Mystery shoppers get paid by the assignment, with typical rates around $10 to $20 per shop. Fees are usually higher for time-consuming assignments or those requiring more than one visit to a location. The busiest mystery shoppers usually live in big cities where businesses (and therefore assignments) are plentiful. "Most of the time mystery shopping is a 'spare time' activity," says Cathy Stucker, author of "The Mystery Shopper's Manual," and a longtime mystery shopper. "However, there are shoppers who make a significant part-time or even full-time income. One of the things about mystery shopping that is wonderful and frustrating is that those shoppers do not work a regular schedule. Most shoppers work for multiple companies and take the assignments that interest them from several companies each month."
Finding legit opportunities
Mystery shopper ads are everywhere -- but so are mystery-shopper scams, so how do you find legitimate opportunities? A good place to start is online at the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.
"The MSPA is like the BBB of Mystery Shopping," says Sarah Goshman, quality control senior editor for AboutFace, a large mystery shopping company. "Not all of the legitimate shopping companies are listed there, but most are. They also offer two levels of certification for shoppers, which essentially makes a shopper look better to the shopping companies and often makes one eligible for shops or gives them first preference."
Fringe benefits
Mystery shoppers are freelance workers and therefore aren't entitled to benefits a regular employee might get. However, that doesn't mean you won't enjoy a few rewards. For one thing, many assignments involve a purchase, for which you are later reimbursed. If this item happens to be something you would normally buy, or would like to buy, this can be like getting a cool freebie.
Stucker particularly likes doing restaurant assignments, because she and her husband love going out to eat. "We have done mystery shops in every kind of restaurant from fast food to fine dining, where the reimbursement and fee are as much as $200," she says. She has also been reimbursed for car oil changes, haircuts, dry cleaning, eyeglasses, toys and more.
As independent contractors, mystery shoppers can also claim work-related expenses on their taxes and can take advantage of other tax breaks such as the home office deduction.
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