A professional shopper’s job may seem like the ideal job for someone who enjoys shopping, but the needs of the customer and deadlines must always be considered, and the work is often inconsistent. Individuals with a mature, communicative attitude who are willing to persevere as professional shoppers may find steady work. Professional shoppers’ main job is to find the desired or needed items that a client requests — usually within a set time frame.
For example, a corporate event planner may ask a professional shopper to purchase everything needed for a single event. The planner can often save time by hiring a professional shopper to find every last party favor, gift, and candlestick before giving his or her final approval to have the shopper purchase the items. Because the event will take place on a specific date, the project will have deadlines for completing the purchase, and the shopper will be required to meet those deadlines in most cases. Corporate professional shoppers may work directly with companies’ customer service departments, with the primary goal of purchasing gifts for clients. Corporate professional shoppers must be able to find tasteful gifts that will be appreciated by clients while staying within the company’s budget.
Professional shoppers are also hired by people who are either busy executives, wealthy families, or elderly people. When it comes to clothing, food, gifts, or whatever items he or she is instructed to buy, this type of professional shopper must understand his or her client’s needs, desires, and tastes. Professional shopper jobs like this can last for a long time, and the shopper may be in charge of stocking the house with groceries as well as keeping track of what’s running out and replacing it. Initial meetings are usually required to discuss food preferences, budgets, and people on a gift list.
A professional shopper must organize his or her time for each shopping job because the less time and transportation costs a shopper spends shopping, the more money he or she makes. Returning items, which takes more time and transportation, can be avoided by planning ahead and taking the time to understand the client’s values and expectations. Most professional shoppers shop in person at local stores because customers can usually order online through the Internet themselves, so a personal shopper may spend a lot of time driving.
In most mystery shopping jobs, driving is also required. There are legitimate mystery shopping companies that hire professional shoppers to shop for their clients and report on their store service and other qualities. Because there are so many scam companies out there, caution is advised when applying for secret or mystery shopper jobs. Instead of responding to an ad for a mystery professional shopper that may be a scam, those interested in shopping in a variety of retail establishments and providing written reports on their experiences should contact the professional organization Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).