Today I stopped by a grocery store that I know is shopped. As it's my "home" store, I very rarely shop it. I went in only to take advantage of the buy one get two free items, but the store was out of the ones I wanted so I asked for rain checks at checkout.

My checkout employee (wearing an "in training" ribbon under her nametag), said "Are you a mystery shopper"? "A what"? I said. I was very amused as I was nothing but a customer. She started rambling about rain checks and how she was supposed to offer substitutions, explain limited quantities . . .

It was fun. On the other hand, if I had been mystery shopping this store, boy would she have had some explaining to do after my report was submitted.

I have one shop the "Company" keeps sending me to over and over. I'm sure they know what I am by now. I guess I just go there to make a bit of money and get my Butt Kissed...

Ain't it grand, Mr. C? It should always be so.

Last summer, the most incompetent associate I'd ever shopped concluded our interaction by asking me if I was a "secret shopper." Of course I played dumb as he had explained to me what a secret shopper was and how he (DUH) never got a good grade. LOL! After I got home, I called my scheduler and asked how to handle it in the report. He just about died laughing and said that this was a first for him too. He called his supervisor on 3-way and we all had a good laugh. Needless to say, I've never shopped that location again, but I have a feeling that my shop made 2 people's day/week!

I got asked a couple of years ago and sweetly asked, "Is that some extra discount program? If so, I sure am! Do I have to sign up?" I still shop there, still see the same folks much of the time and just make a point of looking like a tired old lady concentrating on her own thoughts.

On the other hand...I've been doing some of the gas station audits where you reveal yourself and take pictures. I was afraid I would run into opposition, but I can't believe how mushy/gushy these employees get. I've had them run ahead of me and ask is there they can do to help, many offer me drinks or free food and such. I'm really enjoying these.

I tend to be a bit careful on gas station reveal audits. I make sure the audit portion is over, then see if they still want to feed and water me. I do not want to give the illusion I will rate them on what they give me.....

I just thank them when they offer food or drink and never accept it. They all know who I am because I do the shops every 90 days. I figure it is no big deal because most of them make no extra effort to be pleasant and smiling with me than I observe with other customers and Lord knows by the time I am there it is too late to clean up the joint Luckily the reports I do have a comments section that is only to the MSP and if a valid sounding reason is volunteered for something, I will mention it in the comments so the MSP can choose to share the information with the client or alter the report. When what I am given is baloney excuses I don't even bother with writing up a comment.

Well, since this is my first round of these shops, they don't know me yet. I have never accepted the food or drink either, but I thought it funny to see how accomidating they are. Let's see if they are this sweet the next time I'm there, after they have seen my first report.

mrcomputer101 Wrote:
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> I have one shop the "Company" keeps sending me to
> over and over. I'm sure they know what I am by
> now. I guess I just go there to make a bit of
> money and get my Butt Kissed...


I know this feeling well! And I kinda like it

never been busted as a mystery shopper openly. although there was one occasion I sent my parents to do a shop as a last minute fill in, Some companies allow this. What a mistake. after prepping them and explaining over the years all I do and how I do it, they did nothing less than pull out the shop notes at the location and made it a point to get everyone's name by asking and how to spell it and writing it down in front of them. When asked why they needed it, they simply said, my son wants to know. I wish I were there to see the amusement.

Barry

Funny. Was the shop accepted and did you put them in 'time out'?

Unfortunately, I have been asked several times if I was a mystery shopper. I play dumb, too, asking if that means I win as the millionth customer. Sometimes I say it's a scam, if I can get away with it at that particular type of store, saying the merchandisers talk about how you can be cheated doing that.

One time I had a gas station audit. As soon as I showed the manager the letter, everyone was cleaning. I took a picture of a man sweeping so I could explain in my notes if I needed to. When I did, he said very loud, "Oh! You're the mystery shopper!" It was a busy store and the customers could have heard it. One time, an employee was leaving a store where I had audited only once, and it was in a small town several miles from my home. When he saw me, he got very excited and ran back in yelling to the other employees, "The mystery shopper is coming! The mystery shopper is coming!" At another store, a customer saw me with my clipboard and safety vest and commented, "Oh, you're the compliance officer." I like that term best. I think that "mystery shopper", "secret shopper" and similar terms are very unfortunate names for what we do. The create problems.

The other day I was at a store I don't usually go to but where the main employee has known me by name for several years. She had never mentioned mystery shopping to me. She told me that she has just gotten a good score on her last mystery shop. I told her that I'm not allowed to do that by this company because I do the assessments. (I wanted to make sure she never calls me one.) She even invited me into the office to see the paperwork she was proud of. It was from the same company I was there for. I lost my chance at a little extra money when the client recently pulled the mystery shopping from one MSP and put it with the company that does the assessments and told the company to prevent the same person from ever doing both assignments at the same place. I've done both in the past at every store of that brand in several counties and now all I can do is the assessments.

So I asked the employee who the mystery shopper was. She said he is a "tall man" who is a local but she can't remember his name. I said, "So you looked on the security tape?" She said her boss did. She said she'll ask the boss what his name is and the next time she sees me, she'll tell me. I'm curious to know if I know him.