Mystery shopping is an exciting job, with each day bringing new challenges and circumstances. Even the most seasoned mystery shoppers can run into challenges they have never experienced before. With literally no training for the job provided, mystery shopping is truly a hands-on training, learn as you go career. Fortunately, however, both experienced and new mystery shoppers can gain new insight and job techniques through the many online mystery shopping forums.
Who’s The Best. If you’re wondering who the best providers to work for are, forums take the guess work out of this issue. New mystery shoppers can use the mystery shopping forums to look for reputable providers in their area before they tackle even their first assignment. Seasoned mystery shoppers often have a list of providers they prefer to work with. Yet you may be looking for a new provider or two to work with for any number of reasons. Perhaps you want to try a new type of assignment or want to do an assignment at a particular venue. Or maybe you simply want to take on more assignments than what your current list of providers is offering. Whatever your reasons for researching new providers may be, you will get honest and straightforward information straight from your fellow mystery shoppers on the mystery shopping forum websites.
Minimize the “Learn As You Go.” There is a lot to be said for personal experience. The learn-as-you-go technique, however, often comes through trial and error, and even mistakes. With mystery shopping, mistakes and errors can be costly, sometimes resulting in reduction or elimination of pay for your time and efforts on an assignment, or the inability to work with a specific provider in the future. By simply spending time reading about the experiences other mystery shoppers have had on their assignments, as well as the tips and advice mystery shoppers post for others to read, you can learn valuable information that may end up saving you big on your future assignments.
Play The “What If” Game. Anyone who has ever spent more than an hour with a preschooler knows the impossible scenarios the “What If” game can result in. This game provides a learning opportunity for young ones, as they explore why the sky is blue among other things. A modified version of the “What If” game serves as a valuable learning opportunity for mystery shoppers to share information as well as to prepare themselves with seemingly improbably scenarios. You will often find a mystery shopper posting a question that starts with, “I’m just wondering if this has happened to anyone…” More often than not, a seemingly impossible scenario has been experienced by more than one mystery shopper. Reading through forum postings, you will find many seemingly unlikely stories of events mystery shoppers have encountered over years and years of experience. Some of these off-the-wall stories are unlikely to re-occur. But in the event you find yourself in the middle of a challenging situation, the mystery shopping forums can prepare you with the skills and advice you need to handle your situation in a professional manner.
While there is very little in the way of formal mystery shopping training, mystery shoppers as individuals are eager to share their experiences with other mystery shoppers on forums. Learn from their experiences so you are better equipped to tackle your next challenging assignment!