Resort and Cruise Mystery Shopper Jobs: Can You Get Them?   by Cathy Stucker

The question I hear most often from mystery shoppers is, "How can I get a cruise shop?" There are very few cruise shops available-I have talked to mystery shopping executives who have never seen one. But there are many very desirable high-end shops, including resorts and spas, that offer "free" travel, accommodations and other benefits, and sometimes even a significant fee.

Lots of new shoppers are enticed by the idea of landing one of these high-value shops. So, how do you get these assignments? Before you hand over your credit card information to someone dangling the promise of a cruise or resort shop in front of you, think about this.

Imagine you are a mystery shopping company owner or scheduler, and you have a cruise shop assignment to fill. Would you:

a) Post the listing to a public job board and hire a shopper with whom you have never worked before;

b) Randomly award the shop like a raffle prize to one of the 50,000 shoppers already in your database;

c) Do it yourself-after all it's a cruise; or

d) Give the shop to one of the shoppers who can always be relied upon to do a great job for you.

OK, in some cases the answer might be c. That is one of the perks that comes with being in charge. But there is another reason why they might choose to do it themselves.

First, let's talk about how mystery shopping companies select shoppers for high-end shops. They have to choose someone who will do everything required (and these types of shops can be complicated) and will turn in a detailed, well-written report. They can not take the chance that the shopper will do a less than outstanding job. That means that they will choose a shopper who has worked for them (usually many times) in the past, has always done their assignments on time, follows all shop guidelines, and has the writing skills needed for the detailed narratives often required for these shops.

Think about it this way: If a shopper screws up on a $50 dinner shop and does not turn in a report acceptable to the client, the mystery shopping company will probably not reimburse the shopper. That usually makes for an unhappy shopper. Now imagine that the shopper messed up a $3,000 cruise or resort shop. The mystery shopping company can not afford to pay the shopper's expenses if they will not be paid by the client. But the shopper probably can not afford to be out of pocket $3,000, either. No one wins in this situation. (That is the other reason they may choose to do it themselves.)

So how can you get high-end hotel, resort, spa and (maybe) cruise shops? Make your applications complete and correct. Provide an excellent writing sample. Do your assignments on time. Read and follow the written guidelines for every shop. Follow the scenarios you are given. Make your reports the best they can be--plenty of detail, and written with proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. Help out your scheduler when she is in a jam. Pick up a last-minute shop or two when someone else flakes (and don't be a flake yourself). Be the go-to shopper.

Do a great job on the little jobs, and the big jobs will follow.

About the Author

Copyright Cathy Stucker. Cathy Stucker has been a professional mystery shopper since 1995. She is the author of The Mystery Shopper's Manual, the only book endorsed by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.