Suspected Mystery Shopper

I have done particular name shops continuosly monthly.These are mystery shops,not reveal.I have conducted these for about two years. So lets get to the point.Recently,I received an email from the scheduler stating that I can not longer perform these shops because the store personnel has suspected me as being a mystery shopper,and the client requested that a 'new' set of eyes are needed to conduct these shops.These shops are open 24 hours a day,there was no shop restrictions,so I variated my shop times.I perform superb reports,never flaked on shops.Is the the norm for mystery shopping companies and clients to do this?

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

It happens. Sometimes it happens to a shopper after 2-3 visits to a particular location, sometimes you never get "caught". I have "self-selected" myself out of several locations from time to time and visited there when I was not on a shop just to try to throw them off. I do perform monthly shops in the same grocery stores month after month and don't worry about it because a normal shopper is likely to become a familiar face as they do their weekly shopping. I was a bit unnerved recently when the guy at the seafood counter asked me if I wanted my usual 6 shrimp. (It gets me a small purchase and I just mention I'm doing a little shrimp cocktail to start my dinner.) But I had no reason to believe he had "discovered me" and bought a little piece of salmon instead, indicating that I was starting dinner with some melon with procuitto that evening.

As for "fresh eyes", there is a lot of legitimacy to that and for that reason, more than being detected, I believe they have the rotations. I do hate it when an MSP has "tells" in a shop that just invite the "spot the shopper" games.

Perhaps your reports were predictable, either by choices 1-10 or by the words you used in your narrative. Have you asked your MSP just exactly what they identified? It could be that they just said they knew who the shopper was without specifics. Not having worked the other side of the fence, I don't know how specific MSP's want the spotter to be. I had an MSP ask me once what I was wearing and what kind of car I was driving. When I responded, that was the end of the inquiry. I wasn't dropped. Some of the companies want our photos, supposedly so they can see if the description does them justice.

Never happened to me. But One shop I did I think they suspected, because of the way everyone was smiling like they were on their p's and q's. The sales person that helped me even came to the parking lot and watched as I got in the car smiling the entire time. So I think they suspected, but never heard anymore about it.

I'm sure that sometimes they suspect and sometimes they may even be sure but certainly at the store level if they did well and got credit for it on the evaluation they are unlikely to make waves because it will serve them well.

Like Flash, I know that they know sometimes, but usually they're getting a positive report, so no one says anything. It's an unspoken agreement.

A funny experience: I did some Harmon drugstores a few months ago, and was treated like a queen, yielding good reports. I decided to shop there for myself. A friend mentioned last week that the Harmon people are so rude, and she wouldn't shop there. That cemented my opinion that they always knew I was a shopper.

I have a related question. I generally do casino shops for Bestmark once a month. I generally visit this casino once a week. (Its a bit like Cheers when we walk in. Generally the security yells out our names and is quite happy to see us.) Recently an employee suspected we were mystery shoppers, and they want us to take 2 months off from the location. Now would that mean that if I want to do these shops again I shouldn't visit the location for 2 months or is it okay to continue with my normal weekly visits?

Also does anyone know if you are suspected of being mystery shopper does that mean that Bestmark won't pay you? I ask because my check says processed, but I didn't receive it on Friday like I normally would. I don't want to bother them with a payment inquiry unless I am sure the check is actually missing.

If you were a weekly fixture mostly on your own dime, I would continue being a weekly fixture and still asking the same kinds of questions. They are asking that you not do the shop for 2 months. If you disappear for 2 months and then return and the shopper they think is you again, you could get disqualified from doing the jobs further. So in your 'two months off', treat every routine visit as if it was a shop and when they 'nail you' the MSP will know they are in error.

I have never been disqualified by being identified by Bestmark or anyone else. I would expect that if I WAS conclusively identified, I would be told, not paid for the shop in question and not allowed to shop the location further at all.

What I suspect is happening is that the client is seeing too many reports that are very similar (from you) and is looking for fresh eyes.

As for payment, I would give it a couple of days because a lot of folks turn a 3 day weekend into a 5 day vacation so manpower shortages are frequent. Banks and Post Offices are closed for Columbus Day, as is the government.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Suspected Mystery Shopper

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine