I am one of the few people whose identity doesn’t have to be protected even though I work in a secret industry. For the last five years, I’ve run my own business as a mystery shopping editor. Working as an independent contractor in a carefully shrouded industry is both fun and hectic.
What’s a Mystery Shopping Editor?
The mystery shopping (MS) industry consists of at least several dozen companies in the United States that contract with retailers to help the clients improve or better market their supplies and services. MS companies then contract with mystery shoppers, who are independent contractors. The shoppers venture into selected client sites to secretly gather information for the client’s home office.
The most important rule of a mystery shopper is to be accurate. The second is to remain anonymous. Nobody should suspect that the individual poring over those diamond anniversary rings is a mystery shopper.
After shoppers forward their results to the mystery shopping companies, reports with narratives must be edited by someone like me before going to the respective client.
The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) has extensive information about the mystery shopping industry. Another meet-and-greet site for the exchange of info among those wanting to get started or already working is Volition.
Getting into this type of editing usually requires passing a number of tests and a referral from somebody already doing it.
A Typical Day
There isn’t one, beyond the fact that at the beginning of each week, I allocate certain hours of each day to my editing work, depending on the estimated workload. On any weekday, I might edit accounts for several mystery shopping companies or perhaps a few for the same company. All the work is done online, using several types of specialized software.
The challenge as far actual editing is using the required style of each client and making the mental switch as I leave one account for another. A typical Wednesday, for example, might find me shortening the narrative of a shopper who applied for a fake home equity line of credit or emailing another one whose report times suggested that the entrée arrived before the salad.
Nuts and Bolts
Since I worked as a writer and an editor my entire adult life, it was only natural that I open a free-lance editing business after retiring from a federal career. I maintain my own records and do my own income taxes. The most important things I’ve learned while running my own business include:
Business size. I really don’t want my business to grow. Few people make a living doing MS editing full time and maintain their sanity. Part-time work is fine since I occasionally do other types of editing and also write.
Income. It fluctuates wildly. When planning for income taxes, I make a yearly guesstimate. Within a two-month period, a client lost the two largest accounts I edited. I’ve learned to expect the unexpected.
Flexibility. Most retirees can quickly recite a list of things they don’t want to do with their time. Though I won’t accept an account I don’t think I’d enjoy, to get good ones, I’ve had to change plans more than a few times to do emergency editing someone else was unable to complete.
Time management. Aside from a client emergency, I strictly divide my time among business, family, and personal categories. I don’t work on Sundays.
Buck stops here. I am the CEO, COO, and CFO of my mystery shopping editing business. If there’s a goof in a report, a staff member isn’t responsible for it. I am. If the cable service is down, I have to figure out a workaround to meet a deadline. There’s no paid sick leave.
If I could rewind five years, would I start the business I run, knowing what I do now? Absolutely!