Shoppers, Inc. has been providing mystery shopper reports to a variety of clients since 1987.  These reports provide information to business owners and managers that will help them provide better customer service, and ultimately, more sales.  It must be accurate information or it is useless to them.  Therefore, it is imperative that shoppers be accurate, thorough, and reliable.

Golden Rules for All Shoppers

1.  MEMORIZE YOUR SHOPPER ID#.  Your shopper ID# is your own unique identifying code. 
     You MUST enter it accurately every time you submit a report online.  You will need it when
     contacting us for any assistance.  A wrong ID# used could mean your payment goes to someone
     else!
2.  READ INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY.  Read them every time, even if you have done that type
     of shop before; sometimes instructions and rules do change!  Shops done incorrectly are not
     accepted by our clients and we cannot pay for them.
3.  CALL OR E-MAIL US IF YOU CANNOT COMPLETE AN ASSIGNMENT.  We may be able
     to give you more time, but we need as much notice as possible.  The client still needs the report,
     so you have to give us time to get another shopper if you can't do it.  Failure to notify us when
     you cannot complete a job will result in termination of your contract!
4.  KEEP THE JOB CONFIDENTIAL.  A "mystery shopper" is someone who is not known to the
     staff of the location being shopped, so DO NOT GIVE YOURSELF AWAY!  Don't ask unusual
     questions, order strange combinations or take notes or any kind of paperwork into the location. 
     Employees know they are being shopped and often are on the lookout for anyone who doesn't do
     what normal customers do.  If the client reports to us that they know you are the shopper, we
     cannot pay for your report.
5.  CHECK YOUR E-MAIL OFTEN AND REPLY IMMEDIATELY to all assignments and other
     requests/questions.  E-mailed assignments ask you to confirm that you can complete them.  If
     you cannot do the job, and by the deadline given, please be kind and let us know right away.


Account Representatives

Each client's job is assigned to an Account Rep.  This person may work in our office or may work out of his/her home.  The Account Rep is responsible for insuring that ALL shops for that client are done accurately and on time.  They get paid according to meeting deadlines, so they really appreciate it when you let them know that you can or cannot do a specific job.   The Account Rep will explain and train you on the shop and send all the assignments to you.  They are your contact point for that particular client; you may work with several different account reps, if you do different types of jobs.  Questions you may have about your specific job should be directed to the Account Rep.


How Does the Process Work?

1.  We will contact you via phone and/or e-mail to see if you can do a specific job or "shop".  When
     you tell us you can, the Account Rep will then e-mail you an assignment.
2.  The assignment will come to you via e-mail.  You will get one e-mail for each shopper visit or
     phone call to be done.  You must reply to each e-mail, to let us know whether or not you can do
     the job.  This is the only way we know that you received the assignment and have accepted it. 
     The e-mail will give you instructions on who, where, when, and what to shop.  It will give you a
     username and password to submit your shop on our website, and may refer you to our website for
     further instructions.
3.  Read the instructions and look at the shopper report form on the website BEFORE YOU SHOP.
4.  Complete the shop according to instructions, keeping notes as necessary, but do not take notes 
     into the store.
5.  Log on to our website, click SHOPPERS LOGIN, then ESTABLISHED SHOPPERS.  Enter the
     username and password as given in the e-mailed assignment.  This takes you to a page showing
     forms for all different types of shops.  Select the type: bank, restaurant, retail, etc., and then
     select the name of the client.  BE SURE TO GET THE RIGHT NAME... some clients have
     similar names.  Then select the proper form to use (visit, phone, etc.).
6.  Complete the report form.  Be sure to enter your ID# correctly!  Each box requires an answer;
     don't leave any blank or it will not be accepted by our system.  You can always put n/a if the
     question does not apply.
7.  PRINT THIS REPORT OUT or SAVE IT AS A DOCUMENT ON YOUR COMPUTER.  This is
     your only backup.  Computers and internet servers are not fool-proof.  Sometimes reports get
     lost, and you will not be paid until we receive your report.  Save your copies until you get paid for
     the shop.  It is essential that you keep your copy of the shop, as well as any receipts or notes
     from your shop, for a minimum of 2 months.  If a client has questions and you failed to keep this
     information, we cannot pay you.
8.  Click SUBMIT and wait for the words: FORM CONFIRMATION.  This means your form has
     been accepted and is on the way to us.  If you receive an error message instead of a
     confirmation, copy and paste the entire error message into an e-mail to amy@shopperjobs.com,
     leaving the error message on your screen.  Wait for further instructions.
9.  Complete any additional instructions according to the specific client.  Some require receipts, etc. 
     Refer to the instructions in the e-mail or on the website.


Paper Shopper Reports

We still have a few jobs we do on paper, not via our website, depending on our clients' requirements.  Instructions for these will come to you via mail; call the Account Rep to confirm you can do it and shop as normal.  Fill out the report form on paper, as well as an invoice to bill us for the job (it will come with the report), and fax or mail the report and invoice to us.

Receiving Payment for Completed Shops

Shoppers, Inc. completes over 2,000 shopper reports each month.  We typically have about 700 active shoppers each month.  We need you to be accurate or your pay may be delayed.

Be sure we have your correct address at all times, and ALWAYS enter the correct Shopper ID#.

PAYDAY:  Checks are mailed on the 28th of each month.  If the 28th is Sunday, the checks are mailed on Monday the 29th.

CUT-OFF DATE:  The payroll cut-off is the 15th of that month.  Your reports must be entered on our website on or before the 15th.  Paper reports must be received in our office by the 15th.  The date of the shop has no effect on payroll - it is the date WE RECEIVE IT.  Examples:

Mailed/Faxed Reports must be IN OUR OFFICE by the 15th or they will be paid the following month.

Your paycheck will come with a stub that lists each shop it includes.  You should keep your own records; in fact, our system allows you to establish your own numbering system if you wish to number each shop.  You will see this when entering the shop - it is the INVOICE NUMBER.

Remember, if you submit a shop after the 15th, you won't get paid until the following month, so be sure to keep a record and check that before calling us with questions.  Paycheck questions should be directed to our receptionist at extension 200.

Report Guidelines

Each client has their own specifics, likes, and dislikes on their reports.  These will be covered in their instructions.  However, a few things apply to ALL reports:

1.  Report FACTS, not OPINIONS.  "The food was cold" is a fact.  "It would have been ok if it
     hadn't had mushrooms" is an opinion.  
2.  NEVER describe employees in an insulting manner: "she was fat, he was old", etc. are insulting. 
     Most employees DO see your reports.  Use politically correct terms if descriptions are required:
     African-American, Native American, Asian, Middle Eastern, Caucasian, etc.
3.  Anytime you give a NO answer or a LOW rating, please explain.  They need to know what they
     can do better in order to improve.
4.  Comments Sections: Be thorough.  This part give the client the best feedback on how the shop
     went, so please use the space to briefly explain all that occurred and review your
     answers/ratings.
5.  Typing in forms online:  Use proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar please!!  We may
     penalize your fee if we have to constantly correct your typing.  We can only turn in reports that
     are professional in language, tone and appearance.
     DO NOT TYPE IN ALL CAPS!!!  We have to retype the whole report if you type in all capital
     letters.

Summary

Remember, our clients are counting on us to provide them with fair, accurate and detailed reports.  You are a Professional Shopper now, so please act appropriate and turn in reports that reflect your status as such.

Thank you for your time to review this information and WELCOME!!

Kathy Shook and the entire staff at Shoppers, Inc.

Please enter your name and Shopper ID# below, and check below to acknowledge your agreement to the following statement, and click SUBMIT.