So my mailman pulls up my driveway to deliver me some letters and he says "I see you are a mystery shopper" I wonder how he knows this but remember that one company that pays me by check and has 'mystery shopper' on the envelope. You might know who I'm talking about. Anyway he goes on to say that a woman he worked with has lost her job and she would be really good at it and could I tell him how to get started so he can help her.

I'm in a quandary. I like to help people but I don't want to just give out information that took me years to gather. As well I don't want more competition in my area, I already have quite a bit. So I just say "it took a LOT of research." He says "well she would be really good at her and I think it would be good for her." Like a broken record I say again "it took a LOT of research." He accepts that and drives away but it was a few days ago and I still feel bad about it. What do y'all think?

How about it takes a lot of research but here are a couple of websites to get started...and then give him this one and Volition. If that is more than you want to give do the it takes a lot of research; tell her to start googling.

Liz

Do you think the mail carrier would approach a plumber or any other small business owner and ask them the same thing? The reason he asked you is because of all the common misconceptions about mystery shopping. Since he really knows nothing about the business, he is also not really capable of judging whether his friend would be good at it or if it would be good for her.

If you feel a need to explain yourself to him, let him know you are a small business owner and it is not in your best interest to give away the names of your clients.

If you choose to give him information, limit it to providing the link to the forum or to the MSPA website. If his friend does not have the initiative and motivation to do the research, she will not have the initiative and motivation to follow through on assignments.

All's fair in love and shopping! I am in a very competitive area and I think people have been added or have upped their games recently. I can't get anything! Onsites, audits, shops--all gone! Even the piddly grocery stores are gone before I get the e-mail. They used to sit for a few days.

My standard response, which is absolutely true, is "I was recruited." I leave it at that unless the person lives out of state!

I tell people to Google it and don't give any further information. Sorry you had to deal with that guy.

I think you handled it just fine. Don't feel bad any more.

If you ask me, the bigger question is why he was snooping through your mail. He had no business asking you about your mail. That is not in his job description. Your postman is just too familar for me. I would have politely told him to mind his business and keep it moving.

Yep. He was out of line. He should mind his own business.

Kind of scary to think how much your mailperson might know about you just by seeing your mail, isn't it?

Well, call me whatever but I would share info with whoever asks me out of real interest and not just curiosity. I would do to others just what I wish to be done to me had the roles been reversed. It took me years to gather all the info yes, and competition could put me on my toes for a brief moment, however I am the type that when I weigh up every value, charity towards my neighbor tends to tip the scales!

Out of curiosity, is MS your only revenue stream?

Based on what you are saying, I should be able to approach any small business owner in my area and ask them to show me how to get started in their business and have them provide me a list of their clients. Then they shouldn't mind if they have to work harder because I have taken a portion of their income by underbidding for the same work. I'm sure when their mortgage payments are late the bank will understand that it was because of the charity they provided me.

LOL...Thanks for the suggestion but if I want to become a flop in life, then I should consider going into business myself I was never a business minded person Lisa!

I think that some are born business persons others learn to be and for a few including poor little me its totally out of their nature to be so!

For me wherever the interest of the PERSON is involved, it outdoes every other interest. Also if I am on my last leg financially. Trust me when I tell you, Divine Providence has never failed me!


LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Out of curiosity, is MS your only revenue stream?
>
>
> Based on what you are saying, I should be able to
> approach any small business owner in my area and
> ask them to show me how to get started in their
> business and have them provide me a list of their
> clients. Then they shouldn't mind if they have to
> work harder because I have taken a portion of
> their income by underbidding for the same work.
> I'm sure when their mortgage payments are late the
> bank will understand that it was because of the
> charity they provided me.

Then for you this is not a business and for me it is my business and my livelihood. You still did not answer the question about having other sources of income.

I have no idea what anyone's religious beliefs have to do with the subject as there are many people of many faiths who run small businesses. Or the concept that those of us that do operate our mystery shopping as a business are somehow not charitable.

I did answer you Lisa.

For me my faith envelopes everything I do. All my decisions pivot around my values.

But I am not a good business person because it is not a quality that I possess. Period. One just has to be cut out to be successful in business. Faith really has nothing to do with it.

I know good faithful persons who do also good and honest business. They profit without exerting greed. I know people who believe in nothing and are still good at making business. No hard and fast rule there.



LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Then for you this is not a business and for me it
> is my business and my livelihood. You still did
> not answer the question about having other sources
> of income.
>
> I have no idea what anyone's religious beliefs
> have to do with the subject as there are many
> people of many faiths who run small businesses. Or
> the concept that those of us that do operate our
> mystery shopping as a business are somehow not
> charitable.

I had two friends ask me about this. One, who lives 150 miles away, I met with for dinner--on a shop--and we talked, I gave him this website. The other, who lives 10 miles away, I told it took a lot of online research to find the companies. He pressed me and I gave the business analogy. He got it then. I told him any questions about specific companies I'd be happy to answer, but that I couldn't just give him a list of companies.

Awesome comments. I have to admit I was perturbed that he was reading who my letters came from. I mean he's the mailman but..... When he asked me (twice) I did think that I could give him this site but this site tells absolutely everything you need to know to get started and frankly, I didn't want to help some competition get started. Sportsofficial I have faith too but darned if I could bring myself to help someone in my area get started. It was just too much hard work for me to learn all about it (I found this site after I was already up and going).

ps mystery shopping is my only source of revenue too!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2013 08:51PM by jpgilham.

It's like the book clerk or librarian commenting on your books. Please don't!

audrialyn30 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you ask me, the bigger question is why he was
> snooping through your mail. He had no business
> asking you about your mail. That is not in his job
> description. Your postman is just too familar for
> me. I would have politely told him to mind his
> business and keep it moving.

The bigger question everyone is missing is why do some MSC put on the checks they are mystery shopping companies??You are so suppose to be discrete. Many of us do banking shops, Why do the checks say I AM A MYSTERY SHOPPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm willing to give a man a fish and feed him for a day, or to teach him to fish so he can feed himself, but I'm not going to teach him to fish at MY fishing hole!


And I got one of those checks the other day and wondered what they were thinking for putting "mystery shopping" on the check. I had to deposit it using my smart phone because I don't want my bank tellers knowing I am a mystery shopper because I do teller shops at that bank!

Perhaps the mailman should start with the snooping address. If he is that much into someone else's mail then he should have enough information to pass on to his friend with getting you involved.

I would tell him also to research on Google. I would not refer her or encourage her.

As MS being on a envelope versus check, perhaps the MSC is looking for more Clients or Shoppers. After all it's the MSCompany that is paying US.

sportofficial Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, call me whatever but I would share info with
> whoever asks me out of real interest and not just
> curiosity. I would do to others just what I wish
> to be done to me had the roles been reversed. It
> took me years to gather all the info yes, and
> competition could put me on my toes for a brief
> moment, however I am the type that when I weigh up
> every value, charity towards my neighbor tends to
> tip the scales!


Before kids, I was able to shop enough to put a substantial amount of money into the household budget. Now just about anything requires a trip out in the evening or a long saturday route. If I know someone who could use a little extra, I have no problem referring, especially for those no-kids assignments. Passing the torch.

To each his own. But the mailman had no business noticing, let alone commenting on, the mail he was delivering.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2013 03:59AM by itsasecret.

Mail Carriers have no business reading or discussing any of your mail and are directed not to do so by law for this very reason.

jpgilham Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So my mailman pulls up my driveway to deliver me
> some letters and he says "I see you are a mystery
> shopper" I wonder how he knows this but remember
> that one company that pays me by check and has
> 'mystery shopper' on the envelope. You might know
> who I'm talking about. Anyway he goes on to say
> that a woman he worked with has lost her job and
> she would be really good at it and could I tell
> him how to get started so he can help her.
>
> I'm in a quandary. I like to help people but I
> don't want to just give out information that took
> me years to gather. As well I don't want more
> competition in my area, I already have quite a
> bit. So I just say "it took a LOT of research."
> He says "well she would be really good at her and
> I think it would be good for her." Like a broken
> record I say again "it took a LOT of research."
> He accepts that and drives away but it was a few
> days ago and I still feel bad about it. What do
> y'all think?

I believe you did the right thing. You need to protect your own business, trust that I have been a small business owner for years. You do not wish competition in the mystery shopping industry. It is difficult enough to get the assignments and then to get paid. It takes at least 30-60 days for mystery shoppers to get paid.

I have worked with postal employees and consulted to them, and they get paid every two weeks based on the fact that they get salaries. Mystery shoppers do not get salaries.

Just keep on doing what you do. Hopefully you are getting good assignments.

notmyname Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The bigger question everyone is missing is why do
> some MSC put on the checks they are mystery
> shopping companies??You are so suppose to be
> discrete. Many of us do banking shops, Why do the
> checks say I AM A MYSTERY
> SHOPPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I know! My local bank gets MS'd all the time but I can't do any of them since they already know I'm a MSer, thanks to those checks with "Mystery Shopping" written on them. One time an employee started grilling me about getting into MSing because she needed a part-time job. She was really loud about it too so other people in the bank were able to hear our conversation. Talk about awkward. As a result, I've had to go to different branches far from my house just to avoid her.

I think I would have to ask why the lady lost her job in the first place before I would think of recommending her for another one. If it wasn't because of a layoff due to cutbacks.......

No, the bank employee was still employed. She was looking for a second source of income. I'm guessing either the bank doesn't pay her very much or she's heavily in debt.

The answer is, "Sorry, I cannot share that information because I had to sign a non-disclosure contract." I had to sign many of these when I was an independent IT contractor. This is no different! You can add that you don't want to be sued for divulging the information.

A friend, who is a deputy postal inspector and second in command over a region of four states, would probably roll his eyes and shake his head if I told him about this snooping postman.

I find this entire thread to be very disturbing. If I had not been a member of this forum for a while I would think very lowly (a word I think i made up as the opposite of highly) of the people who wrote many of the replies. I do think most of you I have read posts from before this thread seem to be very nice and compassionate people but the fangs seem to have come out on this thread. What has happened to common courtesy? At the moment I do not know my postman but in the past there have been post people I have known through daily contact. If they, or any other person I know somewhat, were to ask me about mystery shopping after discovering I am a mystery shopper I would not be upset at all. And yes, if I were a plumber or a dentist or any other specialist I would expect that people would ask about my profession and how to get started. And as one of those people I would not be afraid they were going to take work away from me. How many people do you know about who have totally failed at mystery shopping for one reason or another...probably the majority of those who have thought about it. And no, I do not think you need or should give your list of contacts away in order to help someone. But I do think you can certainly let them know where they can look to get help and perhaps a word of encouragement. I would tell them to look at the forums. In fact I have told many people that and so far, as far as I know, none of them have pursued it further. And about reading your mail...we are all human. I know that the mail people have to sort their own mail. They have to look at each envelope. How could they not see what is written on it? I liken this to overhearing something at the next cubicle at my regular job...yes I have a regular job and am not a full time shopper, but I am human and feel we should be courteous to others. If I overhear, the person pretty much can assume I overheard. They would have to be pretty unobservant to think that talking to a friend 3 feet from me would not result in my hearing. But then you take your cues from the type of person it is as to whether you should speak to them on a topic you overheard. The post person must have thought the op was an approachable person based on his/her short conversations in the past. Helping others to help themselves does a lot towards making our communities better. Giving something away that is yours to help them rather than giving them tools to help themselves is an entirely different thing. You can do one without doing the other.