Discrepancies In Mystery Shopping Fees (Ask The Coach)

Question:

I have been a shopper for many years. I recently began shopping for a company that is new to me. Well, I have seen that they shop some of the same companies that other schedulers assign and have also noticed a discrepancy in the fees paid (or not paid at all!).

I brought up this point with the scheduler and was told that I could take it or leave it, that many people would take a no-fee shop because they saw perceived value in the reimbursement alone. What do you think?

Answer From Coach Melanie:

Different schedulers and companies booking jobs can set whatever shop fees they wish as they are, in effect, subcontracting the work out. It's their call as to what they want to offer a shopper and they have to balance this against the need to be able to book the shop, and also ensure that they get a shopper that does a quality job.

The top companies and schedulers who recognize the value of a professional doing their shopping, vs. one who is just trying to squeeze the most profit out of things, are the ones to work for. The best action is to not take on the job and hopefully the company lowballing the shop fee will get what they pay for--a lesser quality shop report--and their client will drop them.

Have a great day and happy shopping!

Taking the mystery out of professional mystery shopping--Melanie Jordan http://www.mysteryshoppercoach.com

Copyright 2005 Melanie R. Jordan E-Publishing