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The Facts on Mystery Shopping

Like me, you've probably seen those ads in the Classifieds looking for "Mystery Shoppers." But just what is mystery shopping and how does it work? This page from ESOMAR, a prominent international association for marketing and opinion research, gives you all the facts on this growing industry. Essentially, mystery shoppers are paid ringers who go into stores to evaluate customer service and other elements of a business's performance. Sound sneaky to you? It is, but organizations like ESOMAR who provide these services try to abide by strict guidelines, which you can view here as well. Apparently this is a very effective form of market research whose results can't be replicated by mere surveys or visual evaluations. As for whether this is a good career option for you, you'll have to make that determination yourself after reading this excellent introduction.

Tue, 21 Dec 1999 02:55:02 -0800