Mystery Shopper's Manual

Remembering a Mystery Shopper Scenario

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Most of the time mystery shoppers enter businesses as themselves. They use their real names (if any name at all) and they just act like normal customers. However, there are times when, as a mystery shopper, you may have to pretend to be someone you are not. It might mean posing as the mother of a toddler for whom you need daycare, a parent who needs an assisted living facility, as a bride-to-be, someone looking for an apartment or a new bank, a pet owner or any number of possible situations.

Although it can be fun to act the part of someone else, it can also be a little scary. What if they ask a question and you are unsure how to answer? Or what if you forget what you told them earlier and give inconsistent information?Continue Reading

Mystery Shop Preparation

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mystery-shop-preparationWhether you are a brand new or experienced mystery shopper, proper preparation is a critical part of completing your assignments correctly.

Download and review the shop guidelines as soon as you receive the assignment. Even if you have done a particular shop many times, always read the guidelines and report form before doing the shop. Clients make changes from time to time.

Use a highlighter to identify key issues of the shop. If you have questions, this is the time to ask them. Don’t wait until the day the shop is due. Most companies prefer that you contact them by e-mail, but the shop guidelines will tell you the best way to contact them. Give your scheduler time to respond.

In rare situations, you may discover requirements that make it impossible for you to do the shop. If you have to cancel an assignment, do it immediately, but only if you have a good reason. One male shopper told of having to cancel an assignment because he didn’t think he could convince the employees that he was pregnant, a requirement of the shop. Because he immediately read the instructions, discovered he couldn’t do the shop as required, and notified his scheduler, the shop could be reassigned right away.Continue Reading

Using Tip Sheets on Mystery Shops

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woman-with-basketThere are many things to remember when doing a mystery shopping assignment. Most shops have dozens of questions that must be answered, as well as obtaining the names of employees, remembering what questions or scenarios are to be presented and more.

Even though there is much to remember, you should never take the report form with you to do the mystery shop. Instead, make a “tip sheet” you can refer to during the shop to remember all the things you are to do. For example, it might be helpful to have reminders of which departments you are supposed to visit, the things you need to time and the employees for whom you need to get names.

Your tip sheets may be paper or electronic. The type of tip sheet you use will depend on the nature of the shop. It is critical that you not draw attention to yourself, so don’t do anything that would make you stand out or make employees notice you.Continue Reading

Same Employee, Different Location

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surprise.jpgHave you ever had this happen? You are mystery shopping more than one location of the same business, and one of the employees from a place you shopped earlier turns up at another location. Oops. What can you do?

Many businesses have “floating” employees who work at more than one branch or store. This happens in banking, retail, property management (apartments), and other businesses. Sometimes floaters have a regular schedule that moves them from place to place, and other times they may be filling in for an employee who is ill or on vacation or when a location is otherwise short-staffed.

I used to shop a lot of grocery stores, and often did two or three in one trip. One day, a manager was at both of the stores I shopped. Fortunately, I saw him before he saw me, and the store was big enough that I was able to avoid him for the rest of my visit. However, there are times that isn’t possible.Continue Reading

Raising Sales Objections on Secret Shops

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gavel.jpgObjections may be raised at the conclusion of a secret shop, as a reason to leave without committing to a purchase. In those situations, you may raise an objection such as, “I need to talk to my spouse about this,” or “There are a few other places I want to look before making a decision.” That type of objection typically has the effect of closing off further conversation.

However, you may also be asked to raise sales objections in order to test an employee’s sales skills. The purpose of these objections is to give employees an opening to sell to you.Continue Reading

Check the Hours Before Doing a Mystery Shop

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hours_sign.jpgIt has been a long day, but you have arrived at the final location you are to mystery shop. You head toward the doors and . . .uh, oh. Is that a “Closed” sign you see?

To avoid this problem in the future, take a minute or two to check the hours of business before heading out to do the shop.  Even if you think you know their hours. I once had to reschedule a shop because I was certain a location was open later than it actually was. Checking first would have saved the need for an embarrassing email (“I’m sorry, but I am an idiot . . .”) to the scheduler, asking if I could do the shop the following day.

Web sites often list the hours along with other location information, such as address, phone number, maps, etc. However, I would not trust the web site. Hours can change without the change making its way to the web site.

The best way is to call the location. You may be required to make a phone call prior to your visit anyway, so use that as your opportunity to verify the exact location and hours of operation.

It is also a good idea not to show up ten minutes before closing time. Many guidelines will specifically say that you are not to begin the shop within 30 to 60 minutes of closing. Even if that is not part of your instructions, showing up at closing time will not give an accurate and fair report.

So you know how to prepare for the next shop, but what should you do now, standing in front of a closed business?Continue Reading

Training Your Mystery Shopping Companion

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companion.pngThere are times when you may have someone with you on a mystery shopping assignment. Although you may be required to do some shops alone, others allow, encourage or require you to have someone with you. This is most common in situations where real customers may have a spouse or friend with them, such as assignments that take you to restaurants, new homes, etc.

At times, both of you will be contracted and paid by the mystery shopping company. However, most of the time one person is the secret shopper and the other is along for the ride. If your companion is not an “official” mystery shopper, it is your responsibility to make sure that he or she knows what they need to do to help you get a complete and accurate evaluation—and they definitely need to know what not to do, so they do not affect the integrity of the shop.

Your companion’s error could cause the shop report not to be accepted by the client. That means you would not be paid, and you might even be barred from future assignments.

Here is how to make sure anyone with you on a mystery shop knows exactly what to, and what not to do.Continue Reading

Mystery Shopping with Others

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friends_shopping.jpgThis question comes up a lot. Shoppers want to know if it is acceptable to take their children, spouse or friend along when they do a shop. Why not? After all, they often accompany you when you are not mystery shopping, right?

The main reason not to take anyone with you is that some clients and mystery shopping companies do not allow it. Their biggest concern is that having someone with you will distract you. Even if your three-year-old is the best behaved child in the world, having him there while you are doing an assignment will make it impossible to focus all of your attention on getting names, timing transactions, and all the other details you must manage on a mystery shop.Continue Reading

Secret Shopping and Acting

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movie_star.jpgHave you ever done a mystery shop where you had to pretend to be something or someone you are not?

Most mystery shops do not require a specific scenario. You simply visit the business and act like a customer. For example, you go to a restaurant and order a meal, get your hair cut at a salon, or make a small purchase at a retail store. There may be questions you are to ask, or specific items you are to buy, but there is not a detailed scenario.

However, there are shops where as the shopper you must:

  • Pretend that you are getting married and need to buy a gown, or a ring or worst case, even homecoming dresses.
  • Present yourself as someone who is looking to invest $400,000.
  • Say that you are looking for day care for your children, or elder care for a parent.
  • Act like you are looking for a new house or apartment.
  • Be able to appear knowledgeable about hunting, motorcycles, art or other subjects.
  • Represent yourself as a member of a profession, such as an interior designer.
  • Give the impression that you are pregnant.
  • Be willing to hide your knowledge of technology, financial matters or other subjects.

The important part is not that you actually are what you claim to be during the shop, but that you can realistically present yourself that way. You can do a shop where you claim to have $400,000 to invest even if you don’t even have $400, as long as you come across as someone who would have $400,000.

If the scenario you are asked to use is not your real-life situation, you will need to do a little acting and a lot of preparation. Pretending like this is not dishonest–you are not doing it to deceive anyone, only to do the evaluation. It is simply a form of acting, and you will probably enjoy those occasions when you get to play-act a situation.

Here are some tips for performing scenarios that require you to present yourself as someone or something you are not.Continue Reading

Secret Shopper Tip – Verify the Location Before the Shop

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One of the reasons a shop report may be rejected by the client is that the shopper went to the wrong location. That may be hard to believe, but it happens. Many large chains have locations that are very close to each other and if you do not verify the address, you could end up shopping the wrong place. That means the report will not be accepted and you will not be paid.

As part of your preparation for the shop, here are a few things you can do to make sure you go to the correct location:

  • Go to the client company’s web site and look for a map of locations. Compare the address in your assignment to the locations on the site.
  • Use Google Maps or other online mapping systems to check the address. You can also get directions there, if you are going to an unfamiliar part of town.
  • Call the client location and ask where they are. The phone number is usually in the guidelines. If not, look it up online or in the telephone directory. Many shops require a pre-visit call, so that is a good time to ask for directions.

Don’t forget to check the address when you get to the location, too. Look for an address on the sign, building or door.

Making the effort to verify the location before the shop takes very little time, but is an important part of doing your secret shopping assignments correctly.