The Mystery Shopping Insider
Your no-hype monthly briefing on mystery shopping news, scam alerts, industry trends, and practical tips. Every edition is free, fact-checked, and written by an active shopper with 150+ completed assignments.
All Editions
Browse every edition below, newest first. Each issue covers a full month of mystery shopping news starting with Edition #8.
Edition #10 · Monthly
Mystery Shopping News July 2026: IRS Mileage Rate Jumps
July 1–31, 2026
The IRS raises the business mileage rate to 76 cents mid-year, gas crosses $4 a gallon and resets route math, ShopperFest 2026 wraps in Las Vegas, and back-to-school spending sets a $146.8 billion record.
Edition #9 · Monthly
Mystery Shopping News: June 2026 Insider Report
June 1–30, 2026
ShopperFest 2026 opens in Las Vegas, the DOL final rule heads toward late summer, Father’s Day breaks the spending record at $27.9 billion, and ShopCon 2026 joins the fall conference calendar.
Edition #8 · Monthly
Mystery Shopping News: May 2026 Insider Report
May 1–31, 2026
The DOL contractor rule sits in public-comment review, a fresh wave of fake-check scams borrows real company names, Mother’s Day hands restaurant shoppers a big weekend, and ShopperFest 2026 is almost here.
Edition #7
Mystery Shopping Insider: April 16–30, 2026
April 16–30, 2026
DOL rule savings projection hits $329M, open-air mall foot traffic grows 5.1% in Q1, and the MSPA legacy Gold certification deadline passes. Plus video shopping expansion and a Father’s Day retail preview.
Edition #6
Mystery Shopping Insider: April 1–15, 2026
April 1–15, 2026
The 1099-NEC threshold jumps to $2,000, the DOL reopens the contractor classification debate, MSPA sets a hard May 1 deadline on legacy Gold certifications, and a tax-season twist on the fake-check scam hits shoppers.
Edition #5
Mystery Shopping Insider: March 16–31, 2026
March 16–31, 2026
The Intouch Insight QSR study names the “Transactional Gap,” Massachusetts updates its cannabis secret shopper rules, the Confero fake-check scam gets a follow-up alert, and the MSPA Prague workshop wraps.
Edition #4
Mystery Shopping Insider: March 1–15, 2026
March 1–15, 2026
Blaze Pizza sees a 50% upsell jump after launching a mystery shopping program with Reality Based Group, the Center for Taxpayer Rights deploys mystery shoppers across six states, and AI vs. human CX evaluation takes center stage.
Edition #3
Mystery Shopping News: Aviation, Apps & Scams — Feb 16–28, 2026
February 16–28, 2026
Big trends in aviation and app-based mystery shopping, a fresh scam wave borrowing IntelliShop’s name on LinkedIn, new tools hitting the industry, and a preview of the MSPA Forum VI in Milan.
Edition #2
Mystery Shopping News, Tax Updates & Scam Alerts — Feb 1–15, 2026
February 1–15, 2026
NRF 2026 puts human connection front and center at retail’s biggest show, the IRS bumps the mileage rate, the 1099 threshold changes, and AI vs. human feedback in customer experience takes the spotlight.
Edition #1 · Debut Issue
Mystery Shopping News & Scam Alerts: January 2026
January 1–31, 2026
The debut jumbo starter-pack edition. Ipsos announces Talking Shop 2026 in St. Louis, an IntelliShop LinkedIn impersonation scam hits shoppers, and the fake-check pattern gets its first full breakdown.
What Is The Mystery Shopping Insider?
The Mystery Shopping Insider is a free monthly newsletter for active and aspiring mystery shoppers. Each edition covers the month’s most important mystery shopping news — industry research, regulatory updates, company news, and scam alerts — filtered through firsthand shopper experience.
John Herwick, the founder of Mystery Shop Starter, has completed 150+ mystery shopping assignments across restaurants, retail, banks, car dealerships, and apartment communities. He writes every edition himself. No filler. No hype.
The newsletter moved from bi-weekly to monthly with Edition #8 in May 2026. Monthly issues give each story more room and your inbox more breathing space.