Sun 18th May 2008 02:04AM
Much uncertainty and skepticism lies around the secret shop industry. Tales of shopping organizations that swindle naive shoppers out of hundreds of dollars under the ruse of making them a quick fortune have tainted the industry. Even Get Rich Quick schemes that have nothing to do with the secret shop industry have made us doubt the possibility of an easy way to make a buck. So we come to believe that if it is too good to be true, it probably is.
For that reason, many job seekers overlook the secret shop industry and pass it off as just another scam. However, there are well established and reputable companies in the secret shop industry that pay good money to shoppers every year. This industry may be one of the best kept secrets in the job employment field.
Imagine being a shopper for an airline and getting your fare for free. Of course, you should be qualified in the SOP and expectations of each airline before you can assess the employees of that airline. The airline industry, in particular, is one that lives or dies by good customer service. For that reason, there are shopping companies contracted by airlines to offer an unbiased opinion of their customer experiences.
Travel and destination points are another fun and legitimate secret shop industry that many consider an urban legend. If you already have a background in hospitality, then you know the importance of running an excellent hotel or resort community. Becoming a shopper for one of these companies would only take some searching and filling out a few applications.
No matter what industry you dream of becoming a shopper for, the important thing is to not disregard all things as too good to be true. If you take a few precautions in applying for shopping positions, you will find that you can quickly be on your way to working as a part time or full time shopper.
The first thing you should consider about yourself when deciding whether or not you want to become a shopper is, do you have the drive and determination to work independently? Most shopping companies will send you an assignment notice and it will be up to you to perform that assignment in time for the deadline. Other shopping companies may post all available assignments and it will be up to you to pick and choose the jobs you think suit you best.
The next thing you should mentally prepare yourself for is that legitimate shopping jobs do not promise untold amounts of wealth, and so you should not set your future on making a fortune in just one year of shopping. Like all other jobs, the pay is equal to the workload.
There are also a list of things you should be aware of so you do not fall victim of the shopping scams that do exist. First of all, you should never pay a fee to join a list of shoppers or to access a list of assignments. Legitimate shopping services may require you to register, for free, with their pool of shoppers, however, they should never ask you to pay any fees.
Secondly, if you do not see any address or contact information for someone directly affiliated with the shopping company, you should be suspicious that it is a fly by night company. However, because of the traffic that a shopping company website may receive, some may choose to allow their contact information to only be viewed by registered shoppers. So, if you register and still do not see any contact information, you may want to consider looking elsewhere.
Checking with business bureaus is also important. Legitimate secret shop companies are also likely to be a member of a shopping association, to which you could inquire about their business ethics.
Like everything else in life, if you take a few precautions to protect yourself against the few bad apples, you may find a great career and have a lot of fun doing it.
The original article is located at: Secret Shopping Scams - Legend or Truth?