With the cost of living climbing higher than a Bunnings sausage sizzle queue on a Saturday morning, many Aussies are looking for clever ways to stretch their dollars further.

But what if we told you there’s a side hustle that pays you to do something you’re probably already doing—shopping at your favourite stores like Woolworths, Bunnings, and Costco?

That’s right, mystery shopping is back in the spotlight, and it’s proving to be a surprisingly lucrative gig for everyday Australians, including those of us in the over-60s club.

For those who haven’t heard of it, mystery shopping is a simple concept: companies pay everyday people to visit their stores, make purchases, ask questions, and then report back on their experience.

It’s all about helping businesses improve their customer service and store standards. The best part is that you get paid for your time, reimbursed for your purchases, and sometimes even get to keep the goodies you buy!

Take Ri Springbett, a 37-year-old mum from Adelaide, as an example. She began mystery shopping last year to help her family of three improve their financial situation.

Around $1,000 a month is being earned by an Adelaide mum through mystery shopping at retailers like Woolworths, Costco, and Bunnings. Credit: @australianmoneymoves / TikTok

With the flexibility to fit jobs around school drop-offs, volunteering, and family life, Ri has turned this side hustle into a steady income stream—earning around $1,000 a month.

She completes about 15 mystery shops a week, with tasks ranging from buying groceries at Woolies (and getting reimbursed), to picking up lollies at Costco, or even asking staff about tools at Bunnings.

Some jobs pay as little as $4, while others can fetch up to $40, depending on the complexity and time involved.

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While Ri’s experience is impressive, it’s not unique. The Australian Bureau of Statistics recently reported that over 960,000 Aussies are working multiple jobs, and side hustles like mystery shopping are a big part of that trend.

With the right approach, it’s possible to earn a few hundred to a thousand dollars a month—especially if you’re organised and integrate the jobs into your regular shopping trips.

If you’re keen to give it a go, getting started is easier than you might think.

Ri recommends platforms like Smartspotter and Snooper, which list available jobs in your area.

After signing up, you’ll receive instructions for each assignment—usually involving a purchase, a few questions, and a short report (which can take anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes to complete).

Mystery shopping is perfect for retirees or semi-retirees looking for a flexible, low-stress way to supplement their income.

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You don’t need any special skills—just a keen eye, a smartphone, and a willingness to share your honest feedback.

Plus, it’s a great excuse to get out and about, try new products, and maybe even treat yourself to a coffee or a treat on the house.

Whether you’re looking to top up your pension, save for a holiday, or just enjoy a few extra treats, mystery shopping could be the side hustle you never knew you needed.

It’s flexible, social, and—let’s be honest—who doesn’t love getting paid to shop?

Credit: TikTok​

Key Takeaways

• An Adelaide mum is earning around $1,000 a month through mystery shopping at retailers like Woolworths, Costco and Bunnings, showing it’s a flexible side hustle that anyone can do.
• Mystery shopping tasks include buying certain items (which are reimbursed) and reporting on the experience, with jobs paying from $4 to $40 each and taking anywhere from a couple of minutes to 20 minutes to complete.
• Ri Springbett says the demand for mystery shoppers is so high that she sometimes has to turn down jobs and that it’s easy to integrate the tasks into daily life, like running errands or grocery shopping.
• Experts say more Aussies are taking up side hustles or multiple jobs due to the cost-of-living crisis, with nearly one in ten workers juggling extra employment, according to recent data.

Have you tried mystery shopping, or are you tempted to give it a go? Share your experiences, tips, or questions in the comments below—we’d love to hear from you! And if you have a favourite platform or a funny story from your mystery shopping adventures, don’t be shy—let’s get the conversation started!

Read more: How 24-year-old Aussie earns $10,000 monthly just by shopping at Woolies and Kmart

 

[Suzanne rose]

I worked in bridal for years as a bridal consultant. I started at Abbey Bridal in 2008 and finished work in 2021 and four times a year we had a mystery shopper.

We would be scored from everything we did.
1 . Greeting as they entered the store
2. How long did they wait until served and were they offered our catalogues
3. Did their consultant ask the 10 questions we had to ask eg when, where was the wedding , had they been to other stores and where ect
4. Did we offer hair accessories, veil ect
5. Did we give them a card before they left.

If we got a score of under 95% then we were pulled in for a meeting.

I remember having a bride who was very well dressed in a pant suit and very well groomed make up, hair done and she came in on her lunch break.

When I went into the dressing room to help her into her first dress I smelt such a stronge horrible smell that actually made me heave.

When I took her out of that dress and into the next I could smell that the dress stunk her odour clung to the dress. I took it into the office and told my boss what was happening, my boss told me not to put her into anymore dresses.

The odour was a really strong smell of garlic and curry mixed.
It was that bad we needed to clean both dresses . When I took them out to the sea stressing asked her to clean them , as soon as I left them she asked what was that horrible smell and what happened .

I told the customer that I was very sorry but she would need to rebook as something came up.

A week later I was called into the office because we has the mystery shopper and I failed with a score of 70% turns out the smelly bride was the mystery shopper. I was excused and my boss actually put in a complaint as my boss paid $400 for a mystery shopper.

Would I be a mystery shopper ? Definitely, but it is hard to get in and jobs are very limited ,well in NSW it's hard to get into