Did a C-store shop about six weeks ago. Proceeded to discretely take the required pictures. Guy behind the counter (later figure out he's a 5-year plus employee) smells me funny, starts following me on the cameras taking pictures in the aisles, gets in my face and asks me why I'm taking pictures -- what the purpose is -- if I'm shopping him -- and that he's reporting me to his store manager. Like four times. I deny anything and everything. But got the willies when I got out of there. Fortunately it was the end of the route for the day.

Called the scheduler the next day (happened on a Sunday) and said that the account rep would discuss it with the client and I'd hear back if anything happened.

Fortunately, I got the required pics in, the shop got paid, there's been no feedback.

But has anyone been busted / called out in a secret shop?

[Some Redditor at 5 Guys said, we know who you are, you're the ones who order funny, you're the ones who use the restroom, if it's not super-busy we know exactly what you're looking for and ID you, and we don't care because we get bonused when your shop comes back to the store, and we get to see all your notes as marked up by regional management]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2022 02:17AM by gsfreeman2.

That would have freaked me out! AFAIK. I haven't been outed yet. I live in a rural area and when anyone asks what I do I tell them "site inspections". If anyone in this town knew I was a mystery shopper the small town gossip network would put me out of business lol.

Yes, I used to shop a food place that was very scripted on what you did and in what order that they figured me out. I had one other time that I was shopping for a phone and the salesperson insisted that I was a shopper. He offered me some ridiculous deal and said "Only a mystery shopper would decline this". I told him that I really wanted to know more about the contract as I didn't want get into something for years and not understand and I wanted to figure out which carrier and deal worked best for me. I played stupid with him but man, he was all up my butt the last half of the shop.

@atxmarketer wrote:

I played stupid with him but man, he was all up my butt the last half of the shop.

Did a storage shop that was mystery + reveal and as I was walking through the door to present the reveal he said "I **knew** you were shopping me!!"

Never been called out but I'm pretty sure an Arby's manager who was manning the register knew who I was. It didn't help that a highly scripted and unnatural-sounding question was required. He just gave me a death stare and growled the "proper" response.

I got outed many years ago doing a rental car shop at Long Beach airport (small airport in SoCal between LAX and John Wayne). The rule was you could not have rental car for more than 4 hours. So I rented it around 5pm and brought back at 9pm. I took carry on bag with me to make it look like I was coming off a plane. I took the car and did a restaurant shop with my wife. When I brought the car back, the same employee checked me back in and asked if I was a mystery shopper. I asked what that was and she said "nevermind."

I mean how many people rent a car for 4 hours and spend like $40 to do it, unless they are a shopper or if they are flying in to make drug deliveries or something? I was thinking I could have been like Tom Cruise in the movie Collateral where he flew in for the night just to whack people who were gonna testify against the Cartel in a federal case.

I always knew when someone thought I was a shopper, but the smart folks don't let on that they are being shopped. I really noticed this during 5 Guys shops. I have no doubt they watch all the videos and have our photos posted in the back. I also noticed when I was shopped. I do a lot of promotional work and have seen people lurking trying to get a photo of me at my table. It's a skill to go unnoticed, especially when the guidelines and scenarios are sometimes ridiculous, repetitive and obvious.

When gas was cheaper I’d do a bonused 5Gs that’s a little remote. The same manager was always there. “Hi! Good to see you! Don’t I know you!” Etc. “You came here about a month ago” lol she totally knew every time. I stick out as a tall white guy. Almost all the customers in that area are Asian. NBD, that location always performs perfectly. I’d rather not go back now -too expensive to travel, and I’d rather not be made.

I did a gas station mystery/audit shop. When i went in to do the audit one employee said to the other "I told you she was our Mystery Shopper." I asked how he knew. He said " because Mystery Shoppers are the ony ones who ask about the credit card."

Have been doing shops at the national purple big box gym. Normally staff don't hang around there very long. But I shopprd the same location twice with with a one year gap between. When I walked the second time, the guy glared at me and gave me a super super perfunctory shop snd was chapter and verse because he knew I had shopped him before. Didn't even offer a Black Club massage preview.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2022 02:17PM by gsfreeman2.

Every time I walk into one 5Guys location, the manager goes out of her way to take my order. No mention is made of me being a shopper.

I was being signed out at a Testing Centre once, when the Testing Centre Employee asked, " How did we do?" I responded I did very well thanks. They then said, "No I mean how did we do. You are our Mystery Shopper right?. I asked what that was. When they answered, I said thats a scam. LoL. I then left.

I let the MSC know and they paid me in full. They said it was their fault, they sent me to a sister Testing Centre less then a month earlier and this employee was present for a brief time at the other Testing Centre when I was there. Thus the employee most have recognized me. I was writing an exam for which I would not have had my results yet, nor would I be writing it again so soon after the first attempt. Additionally, the Testing Centre Employee had not done their job perfectly and the end client was very interested in knowing what they had done wrong. Helps I did not admit I was the Shopper.

I am positive the Five Guys employees know I am the shopper at at least 2 locations; but probably at all of them. Also a manager at a Dave's Hot Chicken also knows. Luckily the Five Guys employee and Hot Dave's manager are not dumb enough to out me.

@Lady Marius wrote:

I was being signed out at a Testing Centre once, when the Testing Centre Employee asked, " How did we do?" I responded I did very well thanks. They then said, "No I mean how did we do. You are our Mystery Shopper right?. I asked what that was. When they answered, I said thats a scam. LoL. I then left.

I let the MSC know and they paid me in full. They said it was their fault, they sent me to a sister Testing Centre less then a month earlier and this employee was present for a brief time at the other Testing Centre when I was there. Thus the employee most have recognized me. I was writing an exam for which I would not have had my results yet, nor would I be writing it again so soon after the first attempt. Additionally, the Testing Centre Employee had not done their job perfectly and the end client was very interested in knowing what they had done wrong. Helps I did not admit I was the Shopper.

I am positive the Five Guys employees know I am the shopper at at least 2 locations; but probably at all of them. Also a manager at a Dave's Hot Chicken also knows. Luckily the Five Guys employee and Hot Dave's manager are not dumb enough to out me.

Dave's Hot Chicken is sooooooooo good. I can't tell who the managers are. It always looks like a different crew.

I've never been called out, but know a few have figured it out. Don't know if they see me eyeing their name badge or if I've said some part of the script that triggers it. Their whole persona and attitude changes very quickly.

It seems a lot of times when I go to the burger joint they start to clean. I don't know if that means they knew I was the shopper or whether it was just they had time after the rush or whatever.

I really don't care if a location realizes I'm shopping them. I don't make it known, but if they guess, I usually get great service.

Again, I'm not sure if they have guessed or they always give great service. I don't care, I just report what happens.

@Tanischri87 wrote:

Dave's Hot Chicken is sooooooooo good. I can't tell who the managers are. It always looks like a different crew.

I only know she is a manager because she told me she is, she also told me she used to be at a different location. The three locations here all opened within the past year. I agree they are so good.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2022 06:04PM by Lady Marius.

As long as they keep their mouths shut I don't really care either. I will not say anything if they don't.

@wrosie wrote:

It seems a lot of times when I go to the burger joint they start to clean. I don't know if that means they knew I was the shopper or whether it was just they had time after the rush or whatever.

I really don't care if a location realizes I'm shopping them. I don't make it known, but if they guess, I usually get great service.

Again, I'm not sure if they have guessed or they always give great service. I don't care, I just report what happens.

I got busted at a C-store. This was before I got that nifty little handheld camera. I totally revealed I was a shopper and showed them my license. The clerk was super upset. Said he could lose his job blah blah blah so I revealed. That was the only time someone called me out but I have said before I am CONFIDENT that employees know shoppers ESPECIALLY if the location is shopped frequently. If MSCs do not change the allowances and have specific order requirements, only a terrible employee wouldn't notice. it is the MSC that wants us to behave naturally BUT PUTS US in an unnatural circumstance. I am confident that employees generally do not care that they are being shopped. I used to do shops at Vegas gift shops, the client required me to browse 20 minutes, engage the employee then only allowed a $5 purchase. I stopped doing them. Crate & Barrel $5, yeah, the employees know that the shopper can only buy a plastic potato peeler. In my opinion, sometimes when they know, they will treat you better.

There was a clothing store where I was required to get 3 employee names even though they weren't wearing name tags and weren't volunteering their names like they were supposed to. I was in the store forever and went back to the dressing room a second time. The manager figured it out, then stood outside my dressing room door rattling off the script about the store's mission. Sigh....

I think the steakhouse employees sometimes suspect because not that many women sit by themselves at the bar. Although my last several shops, they've been missing their required phrases -- surely if they knew I was a shopper they'd be sure to get those in.

I've been outed in a couple of times, It's not really a big deal. At a kroger here in AL, I had a manager follow me through the store, and whisper to the cashier as I was checking out (that store was closed permanently just a few months later, I hope the manager thought it was her fault for chasing me around the store.. lol).

It doesn't make any difference in my reports. At another kroger brand store, many years ago, I had a produce guy who told me what the monthly questions were, not only the produce questions either, but the meat department and grocery questions too. I didn't reveal myself to him, but i did report it to the MSC, told them exactly what happened. It seems someone he knows was/is a shopper and they were feeding him info.

Out here in rural Alabama it's kind of kind of uncommon to have strange folks that just randomly show up at your gas station. And then only get 1 or 2 gallons of gas and buy one little tiny thing in the C-store, and ask for a receipt. I'm sure most of the gas stations know that I am the shopper when I when I come into the store. Most don't say anything when I reveal myself but some do sometimes. For the gas station shops I just don't think it's a big deal.

I don't think I've ever been outed in a restaurant, But I don't really do very many restaurant shops except for fast food. I do the fast casual Burger shops, but not often, I can't say whether they can tell I'm the shopper or not, nobody says anything and they don't seem to watch me carefully.

I had an employee chased me around IKEA with my mother-in-law insisting that we were shopping her. I played dumb and asked her what mystery shopping was and it seemed to keep her at bay. But that was one of the worst shops I've ever done in 10 years of shopping. That report was awful.

I shop weekly at a grocery store in my neighborhood. Sometimes it's a Shop and sometimes it's not. One time, shopping for myself, every corner I turned seemed to have another employee saying "Hello" or " Are you finding everything you need?" I was sure they thought I was Mystery Shopping that day.
Telephone carrier company store (no longer shopped) The associate kept answering my questions with "Same as the last time you were here."

@Rho* wrote:

I shop weekly at a grocery store in my neighborhood. Sometimes it's a Shop and sometimes it's not. One time, shopping for myself, every corner I turned seemed to have another employee saying "Hello" or " Are you finding everything you need?" I was sure they thought I was Mystery Shopping that day.

Yeah, did a franchised group of grocery stores which were part of a larger chain of mostly corporate stores for a while and when the stockers [and you recognize all of them and probably know them by first name without their name badges] stop you to find out what you need... umm...yeah. LOL.

And then you take a month off due to life being real and the butcher asks where you've been and if you're okay.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2022 03:02AM by gsfreeman2.

It’s been great with covid with the masks! I’m sad that more and more masks are not as common.

I did overtly an a Rita's Italian Ice once, back when they had a program. The requirements basically outed you as you had to take a bunch of pictures. I had a employee lean out of the window and directly ask me "Are you a mystery shopper?" I had to play super dumb.

I also know a couple of 5 Guys and Nandos' chicken places have probably made me from time to time. It's hard not to be with some of the requirements.

@Morledzep wrote:

At another kroger brand store, many years ago, I had a produce guy who told me what the monthly questions were, not only the produce questions either, but the meat department and grocery questions too. I didn't reveal myself to him, but i did report it to the MSC, told them exactly what happened. It seems someone he knows was/is a shopper and they were feeding him info.

If a location manager knows the name of the company that shops them, it’s pretty common for retail and restaurant staff to sign up as mystery shoppers for that company. They can then see the locations in rotation, the questions on the report, et cetera.

It’s deceptive, but when there are bonus checks for staff and managers on the line, I understand the impulse to get the report information in advance.

I pretty much guess I am outed when I get a scripted answer for a scripted question. I just figure it is corporate QA, they know what they are supposed to say when we ask the questions. So it is all good on those.

Years ago, I had a restaurant shop that I was scheduled for every single month, always with the very specific orders and subsequent questions. At some point, I am sure they knew who I was. One time, I took my son with me, and one of the servers clearly found him attractive. Although he never got lewd or rude, at one point, he was about half an inch from outright in my son's lap, mid-20s at the time. My son is about as easy going as one can get, he was just laughing and having a good time, and I was thinking how in tarnation am I supposed to write this shop up. Yes, the server was very friendly, efficient and personable. At a point, I told my scheduler that there was no way they didn't know I was a shopper. He said I was the only shopper he had in the area, thus the lack of rotation, but that ended that one. I enjoyed every minute of those shops, and the employees did too.

I used to do a particular cellular store and it was a strange question that they would have you to ask. I asked the question, finished the shop and I got in my car and the sales associate followed me out and was trying to get my attention. They said to me “Hey My Manager said that you are a Secret Shopper” as an experienced shopper I casually said to him oh what is that? How do I apply? Does it pay well? They replied I’m not sure ???? I left them in a state of confusion.

I totally agree since I have a big personality, I totally downplay myself

Another occasion at a big box store where I had to place an order, I had the manager of pickup to tell me casually “I know that you are a secret shopper based on the item you ordered” I used to be at another store and I got promoted you gave me a “whatever the score was I don’t recall” I simply said a secret shopper?