Shoppers News

Amusement Advantage Mystery Shopping Services is excited to announce we have implemented a new shopper self-assign system to our website. You can now self-assign some shops to yourself under various circumstances.

How It Works - When you click the "Request/Self Assign" link on the Available Assignments List page the system will review a number of factors including your distance from the assignment, any required demographics for the assignment, if you completed an assignment at that location before, how long ago was it, what your grade in our system is (either applicant, or assignment) and determine if you are currently eligible to self-assign the shop at that time. If you are, it will route you to the self-assign screen and populate the dates that are currently available for self-assign. You can select one of those dates and assign the shop, or request other dates that you wish to be considered for. If you aren't eligible to self-assign that location at that time, you will be routed to the regular assignment request screen, where you can request dates for that assignment.

Check Back Often! - Every day that passes more shoppers become eligible to self-assign each of the open assignments. We strongly recommend that you check back daily after you notice an open assignment that you are interested in to see if you can self-assign that location on that later date. To do so, simply search for open assignments again and then click on the "Update Request/Self Assign" link to see if that assignment is now eligible to be self-assigned to you. The more aggressive you are in checking to see if you can self-assign a shop, the more likely you will get a chance to self-assign the shop.

Requests are Still Used - Be sure to always put in a request for the assignment, even if you are not eligible to self-assign the shop at that time. Eventually if no shoppers has self-assigned the shop, a scheduler will pick a shopper from the requests in the system. If you don't put in a request, we cannot consider you for the assignment.

New Shoppers - For shoppers new to our system, if you never request an assignment, you will never receive an applicant grade from a scheduler and will never be eligible for self-assign. To increase your odds at getting scheduled, be sure to include a very detailed writing sample in your shopper profile. This sample should be an evaluation of the service at some type of entertainment or amusement facility.

Veteran Shoppers - Shoppers who have successfully completed work for our company and received a good assignment grade have a much higher preference in the self-assign process They are eligible to self-assign most shops as soon as they are released, where new applicant shoppers, must wait 1 or more days before they are eligible to self-assign.

Login Help - To login to your shoppers homepage go to www.amusementadvantage.com and click on Shopper Login. From your Shopper's Homepage click on the "Search Open Assignments" link. If you need help logging in, view the login help link found on the login page. If the link above does not work, please simply type www.amusementadvantage.com into your browser.

Over the years many shoppers have expressed their frustration with our long evaluation forms and the inability to save sections or parts as the are completed. We are now implementing multi-part dynamic evaluation forms that will break the evaluations into several groups of sections. Each group will include between 1 and 5 sections. Each group will be able to be saved separately. You will also be able to enter results for one group and then jump ahead to another group and then return to a group you already completed and proofread or edit it. This will also give our editors the ability to review your results as you enter them and also return groups to you for additional information or editing as needed. These new dynamic form system should give our shoppers much greater flexibility and freedom in submitting their results. We anticipate the rollout of this system starting in February 2008 with all assignments utilizing this system by June 2008. Watch this site for more details of this exciting enhancement!

The MSPA has announced that the Gold certification class will soon be available via a DVD course. Watch this site or the MSPA site for details.

Amusement Advantage strongly supports MSPA certification; Gold Certification will

We have now implemented the ability to upload receipts and pictures for all assignments. Just click on the link for Manage Receipt/Picture Uploads on your Shopper's Homepage and you can then upload these files. Receipts no longer have to be faxed. For more information please see the FAQ's.

We have finally made the switch to on-line scheduling. Each month on the weekend around the 20th we will be releasing the scheduled assignments for the following month. The system will automatically notify you of open assignments close to your home or within zip codes you listed in your profile via email. You can also login to your Shopper's Homepage to view open assignments. All assignments must be requested from your homepage as well. Shoppers who are scheduled will be notified via email. We keep all requests for the entire month in case other assignments open up. At the end of the month the requests for each month are discarded.

We are excited to announce that our website and shopper database have been completely revised to allow shoppers to update their Shopper's Profile themselves easily from our website.

You will set your own password and login using your email address and password to update your profile at any time. Be sure your information is current, including your payment preference.

You can now submit your MSPA Silver and Gold certification codes as well as Shadow Shopper and others to us for verification and addition to your profile. To submit your certification code click here.

PayPal Payments

Paypal payments are made in 14-21 days of the shopper submitting the completed assignment.

All shoppers who submit assignments on-time and of acceptable quality and are eligible for payment and/or reimbursement have the option of being paid electronically via PayPal. If you chose this payment option, we will submit the payment in 14-21 days of receiving your completed evaluation. Please click on either of the PayPal logos to signup with PayPal if you haven't already. When you are given an assignment please verify your payment preference in your shopper's profile on your homepage.

Two More New Domain Names Registered

We recently acquired two more domain names to drive additional customers towards our website and give us the possibility of additional marketing campaigns and product offerings and solutions in the future:

We have the ability perform evaluations in NEVADA!

We have partnered with Howard Services who is a licensed Private Investigation company in Las Vegas, NV to have them complete evaluations on our behalf in that state using only licensed Private Investigators under their mystery shopping and private investigator laws.

If you are a licensed Private Investigator in the state of NV interested in performing mystery shopping please contact Howard Services to apply for these shops. Let them know you are interested in completing shops for Howard Services on behalf of Amusement Advantage.

It is against the law to perform mystery shopping in the state of Nevada unless you are a licensed private investigator working for a licensed private investigation company.

If you have any questions about the Nevada laws regarding Private Investigators and mystery shopping please contact the State of Nevada.

Additional Domain Names Registered

We recently acquired the following domain names to drive additional customers towards our website and give us the possibility of additional marketing campaigns and product offerings and solutions in the future:

Great New Resource for Mystery Shoppers

Want to know how you can be a more successful mystery shopper? The Mystery Shopper's Manual can help you. Learn what mystery shopping is all about and how to make your shopping career the best it can be. The Manual contains insider information from professional shoppers as well as the companies and schedulers who hire mystery shoppers. Discover what they look for when they hire shoppers and how to work with them so that you get more assignments.

The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) has endorsed The Mystery Shopper's Manual--the first time MSPA has ever endorsed a book for mystery shoppers. According to the MSPA, "The Mystery Shopper's Manual provides solid information with a realistic approach to mystery shopping. It addresses step-by-step processes for becoming a successful shopper. The Mystery Shopper's Manual is a valuable tool that gives shoppers the "real story" about mystery shopping."

Get Certified, Get More Mystery Shopping Assignments

If you are serious about your mystery shopping career, you will want to know about the MSPA's new Gold Certification Workshop. The workshops are led by Cathy Stucker, author of The Mystery Shopper's Manual, and participating shoppers will be recognized by MSPA-member companies as top professionals. For more information about the Gold Certification Workshops, go to http://www.mysteryshop.org

Proud member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association:

"The MSPA is the only professional trade association dedicated to improving service quality using anonymous resources. With over 115 member companies worldwide, our diverse membership includes marketing research and merchandising companies, private investigation firms, training organizations and companies that specialize in providing mystery shopping services. Our member companies work with their clients to establish mechanisms to measure and improve levels of service."

• Companies seeking mystery shopping services,
• Shoppers seeking opportunities for new assignments
• Members of MSPA who need and expect a powerful resource to help ensure the continuing growth of their companies.

Get Paid for Having FUN!

We pay many shoppers all over the country every month to evaluate amusement facilities and have a great time! In most cases assignments that involve evaluating a facility that operates on a Pay as you Go basis will involve reimbursement of expenses in addition to payment for the shoppers time and hard work. These types of facilities typically operate year-round. Evaluating seasonal facilities that offer a Pay One Price plan for admission and attractions usually includes enough tickets to fairly compensate shopper's for their expenses, time and hard work. All payment and reimbursement amounts are explained at the time an assignment is offered to shoppers.

$5 Early Return Bonus on MANY assignments.

We are proud to offer a $5 early return bonus program on most of our assignments.

How does the program work? When you submit the results of your evaluation via our On-line form by 10am of the morning following the evaluation you will receive a check for $5.00. For instance, if you were assigned to complete the evaluation on a Saturday between 10am and 4pm, the assignment would be due by 4pm on Sunday evening. If you submitted the results by 10am on Sunday morning you would be eligible for the $5 bonus.

Why is this program being offered? We are offering this program as a way to reward our shoppers for their prompt work. It is very helpful to our staff to have the results in our office as soon as possible.

When will I get paid? All checks will be mailed within 30 days of receipt of the evaluation results. If you choose the PayPal option you will receive funds within 14 days.

How do you verify the time that the results are submitted? The time and date that the evaluation is submitted is automatically provided by the server when the results are received.

What assignments does this bonus apply to? This program now applies to all assignments except those completed by Howard Services on behalf of Amusement Advantage.

What if I can't get the assignment in by 10am? Please keep in mind that all assignments must be submitted within 24 hours. Please see the Independent Contractor Agreement for more details. All evaluations are always due within 24 hours at the absolute latest.

On-Line Evaluation Forms

We are utilizing On-Line evaluation forms for most of our clients. These time-saving forms are simple to complete. You just select the appropriate answers by clicking buttons and then type in the narrative and various word responses where prompted. There is no more hassle with cut and paste and E-mail problems. All you need is access to the internet and you are all set to complete the assignment.

Looking For Assignments?

Please DO NOT E-mail or phone our office asking for assignments. We keep everyone's application on file so as we get additional assignments you may be hearing from us. You can also search for assignments yourself via your shoppers homepage. Be sure to keep us informed of any address of other information changes.

Table of Contents

PayPal Payments

Two More New Domain Names Registered

We have the ability perform evaluations in NEVADA!

Additional Domain Names Registered

Great New Resource for Mystery Shoppers

Get Certified, Get More Mystery Shopping Assignments

Proud member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association:

Get Paid for Having FUN!

$5 Early Return Bonus on MANY assignments.

On-Line Evaluation Forms

Looking For Assignments?