Read your mystery shopping paperwork thoroughly
Make sure you read your paperwork carefully. It tells you everything you need to know to complete an assignment successfully. Please be aware that the paperwork can change on a monthly basis, so it is important to read it each and every month. If you fail to meet one of the standard requirements (Eg. to collect a receipt during your mystery shopping assignment) we are unable to accept your results. Consequently, you will not be paid for your work.

Print your paperwork
We all like to think we've got photographic memories, but let's face it.... there's a lot of information to remember on our forms. To ensure maximum efficiency, print out your paperwork and fill it out at the earliest convenience.

But make sure you're well out of view of the site before you pull out your paperwork: remember, the aim is to keep your secret identity a mystery.

Finally, GAPbuster requires you to keep a hard copy of your paperwork for up to 12 months following a mystery shopping evaluation. For audit purposes we may require you to send in a copy of your completed paperwork. If you are required to collect a receipt, please staple it to your paperwork after completing your mystery shopping assignment.

Use your creativity
Feel free to use your creativity when developing methods for collecting your data on your mystery shopping assignments. We've heard some fantastic little tricks certain mystery shoppers use to collect the necessary information. Try this one out if you can....

Ever had problems keeping the total service time for a fast food evaluation? How about using new technology to assist you. Some mobile phones now have a stopwatch as a feature. One of our mystery shoppers would keep their mobile phone in their pocket and start the stop watch when they began their order. Once they had received the order and their change they would stop the watch (discretely of course, your identity must remain a secret). In this way they have a completely accurate measure of how long their order took to complete.

Ingenious!

Keep a GAPbuster Folder
Please keep a record of all completed assignments in a 'GAPbuster folder' or filed somewhere accessible for 12 months. This is to ensure that you can provide information easily if a follow-up query is made. Increasingly our mystery shoppers are required to collect receipts. It is a good idea to staple receipts to your paperwork.

Limit the mystery
We're experiencing problems with mystery shoppers incorrectly recording the names of staff who have served them. Not surprisingly, our clients query service evaluations performed on staff whose name they do not recognise. If you cannot read or remember the name of the person who served you, please describe them carefully and never hazard a guess.

Being in the right place
Mystery Shopping assignments may be situated in malls or streets where there is more than one outlet of the evaluated brand. GAPbuster renders your assignment invalid if you visit the wrong shop. To avoid non-payment for an invalid assignment, it is imperative that you check your paperwork for the correct address. Generally shopping malls provide information maps that direct visitors to the correct shop number and location.

Look left, Look right
Many of our mystery shopping assignments begin by asking you to note what was to the left or right of an outlet. This information validates your assignment. In the event of a client querying an assignment, this information allows us to prove you have visited the correct shop.

It is important that you nominate a fixed landmark. It's best to name the shops on either side of the outlet. If the mystery shopping assignment is on a corner or has no other shops near it, please note the name of the road or the address of the home to the left or right.

Keep the mystery a secret
Can you imagine the surprise of a 'House of Travel' employee when a customer asked her, "How did your mystery shop go?". When the customer queried about how she knew the 'House of Travel' was evaluated, she replied "Oh, my friend is your mystery shopper". Not much of a secret anymore....

We wonder if Batman or James Bond was as forthcoming about working undercover? Anonymity is what makes our mystery shoppers effective. Remember, no matter how much he loved Lois Lane, Superman could never tell her his secret identity.

In the past, mystery shoppers have blown their cover to get better service. Due to their lack of discretion, these mystery shoppers were removed from our database for breaching confidentiality, as outlined in the mystery shopping contract. So, please be like James Bond and keep the anonymity.

Express yourself
Once you have completed your mystery shopping assignment, it is imperative that you express it within 8 hours. If your assignment is not Expressed within this time frame, the assignment may be unassigned from you. If this occurs, you will not be paid.