Best of World Travel - June 11, 2016, Joe Gibson
Travelers in the 21st Century are now in a whole different level of thinking while enjoying their vacations. We don't just ride a horse and have some fun at wild west.
But, as modern travellers, we secretly earn money in order to save more bucks that will help us to travel more. It could be in a form of a credit card points, an affiliate program, an ad revenue but in this case, as a mystery shopper.
Mystery shoppers or secret shoppers perform a specific task in an establishment from their assignment. It could be purchasing a product, asking questions, or in some cases, making a scene in order to test the capability of the employees present on that particular establishment, and oh! don't forget the tidiness of the whole establishment! Did they greet you? or they just left you behind? Did you feel love or hate? Whatever those feelings you have, you need it for evaluation!
"It is just easy as 1, 2, 3 , bang! you just have to play your Bond, James Bond role, and everything will be fine"
Yes, somewhat of a secret agent that purchases a couple of french fries at a nearby fast food restaurant.
"I am agent 007, and would you care to give me one extra large french fries?~ with a smile"
But, you're not gonna use those good 'ol secret tools. Just be vigilant. But in our case, we fly with airplanes (mostly in Air Canada), have a bus trip (North America) and sleep in a luxurious hotel (about 1-2 nights)! So let's rephrase it:
"I am agent 007, and I am outside this flying aircraft, would you care to open the door?~ please?"
Evaluate It By SQM offers an opportunity for you to have an awesome discount of up to 50% just by experiencing your travel getaways, whether it be a hotel or an airline company. They offer a wide variety of assignments where members can choose according to their heart's content and according to their travel destinations. You can actually read Nora's experience about Air New Zealand Was the Best Airline Evaluate from Toronto to Peru.
Evaluate It Task Offers
The famous website offer different kinds of tasks, but the most popular are the hotel evaluation and airline travel. Well~~ who would not love to have a 50% reimbursement every flight? Or in some cases, upgrade to business seats! Awesome, right?
It's airline reimbursement covers almost all of the United States and some countries such as Canada, South Korea, China and Germany. If you feel like traveling to these countries in the near future, or just living in these countries, then your luck as a traveller is 50% more! For the list of states covered by Evaluate It:
USA: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington.
Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Québec
Germany: Frankfurt
China: Beijing and Hong Kong
South Korea: Seoul
Evaluations
"My experience with Evaluate It was a pleasant surprise. The questionnaire was easy to follow, and the report was very easy to fill in online. The cheque arrived so quickly! I look forward to participating again!!" Stephanie – Brampton, ON
"I found the 50% savings on the lodging to be great; it's a wonderful way to travel with reasonable costs. Thanks for this opportunity." Joy – Dartmouth, NS
"I backpacked China with my mom. She will be 70 this year. I can't express what that means for me to be able to do this." Holly – Toronto, ON
How to Join and Am I Qualified?
Earning a great amount of income in Evaluate It is done after 4 easy steps, just like what their website says. It is like making a hot coffee in one two three~~ and four!
First is to join the team. Register on their website or click the "apply online" just below of this page of SQM. Next is to request for your assignments. Then conduct your evaluation and poof! A shining 50% reimbursement after your travel experience.
Easy, right? I even managed to compress it in a single paragraph!
But are you sure you can handle being a mystery shopper?
SQM gave some insights on what qualities they needed for a new applicant, you can actually read it here. It is like applying for a job, but in our case, just think of it as a travel opportunity! They wanted a mature, reliable and detail oriented person. They also want a traveller that has an excellent memory and keen eyes and observation, well, I guess we have that! Right?
How Do I Get Paid?
Getting paid in Evaluate It as a mystery shopper is one easy task as well. You just have to accept an assignment, and do what it says. For example, you are required to join a flight from Toronto, Canada to Washinton DC, USA under the Air Canada's flight. At first you have to pay all of the expenses for that seat, and after reporting your evaluation, they will send you their payment, much like 50% of your flight's seat.
For United States, Evaluate It SQM sends their "reimbursement" via cheque delivered by mail. For Canadian citizens, they will send the payment via cheque delivered by mail or direct deposit. Lastly, for international users, payment will be sent via PayPal services. Just my two cents:
"Accept an assignment that will converge with your travel itinerary."
Other Mystery Shopping Opportunities
There are a bunch of mystery shopping opportunities in the world. But be careful of some that will try to scam you. For legitimate websites that offers mystery shopping experience, you can find some at Volition.com's mystery shopping database. Of course, Evaluate It SQM is listed on their directory.
Verdict
Being a mystery shopper definitely needs a flexible amount of time in order to accomplish your tasks. And being a part time or full time traveller, with the chance to choose whatever task you will accept, it is a great opportunity to travellers in the west to have a great vacation, while paying 50% off in your flights and other accommodations during the stay.
Being a mystery shopper needs a pair of keen eyes and vigilant personality in order to excel in this "part time job". Some people might have these kinds of abilities, but not all. Being a mystery shopper is not for all, but for a traveller, it can be a great way to save more money for future plans.
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