I don’t usually shop on the weekends, but I accepted one for Today (Saturday) because I needed to bring a teen to this shop (and she was available this morning). Guidelines prohibited first and last hour of the day. It took me so much longer because the store was very crowded!

The scenario was to wait and see if you are offered help, and then to ask after 5 minutes. There truly was no one available to help. One girl was a greeter, handing out coupons at the front door, and the other was at the fitting rooms. Then there were 2 cashiers with a never-ending line. Sometimes I feel like I’m not pushy enough, but it’s hard to get someone when they are busy with “real” customers. Every time I went to find help, they were already with another customer. So you wait, you follow ... and it takes a long time! I eventually found a few moments to ask the greeter questions, but I was taking her away from what she was supposed to be doing. I guess I shouldn’t be worried about that, but if the store had more workers available then the evaluation would be more favorable. They’re paying to evaluate the workers, but they aren’t providing enough workers so everyone can do their jobs properly. Maybe they should use that money to pay employees instead.

I reviewed the report prior to submission, but the facts made it appear like the employees were incompetent. This was only because there weren’t enough people working. I edited it the best I could to include how busy it was without providing my opinion, but it was tough! For instance, “The employee did not return to the fitting room to see if I needed additional sizes” (but in their defense I didn’t even expect that because it was hard enough to find someone just to unlock the door). Do you have any pointers or even specific wording you use so the employees don’t look bad in the report?

You make a very good case for not shopping retailers this time of year. At the very least, the shop is going to take longer than you expect.

I always mention that there were not enough employees and that the store was very busy. Facts

I try to avoid retail shops during holiday hell, This is the time to focus on phone shops you can do from home, web shops same idea, car dealerships, motorcycle and ATV or UTV dealerships, or other shops that don't have an influx of shoppers, yes the road around regular retail may be busier.

I try to steer away from saying there were not enough employees but I have written that at times. I would rather present facts by saying something like, "there were two employees on the floor and twenty five customers browsing,. I had to wait behind 3 other customers to get my turn to speak with one of them."
In my big city shopping the main concern with Christmas time is finding a parking spot.
Personally I do not like retail shops as here there is always a wait to find soomene except for small pricey stores. Try to go weekdays if you can and avoid the first day the new weekly ad comes out. I would also definitely avoid the big box stores like Best Buy and the larger department stores that have a lot of sales.

Yeah, shop like crazy for the rest of the year and avoid shopping during the holidays unless it's online or phone shops.

You guys make me wish I could do online and phone shops.

Tried them both a couple months back -- I was a catastrophic fail at both.

I don’t even like the pre-call required by some shops! Hahaha!

I am "retiring" from week end retail shops form now to the end of this year. OF course, if I am offered a big enough bonus ......

I take off most of November and December for this exact reason. Also you are a real customer not a fake one and it's not your fault they didn't have enough people. Perhaps if you had not sugar coated your report they would be more apt to realize that.

Hahaha! I did not “sugar coat” my report. Please don’t jump to conclusions. I asked for advice on how to tell the facts without making the employees look incompetent, but also without inserting opinion into the report. I’m too honest a person to ever alter the facts, but I want to write it with finesse so I avoid the appearance that I’m telling the store how to run their business but also without throwing the employees under the bus.

OP,
Most editors are told that saying that there were not enough staff is an opinion and should be removed. Instead, being specific, as in the example stating the number of associates, what they were doing and the number of customers would be taken as objective and would not be deleted. Thus, the essential facts survive for the client to see. And, how do I know this? Editors make lots of presentations at the IMSC conferences, and I have been to at least 10. Also, when I was new, I got feedback directly from a few helpful editors about statements about under-staffing.

In both cases the editors's messages were clear; just the facts, ma'am.

Walesmaven, the questionnaire did ask how many customers were in the store, but asked for a range, and the highest was 5 or more. I guess I need to write in the narrative that there were 50 people in the store. Is saying it was “crowded” subjective? I guess what I’m finding difficult is to NOT say “but you only scheduled 4 employees because you’re too cheap to pay an extra person minimum wage, and they couldn’t provide your expected level of service because of your cheapness”.

@Ercokat wrote:

I edited it the best I could

This phrase sounded like sugar coating to me. Perhaps I misunderstood, my apologies.

I tend to be blunt in my reports. For instance if the guidelines say browse for five minutes before approaching someone for help I would say something like " after browsing for five minutes I approached the employee for help. It was seven more minutes before I was assisted as there were 4 other customers ahead of me waiting for service." That gives them an accurate account and it shows the employee was actively assisting customers, they were just exceptionally busy. Same with the dressing room. "I stayed in the dressing room for the required five minutes without additional offers of help. When I excited the dressing room I observed all three employees assisting other customers with additional customers waiting for help."

Just say what you saw and let them draw their own conclusions.

On the opposite side stating it like that also allows you to say "after exiting the dressing room I observed all three associates standing at the register engaging in a conversation." That gives them the understanding that no you didn't get help but you should have, without stating it.

I don't often do phone shops. Not because I can't, but because they aren't my most favorite or well-paying thing to do. If I had to do them and was financially strapped, I would do them in a heartbeat. The online shops I do are mostly financial inquiry shops that pay well. I pretty much won't do any online shops for less than $50 (depending on the amount of detail and time).

@ceasesmith wrote:

You guys make me wish I could do online and phone shops.

Tried them both a couple months back -- I was a catastrophic fail at both.

@bgriffin wrote:

@Ercokat wrote:

I edited it the best I could

This phrase sounded like sugar coating to me. Perhaps I misunderstood, my apologies.

I tend to be blunt in my reports. For instance if the guidelines say browse for five minutes before approaching someone for help I would say something like " after browsing for five minutes I approached the employee for help. It was seven more minutes before I was assisted as there were 4 other customers ahead of me waiting for service." That gives them an accurate account and it shows the employee was actively assisting customers, they were just exceptionally busy. Same with the dressing room. "I stayed in the dressing room for the required five minutes without additional offers of help. When I excited the dressing room I observed all three employees assisting other customers with additional customers waiting for help."

Just say what you saw and let them draw their own conclusions.

That is a very good way to get the information across without opinion. Exactly what I was looking for! I don’t want to simply say “no one came back to the fitting room”, because it makes it appear that the employees weren’t doing their jobs when in fact they were swamped and couldn’t come back to check on me. Thank you!

Ercokat- I understand where you are coming from, but that is not your job to be concerned about the employees. I don't think sugar coating is what you meant to say, but that is exactly what you are doing.
Because the employees didn't return when they should have doesn't mean they weren't doing their job. What it means is the store was to busy for the amount of employees at this time. This is why your shopping so they can find out they need more help. Your are supposed to be a regular shopper. Facts only.
Brgiffin's narrative would have been perfect.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2019 09:02PM by shopper8.

To improve the value, reputation, and stimulate the use of mystery shopping services, it is important that information about mystery shopping services is accurately communicated to both the business community and the public. I will not falsify or misrepresent reports. (MSPA)
I am not saying that you falsified anything.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2019 09:03PM by shopper8.

Then why put it it out there that way in the discussion I started? I really don’t like those words attached to me in any way, shape or form, because I in no way did that or intend to EVER do so.

I DO worry about how my words could hurt employees who didn’t do anything wrong. That is why I asked for helpful advice. I want to word it accurately so they don’t get blamed for anything from my report when they were actually working their butts off. If I only write “no one returned to the fitting room to offer help”, but don’t add anything further, it makes it appear they didn’t do their job. I also want to word it in such a way that doesn’t sound like an opinion. I think BGriffin’s wording helps me achieve that.

I can answer the OP's question in one contracted word. DON'T.

I agree..my tip is don't do it!!

ERCOKAT In your narrative you could say that the foot traffic was heavy at this time, the store was crowded and all of the employees were busy with customers. You can not or don't have to put in an amount of customers. I do believe you are honest and have integrity. Because the employees did not return to the fitting room does not mean that they were not doing their job. They didn't return because they were busy with other customers. BGRIFFIN is saying the same thing that I am saying, just wording it differently.
By the way you are a "real" customer.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2019 07:00PM by shopper8.

Make sure you're getting a bonus on holiday shops. They take a LOT longer than standard shops, and there is a huge "aggravation factor."

Yeppers. Just DON'T.

Define busy. It's a relative term. I'm an editor for a company. When I see busy I always have to try to reword the sentence. Give me a number, say that there were a lot of customers and more kept arriving, something that is more concrete than "busy" please!

Don't ! Unless there is a big bonus or you have to for survival.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2019 06:10PM by ShoppingDad.

I was in a store, not during a holiday, and experienced essentially this. i express it in my own way instead of in mystery-shop-ese.


.... The fitting room area was congested. The five adjoining fitting rooms were situated close to shoes, jackets, dresses, and jeans. Four customers were trying on shoes; two customers with large shopping carts were conversing in the jackets aisle, and three customers were waiting for an employee to unlock the available fitting rooms. Two fitting rooms were in use. The first customer in this line rang the service bell as I joined the line five minutes and thirty five seconds before an employee unlocked the fitting room doors

During my six minutes and seventeen seconds in the fitting room, I did not hear the service bell or the sounds of any fitting room doors opening or closing. When I returned to the sales floor, thirty customers entered the store in a span of twenty two seconds. One person announced to the store at large that the group needed to get back to their tour bus within thirty minutes and everyone needed to go the bathroom and buy something. Three additional registers were opened. The customers currently in line and the tour group were processed within twenty eight minutes and fourteen seconds. I and other customers browsed the store until the long lines at the registers had abated....

*shudders*

Erco, I feel your concern. When I observe and experience busy associates, I will always include/allude to that in my report. If there is a private note section to the editor/MSC, I will comment there as well. As far as shopping during the Holiday season? My advice is do not. The crowds are not worth the aggravation to me. I online shop and gift cash and GCs. I take Nov-Dec off from MS because I don't want to be bothered. Our dining out will be paid by us. No reports! We are free, lol. Good luck.