I remember making the choice to leave my job as a teacher to stay home with my little ones. I didn’t know how we would make ends meet but I was confident that I wouldn’t let my family starve and it did mean taking on some odd jobs every once in a while.
In order for any odd job to work as a mom of little ones, it had to be very flexible. I couldn’t commit to it full-time. I had to find someone who could help with the baby (I only had one at the time). Lastly, I couldn’t spend more in childcare than I was making.
I threw the idea of mystery shopping around a bit. Mystery shopping sounded fun and flexible and even a way I could incorporate my kids into it.
So what exactly is a Mystery Shopper? It’s also often referred to as “secret shopping”. It involves posing as a regular customer in order to evaluate the goods and/or services that a particular business provides. Your findings are reported back to the client, and used to improve their customer service and/or products.
I remembered my days as an apartment leasing consultant. I used to get “shopped” quite often – or at least I suspected I did. Truth be told, the thought that any potential resident coming in to inquire about an apartment might actually be “testing” me kept me on my toes. Not just during the tour but also afterwards. I made sure to follow-up with everyone because that was also part of the way we we’re evaluated.
Nevertheless, despite my fears and concerns about being a mystery shopper, I decided to do it! I loved mystery shopping for the flexibility and the opportunity it gave me to “play” someone else for a while. Most of all, I loved it for the opportunity it provided me to make a financial contribution to my family.
I’m no longer a Mystery Shopper. I don’t have the time for it anymore with my business. But I do highly recommend it for those that want a little extra income. While this is a sponsored post, I can confidently tell you that mystery shopping can be an excellent opportunity but the trick is knowing which companies are reputable.
One that has recently come to my attention is BestMark. And guess what? They are looking for some Mystery Shoppers in the Rio Grande Valley right now!
If you are interested in more information on their company or the position or qualifications to become a Mystery Shopper with them, you can check out their website: http://www.bestmark.com.
