BARE International Honored as ‘Best Mystery Shopper Jobs and Companies to Work For’
BARE shares an article by Trinity Owen for DollarSprout on mystery shopping.
‘Mystery shoppers are [independent contractors] paid to act like regular, everyday shoppers and provide feedback on their experience with a company. To get started, just sign up with mystery shopping companies in your area, choose your assignments, and start shopping.
How would you like to get paid to shop with the best mystery shopping companies?
That’s exactly what thousands of people are doing to earn extra money each month.
The companies that pay these “mystery” shoppers need feedback for their business, and they pay mystery shoppers to collect it.
What Is a Mystery Shopper?
A mystery shopper is a person who’s paid to act like a regular, everyday shopper, and then provide feedback on their experience.
Reputable mystery shopping companies give secret shoppers a list of tasks to complete, such as asking specific questions about a product or receiving a service (e.g. an oil change).
After the tasks have been completed, the mystery shopper reports feedback on things like the store’s cleanliness, the employees’ helpfulness, and other details about their experience.
Companies pay secret shoppers for providing this information. In most cases, they also reimburse shoppers for any expenses incurred.
How to Become a Secret Shopper (and Find Mystery Shopper Jobs Near You)
Becoming a mystery shopper is simple. All you do is sign up with the best mystery shopping companies in your area, choose your tasks or assignments, and start shopping.
You can sign up with as many mystery shopping services as you like. The more companies you sign up with, the more opportunities you have to make easy money.
One secret shopper worked for 75 companies (at his peak) and made $14,000 in one year just from performing mystery shops on weekends, during his lunch break, and on the way home from work.
BARE International Selected as one of the Best Mystery Shopping Companies
BARE hires mystery shoppers to do in-person or over the phone customer chat or video visits. The company was given a Shopper’s Choice award from the MSPA in 2019.
This award is voted on by people who complete mystery shopping jobs, and it means BARE was one of their favorite companies to work for.
When you sign up to work for BARE, you’ll be able to list five area codes in which you want to mystery shop in. This is helpful if you work and live in different area codes and want to maximize your earnings.
How it works:
- Sign up to be a mystery shopper.
- Choose your language.
- Enter your email address.
- Pick your country.
- Enter your demographic information.
- Read the privacy policy and contract.
How to Avoid Mystery Shopping Scams
Our list of mystery shopping companies only includes legitimate options. However, not all companies are as high caliber, and some are complete scams. Here’s what to watch out for.
Only choose from a trusted list of mystery shopping companies.
When searching for reputable mystery shopping companies, make sure you sign up for companies recommended by trusted sources.
Check to see if the company is a member of the MSPA. You can find a list of its member companies here. If it’s not on here, check Trustpilot or the Better Business Bureau. If you don’t see any online footprint, then it’s probably not worth doing business with.
Never wire money.
If you’re asked by a mystery shopping company to deposit a check into your personal account, withdraw the amount in cash, and wire it to a third party, don’t do it. The check is fake, and it’s a scam.
The check may look like it’s gone through and the money has appeared in your account, but it hasn’t officially cleared. It can take banks weeks to uncover a fake check.
Once the fake check is discovered, you’ll likely be held responsible for paying back the bank for the amount you deposited and withdrew. Play it safe and never deposit a check from someone you don’t know if you’re going to wire the money back.
Never pay in advance to become a mystery shopper.
All of the mystery shopping companies listed above are completely free to sign up for, and that’s for a reason. If you ever come across a mystery shopping company that asks you to pay money to join, it’s a scam.
Find Your Ideal Mystery Shopping Niche
Mystery shopping is a fun side hustle because you can often get free food or be reimbursed for buying specific products. If you already work near a mall, shopping plaza, or busy downtown area, then you don’t have to worry about driving around a lot.
Like most side hustle apps and websites, you can sign up with several different mystery shopping companies to maximize your rewards. This also lets you see which have the highest hourly rate and are worth completing.
Because some jobs take longer than others, it can be hard to gauge which companies are better until you’ve had some experience.’
Read the original article in full here.
For more information on how we can help you set up a mystery shopping program, send us a note here. We, at BARE, believe in the ‘why’ behind the reasons, and we will provide actionable insights to help you provide the best experience for your customers.
