The Best Mystery Shopping Companies

by Julie Gentry | More from this Blogger

12 Jan 2007 10:11 AM

So, you've read the Mystery Shopping Introduction and How to Get Started segments. You've signed up with the two recommended starters, read the materials, and successfully completed a number of shops. Congratulations! Now you're ready to expand your business base by signing up with more companies.

Everyone has their favorites, for various reasons, but these are companies that I personally would recommend.

Fast-paying. Often in mystery shopping, you have to wait 45-60 days to be paid. For some people, that's not an option, especially if you have laid out money up front. With these three companies, I have experienced unusually quick turnaround in payment, sometimes within 24 hours (usually within the week). Mystique Shoppers - Hands down, the fastest pay in the industry. They deal mostly with companies in the Northeast, Midwest, and South. GFK - This is a great company all-around, shopping nationwide. Reflections - a smaller, northwest company with fantastic staff.

Training. Feeling like you'd like a little more instruction on your shops? These two companies will give you very detailed instructions, and require you to take a short test before your shop. Sensors Quality Management - They're a Canadian company that shops all of North America. There is so much information on their website! Their "Ask Sally" section can make you a shopping expert if you read it all. Service Evaluation Concepts - Good training materials for their shops. If you are still feeling a little shaky, their shop instructions are quite detailed.

Pay. Okay, I know a lot of you just skipped to this one right off. It's not always about the money, though. I would much rather take a lower paying job from a company that I know will pay me that a higher paying one who I have to "remind". But there are a few companies who pay on time and well. Kern and GFK (previously mentioned) are two. Another two that pay well relative to the time spent are Feedback Plus (difficult to get signed on with, but worth trying) and Reality Check, a fantastic company to work with.

Specialty Shopping. Some companies specialize in particular types of businesses. One really excellent benefit to mystery shopping is free (or reduced-fee) admission to amusement venues. Two companies that I really like who do this are Amusement Advantage and Spies in Disguise. Two summers ago, we took an amusement park vacation. We visited five different parks along the I-5 corridor from Seattle to San Diego. It was a blast and not something my four children will ever forget - and we did it on the cheap. With six of us, it would've been prohibitively expensive to pay retail price for tickets. I mystery shopped them all. You can, too.

Related Blogs: Mystery Shopping: How to Get the Highest Pay

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Julie is affectionately known as GoGo Mama to her friends since she seems to always be out and about.

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Salena (127) 05 Feb 2007 12:52 AM

As a full time mystery shopper I can tell you that Julie has listed only a few of the great ones out there. Now here and I are on the same page (as you will be to, once you sign those ICA's) but there is a place you can go that is a web site where all the Mystery shopping companies are listed to sign up with that are approved by OTHER mystery Shopping professionals. Now since I am new to this web site, I would prefer if Julie would give me the OK to post it and If you really need to know, you need to ask Julie if you can email me to give you the web site. I won't list one web site on another without persmission.

What I can tell you is that the best places to sign up for Mystery Shopping is by asking other Mystery shoppers for the names of other companies who have PROVEN themselves as steady payers, ( On a reg. monthly or 45 day basis)

I am signed up with over 60 different companies, including the ones listed above: Here's a few more

Intelli-Shop... They have tons of self assign ( when you can assign yourself jobs, they have a limit to how many you can assign yourself in one month, but you can stock up on a lot)... 90% of them pay more than 12-15 per visit. That is pretty standard in the business.

Global Compliance ( Owned by SI) Great GREAT for audits, especially digital, also self assign... audits ( which require you to take digital photos) pay more, take less time ( since they are revealed) but do require you to be able to upload photos. For some you need to pass a background test ....but they pay for it.

Maritz and Service X and CRS pay more, a lot more in some cases, but are very particular about who they hire. You may need to "Pay your dues" with other companies and estrablish a "name" for yourself in the industry before they will even look at you.

Finally, JUst go to CMS/CRS (Certified Marketing Service) if you really want to make a name for yourself in the biz... It's all self assign, they do all three branches of "Mystery Shopping" Theater, Mystery Shopping and Merchandising. Yes, they pay lower but they have an abundance of jobs, it gives you experience for the tri-fecta of MS-ing and will get your name out there.

Julie Gentry (5915) 19 Mar 2007 06:16 PM

Thanks, Selena. You're right, CMS is a good company, too. For me, I think Intellishop requires FAR too much narrative for FAR too little pay, but YMMV. As gas prices rise, I'm becoming far pickier on which shops I'll take.