Service Hero of the Month - October 2012

We are pleased to present this month’s Service Hero; Daniel, a valued member of Timpson, who works at their Fenchurch Street Station store in London, United Kingdom.

Daniel's hard work, dedication and enthusiasm for the brand he represents were evident during recent visits to Timpson, Fenchurch Street Station. His passion for great service and expert knowledge has helped his customers make the right choices for repairs and product purchases. We have received outstanding praise from customers regarding their experience, specifically stating that their opinion of the brand has been positively influenced as a direct result of Daniel's great advice and guidance.

To nominate someone who you feel should be recognised for their excellent Customer Service skills, please email shoppersupport@retailactive.com with your nominee’s name, the company they work for and the reasons for your nomination. Please also include your details so that we can get in touch regarding your nomination, in case we need some more information.

Remember, your nominee doesn’t have to be from one of your mystery shopping assignments and you don’t have to be working for our mystery shopping company to nominate someone.
If you would like to find out what Retail Active can do to improve Customer Service and Customer Experience in your stores, please contact info@retailactive.com.

A BIG Thank you to our mystery shoppers all over the world

A BIG Thank you to our mystery shoppers all over the world.

Thank you to Leslie from Gwent:
You are always happy to help with our visits in South Wales and complete reports to an excellent standard.

Thank you to Barry from Aberdeenshire:
Your attention to detail is superb and your recent reports have been spot-on – thank you.

Thank you to Emma from Cheshire:
We can call on you for anything and we can trust that you will complete anything to a high standard, and on time. 

Thank you to Justin from London:
Your hard work on our stations project is unrivalled. You are a credit to secret shopping, and we are glad to have you on the team.

Thank you to Anoop from London:
You were allocated three last minute, high-priority test visits and completed them the same day with zero proof-reading queries, and you only joined us last month – you’re a star!

Thank you to Carole from Oxfordshire:
You joined us in July and have completed assignments varying from calls to detailed visits and we are grateful for your excellent reports. We managed to fit you in a hotel stay as a ‘thank you’ and we hope you have a lovely break away with your husband!

Thank you to Elin from Edinburgh:
You always manage to fit in our in-the-middle-of-nowhere mystery shopping jobs, and your help on our most recent project has been greatly appreciated throughout the scheduling team.

Thank you to Martin from London:
You’ve helped out on so many last-minute visits over the past few months for us and we truly appreciate your dedication – you’re our perfect mystery shopper.

Last but not least...
Thank you to all of our secret shoppers – you help to make Retail Active the leading British mystery shopping company.  For more information about becoming a secret shopper, or to make an enquiry about mystery shopping or brand audits, please visit www.retailactive.com

European Queue Survey

Members of MSPA Europe have conducted a major, pan-European, survey of queues. This is the fourth survey of its kind conducted by MSPA Mystery Shopping Companies, with the results giving valuable insight and an interesting picture of the way customers experience service.

Mystery Shoppers from 23 countries joined queues in a range of retail types including grocery stores, banks, fast food outlets and travel ticket offices. Secret Shoppers reported on the time taken to reach the front of the queue and on the response of the member of staff to the queuing customer. Nearly 3000 mystery shopper queue reports were submitted, making this the largest survey of its kind.

Julian Chamberlain, MD of Retail Active Mystery Shopping and Brand Audits said "Frustratingly mystery shoppers could see ways in which the queue could be shortened, by opening more available tills, or bringing extra staff to assist, but noted that this very rarely happened.

"The research shows that Russia has the longest and slowest queues and Post Offices have the longest queues.

"Customers appear resigned to staying in the queue, but one in three was dissatisfied about the experience."

The surveys show that on average it takes almost 9 minutes to reach the front of the queue, 1 minute less than 2 years ago and still about the time taken in 2008, indicating that cost cutting changes made because of the recession may be having a real impact on customer experiences.

Retail active is a leading mystery shopping company providing research throughout Europe. Mystery Shopping is a valuable way to help organisations measure exactly how well, or badly, their customers are treated.

Companies Look to Retail Active Mystery Shopping

More and more companies are increasingly turning to mystery shopping to give them a commercial advantage over their competitors.

Tough market conditions mean companies from sectors are having to fight for every pound and the standard of customer service is a vital ingredient in winning and holding on to business.

Julian Chamberlain, managing director of one of Europe's leading Mystery Shopping companies, Retail Active, says there has been a dramatic increase in approaches from national and international brands looking for help in improving their levels of customer service.

Our carefully selected mystery shoppers give businesses essential feedback on the performance of their staff and collect other important market related information.

Julian Chamberlain said: "Retail Active is growing fast. More and more companies are turning to Retail Active for advice on how to improve their customer advocacy. Clearly, the importance of customer service has an increased relevance in the current market and big international household names are taking it very seriously indeed.

"Good customer service can hold the key to a company's success or even survival in these trying times."

"Our highly experienced mystery shoppers give rapid and accurate assessments of customer service and produce reports which can be acted upon within 24 hours."

"Understanding customers and their needs has never been more important, in a market where they hold the upper hand."

Retail Active has major clients in the automotive, retail, leisure, food and drink and public service sectors.

Earn Extra Cash By Getting Paid For Shopping

Mystery shopping is an ideal way to earn a bit of extra cash and actually get paid for shopping.

The UK's market-leading Mystery Shopping company, Retail Active, says it is becoming an increasingly popular activity and they have thousands of shopper on their books - ready to buy anything from a luxury yacht to a basket full of supermarket shopping.

Perks include, free travel, hotel stays, holidays, eating in top restaurants, the chance to experience great brands or sometimes even a free tankful of petrol.

Retail Active's managing director, Julian Chamberlain says: "It's a great way to make some extra money - a sure fire way to make some spending money. Rates vary depending on the job and it can be up to £200 a day. We look for people who are reliable, honest and able to fill out an accurate report on their experience.

"Our clients are the best in their sector and want to learn how well their sales and service staff are representing their business. The most successful way to reliably test this is to use one of our team to rate how well they do, known as a mystery shopper.

"It is vital undercover work which helps keep businesses on their toes - but sadly you have to give back the luxury yacht!"

Retail Active is one of Britain's leading Mystery Shopping companies and supports over 170 brands with brand audits, secret shopping and customer satisfaction surveys. If you would like to become a secret shopper apply online to www.retailactive.com 

Customer Service, Exit Interviewers Required

Retail Active Mystery Shopping is looking for experienced customer service 'Exit Interviewers' to work with us on an exciting ongoing project.

You will need to be confident, well-mannered and approachable as it will involve speaking with shoppers as they leave a store. You will be filling in short questionnaires with them, which then need to be entered on the Retail Active online portal.

Having Field Marketing, Exit Survey or Brand Auditing experience is a definite plus, however honesty, reliability and wanting to deliver a great job is equally important.

There is the potential on this project to earn £200 over a weekend and availability is limited so please get in touch as soon as possible.

Register your interest by email to shoppersupport@retailactive.com and please include your Shopper Number on the email.

If you are not a Mystery Shopper with us currently, please apply online at www.retailactive.com and go through our Shopper Academy. Please be advised that you need to be a Mystery Shopper with us to accept Exit Interviewer work.

Retail Active is one of Europe's leading Mystery Shopping Companies and conducts Brand Audits, Secret Shopping and customer satisfaction surveys to over 170 companies in the UK and Europe

Buy British

Retail Active the leading UK Brand Audit and Mystery Shopping Company has surveyed a panel of 3,178 people during March 2012 to determine if they would buy British products and services from British companies in preference to foreign produce and goods.

The survey shows a huge seal of approval for British goods and services with a staggering 92% of people surveyed saying that they would buy British whenever possible.

There are some regional differences with UK buyers expressing a preference to buy own country produce, in the first instance. However, there is an overwhelming desire to buy British ahead of European, American and Asian like for like goods.

Yorkshire topped the list as the county most passionate about buying British.

One theme that ran through the research was that its often too difficult to identify British goods. However, where shoppers did identify UK goods they are prepared to pay a little more for them.

Retail Active went on to ask why people felt so passionate about purchasing UK goods, with support for British companies, quality and keeping profits in the UK being top reasons.

Julian Chamberlain, CEO of Retail Active Mystery Shopping, says "This is a fascinating insight into the minds of British Shoppers. Our survey highlights some great news for manufacturers and suppliers up and down the land."

British companies can rest assured that the buying public want their goods in preference to overseas imports. Retailers can stock British goods in the confidence that they are likely to sell well and command a small price premium.

Retail Active provides secret shopping throughout Europe sending thousands of secret shoppers each month to test service and quality. We are always looking for mystery shoppers to join us in our quest to be one of Britain's top Mystery Shopping Companies offering outstanding mystery shopper services.

Retail Active - We are hiring!

Account Manager – Excellent Salary and Prospects

Retail Active the leading Brand Audit and Mystery Shopping Company is growing fast and we are looking for exceptional people to join us.

We’re looking for dynamic and passionate individuals who are used to working in a fast paced professional environment.

As Account Manager you will have outstanding presentation skills with the confidence to deliver our unique research in a compelling way. Primarily, you will be responsible for forging solid relationships with clients at all levels, providing them with key insights that will make a meaningful difference to their business performance.

In this role you be responsible for delivering new successful customer experience programmes, giving you unrivalled exposure to some of the world’s best known businesses. Previous experience of mystery shopping and brand auditing is essential, as is having a clear understanding of retail and hospitality environments. Operations Management experience would be extremely advantageous to your application.

This is a unique opportunity to join a highly regarded company with exciting opportunities for the successful applicant.

If you have the relevant background and would like to apply, please send your CV with covering letter to info@retailactive.com stating why you believe you should be considered for the job.

Arguably the Best Mystery Shopping Company in the World

Retail Active, the leading Mystery Shopping and customer experience agency is bucking the trend with continued growth and significant investment in people and technologies.

Following their successful move to the new £40m International Space Innovation Centre, Retail Active is expanding its workforce and business activities.

Trading at the Oxfordshire based Mystery Shopping and Brand Audit Company has been significantly ahead of expectations. Over the past 12 months the company has seen a 40% increase in turnover. Retail Active boast an impressive client list, having some of the most recognised companies in the world on their books.

Julian Chamberlain CEO of Retail Active puts the impressive performance of the company down to the whole team’s dedication to delivering excellence. “In a market where there are several companies offering a similar service it’s essential to have a point of difference. The Retail Active approach is to deliver flawless execution of our services - we just don’t accept sloppy practices”.

”I passionately believe that people make the difference. You can have the best systems, technology and processes in the world, but if you don’t have the right team in place you will never win. Our team are not just experts in their field; they are also a highly motivated force with the passion to provide every client with the best possible Mystery Shopping and Brand Audit Programme.

Commenting further Chamberlain said, “Each day we receive enquires from clients dissatisfied with the way they are being treated by other mystery shopping providers. We are here to welcome them to a new and better way of working, one where the client actually gets what is promised to them.

We have never lost a customer; it’s this that enables us to claim Retail Active is arguably the best Mystery Shopping Company in the world.

Mystery Shopping Scams

Mystery Shoppers are being targeted by fraudsters, who are trying to cash in on this increasingly popular part-time activity.

Internet-based tricksters send tempting emails to would-be mystery shoppers asking them for personal information and bank account details.

Unsuspecting people, who want to earn extra income by monitoring customer service standards in retail businesses and public organisations, risk falling prey to a series of scams by bogus companies.

Potential victims are targeted by huge volumes of unsolicited emails on random lists.

The fraudsters have angered genuine Mystery Shopping companies, like Retail Active, which has a wide variety of clients in the Automotive, Food and Drink, Government, Hotels, Leisure, Retail and Travel sectors.

The company gets dozens of calls a week from people all over the world worried that they have been duped – or are about to be.

Retail Active’s managing director, Julian Chamberlain says: “

“We have received reports of people being asked for personal details, which are then sold off to use on marketing lists – or for other uses, such as fraudulently accessing people banks accounts.

“No reputable Mystery Shopping company would ever ask for money – so that is the first way to establish whether a company is genuine or not.

“Mystery Shopping is becoming increasingly popular and provides a valuable service to industry.

“We are very angry that fraudsters are trying to exploit people who genuinely want to help improve levels of customer service – and earn some much-needed extra income as well.

“We’ve drawn up a five point guide to help mystery shoppers avoid being conned.

1. Do not apply to be a mystery shopper through an email, list, club or agency. Always apply directly to mystery shopping companies.

2. All reputable mystery shopping companies provide online training as part of the application process. If there is no training then the likelihood is that you are being conned.

3. If in doubt phone. All genuine mystery shopping companies such as Retail Active advertise their telephone number and can be contacted directly.

4. Never, ever part with cash in advance. If you do then there is a high probability that you are being defrauded.

5. There are hundreds of thousands of active mystery shoppers in the UK, ask a friend if they are a mystery shopper. The chances are that they are or at least know someone that does. Ask them who the best mystery shopping companies are.

If in doubt register with mystery shopping company Retail Active at www.retailactive.com.

Don't slip up and give slipper - They're the nations worst present

Slippers are Britain’s worst Christmas present – according to a panel of shopping experts.
Slippers came in at number one in a top ten list of gifts to avoid.

The business intelligence and mystery shopping company Retail Active asked 1300 people from its consumer panel to name their least popular presents.

Slippers were closely followed by Iron or Ironing Board and incorrectly sized underwear.

Retail Active’s managing director, Julian Chamberlain said: “Even if your partner has saying they need a new pair of slippers all year, Christmas is not the time to treat them.

“With wrong sized underwear, if it is too big or too small, you are in big trouble either way.”

The list of the UK’s Top Worst Christmas presents is:-
1. Slippers
2. Iron or ironing board – or both
3. Incorrectly sized underwear
4. Cheap perfume
5. Tool box
6. Bubble bath or bath salts
7. Nose trimmer
8. Kitchen untensils
9. Christmas sweater
10. Cleaning supplies

New Account Development Director for Retail Active

The leading business intelligence and mystery shopping company, Retail Active, has appointed a new Account Development Director.

Alasdair Smith, who lives in Northampton, has been in the industry for six years.

He says he is looking forward to helping to attract new business and to maintain Retail Active’s enviable reputation as the UK’s most advanced mystery shopping and brand audit service.

Retail Active’s client list already includes many household names in the retail, leisure, catering and automotive sectors.

Alasdair says: “This is a fantastic opportunity to build on Retail Active’s unrivalled position in the industry and to introduce new clients our services.”

Retail Active’s managing director, Julian Chamberlain said: “This is a pivotal time for retailers and we believe standards of customer service have never been more important.

“We are delighted to welcome Alasdair to the company. His wealth of experience will help us to make many more businesses aware that we are the first choice for mystery shopping and brand auditing.”

High Street retailers may feel a chill as Christmas shoppers plan their own spending cuts

Christmas shoppers are planning their own spending cuts this Christmas - tarnishing retailers’ hopes of a prosperous “Golden Quarter” – according to new research.

Four out of ten shoppers say they plan to spend less or much less on Christmas than last year – the survey says.

More than a third have already almost completed their Christmas shopping.

An astonishing eight out of ten shoppers said they would walk out of a high street store if customer service doesn’t come up to scratch.

And there is a gloomy forecast for January sales, when New Year VAT increases begin to bite.

The survey, by business intelligence analysts and mystery shopping company, Retail Active asked 2000 people for details of their Christmas shopping plans.

Retail Active’s managing director, Julian Chamberlain said: “Families say they plan to save on Christmas spending this year, wherever possible – with more than nine out of ten saying they are going to spend under their limits this Christmas.

“Times are tight and our survey shows that people are resorting to selling belongings to raise cash, dipping into savings and buying on credit.

“Competition on the High Street is vicious and there is firm evidence that retailers are bringing forward their January sale prices now in an attempt to encourage shoppers to spend and beat the January increase in VAT.

“The high street is highly price sensitive with retailers under pressure to achieve revenue forecasts during the “golden quarter.”

“The fact that more than a third of shoppers surveyed reported that they had already completed ninety five per cent of their Christmas shopping is an ill omen for high street retailers hoping for a late surge in spending.”

Eighty-seven per cent of shoppers said they would walk out of shops where customer service fell below expectations.

Julian Chamberlain said: “We send thousands of mystery shoppers to test the service and brand delivery of high street brands up and down the land.

“Customers are just not prepared to put up with poor service unless they have to make a distress purchase.
“There is everything to go for over the next few weeks and it’s still not too late to make a real difference to store performance.

We are offering retailers a five point plan to help them capitalise on the trade that is still out there and to maximise sales.


1 Front line is Bottom Line – focus on ensuring that your staff are motivated to give attentive and speedy service.
2 Are your staff up selling? Look for the opportunity to sell, Even up to the point of paying, customers still want to buy and are at their weakest when at the checkout
3 Perception is reality! create an experience that customers remember and want to revisit – consider how you will get customers back to buy again before Christmas
4 Price is important but service is critical – What can you do to ensure your brand delivery flawless
5 Provide focused training for your team and have systems in place to monitor service delivery and quality

What's in store - Audit helps Moto get fit for the weekend

The motorway service operator Moto says an audit programme with the leading Mystery Shopping Company Retail Active to monitor stock availability during its peak summer trading period was a great success.

Moto, which has 43 sites, is one of the most recognisable brands on the UK motorway network

The audit programme named ‘Fit for The Weekend’, ran from Easter to the August bank holiday aimed to ensure that retail shelves were correctly stocked and brand standards were maintained.

Retail Active was asked to monitor Moto’s estate and to produce instant audit reports for their various branded retail offers.

Moto’s head or retail category management, Ed Sutton, hailed the exercise as a success.

He said: “It helped us as a business to protect the availability of our products at key trading times. The aim was to make sure the shelves were correctly stocked and to monitor changing displays, promotions and standards.

“If you haven’t got central stock figures daily or hourly, the only measure is to physically go in somewhere and have a look – then you have to wait for a stock statement.

“Using Retail Active saved hours of management time. We went from the not knowing - to the knowing about what was happening on the ground.

“Did our standards improve during the audit? Yes they did. We started in the red and moved into the black and pretty much stayed there.

“This is definitely something we want to continue.

“Retail Active are a great, positive, professional auditing company who deliver what they agree to do. You have only got to look at their client base to understand why.

“We operate in quite a unique sector and they adapted well to that. They came into a business like Moto and adapted themselves to work how we wanted them to work.

“The project was delivered to the brief.”

Retail Active’s managing director, Julian Chamberlain said: “Our speciality is the speed with which we report back to management, which means they can respond instantly to any issues, which arise.

“We were able to rapidly text scores back to senior managers so they can react to information as it happens.

“We announce our presence to staff and if anything is not up to standard we record it and encourage them to get it right while we are there. We are not out to apportion blame – simply to maintain and improve standards. Our aim is to ensure that the business is fit to trade effectively during busy periods.

“Our expertise means we can deliver fast, accurate information – which allows executives to understand the situation in real time in dozens of outlets – while saving hours of management time and costs.”

Beating the Americans at their own game with customer service training

The Americans have a world-wide reputation for customer service – but they are lapping up a British-made board game – which helps to train staff.

The game – called Gamethingy – aims to make business training a pleasure and it is claimed that by making learning fun – memory retention can be improved by 70 per cent.

Gamethingy is the creation of Oxford-based Business Intelligence specialists and Mystery Shopping Company, Retail Active.

It teaches teams of players serious business realities in a light hearted and enjoyable way.

Retail Active’s managing director, Julian Chamberlain says: “It is very popular in the USA, where we have excellent sales. We sell to a wide variety of countries – including Russia – where it is also a big hit.

“The Americans have a well-deserved reputation for excellent customer service – but our British-made game is teaching them a thing or two about learning the art.”

“Gamethingy packages critical business information and re-presents it in a non-threatening way. Using business training games as part of your training and development programme tackles the most difficult training and development topics and present the content in a fun and enjoyable way.

All of the business training games come with simple instructions allowing trainees to start playing within minutes.

They are available in a variety of subjects

Health and Safety Training Games can be used to support in-house health and safety training and development programmes. Play the business training games regularly to confirm understanding of key topics e.g. manual handling, fire safety.

First Aid Training Games support first aid training and development programmes and . check trainees understanding of the key principles of first aid. The first aid training games are a great way to prepare first aiders to carry out their important role.

Hygiene Training Games support the training and development of care workers in care homes. MRSA is a hot topic, confirm that your teams are aware of why hygiene is important and the consequences of poor hygiene.

Customer Service Training Games deliver customer care training and development programmes or can be used as a stand-alone programme. They stimulate debate and encourage trainees to improve their customer service skills. Trainees also explore ways in which they can maximise sales opportunities within the business.

Food Safety Training Games covert all food safety training and development programmes. Prepare trainees for their food safety certificate in a fun and non-threatening way.

Julian Chamberlain added: “In a recent survey of the worlds top 500 companies 135 intend to adopt business training games for learning.

“The USA, UK and Germany are leading the way with the use of business training games to support their training and development programmes.

“Business training games help people gain a deeper understanding of their subject and the challenges they face. There is little doubt that business training games are serious training tools.”

Buyers Keep Online Purchases Secret

Buying online is almost like having a secret affair, with more than half of buyers keeping their purchases secret from their partners, new research has revealed.

A survey carried out by retail intelligence analysts and mystery shopping company Retail Active found over the last six months 58% of buyers deliberately kept their online buys secret.

The company, which offers mystery shopping and brand auditing services to businesses, surveyed 3,500 people last week.

It found 40% of online buyers spent their money on personal indulgences.

Out of those who admitted making secret purchases, 78% were from the 35 to 41 age group.

Just over half, 57%, of the group were women, while 47% of the total people surveyed were married.

Retail Active said secret buyers tended to go for smaller items which easily fit through the letter box without having to be signed for or left with neighbours.

Retail Active’s managing director, Julian Chamberlain said: "our findings show that buying online is something people largely do in private - away from their partners.

"The purchases may not always be risque. They could be a surprise gift, flowers, a gadget, or an outrageously expensive item your partner would kill you for buying.

"But our survey revealed a majority of online buyers are employing subterfuge to keep their partners in the dark about their purchases."

Compliance Auditing

Compliance auditing allows your company to test the strengths of your business management system as they relate to your current responsibilities. Compliance auditing also checks on the implementation of your companys written procedures. Compliance auditing is a robust process that generates impartial, accurate and independent feedback which verifys and evaluates whether the specified criteria is followed and met.

By taking part in compliance auditing, it can add strategic value to your business as well as growth in your profits. Compliance auditing makes a lasting improvement to your business. When compliance auditing is taking place, all of the results are recorded in many different ways from digital photos to online reportage. These reports produce detailed action plans and informs you as a company what measures and actions are needed to take to improve any areas that need attention.

Retail Active are one company that undertakes Compliance auditing. Their Compliance auditing programme is second to none and is designed to be completely unique for each of their clients. All of their Compliance auditing team are trained to the highest level and their experience in compliance auditing has enabled them to improve value and profit to many of their clients. Retail Active work hard to build up valuable relationships with their clients and provide support before and after any visits. This is why so many clients put their trust in Retail Active.

If you would like to know more about Retail Active Compliance Auditing, please contact them on 01235 438413 where you will find friendly and approachable staff ready to answer any of your queries.

Mystery Shopping Training

"I work in retail and my company realised we needed to improve our customer service and the way we were treating our customers, we just didn’t know how to go about it. I did a search on the internet and found a mystery shopping company called Retail Active.

Retail Active specialise in using customer research as the basis of their mystery shopping training. They are based in Oxfordshire in the UK and knew exactly how we could improve the way we treated and looked after our customers. In this economic climate it is more important than ever to be fully aware of what our customers were thinking. Our customer’s satisfaction is very important to us, we wanted to act on their feedback straight away to avoid losing those precious pennies and customers.

Retail Active not only offered us a Mystery Shopping Training programme, they also offered us an award winning Customer Service Training programme, where they were able to help our staff improve on their customer service skills. Within this programme they identified some minor customer service issues we had and compiled us a plan of action on how we could improve. The changes that we have seen are amazing and we are already getting comments from our customers saying that they have noticed the difference in the way our customer service has changed.

Retail Active also supplied us with customer service training games which were available at gamethingy.com. These were innovative training games that all of our staff thoroughly enjoyed. No more falling asleep in meetings and training rooms for our staff. These games transformed the way we thought and felt. With Retail Active at the end of the phone to help with any queries, we could and still can guarantee to be the best and stand out from our competitors.

This is the best business decision we have ever made, so if you are thinking about customer service training or mystery shopping training within your business, I would definitely recommend Retail Active."

For more information on Retail Active Mystery Shopping services or Retail Active Customer Service training sessions or materials, then you can call them on 01235 438413 or visit their web site at www.retailactive.com.

Mystery Shopping in the UK - Secrets Revealed

What is Mystery Shopping?

Many companies contract market research companies to evaluate the quality of service within their business; these mystery shopping companies use mystery shoppers to obtain the information anonymously. They brief a mystery shopper to use the services or facilities in a shop or restaurant, for example, and then report back on the experience. Usually the mystery shopper is then reimbursed, and often can keep the product or service.

If you love to shop or eat out you may have been tempted by websites and unsolicited emails claiming that you can earn money as a mystery shopper. Sometimes unscrupulous mystery shopping promoters try to tempt people by offering meals at prestigious restaurants, shopping at luxury shops or staying at five star hotels. Unfortunately the reality is that most marketing companies fail to live up to the hype and do not deliver great mystery shopper opportunities.

According to Retail Active (a leading Mystery Shopping Company) mystery shopping is best considered as a part-time activity. Retail Active offer mystery shopping opportunities online at www.retailactive.com this enables their carefully selected and registered mystery shoppers to select the assignments they want to participate in.

On the flipside there are fraudulent mystery shopping organisations that promote the impression that they can offer lucrative mystery shopper jobs with reputable companies. These jobs are often fake and require unsuspecting potential mystery shoppers to register and then pay a fee for information about a job or list of mystery shopping companies. Retail Active warns that you should NEVER pay money to anyone to become a mystery shopper. Remember lists of reputable Mystery Shopping companies are available for free with legitimate mystery shopper jobs widely published on the Internet. Reputable mystery shopping companies such as Retail Active offer jobs via the internet in a secure and professional environment. Remember legitimate companies don’t charge an application fee!

Mystery Shopping Facts

1. Search the Internet for mystery shopping companies that are accepting applications.

2. Only submit applications online.

3. Becoming a legitimate mystery shopper for a legitimate company doesn’t cost a penny

4. Do some homework about mystery shopping and be sceptical of mystery shopping organisations promoters who advertise by unsolicited email.

5. Never buy mystery shopping directories online from companies that provide mystery shoppers

6. If you think you have encountered a mystery shopping scam contact the police.

For information on how to register to be a mystery shopper with Retail Active visit www.retailactive.com