How Can You Avoid In-Store Issues While Mystery Shopping?
This is a guest post written by one of our Mobee Bees, Stephanie Modkins.
Do you want to avoid getting kicked out of a store while mystery shopping? Check out the following five tips. They’ve worked for me in the past and they can help you too. These tips will help you keep a nosy employee at bay while you earn extra funds.
Check it out!
1. Work efficiently
The average Mobee Mission takes about 5 to 30 minutes. Always shoot for the lowest number to deflect attention from yourself. You can shave the minutes off and work more efficiently by understanding three things prior to starting an assignment: the product description required task(s) and store layout.
Some Missions aren’t laid out exactly like the store but don’t panic. Knowing where key products are located will help you finish the Mission faster. If a Mission description mentions cleaning products, knowing where any cleaning aisles are will help you complete the Mission faster.
2. Go with the crowd
Crowds mask secret shopping. A store employee is less likely to approach a group of people versus an individual. When you’re surrounded by a group of people, employees are less likely to see the subtle snap of a cell phone camera too.
If you’re completing your Mission alone, try to enter the store behind a family or group of friends. I’d also recommend completing photo intense jobs during busy store hours when lines are long and employees are busier. Using a crowd to your advantage will be a big help when it comes to completing Missions
3. Be polite to everyone
Regardless of your mood or actions of another person, always be polite to a store employee and fellow patrons. Being rude to others will only draw unnecessary attention to you and potentially disrupt your Mission. Kindness is always the key in any situation.
Being polite to store employees could decrease your chances of being kicked out of the store for taking photos. Being polite will also simply draw less attention to what you’re doing which will also decrease your odds of being kicked out of the store. This is what I like to call “the golden rule.”
4. Create a ‘valid’ excuse
When approached by a store employee who asks what you’re doing, offer a valid excuse. To sound sincere (and less flustered), pre-plan your answer. Creating an answer on the spot can often sound fake (regardless of if it’s true).
A few stories I’ve used are: ‘I am doing a price comparison for a special gift’, ‘I am a student doing research for a paper’, or ‘I want to show my best friend before buying this.’ A quick, reasonable answer decreases suspicion and will help you complete your Missions.
5. Stay Mobile
Standing near the same items for a long period of time alerts a store employee that a patron needs help. Considering this, when secret shopping, stop and circulate a department every few minutes. You could even pick up an item look at it to keep the attention away from your mystery shopping Mission. Then, after a quick walk around, get back to work.
Keep moving around the section of the store to keep the attention off of you so you can complete your Mission.
Conclusion
These tips are here to offer you a guide for completing Missions while also avoiding getting kicked out of a store. Using the above five tips may not work for everyone, however. Make sure to assess the situation and always be polite to store staff. If they do ask you to leave, let the Mobee team know so that they can further assist you. So, in conclusion, maximize your time and earn the most points possible with Mobee by following these tips and completing more Missions.
Author Note:
In 2017, Stephanie discovered Mobee. She was intrigued by the idea of shopping and earning money at popular stores. Since then, she’s enjoyed extra funds while learning more about different products and mystery shopping.