Comments on: Do Employees Know They Get Mystery Shopped?

By: Cathy Stucker

Cathy Stucker — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:50:45 +0000

Vineetha, the mystery shoppers do not decide what goes in the report. We are told exactly what the employees are supposed to do and that is what we have to report. Your employer decides what you are required to do and what the mystery shopper has to look for.

By: Vineetha

Vineetha — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:14:44 +0000

I feel its not fair at all…I work as a brand ambassador and i get mystery shopped all the time and last week I got a complaint that the I wasnt answering the customers questions. i was doing the chocolate and i dont remember anyone asking me any questions. and we have lots of attributes to say and may be its that one time we didnt mention all the attributes and we get complains on that.

By: Cathy Stucker

Cathy Stucker — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:20:07 +0000

Monica, you understand that mystery shoppers do not set the standards. We simply report on whether or not employees did exactly what the employer expects.

Although it may be tedious to ask the same questions over and over, it is important to your employer. That is why they require them and why they have mystery shoppers verify if employees are asking the questions. Those questions can make a big difference in your employer’s profitability, something that is more important now than ever. For example, questions related to whether the customer found everything they were looking for, suggestions of additional items, asking if they would like to open a credit account, etc. all make a difference.

It is unusual that a company would terminate a good, long-term employee for one or two black marks on a mystery shopper report. However, if you have been told that is the case, you need to pay special attention to meeting all of the requirements.

I hope it goes well for you. Good luck!

By: Monica

Monica — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:56:31 +0000

Are Mystery Shoppers told what happens to employees that don’t strictly follow exact or specific instructions? I’m not saying that Mystery Shoppers are not a good thing for businesses that need feedback on their customer service or that they are not beneficial in weeding out bad employees or those that don’t do their job. I ask this because some companies (specifically in my case) ask their cashiers to ask a set number of questions to each & every customer without exception even if they become a robot in the process. This, as far as I’m concerned is not customer service. Yes, the questions are important, however, they do not EVER pertain to every single customer that goes through their checkout. As a quiet person I have also been told to speak louder & they prefer complaints that I am loud & obnoxious rather than a report that I did not ask their prepared, sometimes ridiculous questions.
I realize that the company that sends out the Mystery Shoppers & the Mystery Shoppers themselves are not concerned with this, only that they gather the necessary information. However, do they realize that after sometimes hundreds of customers daily, that the exact questions can’t always be asked & that because of their report these cashiers lose their jobs? I have been employed by a big box home improvement store for almost 7 years now & have always had very good reviews & a good work record. If I’m Mystery Shopped one more time & fail to ask the exact questions to this one person I will lose my job–probably at the end of this week. This means no recommendation from my employer for future employment & no Unemployment Insurance to help while searching for a job.
As I said, this is not the fault of the Mystery Shopper, but sometimes the results don’t end fairly or happily. Just thought I’d let someone know how I feel. Thank you.