A lot of people assume that offers to become a mystery shopper are probably a scam, but you'll be surprised that these are legitimate businesses. The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) has over a 130 mystery shopping companies listed in America alone. There are hundreds more operating in all corners of the world.



Mystery shoppers pose as customers to gather information about service, quality, cleanliness and other issues on behalf of business owners. They visit stores, restaurants, banks, apartment complexes, cinemas and all other kinds of businesses.

A common misconception is that mystery shoppers get paid for their opinions. Mystery shoppers do not report what they thought about the experience, but rather what they observed during their experience. This means reporting on how long it took to be served, for example, or whether the food served was warm enough.

Mystery shoppers are hired by businesses to evaluate what their customers think of them. The information collected is used to recognize and reward top performers and to determine training needs and other deficiencies that may exist within the business. So we know that many companies use mystery shopping, but is it legitimate?

Today, there are an estimated 2.5 million mystery shoppers working for hundreds of mystery shopping companies all over the world. However, if you are truly interested in mystery shopping, do use some caution.

Check that the mystery shopping company that you wish to shop for is legitimate by finding out if it is affiliated with or a member of recognised associations such as the Mystery Shopping Providers Association in America . Companies that apply to MSPA have to go through an approval process and agree to uphold ethical standards. If a company is a member of such an organisation, then it is a company you can trust.

Also, find out more about the history of the mystery shopping company by visiting their website. Visit online mystery shopping forums in your country and read what other mystery shoppers have to say about the company. Best of all, shop with those companies that have been recommended by someone you can trust.

There are mystery shopping companies all over the world. To locate companies in your country, do an Internet search for terms such as "mystery shopping company" and the name of your country.