The Mystery Shopper’s Manual

Does it drive you crazy when a report form asks for the same information more than once? Sometimes they phrase the questions in slightly different ways, and sometimes the exact same question appears in more than one place on the form.

Or how about when they ask for comments in each section, and then want a narrative at the end of the report? Are you supposed to repeat everything you just said in the comments? Isn’t all of this a big waste of everyone’s time?

Well, it may seem that way, but there is often a good reason for what appears to simply redundant. The form may include two requests for the same information because the mystery shopping company wants to make sure they get the same answer each time. You might be surprised how often the answers are not the same.

The question may also be on the form twice because of how the data are sorted and reported to the client. Or just because the client wants the question on the form twice—for reasons not understood by anyone but the client.

Those reports that require you to provide comments about aspects of your visit, then write a narrative, also have a purpose. First of all, comments and narratives are two different things. Comments are about specific things: What greeting was used? How long before you were greeted? what was the condition of the fitting room? Which products did the salesperson recommend?

A narrative is a chronological description of your visit from the time you entered (or drove in to the parking lot) to the time you left. Comments are often presented by category (e.g., cleanliness, service, food quality, availability of products, sales process, etc.) and may not be requested in the same order as they happened.

The comments and narrative in your report may be used for differing purposes. For example, the comments may be included in the report that is sent to the location you shopped, while the narrative may go to the corporate office or regional manager.

Your comments and narratives should not refer to each other, such as saying, “As I said above . . .” or, “See the comments in the section on cleanliness.” Each should stand alone, and should tell the story of your visit.

Although it may be frustrating to have to provide what seems to be the same information, the purpose is always to meet the needs of the client. If the client wants to receive information in a certain way or ways, it is our job to provide it.

Related articles:

1. Describe Behavior, Not Feelings, in Your Mystery Shop Reports
2. Mystery Shopper Report Deadlines