Since everyone has to eat, getting reimbursed and/or paid to shop at the grocery store is an excellent way to make extra money. Some mystery shoppers are able to have much of their monthly expenses covered by having multiple assignments at the grocery store.

There are a couple assignments available at local grocery stores.

Observations in multiple departments:
Shoppers may be required to visit several areas in a grocery store, which can include the bakery, meat section, pharmacy, customer service and the cashier. The shopper will look for employees in each department and ask questions to determine the knowledge of the employee. Some shoppers may be required to be first acknowledged by the employee before asking a question. Management may want to determine how motivated their employees are. Some employees may just point the customer in the right direction and other employees will actually escort the customer to the correct shelf or aisle and hand the item to the customer.

Customer Service:
Shoppers will either have a pre-assigned question or may be able to make up one on their own. The customer service desk can be a high traffic area and it is important to provide consistent quality service.

Here are examples of questions that may be used at the customer service desk:

• "Do you sell stamps?"
• "Where is your bathroom?"
• "Do you sell money orders?"
• "How can I find out what is on sale this week?"
• "Do you have an extra store flyer?"
• "Where can I find your diet soda (or whatever item)?"

Cashier:
Shoppers will be expected to observe the service provided by the cashier at the grocery store. Was the customer greeted right away? Did the cashier smile at you? Did you have the complete attention of the cashier or what he/she talking to a co-worker during your transaction? Were you asked if you had a preferred shopper card?

The cashier should be pleasant during your visit and focused on providing the best service possible.

Some companies require that reports are submitted within 12 hours of the visit. Shoppers need to pay attention to all details of the assignment.

Having a great filing system will help track any receipts if there are questions later.

Grocery store assignments are very convenient for shoppers wanting to save money on every day purchases.