Melissa works from home and lives in Hertfordshire.
Q: Do you work from home
part-time, full-time, just for extra cash or do you freelance?
A: I work full-time from home as an Editor
but, after reading Homeworking4me's info on mystery shopping, I decided
the extra work might prove an interesting distraction.
Q: What type of work
do you do?
A: I'm a Mystery
Shopper.
Q: How did you get started?
A: Watching television
one morning, someone mentioned the Homeworking4me website so I checked
it out. I've always been interested in the idea of mystery shopping
as I'm continually frustrated with occasional bad service in shops and
thought it would be a great way to give positive feedback to improve
customer experiences. I read through Homeworking4me's "Mystery
Shopping" info, clicked on a company's link on the page, and proceeded
to complete an application, along with passing an online test after
studying the requirements outlined in the company's handbook. After
being accepted, the company began alerting me to assignments and my
mystery shopping work began.
Q: Is this a difficult sector
to break into?
A: Not difficult at all. The main skills
one needs are a keen attention to detail and to be quite organised--also,
having a computer, printer, and scanner is a must.
Q: Do you enjoy working
from home?
A: Definitely. It suits my lifestyle,
since I have a young child.
Q: Why did you choose home
working?
A: Since my baby was born last year, I
could not commit to a 9-5 job again--logistically it wouldn't have worked,
and his schedule was too unpredictable. I've always found it easy to
juggle many things so home-working hours are manageable and can be slotted
in when time allows.
Q: How do you motivate yourself?
A: This is definitely tough. However,
conducting a mystery shopping assessment does motivate as, when you've
accepted an assignment for a specific date/time, the questionnaire must
be completed that day or no payment is given. Therefore, you cannot
let an assignment linger once it's completed--paperwork must be submitted.
Q: What are the positive
aspects of home working?
A: For those whose lives are busy, either
because you're juggling a family or another job (and are just seeking
a bit of cash or job variance), then home working does hold great appeal.
Q: What are the negative
aspects of home working?
A: Distraction is really difficult to
avoid: all of a sudden the dishes need doing, or something interesting
is on the telly, or you decide to just pop down to the shop for something
yet end up delayed for hours. Self-discipline is a challenge so don't
think it's a breeze to be your own boss.
Q: Would you say that the
type of work you are doing pays you a good wage?
A: Some assignments pay better than others.
I put an awful lot into every assignment, regardless of the promised
fee, so sometimes I don't think I make much, particularly when I accept
an assessment that involves travel. But, the more assessments you undertake
and subsequently provide helpful feedback, the more jobs offered to
you--and often better paid assignments with more responsibility.
Q: Do you find home distractions
a problem when you're trying to work?
A: As mentioned before, this is really
tough. I try to determine my schedule the night before, slotting in
errands and chores for morning, and then aiming to complete work after
lunch, working all afternoon and then after the baby goes to bed. Writing
this schedule down in advance helps--just because you're looking at
it on paper. Also, if I've got assignments to complete the following
day, I always print them out the night before and review my briefing
notes, highlighting particularly important areas to be assessed.
Q: How many hours do you
work a day?
A: For mystery shopping, it can be none
or up to five hours, which included assessments and completing/submitting
questionnaires. A bonus of mystery shopping is that you can accept or
reject assignments as they are offered to you, if they suit your schedule
and can spare the time. I edit full-time.
Q: Don't you find home working
a bit isolating?
A: Working from home as an Editor, I'm
used to being on my own. But it's not always easy. My annual Christmas
party, for example, is pretty low-key (just me and a glass of bubbly).
I do make sure I head out the door at least once during the day so I
can see what other people look like and give myself a break from the
glare of the computer screen.
Q: Would you recommend this
type of work to anyone?
A: Before I tried mystery shopping, I
thought anyone would be suited for the work. However, I now realise
that you do really have to be observant and possess a pretty good memory--to
recall scenarios and pre-assessment information, and then when you report
details back in the follow-up questionnaires. If you can't think on
your feet, this probably isn't a great job for you, as often you have
to assume credible personas and situations which aren't strictly yours
so to fit the assignment (for example, when you assess a mobile phone
shop and you must pretend you're shopping for a particular type of phone
which you really don't have any interest in but must pretend you have,
for the purposes of the job).
Q: Do you need any skills
to carry out this kind of work?
A: Important qualities would be: sharp
observation and organisation skills, self-discipline, and ability to
write basic sentences (when completing the questionnaires).
Q: Do you need any special
equipment or tools?
A: You must have a computer and printer
for printing the briefing notes and questionnaires in advance of your
assignment. Also, sometimes you're required to upload a receipt to your
computer so a scanner or digital camera is necessary.
Q: What advice would you
give to a newcomer in your field?
A: Check out the mystery shopping sites
and their requirements, but don't assume it's a job you can do without
thinking--it's not just a bit of fun, as you'll realise when, for instance,
you must report back that an employee you encountered did not successfully
do their job. In this case, you're providing critique about a specific
person so you had better be sure you've got your facts correct, as you
could influence their own job status.
Q: Have you been doing this
for long?
A: I've been mystery shopping for three
months (but have been an Editor from home for five years).
Q: Would you return to the
9-5 grind in the future:
A: Sometimes I crave the office life again:
working with others as a team, socialising and having some discipline
so work is more manageable, but this pace and type of work suits my
variant lifestyle.
Q: Finally, would you recommend
working from home?
A: Again, I don't think working from home
is for everyone, but there are many different types of home working
one can do so, even if you just want to add a bit of flavour to your
working life and pick up some side-line, working from home can be fun
and bring in extra cash.
Melissa is
a Managing Editor for a software company, editing online copy and writing
content for websites. If you need articles for your Website or Blog
then please contact Melissa using
for a free online quotation.
Are you a Mystery Shopper?
Would you be willing to share your experience by filling in a questionnaire
like this one? Email us at
with the title Case Studies and we will send you further details.
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