Display, What Display? (Amusing Anecdote)

Hi All!

In keeping with the brief tangent we went into the last post about Merchandising, here's one of my favorite "in the trenches" merchandising stories. Even if you aren't into merchandising, I'm sure it will be a fun read for you.

Display, What Display?

Recently I had a merchandising assignment that was a nice deal because it was right across the street from regular merchandising and mystery shopping assignments from two other companies I work with. See why combining merchandising and mystery shopping can kick your earnings into high gear?

Anyway, the assignment was simple enough--put up a POS Display (no that does not stand for what you might be thinking, it's point-of-sale) and some additional small counter signs for a contest in my local mega hardware store. Once I got the sign box to fit in my car (thank goodness I have a convertible for those too-tall boxes), it seemed like a piece of cake. I went into the store, introduced myself, fielded a few questions for the manufacturer promoting the contest (no, I am clueless about treated deck wood, but as long as I nod sympathetically and promise to take it back to my District Manager, I don't really need to know anything else).

I set up the display and even the Department Manager commented how attractive it was. Good job, Melanie!

I was very happy when the same merchandising company contacted me about two days later and asked if I wouldn't mind going back to change the contest coupon pads and swap out one of the counter signs for another assignment. So the following week I went back to do that job. I checked in with the Department Manager who was in love with the display ten days earlier and he looked down and said "sorry Ma'am, I can't let you do that." I was puzzled. Where was the love?

When I pressed about why I couldn't do my job, the manager said the display was gone. Huh? I asked how the sign that was about 6 feet tall could disappear without a trace in a heavy traffic section of the store? The Department Manager looked at me and said with a completely sincere look on his face "it's gone because one of my guys accidentally ran over it with a forklift, and it was banged up so bad, we had to throw it out".

Okaaaay! So now what to do? I did the only thing I could. I handed the Manager the new contest coupons for the front desk, swapped out the counter sign and left. It was a flat rate assignment, so I got paid the same anyway for 8 minutes worth of work. My big concern was that the merchandising company might not believe me. So I filled out my timesheet and when it came to the question about if I did the job, I said yes, but explained what happened with the "runaway" forklift. I also left a message for the supervisor.

My wondering about whether or not I was going to get paid, since I had only worked 8 minutes, got answered about two weeks later. I got a check with a thank you note from the supervisor for my honesty and the best laugh they had all week!

(For more information on merchandising, please check out the special section on my web site).

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

Merchandising & The Mystery Shopper

Hi All--

Many mystery shoppers do well income-wise once they learn the basics of making connections and marketing themselves to those who can give them job assignments on a regular basis. But mystery shoppers eventually hear about merchandising and wonder if it's something to consider.

Merchandising is the perfect companion to mystery shopping. It reflects the many different activities that one does to support the movement of products out of a retailer's door (paid for, of course). It's a great, fun way to make money on your own terms on either a part-time basis to supplement other income, or it can definitely turn into full-time employment if that's your wish.

For more information, check out my Merchandising section on my web site Mystery Shopper Coach's Corner at:

http://www.mysteryshoppercoach.com/merchandising.html.

And check out the article "Creating Your Dual, Flexible, Home-Based Career" which can be found here:

http://www.mysteryshoppercoach.com/dualcareer.html

When you're ready to branch out into this exciting career, my book "The Quick And Easy Guide to Making Money As A Merchandiser" will show you how to get started in the merchandising field in the fastest, easiest way possible, while also learning which assignments to take on and some of the issues that are unique to merchandising. I'm sharing all that I have learned with you, so you'll have the benefit of my experiences and save a lot of time and hassle--so you make money faster!

The demand for merchandisers is great as retailing becomes more and more competitive. Manufacturers realize they need to have their own representatives take care of their stock and promotional needs, make sure their wishes are carried out to the extent possible and to protect their interests. You can work almost every day if you want to--especially once you get at least some experience under your belt.

So do yourself a favor and look into "The Other Perfect Work-At-Home Job" today! Your bank account will thank you.

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

Giving Out Sensitive Mystery Shopper Data (Ask The Coach)

Question:

I recently made e-mail contact with a mystery shopping company. As part of the employment process they requested that I upload a copy of my driver's license. Is this a legitimate request?

Answer From Coach Melanie:

While it can be a legitimate request for a driver's license for either identity purposes, or to verify that you have one to complete shops, I would be wary about uploading a document that is a key one for identity theft to a company's web site. If the major financial institutions and DMVs are having trouble keeping customers' sensitive data out of the wrong hands, how secure is a mystery shopping company's web site?

Also, are you definitely going to do any work for this company? Many companies ask for all kinds of personal information and then you never do job one for them. I like to refrain from giving out sensitive data like my social security number and driver's license, birthdate--things that can be used in identity fraud--until such time as I actually do a job for the company. I have worked with many companies and schedulers who never asked for any of those items, and it seemed like the ones that did, I never ended up working with anyway.

You can offer to send such materials/info upon receipt of your first job instead.

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

Is PayPal OK For Getting Mystery Shopper Pay? (Ask The Coach)

Question:

I find that many companies require that you use PayPal to receive payment, is this safe?

Answer From Coach Melanie:

Re receiving your payment via PayPal. Yes, this is common for many companies that are too small to set up direct deposit and it is more cost efficient than sending checks through the mail for various small amounts.

I regularly use PayPal to accept echecks and credit card payments for my books and coaching and have never had a problem. PayPal is a subsidiary of Ebay and they have millions of accounts from customers worldwide.

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

Can You Be A Mystery Shopper While RVing? (Ask The Coach)

Question:

My husband and I travel all over the US in our RV. We work for a publishing company that produces directories for many businesses (resorts, parks, real estate agencies, etc.) so we go wherever "duty calls".

I think we would be perfect for apartment, travel and RV shops! We usually go up to New England in the summer, then travel south and west in the winter, so we can shop in any places we happen to be. Would a lifestyle like ours be an asset? Thanks!

Answer From Coach Melanie:

Absolutely! Your only challenge will be building up a regular group of schedulers who know your ability to service multiple areas and when. This is easily handled with the “essential e-mail correspondence templates" that I teach my readers to do in my book "The Perfect Work-At-Home Job: Mystery Shopping" which help you offer your services in a professional manner and stand out from the crowd.

You also would find it helpful to use companies that allow you to self-schedule (meaning you can go to the site, and once registered, sign yourself up for assignments in all the areas you cover). These are the kinds of mystery shopping sites to give priority to after giving your initial focus to making connections with schedulers of assignments. I go over examples of such sites in my companion book to “The Perfect Work-At-Home Job: Mystery Shopping” and “How-To Finally Make Money As A Mystery Shopper” called “Secret Mystery Shopping Sites Revealed!”

By the way, any lifestyle (it doesn't necessarily have to be via RV) that takes you to different places could work just as well. And if you don't travel around, of course, your "home base" is always fine in its own right.

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

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