Mystery shopping sure is a fun job. With each assignment you do, you get to experience working in a new setting and meet new people Each assignment has unique requirements and guidelines, too. Plus, the assignments carry with them the thrill of keeping your secret mission outlined in the assignment requirements a secret from those around you. Yet as exciting as mystery shopping can be for you, that thrill of performing a secret mission also carries with it the risk that your identity as a mystery shopper may become known to those around you. Here are a few tips to help prevent that from happening:
Don’t Act Suspicious. One of the keys to keep from being identified as a mystery shopper is to really blend in with other shoppers. Consider how you would act if you went into the store, restaurant, or other venue on your own when you weren’t working. Clearly, you don’t want to pick up the first shirt you see and head straight into the dressing room to fulfill a requirement of trying on clothes. Instead, you want to browse the selection, may ask the salesperson if they have another size or color available, and so forth.
Hide Your Assignment Requirements and Notes. Most providers will tell you not to bring your assignment requirements into the site location at all, but if you feel the need to break this rule for whatever reason, you will want to ensure that you keep them entirely concealed in a purse and only refer back to them when you are in private, such as in a bathroom stall or changing stall in a dressing room. If you have notes, make sure they look like a shopping list and ensure that you are in a place where having a shopping list makes sense like a grocery store or big box discount store. Few people walk into a retail clothing store or a restaurant with a shopping list!
Have a Backup Plan. Before you head into a site location, you will want to keep in mind what the requirements for your visit are and develop a plan of action. You want to have more than just a basic idea of how you can walk through the site visit to meet all of the requirements, though. You also need to have some type of backup plan in mind in case someone does become suspicious of your time in the site location. Consider saying that you just can’t seem to find the right gift for someone special, that you just remembered at the last minute that you had to buy something else, that you were supposed to be meeting someone here, and so forth. Obviously, some excuses are better than others for your suspicious behavior in different locations, so have a few excuses or plans in mind for each unique location you visit before you step foot in the door.
These tips can help you to keep your identity a secret from those employees and even customers at the site locations you visit, so be sure to put them into action for your next assignments!