Posted by Leigh Trapp on Thu, May 06, 2010 @ 11:15 AM
The best Mystery Shopping Suppliers review their shop evaluations before submitting them to make sure all typos, grammatical issues and misspelled words have been eliminated. Although a good spellchecker will pick up any “shopping crats” that might have escaped your eagle eye, you should also be on the lookout for less common errors that many people don’t even realize are incorrect.
Just for fun, take this short quiz to see if you can spot the correct sentence in each pair: (Don't scroll down too far - the answers are below!!)
PAIR #1:
A. If I would have known about the party, I would have gone to it.
B. If I had known about the party, I would have gone to it.
PAIR #2:
A. He doesn’t care about me anymore.
B. He don’t care about me anymore.
PAIR #3:
A. When we go to the party on Saturday, let’s take a bottle of wine.
B. When we go to the party on Saturday, let’s bring a bottle of wine.
PAIR #4:
A. If you have ten items or less, you can use the express lane.
B. If you have ten items or fewer, you can use the express lane.
PAIR #5:
A. We were supposed to go to a dance last night, however, it was cancelled because of lack of interest.
B. We were supposed to go to a dance last night; however, it was cancelled because of lack of interest.
PAIR #6:
A. She could have had anything she wanted.
B. She could of had anything she wanted.
PAIR #7:
A. I’m not speaking to anybody in this class.
B. I’m not speaking to nobody in this class.
PAIR #8:
A. He has took the train.
B. He has taken the train.
PAIR #9:
A. I should have went to school yesterday.
B. I should have gone to school yesterday.
PAIR #10:
A. It’s going to be sunny tomorrow.
B. Its going to be sunny tomorrow.
Don't go down any further until you are done - the correct answers are below.
Here are the correct sentences:
1. B; 2. A; 3. A; 4. B; 5. B; 6. A; 7. A; 8. B; 9. B; 10. A B; 10.
Posted by Leigh Trapp on Tue, Apr 06, 2010 @ 01:37 AM
The best secret shoppers are constantly on the lookout for tools to help them perform their shops more efficiently. Did you know that one of your best resources is literally in the palm of your hand? That’s right…it’s your cell phone!
Mobile functionality has mushroomed over the years from simple communications devices to awesome, multi-featured technological marvels. Adding an extra service such as texting to your phone can enhance its usefulness to you as a shopper. But if your phone is equipped with texting, Internet access and a camera, the sky’s the limit!
Here’s a sample of some ways you can capitalize on your cell phone’s features to maximize your shopping experience:
· Phone-A-Friend – Even if all your phone does is allow you to make and receive calls, you can use this feature to your advantage. Keep your scheduler’s phone number handy (or program it into your phone’s directory) in case you encounter issues or need clarification before, during or after your shop.
· Smile for the Camera – Most later model cell phones contain a built-in camera you can use to covertly snap photos of things you’d like to remember when writing up your report (i.e., dirty dishes at a restaurant, unkempt landscaping, etc.). Many phones also have video/audio recording capabilities. Just make sure you don’t get caught!
· Note to Self – If your phone has built-in notepad capabilities, you can type in comments and notes to yourself to help you remember key facts. If you don’t have a notepad, you can use your texting feature to make notes. Here’s a link that shows you how: http://www.trap17.com/forums/Set-Notepad-Mobile-Phone-t52899.html
· Where Am I? – If you have Internet access on your phone, you can use Google Maps, MapQuest, Yahoo Maps, etc., to locate the address and find the best route to use.
· What Time is It? – Some projects require you to time certain portions of the shop. You can use your phone’s built-in timer to keep up with your time.
· Stay Connected – Many phones allow you to send instant messages and emails to your contacts. When phoning your scheduler might not be an option, you can IM or email her with your questions.
Got other ideas? We’d love to hear them!
Posted by Leigh Trapp on Mon, Mar 08, 2010 @ 04:05 PM
If you haven’t visited the Mystery Shopping Providers Association’s website in awhile, you’re missing out on a valuable resource for secret shoppers all over the world. Here are a few of the goodies you’ll find:
- Alerts about scams, what to do if you are contacted by a scammer and how to proceed if you become a victim
- Announcements of upcoming conferences and certification opportunities. Gold certification is now available on DVD so you don’t even have to travel to get certified!
- Informative newsletters
- List of mystery shopping companies that are MSPA members. NOTE: Many unscrupulous companies attempt to lure shoppers with promises of instant wealth while requiring them to pay a fee for the privilege of shopping. None of MSPA’s member companies will charge you a fee to shop for them.
The MSPA is in the process of updating their website, so you might find some pages that are under construction. Even so, there is a ton of information available right now. Here’s the address: http://www.mysteryshop.org.
Posted by Angie Hullett on Sun, Mar 01, 2009 @ 06:27 PM
PremierShoppers.com is offering a webinar called Mystery Shopping 101 - Fact or Fiction. This is something new for Premier Shoppers and they are reporting they will offer 2 webinars a month and best of all they are FREE. Here is the date for the first webinar:
March 16, 2009 from 11:00 AM EST - 11:45 AM EST
What I know about PremierShoppers.com ~ they are a pay site which I have never really been an advocate of. I did visit their site when I came across this webinar and found that their membership prices are much less then some others that I have seen. A year subscription for them is $28.50- as compared to $99.99 that Shadow Shopper charges.
You can make the choice about the pay sites once you gather all your information BUT if you want to attend the webinars - they are all FREE to everyone.
Here is a link to the article that I found on the web. Maybe I will "see" you there!
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=76775&cat=15