Regardless of how long you have been a mystery shopper or how many assignments you take on, there may come a time when you notice yourself losing interest in mystery shopping. The shop assignments may be entering your inbox, and you delete them before looking at them. Or you may look at the new shop assignments but none of them seem to be worth your time and effort. You may even be thinking about quitting mystery shopping altogether. It may seem a bit of a paradox to renew a dwindling interest in mystery shopping by taking a break, but that may be exactly what you need!
Here are some key ways to tell if you need to take a mystery shopping break:
Sloppy Shops. Lately it may seem like you are having trouble completing your shop reports. You failed to make note of all of the required details during your store visit and don’t have the information necessary to complete a full and accurate report. Another sign you may be losing your edge is schedulers contacting you more often than they did in the past to clarify your report. The thought may have even crossed your mind that the schedulers are getting pickier these days. Perhaps the problem isn’t with the schedulers, but with a dwindling effort on your part.
Keep in mind that you may not be paid on any shops that aren’t completed fully, so if you find that you are becoming less detail-oriented in your shops or are making more errors in your reports, it may be time for a break.
Not That Again! If you have been feeling a sense of frustration at seeing the same old shops come through your inbox and have little desire to complete them, it may be time for a break. To be great at your job, you really need to have a desire to not only want to do the job in the first place, but to also do your best at it. There’s an old adage that says, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” If you feel that the shops are no longer worth doing, you likely don’t feel that they are worth doing right. With so many details to keep track of on any given assignment, you need to be at your best with each and every shop or you risk not getting paid for it.
Building Steam. As you are completing your shop, are you having trouble keeping a neutral attitude towards the service you are receiving? Perhaps you have gotten frustrated with the sales associates on your last few shops, even if they have made only minor mistakes. Or you may be getting hot-headed with your schedulers constantly asking for more details, even details that were not requested in their questionnaire originally. While there may be understandable reasons to get a little hot under the collar, if you feel that you are increasingly getting frustrated or upset even over small issues, it may be time to take a break and cool off.
When you spend some time away from mystery shopping, you will have some distance to re-evaluate all of the great reasons you started shopping in the first place. Perhaps it was the flexible schedule or the enticing extra income. Or perhaps you felt a sense of service with this job that you are unlikely feel with many other types of jobs. Take however long you need, whether it’s a week or a month or even longer. The great thing about mystery shopping is that it will still be here for you when you are ready to return.