Whoever the bloke that first thought of this must be a genius. Imagine having to shop all you want, and then getting paid so you can shop all over again. If this job was offered years ago, our elders might be crooning, Fairy tale can come true? or Heaven on earth?(with more heart to it) who knows, they might even want to kiss this blokes hand ? ?Godfather? style. You have that smug twitch on your brows? Ok, you may think this could be stretching it a bit far?

But then again consider yourself getting into a store, shop a little, pause a while, observe, have a little chit chat with the clerk, being the friendly amiable you all the time, pick a little more here - which can be reimbursed later anyway. Go to the next store and shop and shop and shop?and then get paid.

Or go to a movie house or a spa or you can go to an assigned restaurant have a little refreshment - which your employer will be paying for anyway, pull out a newspaper, even the week old ones will do it will not matter, play the detective like listening, observing, taking mental notes on service, orderliness, promptness, integrity, customers handling, or a myriad other things that your employer tasked you to do?and then get paid.

You go by many names. You are a secret shopper, a mystery shopper a spotter. Nonetheless that is the job you do to earn your living. Shop.

A secret shopper is a task assigned to people by companies and firms that want to update themselves with what is actually being carried out in their establishment from a customer's point of view.

They get trained first on issues that the company wants to validate or resolve to enable them to be and remain competitive in their market. Training agendas are really simple but will ultimately enable employers to evaluate their current position in performance and competencies.

Training and assignment issues often include, divided further into sub-classes:

Efficiencies

Customer service

Cleanliness and order

Merchandising

Courtesy and Integrity.

Other issues on the priority list by the principal.

The job of the secret shopper basically are:

To observe

To evaluate

To file reports

To become a secret shopper, an individual would register on one or if preferred, several secret shopping companies or agencies. Once hired, the secret shopper would be tasked to inspect predetermined business establishments. Secret shoppers work like costumer undercover to do two tasks, to evaluate and observe the employees and to observe and evaluate the operation of the store. The secret shopper will then fill up evaluation sheet and file a report to be submitted to the principal.

What is in it for the mystery shopper?

Although the most common task assigned to a secret shopper is to shop, they also dine at different restaurants, visit and use fitness centers and spa, drink in different places, use gym, stay at a hotel and get into movie houses ? free of charge.

The money is good too. For instance, a simple task that could take for about several minutes would pay you $8-$15. A more sophisticated task would pay you $25. The more complicated the task becomes, the higher the pay would be. If you already have a direct contact with the company, you can even earn $100 and up.

Task would require simple skills. So long as can write a good objective report (many principals prefer the not too critical ones), you can qualify to become a secret shopper.

So long as you abide by the confidentiality clause, that's it.

Isn't that a hell more fun than having to burn hours in an office cubicle coping with pressures and deadlines, finding yourself lost in all those papers and ?to do? lists five days a week, so you can have money enough to go shopping?