Mystery shoppers visit establishments and pretend to be customers. Businesses from auto dealers to fast food restaurants hire mystery shoppers. These shoppers conduct assigned transactions for the purpose of consumer research. They observe such things as employee responsiveness, customer service, product quality, and business cleanliness. Then they write a report describing the experience in detail.

Businesses use these reports to pinpoint weaknesses and improve them. They also use them to locate strengths and build on them.

Mystery shoppers are generally paid about $10 to $40 per shop. In addition, they are reimbursed for assigned purchases. You might occasionally be a "free mystery shopper" who does not get paid in money. For example, if the assignment is to visit a hotel, the shopper may only receive the free hotel room. To become a mystery shopper, a person should be a good communicator. They should be able to interact with employees of the businesses they are shopping. Shoppers must also be adept at written communication, as they must accurately relay the transaction. Mystery shoppers should also be observant and detail-oriented. They should also be fairly computer and Internet savvy, as forms must be downloaded from the Internet. Most reports are sent back via email.

For anyone considering becoming a mystery shopper, there is a dizzying array of information available. Hundreds of websites offer to sell you kits or access to databases. For anywhere from $10 to $50 you can have a wealth of information at your fingertips. They are all so reasonably priced it's difficult to know which membership to buy. In a word: None.

Never pay a fee to a company for a list of mystery shopper jobs. There is an abundance of free mystery shopper information available. For example, the Mystery Shopping Providers Association offers a searchable database of job listings and companies who hire mystery shoppers. They also offer information about training and certification for mystery shoppers. Legitimate hiring companies will also give free mystery shopper information.