Jan 09 2009
The retail mystery shopping assignment - Pt. 2
Retail - Purchase/Return - out of all the retail assignments these will pay the highest fees they take the most time and have the longest reports. You will follow all of the guidelines just like a purchase shop, and then you will return to the store after a specified amount of time, 30 minutes to a few hours or even a different day, and then return your purchase. The fact that you don’t get to keep anything also accounts for the higher fees. You will have to remember the name/description of the associate who helps you on the sales floor, the associate who takes care of your purchase, and the associate who does the return. Be aware that you will be spending a large chunk of time on the return assignments, as you will have to wait around for the specified time to make the return. If the return is specified for a different day as the purchase make sure that it’s a distance away from home that you feel comfortable traveling. 
Retail - High End - These assignments are pretty much like the observation assignments although since they are for high-end locations you will need to be aware of how you dress. You need to look like you can afford to buy whatever it is you’re supposed to be interested in so NO jeans please. These assignments can also include car dealership so DO NOT give a fake name as you will be required to hand over your driver’s license for the requisite test drive. Make sure you get a card from whatever associate you interact with as well as any sales brochures or other information you are offered.
That’s about it for the retail jobs - with everything else in mystery shopping they can run the gamut from simple to complicated. Recently I did an observation shop with many observations, down to the size stickers in several different departments, but the actual report was quite simple to fill out. Just make sure that if it’s a store where you would not feel comfortable shopping - don’t take the assignment. Your discomfort will read on your face and make you memorable. Memorable is bad for the mystery shoppers – after all, you may want to do the location again and if the sales associate remembers you asking all of the same questions from a few months ago you are busted.
