More than 500,000 people have registered as mystery shoppers in the UK, but just 10% or less get regular work each month. This has led to a dramatic reduction in payment. Before, people were paid and got travel expenses, but now “you often just receive some money towards a purchase,” says Val, a 51-year-old former mystery shopper. Nowadays, mystery shopping companies mostly give freebies as an incentive. “Marketforce shoppers usually get a couple of pounds for a visit, for their time and effort,” says Boydell. “At the most, we’ll pay £15 to £25 plus expenses for a meal for two or a hotel stay, for example. We don’t directly employ any shoppers so we don’t have to pay them the minimum wage.”
Who is Val?
A person who used to be a mystery shopper A mystery shopper A spokesperson for Marketforce An owner of a retail store