Employees talking about mystery shoppers

While looking up information about Kroger's policy on something unrelated to shops, I ran across a forum for Kroger employees. I found it interesting to read what some of them think of not just their company, but the mystery shopping program in place. It makes you think about how the questions we ask peg us as shoppers. [krogerforum.activeboard.com]

Have you run across any employee forums for companies where mystery shoppers are mentioned?

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@ wrote:

HAHAHAHAHAHA......I think y'all will like this!

So a little while ago I was shopping at a Kroger off my beaten path; in short order I noticed that every. single. ONE. of the employees I came within 10 feet of were all ¨hi, how are you today? Anything I can help you find?¨ Nice, but wicked annoying. And it hit me: This is that whole OSAT/people greet/what ever thing I've been reading about here.

There was a kid working the dairy cooler who was all about that with me.........and in a very low voice I started telling him all about this forum, about what I knew he was having to deal with, and all the B.S. it is. He practically GUSHED his frustrations and ventings about it all; asked me the name of this forum.

Who knows, he may be reading it right now!
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kroagrr wrote:


“He practically GUSHED his frustrations and ventings about it all . . .”

At least he had someone to listen . . . something his employer seems committed to not doing.


Yeah, the poor guy was at first clearly mistrustful and paranoid that I was a mystery shopper, or corporate, or both. When I convinced him I was for real, he seriously seemed SO relieved that finally, some one other than his fellow workers, understood.

And yeah, that's a stupid f---- 'policy'. Pestering EVERY customer. It's a wonder anything gets done at all.

@ wrote:


Will low OSAT scores lead to a store closing?

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So, the Kroger I work at has apparently always struggled with 'meh' OSAT. To counter this, they replaced the lead manager with someone else, OSAT kept dropping, then in a huddle early this week, the new manager mentioned an 'ultimatum' from the district manager to get OSAT up ten points within a week. What happens if the ultimatum isn't met wasn't mentioned, but this store in no way can raise the OSAT that fast. My question is, is it possible store closure would be the consequence? Or something more along the lines of sacking all the managers or sending corporate to monitor the store like hawks?


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Anonymous


Date: yesterday


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First they need to find out why the scores are so low. Obviously replacing the lead manager wasn't the solution. How courteous are the checkers and baggers and other employees? If I'm in your line, your attention should be focused on me and not your friend over at the next checklane. If I walk up to a service counter, I shouldn't have to wait five minutes for you to finish sending a text message. On the other hand, if your store is being courteous and attentive then maybe your shoppers are just bitchy and give low scores out of spite.


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Anonymous


Date: yesterday


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Nope..it will lead to them giving up on OSAT and calling it something else..like they always do. Kroger has no follow thru on anything.


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DeltaGrocery





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Posts: 512

Date: yesterday


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They'll just replace the store manager. It just happened here. Demoted a store manager to co-manager of another store. Why do YOU think OSAT scores are so low? Bad neighborhood? Bad management? Poor customer service? Out of stocks?


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GenesisOne





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Posts: 488

Date: yesterday


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As long as the store is profitable, it's unlikely the store will be shut down by corporate. Now, if the OSAT score is so low that it's negatively impacting the bottom line and the store is profiting less and less because of it, that's when it's probably time to worry. As long as sales dropping off substantially isn't the case, I'd say the management team and department heads have the most to worry about rather than the average clerk.

What could happen is corporate may send a bunch of coordinators and district managers out to your store and basically set up shop there for some time to work on fixing what's causing the poor OSAT scores. If that happens, be prepared for some serious work as these coordinators/managers will be pushing everyone hard day in and day out until the problems are fixed.

I'm sure the current management team is already aware of why the scores are so low... between the receipt tracker, hearing complaints from customers firsthand, and possibly customers complaining to corporate, your management team must have some idea why the OSAT scores are so bad. It sounds like you had and currently have some pretty incompetent/lazy managers.


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Anonymous


Date: yesterday


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DeltaGrocery wrote:

They'll just replace the store manager. It just happened here. Demoted a store manager to co-manager of another store. Why do YOU think OSAT scores are so low? Bad neighborhood? Bad management? Poor customer service? Out of stocks?


Oh, I can think of many reasons. Half the employees don't care, the store was built when the area was a small country road and not a massive suburb, inept managers, you name it.


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Anonymous


Date: 12h ago


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our sales are up but OSAT bottom of the barrel. we don't get many responses and even when we were getting more it wasn't that good. our customers are spoiled. we can have coordinators stocking and culling produce produce and somebody will say produce is the worst ever.


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mega-kitteh





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Status: Offline

Posts: 952

Date: 9h ago


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They are taking OSAT TOO FAR. Way TOO FAR, yes I know service is priority (second to safety) but shoving survey request down our and customers throats will NOT work. If a customer WANTS to do a survey then they'll do one


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How about NO?!?





kroagrr





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Status: Offline

Posts: 300

Date: 8h ago


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“If a customer WANTS to do a survey, then she'll do one. ”

And who's more motivated than someone who is furious?

Why should we assume OSAT responses are representative?


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nocturnia





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Posts: 1363

Date: 2h ago


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DeltaGrocery wrote:

They'll just replace the store manager.

It just happened here. Demoted a store manager to co-manager of another store. Why do YOU think OSAT scores are so low? Bad neighborhood? Bad management? Poor customer service? Out of stocks?


Totally agree. S.M. at another store in my town is fighting for his job right now after a just horrendous yearly inventory. The shrink was EPIC, unheard of.......but he is dealing with factors completely out of any one's control. That store is in a complete ghetto. Theft is so high and good employees so few it's amazing they turn a profit at all. Corp. really just needs to wash their hands of it.

If this S.M. goes, he'll be the third in five years.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2015 01:03PM by scanman1.
I shop there for myself and let me tell you it's gotten annoying. The employees have finally gotten the message and they will say hi even if their back is to you. I quit the mystery shops in that place. Too many interactions for too little money.
Nope, but I once interacted with an associate who didn't greet me because he was busy telling another associate all about the way the MS company that runs Kroger's program picks up any random person off the street to do their shops regardless of how qualified they are to do it...
Well...that's not far from the truth, is it? The qualifications required to get that shop are not much a hurdle for anyone.

I recall in the way back when Starbucks was regularly shopped that there was an employee forum where they would often post the question of the week and discuss how obvious the shoppers were.
I read a different thread on that forum that cracked me up. Their mental image of the shopper seems to be a prim lady wearing white gloves to check for dust, and her glasses down her nose. I think I will start dressing that way, and checking periodically for dust, to see if I get amazing service.

We are all here on earth to help others....What on earth the others are here for I don't know.

--W. H. Auden
@scanman1 wrote:

Nothing a trashmail.com account won't take care of in 30 seconds.

@ wrote:

HAHAHAHAHAHA......I think y'all will like this!

So a little while ago I was shopping at a Kroger off my beaten path; in short order I noticed that every. single. ONE. of the employees I came within 10 feet of were all ¨hi, how are you today? Anything I can help you find?¨ Nice, but wicked annoying. And it hit me: This is that whole OSAT/people greet/what ever thing I've been reading about here.

There was a kid working the dairy cooler who was all about that with me.........and in a very low voice I started telling him all about this forum, about what I knew he was having to deal with, and all the B.S. it is. He practically GUSHED his frustrations and ventings about it all; asked me the name of this forum.

Who knows, he may be reading it right now!
-----------------------------
kroagrr wrote:


IF he's reading it, he'll know who you are I bet.

Here in Denver, SUDDENLY ALL King Soopers employees (team members smiling smiley ) (kroger stores) are so friendly it's irritating! HAte it, b/c they're forced to be nice and not b/c they are.. I report on their actions, facial expressions and such b/c that smile is most likely FAKE.
I do the grocery shops, but I also shop the store on my own. I asked a checker how she got all of the little gold pins on her shirt, and she said it was when a mystery shopper had given her a good report. She didn't seem unhappy; she actually was very cheerful about it.

Grocery shops are the very training ground for mystery shopping. They are seriously underpaid, but learning to do the acting (including mild disguises), to get and record the information (including asking the sometimes irritating and annoying questions), and all while being recorded? Well, that is the essence of mystery shopping, folks.

That's why I do grocery shops.

By the way, to find employee reactions to mystery shoppers is so freaking easy, and frankly it's boring. A good employee will work and do outstanding work without micromanaging supervisors, and any decent mystery shopper knows this without a doubt. We work on our own day after day after day. If an employee can not put on their big boy/girl pants and work like an adult, well what kind of a minion is that? They have to grow up, be compliant, genuine and honest, or go.
Once upon a time I worked in customer service and as a cashier at Kroger. I was always getting $10 gift cards. When I asked what they were for I was told that it was because customers complimented me or I had a good mystery shop. Those things can add up too, I remember getting several in one month. I guess they've gone to pins now. Bummer.
I can tell you this: The "green grocery store" in the southern region, is where I had this common experience, about 10-15 years ago, (not a shopper then) had employees ignoring many of their customers, rarely acknowledging them, hardly ever smiling, as if the customer was not in the store. (no matter which green store I visited, the results were the same). I do not know how many years the green grocery store has been shopped but I can tell you this: They do acknowledge you now, stop what they are doing and say hello to you. I have to wonder if mystery shopping turned things around smiling smiley. .
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