The skinny is that many shoppers do not follow this "don't tell" philosophy. It's my opinion that most do not, but we'll keep it in the many category so I don't become overwhelmed with e-mail from righteous shoppers angry that I categorized them in such a way. :)
Some MS companies post their jobs on a public web site, and still require their shoppers to sign confidentiality agreements. Why? Because they can. The clients are theirs. You, as an Independent Contractor, have a choice to work with them or to not work with them. If you work with them, you will usually sign the agreement in order to do so. The point is, just because an MS company posts it's clients on a web site, in an e-mail, or mails you a hard copy list does NOT make it OK to divulge to others who their clients are, what the requirements for shops are, or what kind of fees they pay.
Many shoppers have a network of other shoppers from around the nation that they chat with regularly. How do they do this? Well, there are two separate MS areas on AOL (America OnLine). One is in the BKH (Business Know How), keyword BKH area. The other one is in the MO (Moms Online), keyword MO area. Both are terrific sources of information. Both have an area for MS schedulers to post leads for shoppers to snag up. Both have a great group of people to network with who will give terrific tips on mystery shopping and where to get good shops. Another resource for shoppers is Delphi forums. www.delphi.com Once you register, it's free, you can sign up for any kind of forum you want. I know of at least ten mystery shopping/merchandising forums on Delphi. This is another great place to find out tips about shopping as well as leads from schedulers for jobs around the nation.
Many of the places listed above are places where you can get information about a company's clientele if you read closely, pay attention, and ask the right questions. My biggest suggestion is to read, read, read. Read as much as you can at any MS site you find. You will learn quickly what is and what is not accepted by seeing what others have done before you.
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