Mystery shopping in Bristol

Over two years ago, I met a girl who told me she was travelling for free with Easyjet. Yes, you read it RIGHT. She explained to me that she was one of the mystery shoppers that the company hires, who travel and give feedback to the company about the service they provide. Basically, the company paid her to travel to different countries and fill in a couple of questionnaires. And today, I am going to reveal my secret: I am a mystery shopper myself. 

For those who are not familiarised with the "mystery shopping" thing, a mystery shopper or secret shopper is a tool used externally by market research companies or internally by companies themselves to measure the quality of the service they provide. The mystery shopper's identity and purpose is generally unknown by the establishment being evaluated and it can be used in any industry, being the most common retail stores, hotels, restaurants, fast food chains, banks, car dealerships and health care facilities.

Normally, a mystery shopper will have to note names and description of employees, how long it takes to be acknowledged, speed of service, cleanliness of the store, store appearance... and sometimes, she/he will be give some questions to ask to the employees. In addition, they might also need to make a purchase which could be completely or partially reimbursed and will need to fill a form later on describing the shopping. Other times, when a purchase is not needed, they will get a payment for their completed job.

I have been a mystery shopper for a year and a half already in Bristol area, giving feedback from shops such as ASDA, Tesco, EE, Lloyds Pharmacy, Next, Pret a Manger, Urban Outfitters, Zaza Bazaar, V-Shed, Ikea, House of Fraser... and I have earned some money with it. At first, it was just to improve the language skills as you will not get wealthy with the money you earn from mystery shopping. However, it helps with your finances if you have free time and you like the experience. 

I have worked with several companies and I would like to give you my opinion in all of them, if you every want to be a mystery shopper. I really recommend it, it's a lot of fun!

GRASSROOTS

Grassroots Mystery Shopping was the company which I started my Mystery Shopper adventure. They send an email when a job is available close to the areas you have selected and you get paid around 10-15 pounds per assignment, depending what it involves. Sometimes, it requires a small purchase but most of the times it doesn't. However, for Bristol area, they do not have many assignments and you need to be really fast to accept the work. You will receive an email saying that "there are assignments available in your area" and you will need to access the website really fast and accept it, before someone else accepts it. Shops I mystery shopped with this company: ASDA, EE, Lloyds Pharmacy, Next, Tesco, Thomson, House of Fraser...

WEBSITE: https://www.grassrootsmysteryshopping.com

GFK

GFK was one of the first mystery shopping website I signed in. However, after a while, I had to cancel my account because they kept contacting me by phone. I like to have my time to read the assignment notes, check my calendar and decide peacefully whether I am really interested in carrying out the assignment or not. When they call, you normally don't have time to decide where it is, what you have to do and if it is worth it for you or not. Now, I opened the account with them and I must say they don't call that often anymore and the assignment descriptions have improved considerably. I was paid average (5-10 pounds) depending on the assignment but sometimes they had really well-paid (but long) assignments in Ikea, for example. 
WEBSITE: https://mysteryshopper.gfk.com/gfk/ref/?pro=11&inv=1215 

MARKET FORCE

My favourite by far! Market Force is probably the company with more assignments but it is also the one which pays you less. They normally involve a purchase, which is partially reimbursed although it mightcover the entire shopping if you make some calculations. You have to check the website very often to search for new assignments because the update email they send is a very high level and it is not sent regularly. You earn for each assignment completed and lose some if you need to clarify something or release it. Shops I mystery shopped with this company: Pret A Manger, Urban Outfitters, Zaza Bazaar, Cosies, Next, Bank, River Island, Subway, Vision Express, Karen Millen... The more you work, the more grade you have as a mystery shopper.

WEBSITE: http://uk.marketforce.com/register/?ref=181&lang=en&reu=1258265

MYSTERY-SHOPPERS LTD

I have recently started mystery shopping for this company but they mostly work for banks and most of the assignments involve either audio or video enquiries. I don't feel comfortable yet with audio or video assignments and so far, I haven't done any assignment with them. But, if you do feel comfortable with these kind of assignments, they are paid really well (35-60 pounds) and they have many assignments available all the time. The allocation system is not very clear either: you have to apply for each assignment you are interested in and wait to see if you have been allocated or not. If you are not, they don't even bother to tell you! Not very transparent...

WEBSITE: https://online.mystery-shoppers.co.uk

TERN

Tern is also a new company for me and I have only completed one assignment for them so far. They do not contact you by email so you must check the website often and I must say that they don't have many mystery shoppings available as other companies. However, you get really well paid (10-15 pounds).

WEBSITE: http://tern.co.uk/

AMBER ARCH
Amber Arch is a relatively new company for me too. Once you pass the annoying welcome lady on the website, they use the same database as in Tern. So far, I have only completed one assignment for them. They do contact you every now and then by email but you should check the website very often. You get paid about the average £7-10.
WEBSITE: http://www.amberarch.com/

HELION RESEARCH
I haven't done any assingment for Helion Research yet. I only get crazy long assignment for Car Price Audits, which take very long and they aren't even paid that well (£30-35). I still don't give up and check their website every now and then but I haven't seen any assignment in Bristol area that weren't car price audits. 
WEBSITE: https://evaluator.helionresearch.com/r/s1172814

ESA RETAIL (New)
I have recently joined this company and I haven't done any assignment yet. They use the same online system as Mystery-Shoppers, which I personally don't like, and they don't seem to have as many assignments as the rest of the companies. I will keep you posted, though!
WEBSITE: https://www.esa-webms.co.uk

RETAIL ACTIVE  (New)
I found out about this company when I had a chat with an experienced mystery shopper. I signed in and filled the questionnaire to start applying for assignments. It seems they have interesting and quite varied assignments available in Bristol area but I haven't carried out any of them yet. They payment is average (around £5) and most of the assignments require a purchase which is partially reimbursed. I found it very useful that they have a system which allows you are personally notified if a specific unavailable assignment becomes available again.
WEBSITE: http://www.marketchecker.co.uk/

EDIGITALRESEARCH (New)
I have recently joined this company, filled the sample questionnaire and I am waiting for the validation to start shopping. At first glance, the system is not very intuitive and user-friendly. I guess it will improve the more I use it. I will keep you posted on this, too!
WEBSITE: https://www.edigitalresearch.com/shopper/

CHECKOUT UK (New)
I literally just sent a mystery shopping request to this company. Apparently, I have been accepted but there is no online system to see and allocate the assignments. They tell me I will receive an email or call if I am allocated an assignment and they also said that if they do not contact you, it means that there are no assignments available in my area. Not very transparent system, I must admit...
WEBSITE: http://msteam.checkoutuk.co.uk/

MARKET CHECKER (New)
I literally just sent a mystery shopping request to this company. I will let you know about my thoughts on this company when I have some more experience.
WEBSITE: http://www.marketchecker.co.uk/