text: Intermediate 
  The customer next to you in the queue looks quite normal. But, instead of a shopping list, you notice shes carrying handwritten notes about the appearance and cleanliness of the store. Shes been timing the speed of the queue on her phone ... and is that a tiny camera lens in her purse? Shes probably a mystery shopper.
  There are approximately 50,000 mystery shopping trips carried out every month in the UK, according to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, and, as more and more spending takes place online, the demand for mystery shoppers is growing. Retailers are becoming increasingly aware that shoppers who are prepared to set foot in a physical store want a service and an experience they cant get online, says Simon Boydell, spokesman for Marketforce, which has more than 300,000 mystery shoppers. Our clients want to measure how well their stores are delivering on that experience.
  We assign different store locations to each shopper and rotate them so that they never go back to the same shop within three months, says Jill Spencer of mystery shopping company ABa. Each day, they typically spend up to eight hours visiting  ve to ten stores, plus another hour or two  ling detailed reports on every aspect of their visit. For that, the mystery shoppers can earn up to 155 a day. They are also reimbursed for their expenses. Mystery shoppers who  lm their visits with a hidden camera can earn even more  around 300 a day.
  Shoppers are usually repaid any money they spend in the stores and may also be allowed to keep the products they buy. Im typically given between 5 and 20 to spend at each store, to assess the service I receive at the till, says mystery shopper Laura. Im always given a scenario, such as buying something from a speci c department or a new product range, but I can often buy whatever I want  and keep it.
  Like most full-time mystery shoppers, Laura is self-employed. Her income is around 30,000 to 40,000 a year and that doesnt include all the freebies she gets on the job. With the perks, its enough to live on. She  nds it satisfying to return to a store she has previously mystery shopped and see standards have improved. I know it must be because of my feedback or why would they pay me to give it? Some of the retailers I shop at win awards for customer service and I think that is down to us mystery shoppers. I feel Im not just doing a service for my company; Im doing a service for all shoppers everywhere.
  Its estimated that more than 500,000 people have registered as mystery shoppers in the UK, but just 10% or less manage to get regular work each month. This has led to a dramatic reduction in pay. Once you got a fee, reimbursement for your purchase and mileage, but you now often just receive a contribution towards a purchase, say Val, a 51-year-old former mystery shopper. I worked for 40 different mystery shopping companies for almost 20 years but I gave up entirely three years ago because I had bills to pay and very few assignments paid an acceptable rate.
  Nowadays, mystery shopping companies mostly give freebies to incentivize their workers. Marketforce shoppers typically get a couple of pounds for a visit as a token gesture for their time and effort, says Boydell. At the most, well pay 15 to 25 plus reimbursement for, perhaps, a meal for two or a hotel stay. We dont directly employ any shoppers so we dont have to pay them the minimum wage.
  Id go on a cruise for nothing, says Laura. But I think mystery shopping companies that pay you a nominal fee to travel to a restaurant and eat a meal are exploiting people. I wont touch those jobs anymore. There are plenty of people, however, that would. Hannah, a 41-year-old lawyer, has done nearly 500 visits for the Mystery Dining Company in her spare time without receiving 9 3 pay or travel expenses. She carries out their most exclusive assignments, enjoying 200 meals at Michelin-starred restaurants and overnight stays at boutique hotels.
  But theres no such thing as a free lunch, even if you work for a mystery dining company. Hannah says she typically spends two to four hours after each visit writing detailed reports on everything from the quality of the food to speci c interactions with staff, whom she always needs to be able to name or describe. She has to memorize all these details while eating her meal because she cannot openly write anything down.
  Theres lots to remember. Youre expected to give feedback while its fresh, so Ive had to get up at 5am to write a report before work. Its a challenging thing to do; you need to be focused, articulate and detail orientated.