HOUSTON -- They look just like anyone else. But the next time you go shopping, take a good look at the people around you. One of them could be a mystery shopper -- and getting paid to shop.

SURVEY Would You Like To Be A Mystery Shopper? Yes, I'd like to get paid to shop No, the fee is not worth the effort I'm not sure. I need to know more about it Results  |  Disclaimer

"A mystery shopper is a typical customer, so it could be a man or woman, younger or elderly. It could be anybody because a customer could be anybody," said Cathy Stucker, a mystery shopper.

A mystery shopper could be found in any place -- from restaurants and hair salons to grocery stores and banks.

"They don't know who the person is or when it is going to happen. But they know it is going to happen and as a result, there is a sentinel effect where they treat every customer as if they were a mystery shopper," Stucker said.

Stucker wrote a book full of advice for people who want to be mystery shoppers.

"We are specially trained to do this. We are told exactly what to look for, how to evaluate businesses. They are getting very specific feedback on how customers see them," Stucker said.

Beyond customer service, shoppers can also be looking to make sure employees are following the law.

"That is another area of mystery shoppers. Are they integrity shops -- where you are checking to make sure everyone is doing everything honestly," Stucker said.

For example, equal opportunity renting of properties or checking identification before selling alcohol.

So why do companies hire customers for feedback?

"We can't control what is going on with the economy. But we can control what is going on in our business," said Sondra Pulford, with Texas Shoppers Network.

Texas Shoppers Network supplies the mystery shoppers.

"I ask for their demographics so I can best mimic their natural customer," Pulford said.

Then Pulford sends in the shoppers.

"We try to communicate the entire experience in the report, and that is what we train our shoppers so that anybody that reads it is crystal clear," Pulford said.

According to Klein Bank, it works.

"Banking is all about service. It truly is a service industry," said Kris Ruiz, with Klein Bank.

Klein Bank sends mystery shoppers to its 27 branches twice a month.

"We have been able to implement improvements in our organization based on data gotten back," Ruiz said.

"Businesses know that a happy customer will tell a few friends. But an unhappy customer will tell a lot of people," Stucker said.

Mystery shopping is not a get-rich-quick type of job. Fees range from $10 to $100. Most of the time, the payment is received as a free service like an eye exam or a meal.

Some companies also use mystery shoppers to check out their competition.

Mystery shopping is not only for businesses. Government agencies use shoppers to test their own customer service departments.

For more information, visit www.idealady.com/shopping.html.