Videos of shops: Shopper identity is compromised ???

Who generally is reviewing video tapes of shops performed???

The client corporate level personnel, or the store level management???

I can understand the higher ups wanting to look over the video, but if the store management does so, then the mystery shopper's identity is comprised during future visits.

I had read on another site that a bank shop was found to be bogus after they reviewed the video and saw the shopper take a business card and leave the bank with a false shop report done therafter. Glad the shopper was caught for this fraudulent reporting.

Thanks.

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I think you read that here - since a very similiar situation happened to me as the client. Or maybe it happens all over the place.... who knows.

Anyway - in my case (as the client) I (as "corprate"

reviewed the shop along with corporate level operations and HR. The branch staff did not review the shop on video.

However, in the case you describe - who cares if the shopper's identity was "compromised" as obviously one would never want that shopper to shop for them again.

Edited for spelling mistakes!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2010 05:02PM by MickeyB.

MickeyB-

I see what the original poster is saying. If surveillance videos are being reviewed for shoppers who are not doing anything wrong, then wouldn't that comprimise their identity and make it more likely that they will get spotted and be unable to return?

I can only speak for the company that I worked for...
But in our case if branch staff disputed the shop I along with the VP of Operations reviewed the video. The branch front line staff never knew the date or time of shop so they could not review it even if they wanted to. Any review was always handeled at corporate level only.

I've read umpteen warnings to shoppers that shops will be videotaped. What level views the tapes? Most likely it varies depending on the client. In my first year of mystery shopping, a shop I did at a grocery store was challenged. After exchanging emails with the MSP, I was told that the store was ready to pull the video. I held firm to my report, which was negative.

At that time, I didn't have a DVR, just my word. I was further advised that if the store viewed the video, I would be marked and disallowed from shopping, not just for that store but for the chain. So, even if my report was proven to be accurate, I'd be busted. I told the MSP to tell the client to view the tape.

So did that MSP disallow future shops of the chain to you?

No. I got paid for the shop, continue to shop the chain, and can only surmise what happened.

I think here the grocery store directors pull the tapes. I was "identified" once, wrongly, when the MSC came back and asked me about having my son write down info in front of a clerk. I described what I was wearing, and that I was alone, and they came back and said that I was right, the regional manager pulled the tapes and the person identified someone from a different day. I still get to shop the chain and the location.

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“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton

I used to shop HSBC banks and in one location it seems that every time they got shopped the managers reviewed the tape just to see who the shopper was. The manager had it pegged as to who they thought the shopper was every time (let's call her "Annie"

and this time they got a report without having seen "Annie" for some time. Kind of pitiful that they had so little to do that they made a point to peg the shopper. This manager later caused a fuss saying I was related to her when I wasn't and the most puzzling thing about it was that the shop went perfectly and the report reflected that. Needless to say I will no longer set foot near that banking organization nor the MS company that had them way back then.

Her Serene Majesty, Cettie - Goat Queen of Zoltar, Sublime Empress of Her Caprine Domain

My humble opinion is that cameras and video tapes are used less than we are warned. I think our mystery shopping companies want us to be honest and not make up stuff. Also, it would not make sense that the clerk or cashier in a store would get to see the tapes. I bet only a manager would see it, because they probably want to view questionable employee behavior but cannot spend all day browsing tapes. We just save them time so they know which tape to consider watching.

wow!live and learn.
I only done 1 shop,so I am reading this as education,thank yoy

How does a video shop actually work? I heard the equipment is mailed to you in the mail. Is it huge? Hard to operate, I am not technical, but I hear it pays well. What examples of things do you video tape and you need to look out for.

Kendra-

The video we are talking about is the surveillance videos that storeowners supposedly use to verify shop data. If you run a search for video shopping, you'll find lots of related threads.

Yes I believe surveillance videos are only watched if you give a less than stellar report and the associates want to fight it.

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Videos of shops: Shopper identity is compromised ???

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