九年级英语Unit 3 Buying and SellingThe Mystery Shopping Club USA, Canada and UK冀教版.doc

The Mystery Shopping Club USA, Canada and UK
Are you a student over 18? Part-time teacher? Parent? Just someone that needs some extra income? Some free food and drinks perhaps? Would you like to pick your own hours? - Casual work available now.
Whenever you visit a major fast food restaurant or well known retail chain, have you ever wondered how they manage to maintain a consistent high level of service no matter how many branches they have and regardless of where they are in the world?
It is not left to chance. They all use mystery shoppers to pose as diners or buyers to evaluate the service at ground level. Thousands of ordinary people get paid to go shopping, eat out in a restaurant or just pop out for a drink. Fees per visit vary between companies, but are usually between about £6.00 ($9.00) and £20.00 ($30.00). And of course expenses are paid - yes that really does mean that your food and drink is paid for as well.
The following is an article taken from Choices Magazine after a visit to The High Street Central Mystery Shopping Club.
"Wanted: Shopaholic nosey parker with excellent observational skills, a good ear and flexible attitude to part-time work. Anyone can apply. Work available in all areas. Must be prepared to eat free meals, enjoy shopping discounts and visit pubs - and be paid for it."
Believe it or not, the above job advertisement is not as far fetched as it sounds. If you love shopping, you'll be pleased to hear that it's possible to shop for a living. In fact, it's a multi-million pound industry for market research companies who employ "mystery shoppers" to shop up and down the country - all in the name of customer service and research.
There are a number of mystery shopping companies who organise whole armies of professional shoppers on behalf of retailers, pubs, restaurants, banks and other service industries. Their mission? To mingle in, look inconspicuous and file a report on anything from customer service to cleanliness in the restrooms.
If you visit one or two pubs in a night, you'll get your food and drink paid for, travel expenses and you'll be paid anything from £6.00 or £7.00 (US$12) up for each visit.
But there is one problem with mystery shopping: truly dedicated shoppers never switch off from their work. You'll find yourself compulsively evaluating service and checking ceilings for cobwebs even when you're not on duty. It eventually becomes a part of your life.