How to Spot a Mysterious Shopper

Mystery Shopping — By Shopping Blogs on March 14, 2009 7:00 am

Mystery shopping may seem like a concept that only exists in fiction, but this is actually a real thing. Mystery shoppers are often hired by companies, marketing firms, and private firms for a number of reasons. In general, these professionals are hired to test the quality of service inside of a particular store, movie theater, gas station, car dealership, health club, or any other type of shopping center. While this tradition is quite old (the concept was born during the 1940s), it is still a popular way for various companies to gain valuable information about their employees.

Mystery shopping proves to be quite effective when it is done correctly. Shoppers that are hired for this type of position are given a strict set of directions to follow. Upon receiving these directions, the shoppers are then sent to a particular place in order to make a purchase. While inside of a store (or other venue) mystery shoppers will ask employees specific questions; go through specific procedures; and test the skills of each employee that they encounter. Once this data has been collected, these shoppers will then hand in the information to the original employer where it is evaluated and dissected. How do you spot a mystery shopper?

There are a few telltale signs that someone may be a mystery shopper. Mystery shopping cannot happen without some type of recorded data. So, shoppers that enter a store with a pen and pencil (or tape recorder) may be hired shoppers. These sleuths also tend to stick out from the rest of the shoppers inside of a store. Shoppers that don’t seem to fit the demographic of a store, or don’t know anything about store merchandise, may be hired shoppers. While these are all great ways to detect a shopping spy, some regular shoppers may also fit these descriptions.

If you happen to work in some type of store, it is best not to worry about spotting a mystery shopper . Why? Mystery shopping has become something of an art over the years, and you may mistake a regular shopper for a mystery shopper. Of course, the opposite is also true – you may mistake a shopping sleuth for a regular shopper. The best course of action is to be polite and courteous to every single customer that walks into your store. This way, you can be sure that you will receive top marks if a hired shopper ever does cross your path.

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