Patti Bray is paid to eat out, shop and even go on vacation.
"I just went to Aruba for a week," she said.
Bray is a mystery shopper and executive at Service Sleuth, a Taunton data collection agency.
She's paid to pose as a customer and report to the owner on the quality of the customer experience.
"Today's shop was to observe the bar and the restaurant and report on customer service and the food," she said.
Bray agreed to wear our hidden camera during an undercover visit to the Blue Dog Sports Bar and Grill, which is part of the Pinz entertainment complex in Milford.
During the meal, she makes mental notes.
"Well, went to the bar first, and we were greeted immediately, which is something that you wanted to have happen," she said. "The bartender was cheerful. I would say he did everything great. Everything was served in a timely manner."
Next, Bray writes a report on the experience, which she will submit online to the owner.
"What time you sat down, what time you ordered, how long it took to get your check," she said. "There's a lot of things to remember."
Restaurant owner David Breen said he hires mystery shoppers because it helps educate his staff and lets managers know what they're doing or what they're not doing.
But be aware mystery shopping is not easy money. In fact, you'll only make money if you're extra efficient.
"Could I end up making less than $10 an hour? Sure. Sure," she said.
Mike Mershimer owns Service Sleuth.
"A good mystery shopper is going to map it out. What can I do today?" he said.
Mershimer explained that a typical mystery "shop" involves a fee of $7 to $20, plus the freebies that go with the assignment.
"It's really not about how much money you're going to make, it's about other benefits," he said. "You get a night out with your spouse. You get a nice meal. You don't have to pay for it. All you have to do is spend 20 minutes writing up a report."
He said his clients include everything from museums to casinos to adult entertainment shops.
Mershimer cautions the more attractive jobs go to shoppers who have proven themselves over a long period of time.
Service Sleuth starts beginners out small.
"We send you out to do a smaller project - something that's less complex like a quick service restaurant, a coffee shop, and then we see how you do," he said.
Mystery shoppers need to be well organized. They also need to write well and have a good grasp of grammar and punctuation.
Some advertisements for a "mystery shopper" or "secret shoppers" aren't what they seem, and there are scams that use mystery shopper offers as bait.
"If there's ever a fee required -- my advice is, walk away," Mershimer said.
For legitimate mystery shopping jobs, log onto Mystery Shopping Providers Association at mysteryshop.org.
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