What is “Mystery Shopping”?

Mystery Shopping can be best compared to private investigation on a consumer level.  It is an objective view of a business through the eyes of a guest.  A Mystery Shopper visits a restaurant or other place of business anonymously, posing as a regular guest, to experience and evaluate the level of guest service provided.  Mystery Shopping provides the client’s management team with a detailed assessment of their staff’s performance, timeliness, cleanliness of the establishment, etc. that may affect a guest’s experience and satisfaction with the establishment.

How can I become a Mystery Shopper?

You are welcome to fill out an application online by clicking on the “New Evaluator Sign-Up” link on our home page.  Please do not leave any fields blank.  It is important that your application is complete.  Please thoroughly read the Independent Contractor’s Agreement and be sure to double check your email address and your phone number to ensure that our scheduling team is able to contact you when an assignment becomes available in your area.  Also, please remember to add us to your “approved senders” list so we do not end up in your junk/bulk email folder.  Make note of your Shopper ID and password that you will need in order to log in and view the jobs available in your area.

How do I get a mystery shop with Inside Hospitality?

After you have completed your new evaluator sign up with us, your application will automatically go to our review department.  Generally, we will accept or deny applications within 24 hours.  If your application has been approved, you will get an automatic email welcoming you to our mystery shopping team.  Then, you will be welcome to check the shop board for locations near you and place your requests.

I do not understand what you mean when you ask for a “writing sample” in the application process.

A writing sample is a very important part of the application process.  We ask that you simply type up (or paste in) a few paragraphs that were written by you, in order for us to gauge your writing/grammar skills.  Since being a Mystery Shopper is just as much about reporting as it is observing, we need to be sure that you are able to get your detailed findings across to the clients in a concise and professional format.

How much money will I make as a Mystery Shopper?

Mystery Shopping in most cases is not a full time job, nor in most cases does it pay a lot of money.  Many other companies promise free perks or otherwise advertise that you can “make up to $200.00 a day having fun shopping”.  While there are some very dedicated people that have earned a living Mystery Shopping, most prefer to utilize this industry as more of a supplementary income.  If you are located in a metropolitan area, more jobs will, of course, be available to you compared to living in a rural area.  If you are interested in following up and finding out more about Mystery Shopping, or are interested in signing up with additional professional companies, we suggest visiting Mystery Shopper’s Freedom (MSF) where you will find a wealth of information regarding Mystery Shopping. http://www.msfreedom.org.

Do your shops pay cash, or are they all reimbursement only?

Per the name, Inside Hospitality focuses mainly on the services within the hospitality industry.  Generally, dining shops in the Mystery Shopping industry pay little or no pay, as the client feels that a fair exchange for your findings would be a free meal (sometimes upwards of $200.00 or more) for you and/or your friends or family.  Most of our assignments are reimbursement only, some very generous, as we specialize in the upscale hospitality field.  We provide enough of a reimbursement for you and your guest(s) to dine, or enjoy the required services, and you are reimbursed for your meal/services up to a pre-agreed allotment.  Some of our dining shops offer a flat payment.  If a shopper spends less than that amount, he/she can keep the difference.  Retail shops generally always offer shopper payment, or at least a free service or product.

Will I be considered an employee?

No, you will not be an employee of Inside Hospitality.  As a Mystery Shopper you are considered an independent contractor.  As an independent contractor you must fulfill the requirements of your own state laws and taxes.  Many states vary in their definitions of an independent contractor.  You will be required to accept the terms of our Independent Contractors Agreement before you can complete our shopper sign up registration.

Why do you need my social security number?

You may initially register with a made up  SSN, but be advised that we REQUIRE your real number BEFORE we can pay you for any shops you complete.  Failure to provide your real Social Security number may delay your first payment.  The law requires that we have your accurate social security number so that we can track compensation paid to you by our company for IRS purposes.  In most cases, compensation for Mystery Shopping is considered reimbursement as opposed to income.  However, in cases where your reimbursement amount exceeds the amount you expended, the additional money may be considered income.  Therefore, if a certain amount of reimbursement is paid to you in a year, you will be sent a 1099 form from us at the end of the year to aid you in filing your taxes.

How long will it take to get started and receive assignments?

Once you have signed up with us, your information will be in our secure database.  It will then depend on when we have available assignments in your area.  At that time, we will contact you to alert you of assignments in your area.  We schedule shops on an ongoing, monthly basis and we do appreciate and use our newer shoppers.  Please watch your email for notifications for assignments in your area.  You will also be free to search our shop board at any time.  Basically, how long it will take for you to get started will depend on the number of clients vs. available shoppers in your given area.

How can I tell what shops might be available in my area?

I received an email listing available shops but do not see them on the Website.

An email notification is sent to shoppers in the area where we are booking shops.  This notification tries to match shoppers with locations near them.  In some cases, hundreds of shoppers may receive notification for the same shops.

If you visit our website after receiving a notification and a particular assignment does not show up under open assignments, then it is safe to assume it has already been assigned.

Do you ever have shops in MY area?  I do not see any near me on your shop board.

Inside Hospitality performs shops throughout the United States and abroad.  We are happy to say that we get new clients on a frequent basis and often need to find shoppers ASAP when a new client comes on board.  So, if you do not see any shops near you, please do be patient.  We will certainly alert you as soon as we do.

Do I have to request shops from the shop board in order to be assigned to them?

While you may contact your scheduler directly, the best way to request and be assigned to any shop, is to do so directly from the shop board.

I am not receiving emails from Inside Hospitality. Why?

Check your SPAM rules or settings.  It is possible that our emails are being deleted or sent to your junk/spam folder.  Also be sure to check your profile to be sure that the email address that we have on file for you is up to date.

What do I do if I forget my Shopper ID or Password?

You can request this information be emailed to you by clicking the link under the Welcome Shopper Login box, or submit a Support request http://ihospitality.h2desk.com

Will I receive other emails from Inside Hospitality?

Shoppers registered on our site will receive periodic emails as a source of communication regarding our shopping assignments.  These emails may be regarding shops available, to remind you have been assigned a shop, a past due notice if your shop has not been completed on time, or other personal communications from our scheduling or editing team.  Inside Hospitality does not share any of your personal information with any outside sources.

How much time do I have to complete a shop?

When you accept an assignment you are provided a “window” of time to complete the shop.  The time frame can vary from 12 to 48 hours depending on the client.  Missing a deadline can be costly to the shopper, Inside Hospitality and the client, and may result in loss of compensation.  Inside Hospitality maintains detailed records on our shopper’s performance and, if this is a reoccurring circumstance, your account will be deactivated. If you are concerned about meeting your deadline, please do not hesitate to contact your scheduler or call the office immediately.  We may or may not be able to extend your due date based on our clients needs, but we certainly should be told of your status if you have a concern.  If you must cancel the shop within 24 hours of the shopping timeframe please call the office or contact the scheduling department ASAP.  Please review the Independent Contractor agreement for late evaluation penalties.

How much time does it take to complete an evaluation form?

Depending on the type of evaluation, completion may take anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours.  While some of our evaluation forms may require narrative, and may sometimes be quite in-depth, please know that we follow the requirements set forth by our clients and that what is being expected of you was specifically outlined based on our client’s needs.

Can I take my partner, friend or child on my shopping assignment?

You may take a friend or spouse along with you on your assigned shop, providing the assignment guidelines do not specify otherwise, however you cannot have your friend or spouse complete the shop for you.  It is your responsibility to complete the assignment and return the completed shop on time.  If your friend or spouse is interested in becoming a mystery shopper, please have him/her fill out an application with us.  In most cases, we ask you take along a partner or perhaps a child.  A partner may help you observe during the shop.  A child (especially a young child) may distract you, so be very careful not to let that happen.  We do, however, recommend that you do not inform or entertain the child with information regarding mystery shopping.  If your cover is blown and the team member identifies you as a shopper, you shop may be deemed unusable.

How do I send in my receipts from my purchase?  How do I upload a receipt?

Detailed instructions are provided in your shop guidelines.  We ask that you scan and upload your receipt(s) when you complete the survey.  You will be prompted to do this at the end of your report.  Please know that no shop is complete without the receipt.

*Please use only common file formats like .jpg and .gif.  Attachments in less common formats may not be readable by the editors.  After saving your receipt images via a digital camera, cell phone camera, scanner, etc, you will find that the last section of your shop report survey will ask you for the amount spent on your shop and a will have a browse for receipt option.  Click on “browse”, locate the area of your computer where your receipt file is located, and then save.  Do this for as many documents as you need to upload.  This will permanently upload your receipt(s) to your report.

How and when will I be reimbursed for my shop?

As of July 1, 2008, Inside Hospitality handles all of its evaluator reimbursements via Pay Pal.  Evaluators MUST be registered for their own, free Pay Pal account.

If you do not currently have a Pay Pal account, please open one at www.Paypal.com.

Approved reimbursements and shop fees are paid by us via Pay Pal in the industry standard of on or around the last day of the month (give or take 5 business days) for the previous month’s assignments.  In other words, if you completed your shop on September 21st, you should expect your reimbursement within 5 business days of October 31st.  Your shops and reports must always be finished to full completion and include your itemized receipt(s) in order to receive reimbursement.  Occasionally, reimbursement may be delayed if we have a question or need to return your report to you for additional detail or clarification.  We cannot process an incomplete shop.  Please refer to the guidelines provided with each shop to understand exactly what is expected of you in completing your assignment(s). You will know the amount available and all other requirements before when accepting the assignment.

Will I be given training or support?

Yes, once you have been approved as an evaluator for Inside Hospitality you will receive detailed evaluation guidelines to read over and study.  We also offer an evaluator support forum, live evaluator chat support and 7 days a week support.

Do I need any special software on my computer?

Shopping instructions and printable forms and other files may be in Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF) and/or Microsoft Word.  Our reporting system will only function with Mozilla Fire Fox or Internet Explorer.  To open/view/print your documentation and shop instructions, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat® Reader and Microsoft Word installed on your computer.  If you do not have these programs installed, you can get the free downloads that will allow you to view these files at

http://www.adobe.com/products/reader/

and http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=95E24C87-8732-48D5-8689-AB826E7B8FDF&displaylang=en

Do I need to pay anything to sign up to be a shopper?

No, there is no sign up fee or cost associated with being a shopper for Inside Hospitality.

Do I have to follow the guidelines for my shop, or can I do some things differently?

No.  Please do not contact us to ask if you can conduct your visit at a different time, place, or manner in which you have been instructed to perform it.  We have very little flexibility when it comes to our shop parameters, as these parameters were specifically requested and outlined by the client.  For example, if you are asked to conduct the bar portion of your shop with cash, you MUST pay with cash.  If you were asked to visit the restroom during your visit, you must NOT state in your report that you did not visit the restroom.  If you were asked to perform a lunch, do NOT perform a dinner, etc.  We cannot accept a shop that was done incorrectly, and this is why it is paramount that you review all information about your shop before performing it.

Why did I not get the shop that I requested?

Most of our shops are by request, rather than self-assign.  Our schedulers choosing the right shopper for a shop is rarely based on information that a shopper should be troubled by or feel that the decision was of a personal nature.  Please know that not only do we sometimes get many requests from shoppers for the same shop, and therefore have no choice but to disappoint some, but that many other factors like rotation, writing ability, location, experience, etc. also may have an impact.  Please know that we like to give all shoppers a chance, so do not feel that you were not chosen over reasons like lack of experience, income, or any other personal issue.

Why was my shop canceled?  It was not my fault that I could not report it on time!

While we understand that “life happens” to all of us, our clients do still expect 100% completion on all of our shops.  Regardless of the reason, if your shop is not performed on time, especially if you have not contacted us beforehand, our number one priority must be to cancel and replace you ASAP in order to meet our client’s deadlines.  Some shoppers may not understand how much scheduling effort goes into assigning a shop to a shopper.  There is a lot involved, and cancellations or reschedule requests take much re-organizing, time and money on our part.  So please, if you are not 100% sure that you will attend as originally, do NOT request.

If I apply for a shop and are approved for it, do I have to conduct it?

Again, if you are not 100% sure that you will attend, please do NOT request.  We trust and expect you to conduct your shop, or we would not have approved and assigned you in the first place.  We generally employ the three-strike system and work very closely with many other schedulers and companies.  So canceling a shop can very well affect your reputation with us and with other companies in this industry as well.  Please know that the bottom line is that your qualities are what prompted us to approve and contract you for a shop in the first place, so it serves as a great disappointment that a shopper that may have seemed so perfect, turned out to not be reliable.

Some of your shops require alcohol to be ordered.  I do not drink, what do I do?

Most of our shops that ask alcohol to be ordered, may allow to you take a sip or two, but not require you to finish it.  We, of course, would prefer that you finish what is ordered.  Having your guest(s) do the drinking is a way around this as well.  Please note- If both you and your guest(s) are unwilling to order or consume any alcohol, do NOT request shops that require this.