New #3: Become a Secret Shopper

Becoming a secret shopper is a new I've been wanting to try for as long as I've known it's existed. What could be better than getting paid to do something I already love? From what I'd heard about it, a company hires you to shop somewhere, report back about your experience and pays you for doing it. As it turns out, the job's not as easy as it sounds - but is still pretty cool.

I'd signed up to secret shop a few months ago through a third-party website that connects people to companies that offer shopping opportunities. I never got a response, until this week when out of the blue I received a request to help with an auto insurance secret shopping mission. It wasn't the most glamorous topic I could imagine, but I couldn't beat the $40 pay out (and of course the opportunity to try something new!).

My assignment started with a longer-than-I-expected phone conversation asking me more about my own insurance company than I thought I knew. This was way beyond "Who is your insurance provider?" No, no. There were literally 100 questions like "Rate how likely you are to purchase auto insurance for its price rather than the coverage the company can provide to you." Yikes. The poor people who were around me during my time on the phone had to listen to "3. 5. 1. 8. 7." for about 20 minutes straight.

After the pre-shopping survey was complete, I needed to go to an auto insurance provider to get a quote. I had to follow strict guidelines of what information I could and could not give them, all while acting like I actually wanted a new provider. I started getting nervous that I would somehow stumble and reveal the awful truth that I wasn't just a simple girl there for a quote, but instead a paid-for-hire sleuth there to expose all of their flaws and mistakes. Luckily, it wasn't like that at all.

The agent was really friendly and asked easy questions I could answer. We actually had some fun talking about different cars we've owned. And what do you know? In the end, she offered me about 10 times the coverage plus renters insurance for the exact price I'm paying now. Wow. So now I get $40 and I can switch to a policy with more protection. Win-win for Sarah.

To complete my secret shopping assignment, I had to fill out two more surveys after the meeting. They were over the internet and much shorter than the first. Now I really like this whole secret shopper detective work and have since been applying with more companies for similar jobs. I would say what jobs I have lined up next, but I think I can get fired for that. Plus I like the idea of being sneaky. You never know where Secret Shopping Sarah will strike next!