Is There a Typical Mystery Shopper Profile?
There really isn’t any such thing as a “typical” mystery shopper. You may be thinking that this type of work would appeal mostly to stay-at-home moms, but this is not the case.
Teens, college students, and retirees also sign up to work as mystery shoppers.
If you are someone who has a flexible schedule and you are looking for a way to supplement your income, this type of work may be a good choice for you as well. Some people who are between jobs sign up with different mystery shopping companies to earn money until they are back to work again on a full-time basis.
The people who enjoy this type of work the most are those who stick close to their interests when accepting assignments, as opposed to agreeing to take on something because it pays a larger fee.
Part of the job when performing mystery shopping assignments is to blend in and behave like a typical customer would.
Client companies are advised by mystery shopping companies to let their employees know that at some point they will be receiving a visit from a mystery shopper. This is only fair to the employees, who might feel uncomfortable finding out after the fact that they received a visit from someone whose job it is to report back on their performance. The better the mystery shopper can avoid drawing attention to him or herself, the more accurate the report will be.
Mystery shopping companies do try to match their shoppers with the types of customers that a business normally attracts. A retailer that markets clothing geared to teens will want a mystery shopper to visit who fits that particular demographic. Likewise, a mystery shopper with children may be asked to visit an amusement park to gather information on behalf of the company which owns it.
With the variety of businesses that hire mystery shopping companies, there are assignments available to appeal to people of many different age groups and interests. Mystery shoppers also work in suburban and rural locations, so the typical mystery shopper doesn’t live in a particular area, either!