Author: lford

In a world where writing is a dying art and texting jargon has become the norm, writers are looking for places to hone their skills while earning money. A good place to start is mystery shopping.

This will give you a boost in finances while you are waiting for that big novel to publish, will give you quality feedback on your writing style, will allow you to earn some money, and give you the opportunity to shop and have a little fun with role playing.

Is it truly a way to hone your skills as a new writer?  Any practice at writing, regardless of style, will give you some helpful hints.  It may even give you the idea to write a story about the life of a mystery shopper!  In addition to mystery shopping, if you prove to be a quality shopper with quality reports, you may be brought on board by a company or two to be an editor.  This will further enhance your skills and income.

What type of writing can you expect in mystery shopping?  Different types of shops call for different types of reports.  Many will ask for at least a small narrative describing your shopping experience.  Some of the more in depth shops and higher paying shops will require more narratives.  An example of this is an apartment shop.  Even if it is recorded on video, companies also want a very detailed narrative regarding the entire experience.

It can take thirty to forty minutes to complete all narratives, maybe longer depending on your experience.  This can definitely build your ability to describe situations as companies want more than a simple, “I would have rented from this associate” type statements.  You have to give them the how and why.  This can enhance your vocabulary and help you piece together informative, yet concise, descriptions more easily.

If your goal is a little extra income while practicing your writing you may choose to stay clear of simple fast food shops.  Many of these require little, if any narrative, and are simple fact checking expeditions.  But if you need the money, they certainly do not deplete your writing ability.  So, if the writing field is slow with work, feel free to expand your horizons and supplement with mystery shopping.  But be warned, you may become a permanent shopper and put writing on the back burner!

Mystery shopping jobs normally involves part-time work and allows a person to schedule jobs in a flexible manner.  However, there are many mystery shopping companies that are also looking for individuals who are interested in working in the retail industrial area.  Most of these merchandising jobs begin as part-time work and usually involve performing jobs in various retail stores.

Merchandising jobs usually have set hours and days and involve replacing store products and setting up store displays.  However, many of these merchandising jobs often lead to full-time employment.  Since a merchandiser is usually under the lead of a supervisor who handles a chain of retail stores and ensures that all store products are carefully replaced and stocked, this type of job can lead to full-time employment.

The experience gained as a retail merchandiser can lead to a supervisor or team leader job and that usually involves more hours a week than a regular mystery shopper who does part-time work, and can sometimes lead to full-time employment.  I have done part-time merchandising jobs and most of the supervisors that I worked with stated that they began as part-time merchandisers and slowly worked their way up the ladder.

If your schedule allows you to work on a fixed workweek, and the retail area interests you, than taking a part-time merchandiser job in this area might be the stepping stone needed to obtain experience and possibly lead to a full-time job. These merchandiser jobs tend to service a wide circle of chain stores and are always in need of employees to monitor, restock, and service various company products.  So, if you can’t find a full-time job right now, maybe working as a merchandiser might be a possible way to find a new avenue of full-time employment.

Students and moms probably have one of the worst times finding part-time jobs to obtain extra cash since their daily schedule is usually fixed with classes or taking care of the children and finding a job to work around their schedule can be difficult.Luckily, most mystery shopping jobs are flexible and cater to people who have fixed schedules.

Many mystery shopping jobs can be done almost any day of the week which could include scheduling hours during the early morning, afternoon, evening or even late evening!  Some shopping jobs even allow you to bring your children with you.

Mystery shopping jobs usually only require you to contact a specific target person by telephone, or conduct an on-site visit, and ask him or her some pertinent questions about their specialty.  You then record their answers and fill out a question and answer form.  After completing the form, you only have to submit it on-line to the mystery shopping website for payment.  Most mystery shopping jobs pay in 30 to 60 days and you only have to rate an employee‘s performance on a computer form.

Further, these jobs generally only take a total of two to three hours to complete and you can work any day that works best for you.  All students and stay at home moms visit stores all the times anyways to obtain school, family, or children supplies, so you might as well get paid to make that usual weekly trip.

So, stop complaining about not being able to make extra cash due to student or family responsibilities that restrain your time to find a compatible job to work around your schedule. With mystery shopping jobs, they make the jobs easy and flexible and everyone always needs extra cash each month.

Wouldn’t it be nice to buy yourself an expensive gift or give a nice present to people without paying a cent?  With all those birthdays, weddings, anniversary, and other celebrations that require purchasing a present for our friends and loved ones, those gifts always seems to come during a time when you might be short on cash.  However, there is way to obtain a very nice present for free and that is through mystery shopping.

Believe it not, some mystery shopping jobs allow you to obtain free presents or luxury services without paying for the benefit.  Some mystery shops allow you to pass that free present to someone for their birthday or for some other celebration.  There are mystery shops that give free facials, massages, dental treatments, free make-up advice, pedicures and manicures.

A mystery shopper only needs to complete a simple written evaluation of the employee, and ask several questions.  Some shoppers may have to pay for the services upfront, but the companies reimburse you for the entire cost of facials, massages, pedicures, and may even give you discounts on certain clothes or new products.  Who doesn’t enjoy a free day at the spa day or sample free products?  If you were to pay for these services, a typical facial or massages can cost as much as $80 or more!

If the mystery shopping company allows you to have your friend enjoy the benefit while you evaluate their performance, then it is a win-win situation for everyone!  Your friend will thank you for the free gift or you can enjoy the expensive freebie gift yourself.  A day of pampering and getting free gifts are waiting for you, so sign up for a mystery shopping job today!