Mystery shopper's death: Colleagues on alert after baffling fatal injury at Bay Area mall

By Jeremy Thomas

jethomas@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 12/22/2014 03:38:31 PM PST0 Comments | Updated: about 12 hours ago

LIVERMORE -- She made her living as a mystery shopper -- lauded by colleagues as "The Master of Disguise" -- but now a bigger mystery is stumping police: How did Marjorie Hillerman end up fatally injured in the parking lot of the Livermore Premium Outlets?

Hillerman, 61, of Mesa, Arizona, passed away at a local hospital on Dec. 16, a week after she was discovered outside the mall in broad daylight with traumatic injuries to her face and back of her head. Investigators remain puzzled, with no solid leads and no evidence pointing to a robbery or violent attack. A public plea for information has so far proven unfruitful.

"It's been a struggle," said Livermore police Officer Steve Goard. "It could have been a fall or an assault; it could be any number of things. ... It's baffling."

According to Goard, Hillerman's rental car was left untouched, all of her belongings were still with her, and indications are she never even made it into the mall, where she was scheduled to work. Though security guards were on duty at the time, Goard added, none of them witnessed the incident. No surveillance footage exists either, he said.

"There's nothing that leads us in any one direction," Goard said.

Meanwhile, convinced her death was the result of foul play, Hillerman's friends and colleagues are asking the public for help to cover the woman's funeral expenses.
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Members of the Independent Mystery Shoppers Coalition, a trade organization Hillerman was active in, have set up a crowdfunding page asking for $8,000 to cover the cost of cremation and transporting the ashes home, as well as a proper memorial service. As of Monday afternoon, the page had generated more than $1,800.

Pamela Olmstead, a friend of Hillerman's and president of the organization, said the secret shopper community is soliciting the donations to assist Marjorie's husband Alan and the Hillerman family, who were already struggling financially before her untimely death.

"She deserves the best service that can possibly be given to her," Olmstead said. "Her smile is what she left us with. She became family to everybody. ... Christmas is definitely darker this year."

A highly respected mentor for other mystery shoppers, Hillerman was a regular speaker at trade conferences and earned the nickname "The Master of Disguise" for her ability to quickly, and drastically, alter her appearance, Olmstead said. She traveled across the country for her job and was working for one of the mall's high-end stores at the time of the incident. The puzzling circumstances and nature of Hillerman's injuries, she said, has led colleagues to speculate she may have been the victim of an attack.

"We don't believe she just fell," Olmstead said. "She wasn't that type of person. She was just too on top of things."

Not taking any chances, the organization has issued a warning, cautioning mystery shoppers across the country to be alert and keep their purchases and belongings well hidden. The group will also begin safety training sessions at its next convention, Olmstead said.

"It has frozen our community," she added. "That's the impact she had on us."

Representatives from the Livermore Premium Outlets declined to comment on whether or not the mall had security cameras in operation at the time but did issue a statement expressing condolences to the Hillerman family and encouraged anyone with information to contact police.

Mall spokeswoman Chelsey Allodi also wouldn't say if the mall plans on increasing security during the holiday season.

The Alameda County Coroner's Bureau completed an autopsy, but the cause of death is pending results of a toxicology report, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Anyone with information should contact Detective Glen Robbins of the Livermore Police Department at 925-294-7568.

Contact Jeremy Thomas at 925-847-2184. Follow him at Twitter.com/jet_bang.

TO HELP

To make a donation for funeral expenses for Marjorie Hillerman, visit www.gofundme.com/marjie.

Why is someone using the GoFundMe page to advertise their business? That's slick though. Give a nice condolence and then a pitch. Anyway, what a horrible thing to hear about. All sorts of things are running through my mind. Thanks for posting this.

There are some aspects that do not add up to me.
But I am sure there is more to the story than what was in the paper.

Why can't the IMSC chip in for her funeral then? Starting a crowdfund and not at least paying a significant amount seems like a very low-effort move.

This is the latest news cast:

[www.nbcbayarea.com]

I doubt IMSC has a pot of money laying around to pay for funeral expenses; if anyone should be ponying up (and might have the resources) it should be the mall.

I also doubt this incident had anything to do with mystery shopping, since it happened before she got inside.

But it's very sad regardless of whether it was an assault, an accident, or if she had a seizure and fell to the ground and injured herself thrashing around. It points up how vulnerable we are financially if mystery shopping is the sole source of income in a household and is not enough to pay for life insurance.

This is terrible. Did anyone here know her? Was she a member of the forum?

She was an IMSC member and went to all the conferences, so any forum members who have attended an IMSC function may have met her.

She was a very active IMSC member and presented at several conferences. Those who knew her well have been devastated. I had met her briefly, but spent much of the day after her death trying to comfort other shoppers who were greatly affected by her sudden loss.

It apparently was a hit and run in a shopping center parking lot.

Correct, IMSC hardly would have a pot of money lying arround, especialy since it recently used the "no shopper left behind" fund to help 50 shoppers go to a conference. (See Servanne's recent post about how little IMSC officers were compensated for creating and managing a conference,and you will get a clearer picture, I'm sure)

AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> She was an IMSC member and went to all the
> conferences, so any forum members who have
> attended an IMSC function may have met her.

She also attended the MSPA Shopperfest in Orlando.
She was a presenter at the IMSC conferences.

What was the subject she presented on and what were some of the things she suggested?

I attended her session at NOLA IMSC. She showed us how both male and female mystery shoppers can change their appearance. She used wigs, hats, scarves, glasses, hair ornaments, and additional clothing items and accessories. She was a good speaker and it was an interesting and fun presentation.

It was indeed a very interesting presentation. I was there also.

Parking lots can be dangerous places whether one is driving through, walking across or sitting in a car. Bad elements are always present and all around. We spend lots of time in parking areas, so please be alert and cautious at all times.

Very true. Other companies have made donations that are members of the IMSC but any funds IMSC has itself are for maintenance and the conventions. Unless the mall owners are feeling charitable based on the season, they can usually hide behind a loophole for liability.
Considering she lived in AZ, did route shopping, it's unlikely she was just passing through. It's believed she was doing a return perhaps or starting the shop.
She also did Tax and accounting work as well.
dspeakes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I doubt IMSC has a pot of money laying around to
> pay for funeral expenses; if anyone should be
> ponying up (and might have the resources) it
> should be the mall.
>
> I also doubt this incident had anything to do with
> mystery shopping, since it happened before she got
> inside.
>
> But it's very sad regardless of whether it was an
> assault, an accident, or if she had a seizure and
> fell to the ground and injured herself thrashing
> around. It points up how vulnerable we are
> financially if mystery shopping is the sole source
> of income in a household and is not enough to pay
> for life insurance.

She has not done tax and accounting work for years.

Marjorie was on a route shop when she passed. She had not gone into the store yet, she had parked in the car and no video for that location had been recorded. She was a route shopper and spent a lot of time on the road. She was a cautious person, but things can happen to anyone, anywhere at anytime. They still don't know what happened. It was speculated to be a hit and run, but nothing of value was missing or taken. Then the police thought it may have been a incident where a vehicle may have struck her, but did not notice it. Within another two weeks they final tests will be returned, but the possibility is increasing that she may have just fell in an awkward manner and it was just an accident.

Anyone that knew her or saw how she presented at the different conferences could see her as a true professional. I learned something from her or other shoppers at everyone of these events I attended. She was always willing to share advise and did not view other shoppers as competitors. She wanted all of us to do a professional job and shared her expertise. She felt if we all did it better, there might be more work for us all in the long run. As someone said she was not actively doing tax and accountant work, but did help out a few former clients. But her knowledge in those areas did allow her to give useful suggestions to those that asked.

I don't have a stake in the fundraising, but I do know it would be helpful to her husband to help get her home.

I only heard about this a few minutes ago, on another forum. This is very sad and tragic; it seemed she was quite a dynamic person, well loved in the business.

I hope they find out what happened. As of right now, it seems that the circumstances are still puzzling the authorities. A too-real reminder to all to be very careful while out shopping--whether it was a hit and run, a fall, or worse, many things can happen.

I wonder if IMSC would now consider posting a video, if one exists, of one of her talks about disguises. In a way, it would be honoring her to have everyone commenting on it here in the forum.

I am very glad that this information is out there now among the mystery shopping community. Thanks, jackaroe, for posting it. Marjie was a true professional, and we spoke both in person and in Facebook chats about how our work was going.

Marjie's death has made me rethink a lot of things.

The first is: I do a lot of video work that requires me to use my drivers' license or credit card (automotive, pawn, apartments, purchase/return, etc.) I occasionally feel unsafe giving out this information to employees, especially since I am never given assurances from the MSCs that my identity is completely protected from angry or vindictive employees. I occasionally have had hang-up calls on my cell that I use for MSing and a couple of angry, mumbled messages. Maybe these are coincidental, but I never had them before mystery shopping. Need to assess the risk versus benefit on these shops.

The second, and saddest thoughts are those regarding the GoFundMe account to help transport and bury Marjie. I've noticed that most of the donations to her burial fund are from individual shoppers. Marjie made tens of thousands of dollars annually for MSCs, yet very few have made substantial donations to help her family. It truly grieves me to see how little the people she was working for cared for her efforts on behalf of their bottom line, if her funeral fund is any indication.

I did see ten companies or representatives of companies, along with 15 anonymous donations. The fund still hasn't hit the halfway point.

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did see ten companies or representatives of
> companies, along with 15 anonymous donations. The
> fund still hasn't hit the halfway point.


I count the same ten, and note that the majority gave $100 or less, with a few notable and praiseworthy exceptions. Compared to the amount of work Marjie did for them, it is disappointing to see the list grow each day with shoppers' individual donations outweighing the MSCs both in sheer numbers and total amount. Several of the ones she performed the most work for, including at least two she was working for on her current route, are conspicuously absent from the list of donors.

And as for it being not even halfway funded: it's been there a while and this isn't a GoFundMe for a college account in the distant future. This is for an immediate need and the shopper community should not be the main ones shouldering the burden.

Has anyone made sure the mystery shopping companies in question are aware of the fundraising efforts? Had it not been for this thread I wouldn't have known.

ColoKate63 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> LisaSTL Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I did see ten companies or representatives of
> > companies, along with 15 anonymous donations.
> The
> > fund still hasn't hit the halfway point.
>
>
> I count the same ten, and note that the majority
> gave $100 or less, with a few notable and
> praiseworthy exceptions. Compared to the amount of
> work Marjie did for them, it is disappointing to
> see the list grow each day with shoppers'
> individual donations outweighing the MSCs both in
> sheer numbers and total amount. Several of the
> ones she performed the most work for, including at
> least two she was working for on her current
> route, are conspicuously absent from the list of
> donors.
>
> And as for it being not even halfway funded: it's
> been there a while and this isn't a GoFundMe for a
> college account in the distant future. This is for
> an immediate need and the shopper community should
> not be the main ones shouldering the burden.

This really bothers me. They have to know that something happened. They are not getting their data, right?

I don't video shop, but I am so sick of hearing about all of the money to be made. I am saddened that she was the primary breadwinner, and her husband did not even have enough money to get her home and buried. It can't be that lucrative. What is he going to do now? For me to do a route that far, it would have to pay $1000's to be worth it. Such as sad, sad story. She seemed like a lovely person.

Yes, there's money - good, solid money - to be made in route video shopping. But some of us are doing it to pay for extraordinary expenses, like college tuition (ouch!) for our kids, or old medical bills , or are climbing out of debt or supporting distant relatives. Or - well, who knows? Not the point of this thread to debate financial woes, although we have all been there.

The important thing is to get her cremains home to her family.

And, yes, based on personal communication I have had with MSC owners, yes they DO know.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2014 07:11PM by ColoKate63.

ColoKate63 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, there's money - good, solid money - to be
> made in route video shopping. But some of us are
> doing it to pay for extraordinary expenses, like
> college tuition (ouch!) for our kids, or old
> medical bills , or are climbing out of debt or
> supporting distant relatives. Or - well, who
> knows? Not the point of this thread to debate
> financial woes, although we have all been there.
>
> The important thing is to get her cremains home to
> her family.
>
> And, yes, based on personal communication I have
> had with MSC owners, yes they DO know.

So, they don't want to donate or they are donating directly and not on the gofund site?

> So, they don't want to donate or they are donating
> directly and not on the gofund site?

If the MSCs had donated directly to assist the family with the final expenses, a GoFundMe public fundraiser would not have been necessary. Right? Right.

And, again, the most important things to take away from this thread are: (1) Marjie was a great person who deserved better, and (2) be mindful while working. Peace out.

> And, yes, based on personal communication I have
> had with MSC owners, yes they DO know.


I have to say, that while Pam from IMSC did notify me of her accident and later, her death (which I greatly appreciated), no one told me about the funding site at all. I am glad I saw this thread on this site so that we were able to contribute.

Marjorie did a lot of work for us back in 2009-2012, but only did a few shops in 2013 and none in 2014. However, I still hate hearing of things like this and was happy to donate.

I'm glad this board exists to keep us all in the loop!

Lorri Kern
CEO
KSS International, Inc.

Some of the original postings were on private boards, so visibility was limited, then it did go out. I have no opinion on who donates or how much or by what method, but hopefully she will be home in Arizona with her husband soon.