THANKING the waiter for the glass of champagne, Ashley Pearce smiles at her husband across the table and the pair clink glasses and say cheers.
The couple are enjoying a much-deserved night away at a posh four-star hotel and a three-course meal in the much talked about restaurant.
Taking out her phone, careers adviser Ashley does a selfie with her husband before taking photos of her plated up starter.
More subtly, the mum-of-two snaps pictures of the table layout, the menu as well as the waiter and staff at the bar.
Then Ashley takes a close-up of her knife and fork pointing to a few smudges on the silverware.
The 46-year-old could easily be mistaken for a social media influencer who’s detailing her “best life” for the “gram”.
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But Ashley is not a social media star, she is in fact a mystery shopper and enjoying a freebie hotel stay while rating its services.
“It's a date night splurge and a chance to celebrate an anniversary for free and earn cash at the same time,” Ashley told The Sun.
“I’ve made more than £6,000 in the past decade as a part-time mystery shopper.
“I get free stays in hotels, posh dinners, lunches, free fuel and I even earn a tenner at Aldi or Waitrose when I ‘shop on the sly’ providing research data for some of Britain's top mystery shopping agencies,” she says.
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“Mystery shopping pays for treats and even helps with the mortgage. I feel like a 007 mummy snooper.
“The cash and freebies I earn have been lifesavers. I earned extra cash when the kids were young. I mystery shop on the school run. It fits around my schedule.”
Even when Ashley does her weekly grocery shop at Aldi, she doesn't miss a chance to earn cash while pushing the trolley.
“I love nabbing supermarket secret shopping tasks. I did one at Asda and earned a fiver and got £15 worth of groceries reimbursed. I also got to report on the store and my opinion was heard.
“It means I can earn when I am not at work and in the supermarket aisles topping up on baked beans and veggies.”
Ashley says grocery mystery shopping isn't just about doing a big shop and often the task is focused on just one item.
“The task may be to buy a specific brand of gravy granules. You have to take photos of the item in store, display labels, check the price in store and the shelf placement.”
“I’ve never been busted taking photos. If someone were to ask I’d say it’s for my ageing relative who likes to see the items she puts on her list, “ she explained.
The 'perfect side hustle'
According to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA), approximately 50,000 mystery shopping trips are undertaken every month in the UK.
Esomar Global Market Research estimates the mystery shopping sector in Britain has a turnover of £6.6 billion and leads Europe.
Despite the growth of social media where billions of people share their daily lives and feeds are full of unboxing videos it’s secret shoppers like Ashley who have the real power.
“I love mystery shipping because you get a brief about each job. You are told what the mystery shopping client wants you to buy and report on,” she said.
“In the past ten years, I have helped pay for holidays, paid extra off the mortgage and my family has been able to enjoy hotel stays.
“We get free restaurant meals, when the kids were little we had free trips to soft play and holiday parks and entertainment for free thanks to my part-time secret shopping.
Ashley started secret shopping 16 years ago when she was single.
“I saw an ad for mystery shoppers wanted and after some research decided to give it a go,” she said.
“I signed up with a mystery shopping company online and was able to pick and choose my ‘undercover shopping jobs’ by logging on to their then website and selecting what jobs I did or didn't want.
“I also built up my experience and rating as a mystery shopper.”
When Ashley married and had her children Lucy, now nine, and Charlotte, now 11, she picked up extra cash and freebies working around the children’s schedules.
“I wanted to help top up the family finances while on maternity leave and this was the perfect side hustle job.
“Mystery shopping helped pay for extras like nappies and baby grows.
“I’d log on to the agency website most days and see what mystery shopping jobs were in my area and if I could fit them around the kids’ schedule I would do them.
“I mystery shopped at a lot of baby clothes shops and toy stores.
“Sometimes I’d earn a fee and get reimbursed for what I bought meaning the children got clothes, toys or even baby food or nappies for free.”
Fitting it in with the school run
The day we spoke to Ashley she had nabbed a petrol station mystery shop which she did on the school run.
“I saw it come up on my mystery shopping job app and I figured I’d get a £5 fee and £15 worth of free petrol once it was reimbursed so it was worth the ten minutes the job took and the time the task needed to be done worked around the school run."
Ashley explains once she was allocated the mystery shop she read up the brief or task list.
She recorded the time and date of her shop, she took photos of the forecourt, the fuel pump and inside the shop as well as keeping her receipts to upload along with her report.
“I checked the price on the sign was the same as the price on the pump. I completed a detailed questionnaire which covered layout of the forecourt and shop, cleanliness, attentiveness of the cashier, time it took to be served and asked me to note positives and negatives.
Ashley explains that once you do the actual shop you have to make time to complete the forms.
She says the forms are done online via a secret shopping app and you have to complete and upload all the documents and photos or videos the day it's done otherwise you won't get paid.
“I quickly got used to completing the reports. As mystery shopper you rate shops and if you fail to complete your own forms properly or present less than quality reports you also get rated.
"I like that. It incentivises you,” the mum-of-two and step-mum of one admits.
“It’s important to check the brief before you accept the job and ensure you have time to complete the write up, make sure you can take photos and videos.
“If you don't have time to write up the report, don't accept the task.
“The best mystery shoppers like me are planners and consistent in their report writing.”
Ashley doesn’t work full-time as a mystery shopper and says she loves being able to pick and choose her jobs.
“Sometimes you get a small fee and a reimbursement. Other jobs you simply get a reimbursement and that means you get free items.
“On some jobs you may get a bonus depending on the company you sign up with this can include vouchers.”
Ashley reveals as a mystery shopper she can't accept another task at the same store or venue in a three to six-month period depending on the business.
What do mystery shoppers do?
Mystery shopping jobs typically include following a set of guidelines as part of the assessment, such as:
- What to buy
- A list of questions to ask in store
- What photographs to take
- Details of things to watch out for and to take a mental note including cleanliness lighting, if you were greeted as you walked in
- When you should have your written report submitted by
“This ensures a range of mystery shoppers report on the same store and you don't blow your cover.”
“You also can’t return the items. It's part of keeping the mystery shopping secret.
“If you try, the receipt is uploaded and the company owning the store can check to see if it’s returned. That's why I choose shopping tasks for clothes, food, and things I need and want.
“That's why I picked shops that I knew my family would benefit from.”
Ashley “mystery shopped” soft play entertainment when her children were younger scoring free entry and food.
She said: “I was asked to check on the cleanliness of the soft play area, its tidiness, the staff’s involvement with children and the quality of food.
“Toilets and changing rooms are places I often find are manky and not up to scratch.
“I am honest in my report. If staff are ‘leaning and not cleaning’ or chatting and ignoring customers it goes in my report. You have to be honest.
Ashley also mystery shops on her holidays.
“If shopping tasks are available when she visits London or other major towns for work or with the family. She tries to fit them in.
“I might be visiting relatives or friends in London or even Cornwall and a mystery shopping task will pop up nearby. I get to earn some cash or freebies and still have a holiday.
Ashley says hotel stays, pub meals or restaurant mystery shops are the gigs her entire family can get involved in.
“One night away at a four-star hotel and earning £50 plus a free stay is great.
“The money I earn adds up over the year and the reimbursements are a big bonus. It's why so many people do secret shopping.
“The cost of living crisis means every little helps and I like to think my input means staff try harder or change is implemented at a business.
“I live outside of a major city so full-time secret shopping isn't something I can do. For me it’s the extra cash and freebies that count.”
How you can mystery shop
In the past decade, Ashley has completed over 1,100 mystery shops and is signed up with two mystery shopping Apps.
In Britain, all mystery shopping companies now use apps which allow shoppers to select tasks, upload reports and complete the mystery shops.
Market Force, Ipsos, Tern, Serve Legal, Grass Roots,Redwigwam and ESA Retail are among the most popular.
Ashley advises to check each site and app and sign up to a few.
“Some offer better short-term jobs, others a higher fee and some are targeted at students or specific markets,” she added.
“Have a go and get familiar with the app and write the reports. Remember if you don’t upload your report in the allotted time you won't be paid.
“You can also lose points on the job for not answering questions properly or following the directions.
“I log on regularly and nab the jobs that suit me and my schedule. I learnt to earn regularly and to be good, consistent and reliable.
“Learn to subtly take photos and never blow your cover.
“I started mystery shopping as something fun to do and make it work for me. It won't make you a millionaire but it will help earn some extra cash, get you freebies and be something to add to the resume.
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“For me, it means I can earn while doing my daily chores and always have some extra cash for family treats.
“The real mystery is why more people don't give it a go.”
More ways to mystery shop
Mystery shopping doesn’t always involve shopping, or even leaving your home
Tasking apps don't involve actually buying anything, but you'll still need to sneak around a bit.
With postal monitoring, you sign up to have brochures and catalogues sent to your home address.
In return you record how long they take to arrive and what state they arrive in.
Mystery shopping can be done by phone, meaning you could even start work before getting out of bed.
Telephone mystery shopping involves calling up stores with general questions and assessing (and recording!) how these are answered.
Email mystery shopping works in a similar way but is usually for online-only stores, or stores that have a strong online presence.
There are also online surveys, where you complete product reviews or simply answer questions related to certain brands.
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