Mystery Apartment Shopping is Educational

educational shoppingI became educated in Mystery Apartment Shopping through EPMS and they’re proven methods that work. My knowledge of mystery apartment shopping came in very handy when we decided to downsize and move to an apartment. I had a much better understanding of the process and it made our search much easier. As a shopper, I have a keen insight in regard to the Leasing Professional; if their job is performed properly, the potential renter gets the most out of their initial telephone call and on-site visit. When searching for an apartment home, specific needs must be clearly stated so the agent can spend vital time on matching needs to the community.

When mystery shopping I make my inquiries according to EPMS shop instructions and provide every opportunity for the Leasing Professional to respond. I watch for key signs and observe the agent walk me through the process of leasing the apartment. If you follow all the instructions and complete all sections of the report, your telephone call and onsite visit will tell a story. This input provides management companies the type of information they need to ensure their agents are following protocol and leasing apartments to potential renters that visit their communities.

Video/Audio mystery apartment shopping for EPMS adds a whole new dimension to the shop. The results are fantastic if you capture the entire picture and sound without drawing attention to what you are trying to accomplish. This is developed with practice, becoming familiar with your equipment and paying careful attention when you are learning the art of maintaining a good, clear picture of your subject no matter whether they are sitting or standing.

Volunteer and Get Paid

Volunteer and Get PaidMany people enjoy helping other people and volunteer for many activities.  I use to work at a Volunteer Center, and there are numerous opportunities to help people in your area which range from assisting the elderly, disabled, the children, or just work in areas to improve your community.

Perhaps you enjoy helping senior citizen’s with their various needs, such as delivery of meals or have a talent for recommending activities that might improve their development.  Maybe you enjoy spending time around children or with developmentally challenged individuals which can bring a sense of fulfillment and provides good deeds to give back to your community.

If you enjoy being around people, do not forget that you can also can paid and visit a myriad of people to help, assist, make a difference in their lives, and also get paid! There are numerous mystery shops that involve evaluations of many industrial and residential areas and your recommendations can help make a difference in their lives.

There are mystery shopping jobs that help improve elderly care centers and other elderly facilities that offer separate evaluations for more severely health care challenged individuals, such as dementia patients.  Still, other mystery shopping jobs focus on assisting other people in your community to either make recommendations to improve their apartment buildings, restaurants, health centers, grocery stores, and many other industrial areas.

You can volunteer and get paid as you help others and this creates a positive contribution to individuals and companies who will benefit from your evaluations which help owners improve their facilities, and you can walk away with a sense of pride that you helped create a better tomorrow.  Remember, every person counts to make our world a better place!

The Stuck Up Shopper

stuck up shopperI began mystery shopping when a friend that was already a shopper told me that I would be good at it. I was not familiar with it, but I always valued giving and receiving good customer service so I said why not. I began to shop and I got so deep into it that I forgot that she was doing it before I was.

In my mind, I was first and I referred her! We would often race to see who would get a shop if we both applied for them. We would also compare our ratings to each other- a friendly rivalry. However, I began to notice how hard I worked to keep my commitments to the shops that I applied for while she did not have a big problem cancelling. It may be because she was tired or maybe because she decided the pay was not enough after she already applied. She then began to wonder why I was getting more blind solicitations or referrals from other companies.

I would tease her about it and her response would be “Well, I am with 35 other shops so I have other options”. She felt that if she cancelled several times due to what she considered legitimate reasons that they should understand. If they did not, she felt that she was with 35 other companies and so she would just move on.

On the other hand, it was a rare occasion when I cancelled and I felt very bad about it. There are a lot of people counting on shoppers; the client, the schedulers, the reviewers and also the customer. I may not be with 35 companies, but the companies I am with know that they can count on me to keep my commitments. So the question is: Is it better to be with a lot of companies that may not be sure if they can count on you or to be with fewer companies that know you will keep your commitments and value you as a shopper? You decide.

Happy shopping!

Dressing The Part

Dressing The PartApartment shopping is one of the most important mystery shops for everyone to do. After all, we all need to a place to live. Shoppers help to review the apartments for people who are about to rent.

Shoppers play an import role as it is important people know they are renting in a safe clean place.

In fact, apartment shopping can be also one of the most complex shops that an evaluator may do. It can also be rewarding for the good shopper. So keep in mind the effort you put in will be compensated.

Dressing the part will help your frame of mind and help you to keep focused to your job at hand. Most apartment communities are in what is termed “good areas”. Try to dress in business casual and try not to dress in sweats, uniforms or ripped jeans. Remember most people will dress well to make a good impression on a prospective landlord. You also don’t want to bring extra scrutiny to you.

A little effort will go a long way. If you can find some khakis and a nice polo shirt that will suffice. Women can even pair a polo shirt with a skirt. Keep comfortable and look good it will help your cover as mystery shopper. Effort is required to play the part when you are touring the apartment complex. Being alert and being comfortable help you to make observations necessary for a more accurate shop.

In A Tight Spot? Try Mystery Shopping

student needing cashAre you thinking of moving out soon? Are you unemployed, in between jobs, a college student, or just someone wanting extra money? If so try mystery shopping. We will pay you what you are worth. We will pay you on time. We will give you more than enough work. We will give you possible bonuses every week. What more can you want.

When was the last time you got a bonus at work? …and then every week at that. Shop at fun stores restaurants and so much more. You will have a chance to critique everyone that you come to encounter with.

And let me be “Frank” EPMS is the mystery shopping place to contract with. I have had no problems with them and no delays. Mystery shopping is a great way to go and especially if you find the right company to do business with. EPMS is the right company to do just that. They have nice jobs to do and they are pretty consistent when it comes to work. I have never not had an opportunity to do some work within a few miles of my home. I like that.

So if you are thinking and I know you are…just come go to the website and get started now. The sign-up process will only take a few moments and then you will be off to the races.

I wish you much luck and prosper in your new career.

Mystery Shopping in a World of Chaos

Mystery Shopping in a World of ChaosI am a Ferguson Missouri resident. Ferguson is normally a quiet community. It is racially mixed and a good place to raise a family. We have a community newspaper and events for children, teens and elderly alike. We like our neighbors and also our police department. I moved here when I was 13. I moved into my own apartment after college, but then moved back and have bought two homes as an adult, so I am a true Ferguson resident. However, when chaos hits home, these things are not displayed.

Ferguson is a place that has many businesses. That also gives opportunity for many mystery shopping opportunities. From fast food restaurants, to sit down restaurants, department stores, discount stores, apartments and cell phone shops. The day after the first looting hit, (in which looters from outside of my community, looted), I had a mystery shop scheduled at a cell phone store. I went to the store and unbeknownst to me, it had been looted. Cell phone displays were knocked down and missing, and the store was boarded up. I was extremely disheartened and hurt. Two days later, I had a fast food shop. I went there and they had closed early because they were located where most of the looting had occurred.

I saw a mystery shopping opportunity on a board for a department store, that store had been looted, and it was closed. As I drove down a street that I drive down daily, I just felt like crying. I then began to think…some of the stores that were temporarily boarded were just mystery shops to me. However, these were places that people had full time jobs that they now could not go to, at least for a while. This was money out of their pockets and days of work that they could not go to. How sad is that?

Mystery shopping during chaos was difficult or basically impossible to do, but going to a full time job when there was not one to go to was even worse. Things are a little back to normal now. We are trying to get our loving community back together, and everyone throughout St. Louis city and county, has signs on their yards that say, “I Love Ferguson”.

I see mystery shopping opportunities that I can take now that the stores are back open and at full speed, but there is still work to do.

Khalli B.

Have Your Voice Heard

Have your voice heardWant to voice your opinion? Want to give positive or negative feedback no matter what people think and get recognized for it in the form of compensation? Do you want to really make a difference? Well I do and I want to tell you what happened to me when I decided to step out on faith and do something different. I didn’t think this mystery shopping “thing” I called it would work but after about six months now and counting when I look back, I was able to pay a lot of bills so for that reason and any I would say that it does work out.

But more importantly I was able to voice my opinion. Have you ever been inside a restaurant or store or some type of business and you know there were areas and a lot of them that they could improve in, but your say would either be taken as “yeah, yeah, yeah” instead of taken seriously? Well I have been there but now when I make a comment, someone else is reading that and making a list of things that need to be corrected soon. That to me is influence and as I started getting more influence, I became as a person empowered and felt better about me.

You see sometimes when you lose your job you feel a certain type of way and it might not be a positive way that you really need to feel. Well mystery shopping gave me back myself. mystery shopping made me feel good again and not feel like I was a loser for losing my job. I recommend anyone to mystery shop!

What Is Required In a Mystery Shop Report?

What Is Required In a Mystery Shop ReportIf you are a new shopper for a company and your first job entails typing up an evaluation report, then there is some basic information that every shopper should know.  Remember, that every company has different rules and formats to follow on their reports, so before you visit your shop, ensure you review their guidelines in detail.  If you have any questions, you can ask the contact person to clarify any information so there is no miscommunication.

When you visit your shop, ensure you take a note pad and leave it in your car while you visit the site.  When you return to your car, immediately write down any information since that will help you recall what was stated by the targeted representative.

Ensure you write down detailed information first.  For example, a financial shop might need you to write down a specific interest rate or a specific product name for their report so writing those specific names or rates should be the first thing you list on your note pad.  Thereafter, write down as much as you can remember and then review the questions on the guidelines or company form, while you are still in your car, and quickly jot down any answers to any questions that was stated on the form.

Once you type your report, review the company’s format and ensure you answer all the questions listed on their report.  Be sure you double check your work for accuracy and proofread your work several times before you hit the “submit“ button.  Many companies also ask you to obtain a business card or company materials which you typically send as a computer attachment or they may want your notes so be sure you do not toss them out.

Elisa

What Type of Equipment Do I Need To Mystery Shop?

What Type of equipment do I need to mystery shopWhen looking for work, you might have run across ads about mystery shopping jobs on several websites and wondered if this employment might work with your scheduling.  But you might also think, what type of equipment would you need to work for some of these companies?

Most mystery shopping jobs require basic equipment and typically require access to the Internet to navigate to the various websites or to check for daily computer jobs.  Other basic items include a telephone, and writing materials.  Other optional equipment include a digital camera or scanner and a xerox machine which can be valuable assets since they could save you money since xerox copies or having someone scan and upload a document can become costly.

If you are doing jobs that require typing an evaluation, then ensure you have a Spell Check system on your computer so you can review your work for all spelling errors.  If your system does not have a Spell Check option, you can cut and paste your report onto numerous free Spell Check websites on the Internet.  Of course, Spell Check can never replace a proper reading of your work, so ensure that you spend appropriate time and read your report several times to ensure the right words and grammar are used and it is in the proper format for the company.

Other basic mystery shopping tools include a Paypal or bank account, since many companies are set up to electronically send payments to a Paypal or bank account.  Still, other companies only use checks so having a bank account or knowing where to cash a check can prove invaluable in getting your money paid timely.

Elisa E.