Do You All Think Mystery Shopping Works?

April 13, 2023 04:04AM

Hello and good evening.

I'm sorry if this subject is in the wrong forum or forbidden in general by the board. If so, please delete and accept my apologies.

But I wanted to ask. Do you all think that mystery shopping itself works? Has anyone seen a company actually get markedly better?

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April 13, 2023 04:16AM

It works for the few companies that have it set up correctly. I would think most do NOT work, but that is because of bad design.

But ultimately, I really don't care if it works or not. If it makes me money and they want to spend $ for results and NOT do anything about it...it's not within my control.

Long term, if enough companies find it does NOT work...then they will stop their programs. I think that Cheesecake Factory either felt the results were not worth paying for or they did not know what to do with the results. I was sad when they stopped their shopping (like 10 years ago).

I will say In N Out is one of the most structured programs. The shopper does not get rich doing them...but they require ALL locations to do the same scenario (walk-in or drive-thru) each time and the same product each time. This is so they can compare the results COMPANY-WIDE. Management bonuses are determined based on performance, so there is an incentive to do well and train their employees in areas that concern the company.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2023 06:17AM by hbbigdaddy.

April 13, 2023 04:56AM

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Long term, if enough companies find it does NOT work...then they will stop their programs. I think that Cheesecake Factory either felt the results were not worth paying for or they did not know what to do with the results. I was sad when they stopped their shopping (like 10 years ago)./quote]

I'm STILL sad about the loss of the Cheesecake Factory shops.

April 13, 2023 06:09AM

I agree with @hbbigdaddy regarding In-N-Out. In one location I shopped the water in the restroom sink was nice and warm ... until it wasn't. It kept getting hotter to the point it could be a problem for little ones. The faucets were motion activated so there was no way for customers to control the temperature. I reported this and the next time I went, the water was a consistent and appropriate warm temperature.

Also back when Market Force had a gas station brand they shopped, I went to a location that had some inappropriate items in the store. I took a picture which I submitted in my report (using the "+ Upload Image(s)" button even though I don't think there was a specific spot or request for a photo). When I drove by that location sometime later I saw that they had gotten de-branded. Whether or not it was because of my report and photo, who knows?

These two situations make me think that sometimes mystery shopping works.

April 13, 2023 06:47AM

Many many years ago I shopped a large metropolitan zoo. It was an all-day job that required me to visit every food vendor, attraction, and gift shop. I had about 15 years retail and restaurant mgmt experience at the time and I worked it. A month later, I got a phone call stating they were so impressed that wanted me to go back and assess the changes that had been made upon my recommendations. I felt I made a difference in the success of the zoo.

April 13, 2023 07:43AM

Some places immediately take action, others you see the same infractions year after year after year. I also had an issue with excessive hot water at a gas station restroom - the hot water did not turn off all the way, and was EXTREMELY hot from running 24/7. I told them it should be fixed ASAP before a child burned themself, and they definitely got it fixed. I have had rusty/peeling restroom stalls completely replaced within weeks when I reported them. And many gas stations are debranded when they have serious, repeated infractions.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2023 07:44AM by mjt9598.

April 13, 2023 11:50AM

After a couple of rounds of reporting a broken and stained grocery store restroom ceiling panel, I found it was fixed. And more teammates at the same grocery chain are proactively greeting customers with a smile (!) when they stand nearby looking for assistance. And, as others have noted, I have seen gas stations debranded after several reports of egregious faults.

April 13, 2023 01:03PM

As a long time retail manager, I often saw mystery shop report as just an excuse to get written up for not following arbitrary guidelines set out by corporate office folks who never worked on the sales floor a day in their life.

April 13, 2023 01:27PM

At a gas station audit I did they did not have the top tier sticker on the window. I asked the manager about it and he didn't know about the sticker. The next time I went he pointed it out to me and said it was because of me that they now have it. Made me feel good.

April 13, 2023 02:20PM

Yes, depending on why the company is doing the shop. I think some do it for customer service, some of them have compliance standards (I.E, how a bank handles private information), overall condition of a store, etc.
I reported a gas station parking lot was full of potholes and it was re-paved. I've reported issues in the bathrooms (similar to the notes above, about water getting scalding hot) and have seen those fixed.

Lately, (perhaps this is just because of my own personal experiences after knee surgery), I have noticed I've been starting to look more at the accessibility of a location. I've gone to a few gas stations that the handicapped stall was out of order, or the door was stuck in a locked position and reported that this would be a great difficulty for a handicapped individual. I will see if things are fixed on my next visit.

I actually really enjoyed programs I did in the past that rewarded employees on the spot for certain things like offering an upsell.

April 13, 2023 03:54PM

I reported a Jack in the Box for missing the letter "J" on the sign for several months. I still chuckle seeing the different font "J" poorly screwed onto the facade slightly angled, and slightly different colored. I suspect they eventually got sick of my reports and went to a craft store, painted a wooden J and screwed it on with hardware store screws.

I reported a IN N OUT for having etched graffiti on a urinal. They buffed the heck out of the thing on the next visit. Nearly impossible to "fix" without replacing the whole fixture, but it didn't show the tagging anymore.

I reported a Five Guys manager for being flirtatious with the associates. He was gone the last couple of visits.

I suspect the programs are very valuable if the franchise CARES and if the information is VALUABLE.

Poorly designed programs don't provide value.

Sometimes they get a ton of feedback for a very low price -Cane's chicken, all gas station audits, anything Mobee.

Sometimes they get next to nothing for a lot of money -Wells Fargo, etc.

Which DO YOU think provide the most value for clients?

April 13, 2023 04:37PM

I did one JITB and the same location was missing a panel of the menu and used the same panel 2x to cover the space. I reported it at least 10 times and it was never addressed. I also would point out the chipped paint on the curbs in the drive-thru. They would ask...but those things did NOT seem to matter to them. They probably focused on the timing more than anything.

April 13, 2023 05:15PM

I see significant declines in consistency and service at clients I liked enough that I still go to them after the ms program is over. The two that come to mind are Blaze and Chipotle where I notice the lack of availability of some things like forks, napkins at many times and tables not being bussed for long periods of times. Also inconsistencies in service depending on the person serving. During the program if they fixed something I noted I never knew if that item was on a list to be repaired anyway but I feel as others that the program works only when management pays attention to the reports.

April 13, 2023 06:22PM

Is there a financial penalty to gas stations if they fail certain observed items on the mystery shop and/or audits? It seems that the same (red/white/blue) gas stations' employees never have authorized uniform shirts and/or nametags.

Most of these gas stations seem to be very consistent with addressing the trash levels. It is random if there are squeegees and towels.

I think mystery shopping works. It depends on what the location does with the information though. Sometimes the observed item is fixed the next time I shop the location and there are other times where it takes months. I noted the issue with the LEDs on the price sign at a gas station back in the summer. Nothing has been done since and it projects neglect.

April 13, 2023 09:39PM

It works in my states! I can just drive by businesses in my areas and figure if they are shopped or not just because of the curb appeal and how maintained it is; before I even step foot in the door. I've seen a lot of them get debranded but, I've seen a lot of them go from 1 to 10.

I was just thinking the other day, as I was driving about, how much community service we provide to our communities. We hold the businesses accountable, help beautify our communities, and it makes me feel very proud. We make a huge difference and in my states, it shows. As I see customers going in and out of stores I shop, I wonder to myself if any of these people know what happens and what we do. Before I started this, I would never have dreamed this goes on, and I never knew.

I just wished, in my states, that I could make a difference in employees having uniforms and name tags on. This is the most challenging issue. It's slowing getting better, though.

Shopping Arkansas, Louisiana, & Mississippi.

April 14, 2023 09:46AM

@Tanischri87 wrote:

I reported a Jack in the Box for missing the letter "J" on the sign for several months. I still chuckle seeing the different font "J" poorly screwed onto the facade slightly angled, and slightly different colored. I suspect they eventually got sick of my reports and went to a craft store, painted a wooden J and screwed it on with hardware store screws.

I reported a IN N OUT for having etched graffiti on a urinal. They buffed the heck out of the thing on the next visit. Nearly impossible to "fix" without replacing the whole fixture, but it didn't show the tagging anymore.

I reported a Five Guys manager for being flirtatious with the associates. He was gone the last couple of visits.

I suspect the programs are very valuable if the franchise CARES and if the information is VALUABLE.

Poorly designed programs don't provide value.

Sometimes they get a ton of feedback for a very low price -Cane's chicken, all gas station audits, anything Mobee.

Sometimes they get next to nothing for a lot of money -Wells Fargo, etc.

Which DO YOU think provide the most value for clients?

The experience I had in the front of my mind most when I wrote the original post was Jack in the Box. I'm one of the odd ducks who actually likes Jack in the Box food. So when it came time to shop JIB...I would happily do it. But of the multiple deficiencies I reported over multiple months, the only thing I saw "fixed" was they put some tape on one of the drive through speakers to hold it to the menu board.

So I can picture in my head your experience with the missing "J" on the sign.

I've been doing this for nearly 20 years so I don't recall all of the places I've shopped. But lately, there was a car wash attendant at the car wash with a duck on it... I think their job/commission is to sell you a membership because they always do it. One guy basically called me stupid for not buying a membership (no--not literally but in so many words). I reported him and I haven't seen him since; but then again I've only been back to that location once since then. That is one of the few times where I could see a "cause and effect". I'm very happy to have read the stories of it working in this thread though.

Just be cool folks.

April 14, 2023 11:00AM

When I lived in NYC, I mostly shopped businesses that I wouldn't normally patronize. Therefore, I wouldn't really see if anything had improved unless I went back for an assignment at the same location again. That didn't happen with the majority of the shops I did, although there were a few businesses I shopped regularly. That was years ago, so I don't recall noticing improvements on subsequent visits.

Where I live now, I mostly do phone shops. With the shops I do in person here, I haven't seen changes on stuff I reported, but I only started back up again with mystery shopping less than a year ago after about a five-year hiatus. And there's really only one business I've shopped here with any sort of regularity.

I have to say, though, that I tend not to remember little details about past shops afterwards. Once I'm done with a shop, I'm done!
.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/2023 03:36PM by shopnyc.

April 14, 2023 12:23PM

@condorchristi How did the associate "One guy basically called me stupid for not buying a membership (no--not literally but in so many words). I reported him and I haven't seen him since"

If someone were to tell me, "you want to get our member's pass for car washes since they pay for themselves if you come here or any of our 10 locations in town to get more than two car washes a month. It is a smart buy since the rest of the car washes after the first two are free. It would almost be stupid not to do it." I wouldn't categorize that exchange as the employee saying I was stupid in so many words. Is that what happened?

April 16, 2023 06:46PM

Mystery shops are used for a number of reasons besides a company evaluating their own service levels. Yes this is the case with some shops, but in many instances it is not.

A few examples of why shops would be conducted.

- competitor
- loss prevention
- data evaluation (think Nike/Amazon)
- legal reasons (Wells Fargo)
- compliance (debranding)

The list goes on and on.

April 17, 2023 02:41AM

@heywave wrote:

@condorchristi How did the associate "One guy basically called me stupid for not buying a membership (no--not literally but in so many words). I reported him and I haven't seen him since"

If someone were to tell me, "you want to get our member's pass for car washes since they pay for themselves if you come here or any of our 10 locations in town to get more than two car washes a month. It is a smart buy since the rest of the car washes after the first two are free. It would almost be stupid not to do it." I wouldn't categorize that exchange as the employee saying I was stupid in so many words. Is that what happened?

He didn't say "almost".

April 17, 2023 03:07AM

I was shopped as an associate in a local retail chain. The shopper asked about a dusty display promoting a custom item that no one had so much as looked at in five years. I told the client I didn't recommend it. I was hauled into the managers office to go over the report and scolded about giving an honest opinion on that product. Lesson learned. That shopper made a difference-- I have never not endorsed any item again---no matter what.

April 17, 2023 05:36AM

There are a couple of stations that I do regularly that only seem to get attention, or repairs done when I report them. I suspect that it has something to do with the owners not understanding how to deal with the gas company. And my input from the reports is the only recourse they have to get their necessary repairs.

There is one station that was in the middle of a rebranding, then company that was hired to put in all the signage and stuff on the gas pumps just quit showing up to do the work. The owner of the store told me that he's called corporate many times but nobody has come out to finish doing the work. I did the shop reported all the things that weren't done yet that hadn't been done in 6 months or more, and the next time I did a shop they had all of the pump Toppers and the new canopy and the new signage and everything just the way it was supposed to be.

So I think that at least some mystery shopping or auditing gets results. Maybe not the results that we want to see, like repaired bathrooms and clean floors and ceilings that don't look like they're going to stay in the ceiling. But at least all The Branding will be fixed.

April 19, 2023 02:11PM

A lot depends on the management at the location. I do a lot of the big 3 gas stations and sometimes they keep going downhill and usually after a few months change branding. Others I see changes after a couple of months, when the report filters down to them. There are a few stations in questionable areas that have gone from mediocre to almost spotless.

April 19, 2023 03:38PM

@Curtzey wrote:

I do a lot of the big 3 gas stations . . .

I am curious - what do you consider the "Big 3" gas stations?

April 19, 2023 03:43PM

@shopnyc The Big Three to me are Shell, Exxon-Mobil and Chevron

I think that these gas stations can be on a long waiting list to get work done. Other times the gas station is waiting on the major brands to get marketing materials. In February a gas station owner at a gas station asked me about marketing materials that they had paid for last April. He said he had paid for it 10 months ago and was still waiting. I told him to reach out to the regional manager.

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