays, she sells printers at a computer store, where she can buy technical books for $1 and sell them on the Internet for $50. She can write off her cellphone bills because she provides preparatory phone interviews for people looking to find work on Wall Street.

    "I couldn't believe there were all these opportunities out there," says Gordon Stewart, a friend of Ms. Voitle's who works in finance. "She's discovered this whole other economy."

    So far, Ms. Voitle's ventures haven't attracted any scrutiny. She follows the general rule of her employers not to mystery shop more than three of the same businesses a day and to file detailed reports on her store visits. She once mystery shopped so many grocery stores during one period that the mystery-shopping company put her on grocery suspension for three months.

    *(Ms. Voitle mystery shops for several concerns, including mystery-shopping firms Agency 26 and Agency 22 . Agency 26's president confirms that Ms. Voitle has done several mystery shops for the company over the past year and that "we wouldn't keep using her unless she was a good shopper."

    Ms. Voitle says her ultimate goal is to return to Wall Street or get a job at a large financial institution. If that fails, she's considering writing a book or holding seminars on living for free.

    "I think it could help a lot of unemployed people," she says. "But I'm not sure they'd pay for it."
    SPIES LIKE US
    By Donna De Marco
    THE WASHINGTON TIMES


    Max Jakeman is an undercover agent - for a pizza chain. He also has spied on fast-food chains, upscale restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys and golf courses.

    The Alexandria resident is one of the thousands of mystery shoppers who get paid to give feedback on their overall customer experience.

    "Consumers have more choices than ever before," says Jeff Hall. "The smart companies realize they can compete by creating an optimized customer experience."

    More companies are relying on the shoppers' anonymous feedback to determine how they can improve customer service, which plays an important role in business transactions.

    "If the customer has had a bad experience, they're going to go somewhere else," says Jeff Marr, vice president of a company which provides research on customer loyalty. "When it comes to retailing, you're only as good as your last interaction."

    The mystery shopping industry has grown over the past decade as more companies - from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies - have tried to focus more heavily on customer service, officials say. Companies such as McDonald's, Starbucks, Home Depot, Kinko's and Giant Food are just a handful of the companies that use mystery shoppers.

    The industry has expanded from typical service-oriented clients - such as restaurants, retailers and hotels - to industries like banks, insurance companies, car dealerships, funeral homes and apartment buildings.

    "This is a critical marketing tool," said Mr. Hall, who is also chief executive of a mystery shopping company. "Companies need to connect with their customers - not just with a fake smile."

    Jerry's Subs & Pizza began a formal mystery shopping program in April.

    "We had to improve our service," said Dana Siller, director of corporate marketing. "Our customers demand it because they are getting it in other places.

    "If we can match our service to our food, we'll be clicking on all cylinders," Mr. Siller said.

    Mystery shopping is big business. Between $400 million and $600 million is spent annually on it, according to sources.

    Businesses use different companies to connect them with mystery shoppers, who are independent contractors. In some cases, retailers use their own employees to mystery shop in their stores.

    Between 500 and 600 mystery shopping companies act as the middleman between the shopper and the client, the center says. In addition, they analyze the data and show clients how to enhance customer service using the shoppers' feedback.

    "Mystery shopping is nothing more than receiving feedback from anonymous customers," said Paige Hall, president and chief executive officer of an Atlanta company.

    It is estimated that between 600,000 to 700,000 active mystery shoppers - also known as secret shoppers - are in the United States.

    Mr. Jakeman, who is in the Army, mystery shops between three and four times a week, usually on weekends and evenings. He calls his answering machine at home and leaves notes about his experience so he doesn't forget details before he has to write the report.

    Mr. Jakeman, who gets assignments from 17 different mystery shopping companies, thinks his job helps make a difference.

    "I'm a consumer and I've been places where I've been treated badly," Mr. Jakeman said. "With mystery shopping you feel like you're making an impact."

    The shoppers get paid different amounts for their work, depending on the industry and degree of difficulty. For instance, grocery stores pay $10 to $25, movie theaters pay $10 to $50 and florists pay $45 to $100 per assignment, according to Ilisha Newhouse's book "Mystery Shopping Made Simple."

    Mr. Jakeman brings home $300 to $400 a month in cash, in addition to about $1,000 in perks including free movies, free oil changes, free pizza and free rounds of golf.

    Mrs. Newhouse says a full-time mystery shopper who works 40 hours a week can make about $40,000 a year.

    "You're your own boss," said Niccole Rogers, NCPMS president. "You make your own hours and determine what assignments you want."

    The shoppers must be observant, have great writing skills and be professional.

    "You put your trust in these secret shoppers that they will critique professionally," said Don Harrison, a spokesman for Home Depot, which has been using mystery shoppers for years. "We're looking for feedback on a regular basis."

    The shoppers are critiquing the experience from the moment they pull into the parking lot to when they leave.

    For instance, at Home Depot, undercover shoppers take mental notes on how they are greeted, what products are missing on the shelves, pricing, employee interaction and the overall look and experience at the store.

    "We want our associates to treat every customer like they are a secret shopper," Mr. Harrison said.

    The mystery shoppers help bring about companywide changes, too. At Jerry's, the mystery shoppers said they weren't getting enough dressing with their salads. As a result, the company will give two containers of dressing instead of just one.

    "It is valuable information," Mr. Siller said.

    Mystery Shoppers Help Provide Certainty for Several Companies
    July 13, 2004
    Becky Yerak

    CHICAGO - Placing an order at a fast-food restaurant last year, Barb Bullock noticed that the cashier didn't greet her or offer a drink to wash down her sandwich.

    But the Warrenville, Ill., resident was no ordinary diner that day.

    She was a mystery shopper, empowered to dole out $25 for a simple hello or a selling upgrade.

    "Inside of your head, you're rooting for them," said Bullock, who eventually unmasked herself to the server. "But how can someone sell you a sandwich and not offer you a drink? I told him, `Better luck next time.'"

    Bullock and other mystery shoppers provide a reality check to businesses wanting to stay in the public's good graces, whether it is a day-care center or a department store. And just as businesses that use their services want to improve, the mystery shopping industry is trying to polish its image.

    Bullock was among 60 attendees at a workshop in Chicago in late June. The workshop revealed that cell phones, personal digital assistants and high-tech watches are the best things to happen to the industry since white gloves.

    "I've actually brought a laptop to a restaurant table", one mystery shopper said during a brainstorming session on surreptitious ways to take notes. "I switch to a Power Point presentation or Excel when the server comes to hide the notes."

    New tools of the trade, however, weren't the only topic of discussion.

    Philosophical questions were debated, too.

    If tissues are scattered in the middle of a restaurant bathroom, does that make it a dirty bathroom? A messy bathroom, perhaps, but not a dirty one, was the consensus.

    It's time well spent in the eyes of mystery shopping clients such as Home Depot Inc. and McDonald's Corp.

    The fast-food chain's manual for mystery shoppers, for example, is 19 pages long. And the evaluation form has a checklist of 32 items, ranging from how long it takes to get food after ordering to whether the landscaping is neat.

    For the past two years, Casual Male Retail Group Inc. has dispatched mystery shoppers to visit every store each quarter. That's up from twice a year previously and once a year before that.

    The chain uses secret shoppers to ensure salespeople meet seven expectations. They include pointing out sale items to shoppers, introducing them to such new products as boxer George Foreman's Comfort Zone line for big and tall men and suggesting more than one product to buy.

    The strategy works. Salespeople at two-thirds of Casual Male's stores meet all seven expectations, an improvement from when the retailer tested less frequently. The remaining stores meet about half of the criteria, results that are more likely to occur when salesmen are new to the store.

    "The more you do it, the better you get," said Paul Trzynka, Casual Male's director of store operations.

    Compensation for shopping varies widely, but it's safe to say that people should keep their day job or have a spouse who works.

    Donna Geuder started mystery shopping after she was laid off in 2002 from her job as a data manager at WorldCom Inc.

    "It can be fun, but if you take too many jobs it can be like real work," the Lockport, Ill., resident said. "I've done six or seven jobs in a day and that can get a little heavy."
    Her shopping jobs typically pay $7 to $25 apiece. "The one day I did eight jobs, it was $120," Geuder said. "I've made $2,000 in a month but that was busting tail."

    Geuder, who has a master's in business administration, also works part time as a demonstrator at Costco Wholesale Corp.

    Payment might come in the form of a free meal at the restaurant being shopped.

    Or, in lieu of a fee, the mystery-shopping firm might simply cover the $30 cost to join a warehouse club as part of a secret mission. Or it might take $125 off of eyeglasses at a targeted optical shop. In the upper strata, a complicated trip to a resort might cover the cost of the stay as well as a $300 fee.

    Despite the minimal pay, mystery shopping isn't a no-brainer. Reliability, trustworthiness, a willingness to role-play, solid writing skills and attention to detail are necessary traits.

    For example, after visiting a steakhouse, a comment like "the steak was lousy" just won't cut it in a report.

    Acceptable would be: "I ordered the steak medium rare. But when it was served it had only a thin line of pink in the middle."

    Preparedness and an ability to think fast also help.

    When mystery shopping for mortgages, Gretchen van Helden picks out a property at a real estate agent's Web site before showing up for her appointment with a potential lender.

    "It's fun because it's a fantasy thing," said the Appleton, Wis., resident, whose full-time job at a bank was outsourced. It's a thrill to shop for a home she couldn't afford in real life, van Helden said. "Price is not an object."

    She said her only "flub" was during a review of a bridal shop.

    "I referred to my 'fiance' as my 'husband' twice," van Helden said. "We've been married for 12 years."

    Companies doing the hiring realize that qualified shoppers are less likely to "flake" - or not complete a job.

    "Among new shoppers, as many as 60 percent to 80 percent don't complete the job," said Cathy Stucker, author.

    Bullock, a retiree who recently became a mystery shopper, has never flaked a job. "That's a good way not to get any more shops from that company," said Bullock, who also works part-time at Kohl's.

    Bullock occasionally jots down notes on a pad of paper doubling as a grocery list so she doesn't blow her cover. She leaves the official paperwork in her car so not to tip off store workers.

    When she finishes, while her memory is fresh she writes narratives. And, said Bullock, "I park in another area where no one can see me."

    A love of shopping won't necessarily make one a good mystery shopper.

    Reliability, role playing, solid writing skills and attention to detail are necessary traits.

    It's not enough, for example, for a mystery shopper to report that an employee "wasn't guest oriented."

    It's better to say the worker didn't greet you, didn't make eye contact, and didn't say thank you.

    If you're looking for a job as a mystery shopper, prepare to work.

    "Right now I shop for between 40 and 50 different companies," said Indianapolis author and motivational speaker Becky Cafouros, who has been a mystery shopper for eight years.

    Most firms allow applications to be submitted at no cost to the shopper.

    Source: (c) 2004, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.
    *Edited

  2. #2
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    I've seen postings for mystery shopper opportunities on internet job search sites recently. I didn't look into it further, assuming it may be another since it sounded too good to be true. It could be worth a second look at the web sites listed in the article if this is indeed a legitimate opportunity. This article is intriguing and given the state of the economy, a lot of people could benefit from researching this option.
    Kathie


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  3. #3
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    To newcomers:

    Private Investigators decades ago performed Integrity Investigation assignments. It was sometime thereafter that a small group of professionals coined the assignment "mystery shopping" in an effort to avoid being regulated by state licensing boards. It worked. Today there are thousands of mystery shopping "opportunities". But beware of some.

    The International Private Investigators Union (IPIU) maintains hundreds of private forums that include Integrity Investigation firms. The difference between searching for the free sites on the internet and choosing to qualify for the Level 4 access to the Integrity Investigations Forums is... all members have the opportunity to use the experience to qualify for other types of private investigator work - as IPIU offers a 3rd Party Certification of all "mystery shopping" earnings to qualify for private investigative assignments.

    Another benefit to the Level 4 private forums is - IPIU only provides companies and firms that have been reasonably checked out - and each major company has it's own discussion topic and forum for feedback from private investigators and shoppers, as well as the posting of actual earnings made by real people using real names here.

    Level 4 members are known to IPIU, including trainee private investigators. This insures the integrity of a flame-free environment where respect and friendliness is the menu of the day.

    If you are a newcomer here and have not registered for a FREE Level 1 User Name and Password, then we invite you to do so.

    Click here:

    Free Registration Link

    If you're interested in reading real testimonies from real people with real names and states,

    Click here:

    Testimonial Forum

    And if you're interested in becoming a private investigator trainee and earning a very good income in a very interesting career, then consider becoming a union member.

    Click here:
    Union Membership Plans

    Above all, enjoy yourself here with over 9000 forum members and 20,000 union members worldwide.

    PS:
    Mission Statement & Code of Ethics

    Privacy Statement

  4. #4
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    Mystery Shopper

    I applied for this on the site and haven't heard anything, has anyone who applied heard anything??
    AH

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    Hi Andria,

    How long has it been since you applied? I'm curious and it sounds like a good opportunity to learn something new and make some extra money on the side. I've been thinking about doing this.
    Kathie


    Badge # 6757

  6. #6
    Andria & Kathleen,

    I also applied, yet to hear anything. Of course it could be that I don't live in an area that is covered by these programs.

  7. #7
    David Copeland's Avatar
    David Copeland is offline Administrator
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    A few tips here...

    She said:

    "I spent eight hours a day when I first started for months. And then I find -- I got my first job. "


    For those who wish to save a lot of time, and if you're soon to have Level 4 Access, then I suggest you save a lot of time by accessing the links provided above (by Tech Support) to the Integrity Investigations Forums where most of the work has already been done for you - except filling out an application for your territory.

    Please do not post in this topic your applications or earnings. That is what the Intergrity Forums are for.

    Another tip... yes, there are many free sites on the internet. But who on the internet provides an honest reporting system and feedback from the hundreds of companies out there? IPIU is the only one, because of the respect they insist in their private forums.

    If anyone has other companies IPIU should certify, then please do not post them here or in any of the Level 1 forums. They will be removed. Please post them in the Integrity Forums where an honest appraisal can be performed.

    David

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    Talking Wow

    What an article. It seems to good to be true. I'll check the available companies in Miami, Fl. Thanks for the info.

  9. #9
    I looked into mystery shopping, but I was always told if you have to pay money right off the bat, (you know pay this amount to sign up, then you will get information on the companys to contact) then its a . So I never look futher into it.
    After reading the artical it says she worked 8 hours for months before she got a job. That alone makes me skeptical on the process. However it sounds like she hit a legitimate one.

  10. #10
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    Hi everyone,

    I actually worked as a 'Mystery Shopper' once. My job was to set up an appointment to view a 'condo' or a 'garden home' in a newly renovated complex in San Francisco. I set up the appointment, drove to the complex and waited to be shown the available models.

    The entire time I, of course was in the market to buy something closer to my work and had just sold my home. They really were great homes.

    The paperwork needed for the 'shopping' was astronomical. I completed all of it though and on time. I faxed a copy to the person in charge of this company and mailed the hard copy first class.

    That was 2 1/2 years ago, and to this day have not been paid!!

    Colleen L Hayes Badge #6915

  11. #11
    Originally posted by Amanda Monroe
    I looked into mystery shopping, but I was always told if you have to pay money right off the bat, (you know pay this amount to sign up, then you will get information on the companys to contact) then its a . So I never look futher into it.
    After reading the artical it says she worked 8 hours for months before she got a job. That alone makes me skeptical on the process. However it sounds like she hit a legitimate one.
    The Level 4 Access members of IPIU have access to over one hundred companies in the private forums here, where the links and details and earnings posted by other investigators are all posted. Without this free benefit for IPIU members, I can see how someone could spend 8 hours a day going to the wrong web sites.

  12. #12
    Originally posted by Colleen L Hayes
    The paperwork needed for the 'shopping' was astronomical. I completed all of it though and on time. I faxed a copy to the person in charge of this company and mailed the hard copy first class.

    That was 2 1/2 years ago, and to this day have not been paid!!
    Yes, a few years ago the paperwork took longer. Today, nearly all of the companies that IPIU refers members to use an interactive web site for reporting or an email which keeps the reporting time down to minutes. Private investigators self report their earnings and the total amount of time involved in the Level 4 forums to help others know what is to be expected.

    As for not being paid, our office employs private investigators who only apply to companies who are listed in the private forums here. I have never seen an IPIU member post a comment in the private forums that they have not been paid. If they do, IPIU's policy is to contact the company owner on behalf of the investigator.

    This is not a sales pitch for PI's to join IPIU, but without the benefit of having a large union help you, then it's "buyer beware" as people surf the internet looking for legitimate companies.

  13. #13
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    William,

    You are absolutely correct. Whether the company I dealt with had administrative issues, my paperwork got lost in the shuffle or if the dog ate it, I'm sure my case was not the 'norm'.

    From everything I read, have heard and view from IPIU, I know they would not have stood for that if I were to have been a member then.

    I'm sure when you have a license behind you it makes things a tad bit easier.

    Thanks for the insite.

    Colleen L Hayes Badge #6915

  14. #14
    Mark Messare - is offline Lifetime Professional Management Member

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    Mystery Shopping

    Hello All:
    I just wanted to say that I have recently signed up for LOEWS theaters Mystery Shopping program. I paid $25 which was half of the regular price and I got mailed 2 tickets $8 ea and $10 of free food. According to the program I get three more turns so I already made my money back and get to pick the movie of my choice. Mark .

  15. #15

    Re: Mystery Shopping

    Originally posted by Mark Messare
    Hello All:
    I just wanted to say that I have recently signed up for LOEWS theaters Mystery Shopping program. I paid $25 which was half of the regular price and I got mailed 2 tickets $8 ea and $10 of free food. According to the program I get three more turns so I already made my money back and get to pick the movie of my choice. Mark .
    Sounds like a great deal. I've done some of those.
    Last edited by Barbara Holtzman -; 09-11-2003 at 09:41 PM.

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    Thumbs up

    Barbara,

    Well said!!

    Colleen L Hayes Badge #6915

  17. #17
    David Copeland's Avatar
    David Copeland is offline Administrator
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    Colleen and Barbara,

    If you hope to continue toward Level 4 access to Integrity Investigations (MS), then please reconsider what you are posting in the public forums here.

    It is not to say that there are some MS companies that are not worth the time and expense to perform their assignments, but please - - - how about a little possibility thinking?

    Otherwise, your access may never come. Why? Because (as stated briefly by others) IPIU does not endorse any referrals to MS companies when the total average net earnings (for all time and expenses) is under a certain dollar amount.

    It's hard to retract words and comments once stated in a public forum. Sure, you can use your forum software tool by clicking on the EDIT button under any comment you posted, but still - - the habit of posting comments that tend to take away the spirit of another's success should be checked at the door.

    Personally, I do not know why the woman came forward with her success story. But I certainly have several ideas.

    I recall another woman who began publishing a small monthly 8-page newsletter titled The Tightwad Gazette. She charged $12/year (which is $1 an issue). This was a time when other newsletters were $60 to $100 a year.

    She came forward with numerous interviews on how she made a small fortune, what her cost was, where she got her ideas from, and so on. Why? Because she reached a personal goal that she and her husband set. And she then retired the publication rather than sell it.

    In another topic here on the forums, Jim Ley posted that most surviellance private investigators (that he knows of) get tired of the 10-hour a day assignments, and then move on to something else more interesting - or better, open up their own agency. The woman in this article may have had the same goal all along, to become an Assignment Owner/Manager that has the vast experience to teach her team how to do the job correctly.

    In another forum we have Darin Biddle who started out at PayGrade 1 performing federal anti-piracy assignments, where the payment is a bounty and not a guaranteed salary. Darin's checks for a 3 hour assignment have been over $2000 recently, and he has earned his way up to the highest Paygrade level. He has an ability to perform the job, and he also has managed a national team of over a hundred investigators. He currently is so busy with his life in a new home, with his family, we rarely see him (although he did sign up for next week's assignment).

    Did he pay a price to learn his craft? Yes, of course. But he never lost sight of the highest goal he could personally achieve. He had lot's of encouragement from his IPIU members on this forum. And that's my point.

    There are some members who give up on an interest in performing intergrity investigations because they read reports of how sour the earnings may have been for some private investigators. And then there are others who read of how wonderful the earnings have been posted by others - that they determine to copy whatever road map their role models chose to achieve the same results. Which group would you have others know you by?

    It's not to say we turn our heads away from the negative side of this business, because that would be foolish. But we have to address the negatives and teach correct principles to achieve the kind of results this news article reflects.

    IPIU did not need to read this news article. There are plenty of similar testimonial earning posts in the private forums that attest to very good earnings for someone training to become a private investigator. (And why not earn $4.00 an hour for the time being when pursuing a profession that can pay $65 to $100 an hour? No, we don't refer to $4/hr companies, but like I wrote - there are plenty other to choose from.)

    Union members who are granted higher access to the private forums must abide by our Mission Statement:

    http://www.ipiu.org/forums/showthrea...&threadid=6688

    And because we do not post details here about Integrity Investigations, we ask that all members abide by the Forum Rules:

    http://www.ipiu.org/forums/showthrea...&threadid=2914

    Let me encourage both of you to, "Eat of the fruit of a good idea, and let others chew on the roots of a dead idea."

    And for others reading this topic, if you have found yourself over the age of 30, unemployed, with high debt, and starting over with a new career . . . let me quote another:

    "Opportunity shys away from Need."

    I work in an office (IPIU) where we inteview hundreds of applicants every year. You would think that every applicant would be qualified to be hired. After all, the IPIU staff works 40 hours a week with a 2 1/2 day weekend off, no nights, no holidays, extremely interesting work, and benefits after a certain time period. So why do we have to interview over 100 applicants a year? Because so many applicants have too much "need" to make the "opportunity" of what we pay for newcomers to work in their lives. For those who have been here, their earnings are much higher than the newbees.

    For the staff that has remained, they are the best we have ever seen since IPIU was formed in 1989. But they had to get their debt organized, their families taken care of, and their lives in order for them to really enjoy the office benefits and the team they work with.

    If you are starting over in mid-life, then cut your losses and really start over! No one is going to pay you $7000 a month when starting out. What we will do is provide you with the road map. But make sure your car is not overloaded on it's last drop of gasoline.

  18. #18
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    David,

    Duly noted!!!

    Colleen L Hayes Badge #6915

  19. #19
    Carlos NaJarro--'s Avatar
    Carlos NaJarro-- is offline Private Investigator Forum Member

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    I would like to get into the "mystery shopper" program I have extensive backround in retail but I can't get into the level "4" statushow can I get there?

  20. #20
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    I've been on the receiving end of mystery shoppers several times in the past and have almost always received low marks for my customer service. Was my service bad? I don't think so.

    My major complaint about mystery shoppers was that it is very easy to judge another person if you've never been in their shoes. For example, I worked at a retail store where I was required to greet the customer within 10 seconds of him or her entering the store. When the mystery shopper entered the store, I did not greet her because I was taking an order over the phone. Yes, realistically I could have waved or acknowledged her presence in some fashion, but to be perfectly honest, I was so busy taking the order I just didn't notice her entering until later. Do I have a distaste for mystery shoppers? No. As a matter of fact the idea of doing that as a job intrigues me. I actually feel that my experiences with having been mystery shopped on numerous occasions would help me be fair and rmore ealistic in the service I received.

  21. #21
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    Real soon, i will be on Witfields bandwagon to success.

  22. #22
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    I just completed my first mystery shopping job. I really don't care to shop, but I have to admit it was fun.

  23. #23
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    I think this is an awesome opportunity!!!

    Does the IPIU sponsor any 'home product testing'?

    I'm thinking of cleaning products, small appliances or cookware?

  24. #24
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    I signed up with a company a long time ago, but have done nothing with it, mainly because I did not understand the concept. Now I thinks I need to try it. The company sends me emails everyday for mistery shopping in my town.
    Thanks for the insight!

  25. #25
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    Mystery shopping seems like a good way to break into the undercover investigation field. I have not heard of anything in my area concerning it, but i will be on the look out.

  26. #26
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    Exclamation Mystery shopper

    I was wondering- there is a job (?) on monster for mystery shopper but they request you buy the information on the company's for $$$$. Is this the way to get into this type of investigation?

    Thanks

  27. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cheryl Bliton
    I was wondering- there is a job (?) on monster for mystery shopper but they request you buy the information on the company's for $$$$. Is this the way to get into this type of investigation?

    Thanks
    Yes, you can buy the information from any number of people who sell lists of companies. But IPIU union members do not, because the lists are free in the Level 4 forums. Further more, our Level 4 forums contain many different companies where your work experience and earnings can be 3rd party certified for PI assignments with firms.

  28. #28
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    Wink Great

    Quote Originally Posted by Cynthia Ford
    Yes, you can buy the information from any number of people who sell lists of companies. But IPIU union members do not, because the lists are free in the Level 4 forums. Further more, our Level 4 forums contain many different companies where your work experience and earnings can be 3rd party certified for PI assignments with firms.

    Thanks so much for the information Cynthia.

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