Like surveys, mystery shopping is one of those “jobs” that people seem to gravitate to because it seems so easy and fun. And like surveys, mystery shopping is a “real” way to make money. BUT you aren’t likely to make a living. The few times I mystery shopped, the income was not at all worth the time and expense. But if you want to try it, there are some things you need to know the most important of which you don’t have to pay to mystery shop. Legitimate companies that use mystery shoppers don’t charge you.

This brings me to an email I keep receiving from Shadow Shopper. I’m not sure how I ended up on this list, but a few times a week I get an email about how desperate they are for shoppers in my town. The email mentions my town by name or zip code. If I lived in a big city I might buy the hype. But I live in a county that just got its first stop light. There are only two chain stores and a couple of chain fast foods in the area. Competition is low. I don’t see them needing mystery shoppers.

What they are desperate for is for me to BUY into their program. It doesn’t appear that Shadow Shopper is actually hiring but that it sells memberships to access its directory of mystery shopping programs and sends email updates of new jobs. This might be helpful if in fact you live in a city with regular and frequent mystery shopping needs. But with a little research, these companies can be found online for free.

Further Shadow Shopper terms of service indicates there are NO refunds. To me its not worth risking your money if you don’t have any recourse. What if I joined and discovered there in fact was no mystery shopping in my area (meaning their email lied to me). I still be out of luck according to the sites TOS.

And finally it says you can become a certified shopper…does that really exist? Well it exists, but does it actually mean anything? I wasn’t certified when I did some shops so its clearly not a requirement.

The real deal is that mystery shopping doesn’t pay well and often you end up losing money if you have to buy something or the money they give you to spend (like in restaurants) isn’t enough to cover the meal. Further you are asked to do specific things in the store (ask for customer service help, check the bathrooms, etc) and you have to pay attention to details because the report you fill out is detailed. This makes it hard to do shops with kids tagging along. And finally, the work isn’t steady. You can go weeks even months without an assignment. Most people can’t afford to live on an income of a few bucks every few weeks.

Mystery shopping can be a fun way way to earn a few bucks or get a free meal, but don’t expect it to be your career.