The unsuspecting LaRosa’s delivery guy never would have known that he was in for it. Not only did he deliver our pizza 15 minutes late, he didn’t have his delivery sign placed visibly in his window AND he forgot the extra pizza sauce. I’m referring to my short but rewarding stint as a mystery (or secret) shopper.    

The mystery shopping business has quadrupled in just the past 4 years. Businesses are more die-hard than ever, striving to improve their service and beat out the competetion. A business will contract out to a mystery shopping company for X number of visitors to their-restaurant, hotel, retail shop, etc. There are certain criteria that each place will be looking for in their employees. At Red Robin, for example, they may want to know if their server kept your drink refilled and how engaging he/she was. Once you’ve completed your visit, you follow up with the mystery shopping company-usually with a written report-and share the details of your visit. Your pay can vary depending on what business you are mystery shopping. Typically, you’ll get a portion-if not all-of your food/visit paid for plus maybe some additional pay.   

The benefit for those who want to be mystery shoppers is that there are more and better opportunities than ever. Every good business wants to improve the quality of their service and most importantly their customer service. And this can be a great part-time job for those who want a flexible schedule, as you accept the assignments that fit your lifestyle and time restraints. Really, anyone can use this money making idea.    

And by the way, the delivery guy from my story came back with extra sauce, free drinks and a dessert. Now you can’t beat that for customer service, and I made sure I wrote THAT down!