What is a shopper and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

A shopper is someone who purchases goods or services for personal or commercial use. They typically visit stores, browse products, compare prices, and make informed decisions on what to buy based on their needs and budget. Shoppers may also shop online, utilizing e-commerce platforms to purchase goods or services remotely. They may work independently, as a freelancer or consultant, or as an employee in retail or marketing.

ScoreShopperUS Average
Salary
2.9

Avg. Salary $36,631

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
-

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
9.4
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 5.79%

Black or African American 10.56%

Hispanic or Latino 15.96%

Unknown 5.21%

White 61.93%

Gender

female 61.29%

male 38.71%

Age - 39
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

What are the pros and cons of being a Shopper?

Pros

  • Flexible schedule

  • Ability to choose which assignments to take

  • Learn about new products and services

  • No experience necessary

  • Discounts and freebies

Cons

  • Inconsistent income

  • Not a stable career path

  • May require traveling long distances in personal vehicle

  • Must use personal vehicle for transportation

  • No benefits or job security

Shopper career paths

Key steps to become a shopper

  1. Explore shopper education requirements

    Most common shopper degrees

    Bachelor's

    34.2 %

    High School Diploma

    31.4 %

    Associate

    18.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific shopper skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Groceries36.28%
    Grocery Store25.35%
    Customer Orders25.04%
    Customer Service2.55%
    Instacart2.26%
  3. Research shopper duties and responsibilities

    • Light landscaping - planting flowers, mulch flower beds, weeding, mowing.
    • Key notes on quarterly reviews show exemplary marks for punctuality, customer service, and job quality.
    • Stack cases of merchandise on to pallets.
    • Select the highest quality produce and perishables.
  4. Prepare your shopper resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your shopper resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a shopper resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Shopper Resume templates

    Build a professional Shopper resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Shopper resume.
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    Shopper Resume
  5. Apply for shopper jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a shopper job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Shopper Job

Zippi

Are you a Shopper?

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Average shopper salary

The average Shopper salary in the United States is $36,631 per year or $18 per hour. Shopper salaries range between $27,000 and $49,000 per year.

Average Shopper Salary
$36,631 Yearly
$17.61 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do shoppers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Shopper reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2021
Cons

The less money and being unappreciated.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

Setting my own schedule. Doing a variety of jobs. Take a day off if I want. Supplement my income while I grow my business.

Cons

The pay really sucks. Not only that, but some companies don't want to pay if the shop doesn't go down like they want it to. A lot of the companies try to get you to do everything for nothing. They also try to control how the contactor does the job and use wording such as "You will do it like this or we won't pay" like you are a direct employee. They only bonus after the shop has been posted, so they can get as many shops completed as they can at a price that isn't worth your time. Many of them make you wait two or more months to get paid and they don't pay when they say their going to. They also restrict the number of shops you can do, so its hard to find steady work or they don't have a lot of work available, so you have to work with several companies just to get part time work There are a handful of good mystery shopping companies, but unfortunatly you learn that from experience.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

When the person allows, I love working with people. I've done it my whole life.Especially when I'm able to make them happy and we're able to find them what they needed and they hate to shop. That makes me happy ,then they only want to do business with me.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.