It Is Hard To To a Good Shop When You Start With a Bad Evaluation

I have been doing mystery shops for several years and for many companies. I constantly find shops where the "Evaluation" that I am expected to fill in has errors that keep from making a good shop.

Yes, I understand most businesses want objective facts not opinions from their shops.

Examples:
1. Many evaluations will remove some questions based on the answers to other questions. Ex: "dine-in" or drive-thru" might include more questions about the interior of the business for a "dine-in" restaurant shop
2. I have seen evaluations where questions are clearly in the wrong section. Ex: Hotel valet questions included in check-in or bell section, even when there is already a valet section.
3. Sometimes there are safety, security or just general information information that could be shared with the business AND the ability to include pictures of these issues. Ex: Back door of business left open, Black mold on AC vents in guest rooms, Windows that don't lock.
4. Recognize an outstanding (good or bad) associate and reason for recognition.
5. Schedulers who cannot answer questions, who do you contact then?

I won't just "Yes" a survey to get through it and I want to always give a great shop. Have you run into this, what do you do?

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Companies ask the questions they want to know the answer to, so I answer the questions they ask.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

I did a big box store shop, then for the same MSC ran across town and did another big box store for a "competitor" shop.

Instead of writing new guidelines, the MSC just changed the big box store's name on the original guidelines.

Directions that said go to such-and-such a department -- the 2nd store doesn't even HAVE those departments. Get a business card from each associate you interact with -- 2nd store does NOT give employees business cards.

What a hot mess that one was, and how awful the report was.

I could have asked the scheduler before I went -- except I'd never been in the 2nd store before, for any reason at all, and did not KNOW they didn't have specific departments, etc.

I do believe that was the worst case I ever ran into. The absolute WORST.

@bgriffin wrote:

Companies ask the questions they want to know the answer to, so I answer the questions they ask.

This is especially true in relation to OP's #3. Safety/security/building issues could all be reviewed by someone from the company doing a surprise inspection. Someone from the company is going to have a lot more access than we would as a shopper.

That happens all the time with competitor shops. What cracks me up are specific questions such as, was the employee wearing a shirt with the ABC wireless logo, or was the ABC logo mat at the front door. Well of course not, this was XYZ store. There usually isn't much choice but to make everything fit as best we can.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

If there are real health or safety issues I will find some way to mention them or report them separately to the scheduler. No, I wasn't asked because it obviously was not a 'compliance with training' but rather a 'violation of common sense'.

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It Is Hard To To a Good Shop When You Start With a Bad Evaluation

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