The Pros and Cons of Mystery Shopping Jobs
Like any other endeavor you may be considering, there are some pros and cons to mystery shopping from the point of view of a shopper.
Let’s take a look at them now:
The Pros
One advantage to signing up to work as a mystery shopper is that you have flexibility to work when you want to, as long as assignments are available.
You can sign up with multiple mystery shopping companies to increase your chances of getting assignments.
The work is varied; no two assignments will be exactly the same.
You will likely be paid a fee for your time, as well as being reimbursed for your product purchase. Some assignments only reimburse you for your product purchase, though.
The Cons
Due to the nature of the mystery shopping business, you may not always find assignments available when you have time to take one on.
If you choose to work with multiple mystery shopping companies, it may become difficult to keep their different expectations and reporting methods straight.
You may not always be able to work with companies that you would have chosen yourself. Sometimes, you may be asked to take on an assignment that involves shopping for a product you wouldn’t ever buy for yourself.
You shouldn’t go into mystery shopping expecting to be able to make a full-time income from it. Treat it like occasional work that can be used to supplement your other sources of income to provide you with a bit of spending money.