shopperpro

Frankly, no. You already possess your most powerful tools - your ears, eyes, and power of observation. It’s also quite helpful if you have good writing/typing skills. The fewer typos you make the less time you will spend entering your reports. Hopefully you already like to read because you’ll be doing a lot of it. Some other equipment that will come in handy for the novice that you may choose to purchase include:

- Printer - A good home printer is a good choice for the mystery shopper. If you are just planning to do a few shops here and there the fanciest model is not necessary. However, if you are planning to make mystery shopping your full-time occupation, an industrial type printer might be a smart choice because you will be doing a lot of printing. When shopping for a printer please keep in mind what those ink cartridges cost. When I was full time I could burn through one of those in less than a week and those costs can add up fast. Make sure you save your receipts though, that ink is part of your business and therefore tax deductible.

- Scanner - Most, if not all, mystery shops will require proof - most often a business card, receipt, or brochure. This proves that you went to the location, and shopped the right one. These proof items are usually scanned and attached to your shopping report. I currently have a printer/scanner/copier that was purchased at my local Wal Mart for $60.

- Digital Camera - There is no need to use this as an excuse to run out and splurge on the fanciest model you can find, well, unless you really want to. There are some shops that require you to take a photo as part of your assignment, or shops that only require you to take pictures of the signage at the location. The quality of the photo varies from assignment to assignment, but three mega pixels usually just fine. The higher the mega pixels, the larger the file that has to be uploaded and you may actually be requested to lower the quality on your image before uploading. If you lack a scanner you may also have the option of photographing your shopping proof and uploading a picture. Be careful here - you must be able to read all of the proof information. Check to see if your camera has a macro mode. This will help you take those close-ups!

- Clipboard - The lowest of the low-tech, I find that my clipboard is an invaluable tool. I use it to keep all my reports, shop information, and directions organized while on the road. When I arrive at the shopping location it slides easily under a seat so that it can’t be seen. If I’m doing a phone survey it’s in my lap helping me to record the information as I go.

- Watch - The watch is a must for all serious shoppers. Again, you don’t have to splurge on the high-tech; I use a simple little Timex. Digital watches with stopwatch features are also quite useful at time, but I’ve never used one personally.

- Cell phone - Again while handy to have, if you don’t have one already there’s no need to rush to get one. Personally, I don’t. Shocking, right?

- Fax machine - Every once in awhile you will accept a shop where the shopping proof must be faxed, but it’s really not too common anymore. Scanning has taken the place of faxing. I use my local copy shop on these occasions, and save the receipts.

- Calendar - Sometimes, the simple is the best. You will need a good calendar/organizer to keep track of your assignments to insure you get them done by their deadlines.

- Filing system - Receipts, shop reports, instructions, and confirmation pages - these are some of the items you’ll now be keeping track of. I do anywhere from 10-20 shops in a week and use a little accordion style file case. Simple, portable, and sturdy enough that I can drop kick the little bugger when necessary.

-Adobe/Excel/Word - Some of the shop instructions will come in these software formats. If you don’t have them, not to worry you can download free ‘viewer’ versions of them at their respective websites.

I think that covers all of the basics. I’ll have to write more in the future on the advanced ones. If there’s something I’ve left out let me know and I’ll try to cover it in the future.