I guess they had no idea. I was on a shop and a manager was coaching an associate just a few feet away reminding them they needed to do a certain, specific thing "because there is a mystery shopper program here and someone will be checking". Only, we'd already passed that point in the evaluation and it was officially too late. The "someone" was fully amused by the conversation, though, so thanks for the chuckle.

That's funny. I recently had a bartender apologetically check my ID "because corporate is sniffing around here this week." (So much for "Consider it a compliment!")

I was doing a pizza shop once. I was at the counter and I heard saomeone in the back say "our mystery shopper is due this week".

Back when the golden arches was shopped, one of my regular stores had a routine when I arrived. Someone at the counter would holler out, "Showtime!" and the other employees, in unison, would answer "HBO!" They would repeat it a few times during the visit.

At a grocery store in another state, I was all but checked out, and the manager scolded the bagger in the next checkout lane that to settle down and do their job right because the shopper is coming. I think he was goofing off and bullshitting with another bagger..

Let's see, once at the TRX bar I heard a manager mention to the bartender that they hadn't been shopped yet that month. They are generally perfect at the bar anyway!

Another time at a convenience store I heard a manager tell an employee that she needed to make sure to ask for loyalty cards and offer the monthly upsell every time because the shopper would be checking those two things. Unfortunately it was too late in that case.

While at a burger place, the manager read a prior mystery shopper's report to employees loud enough that I could hear her. Too late since I had already noted several of the same things, plus employees making rude comments about the manager when she was in the back.

Yikes!

Some of these make me think of parents who threaten that Santa is watching to get better behavior from their kids.

Did anyone who experienced something like this reveal it in their report? I sure didn't!

Not in your dreams.. these are not facts that the MSCs need to know and it could get you removed from a project.

I've completed a postal job and an ATV job where they said they had to watch what they do or say because they have mystery shoppers that score them. The ATV guy was helping me not get caught at doing what I was checking them on. Of course, I am sure Mr. ATV got into trouble.

I was at a place (on my own) where I'd done a bar shop maybe a month earlier and the bartender was talking to the other bartender about how he'd just gotten his "scorecard" back and he'd gotten marked down on something but he didn't care because it was something he couldn't control anyway. I hadn't shopped him, because my bartender had been a woman when I did the shop, so, they must be shopped fairly frequently.

As someone who used to work in child care and public prek where we got audited by the state every year, I know exactly what he meant - there are some things on scorecards that people have no personal control over so *shrug*

I was doing a cell phone shop once and the manager asked me to leave. The manager said, "if they want a mystery shop done they have to clear it from me first".
I reported this on my shop. The MSC just told me to wait a month and go back. I got a feeling this manager won't be there.

About a year ago I was shopping a locally owned restaurant when the manager loudly said to a few of the workers "We just got our mystery shop report from last month, and we actually passed it this time, so none of us will get fired." Reading the report did not inspire the manager to go over and do a table touch for me or any other guest in the nearly empty dining room, or let the server know the various things that would have improved the score for the shop I was doing.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2026 02:09PM by NinS.

I have heard on many shops the teams mentioning the prior shop, some of which I’ve done.

I also routinely see the 5G shop scores posted in the prep area behind the kitchen. At one 5G, they were hosting a district meeting with all the managers in the dining area while I was completing a shop at the table next to them.

Some many to mention.

On one occasion while doing a bank shop, I notice the mystery shopper notice and checklist on the banker's desk

Another occasion I walked pass a grocery store's employee huddle concerning the upcoming mystery shop.

I was checking out at a convenience store and the cashier said something like "Let me remember to give you this flyer just in case you're the secret shopper."

Handing out flyers was not one of the questions.

But he did his job. He gave you the information

They know you're the mystery shopper by the questions you ask.

I had one at Bass Pro ask me, after the interaction, if I was a shopper. I said yes, I'm shopping! Look at the shirt I'm about to buy! As I left I gave her a thumbs up. She did do everything she was supposed to, but the guidelines had me asking questions that gave me away.

I was doing a sizing audit and I overheard the manager telling the staff which categories needed to be perfect for the mystery shopper that month. The only issue was that I was completing an overdue shop with different categories. They didn’t do so well!

One of my very first mystery shops. My very first Chipotle Shop. I happened to be at the wrong location, a story for another day, but it was a order ahead shop. When I was sitting in the dining room making my observations after picking up my order, I overheard a Manager going over a previous Mystery Shop with a Crew Member. I heard her say I always follow up with the order ahead orders. Meaning she always called to check up on the call ahead orders. Well she never called me so I guess that wasn't true.

sometimes, but I'm always amazed while doing Wells Fargo phone shops the bankers don't seem to recognize what to do when we've been shopping them for years!

@Ladymarius, I didn't know there was Chipotle in Canada.

I heard a manager/supervisor thrilled to tell her staff how well they did on a mystery shop. I was not on a shop and I've still never found who shops that store.

I think Chipotle may only be in Ontario, but I could be incorrect.

I did an in-person complaint shop for WF and like an hour after I left the person called me to say "Oh, I forgot to give you the confirmation number. If you come back in I'll write it on the back of the card I gave you." This of course makes no sense unless they reviewed with a manager who went "you know what you should have done..." He did OK otherwise.

I always get tickled inside when things like these happen. One time I walked into a cellular store for a shop, and the agent was reading over the guidelines for the program as I walked in. Another time in a different cellular phone store, I saw the form laying out where they had been looking at it before I arrived. There’s one in particular mattress store that I’ve gone to now and then because it’s not in my general area but when I’m in that area, I’ll go. The agent always asked me to wait just a minute. She goes back and gets the form and goes over it as she’s talking to me so she doesn’t miss anything. There’s a particular banker that I’ve dealt with through the years that always pulls out her cheat sheet that’s under her desk blotter to make sure she’s doing everything. I just don’t act like I notice. In my opinion, more power to them for making sure they’re doing their job right you know. I was shopping in the grocery store that I shop at several times a week the other day. I was talking to the guys at the meat counter and one of them asked me if I was a secret shopper. I admitted that I indeed was. I was just shopping, and I would never take a shop for that client— I did it once and I did not like it. I particularly wouldn’t do it at my main store. But anyway, it was so funny. He said I looked like one I look like I was observing everything. I guess that’s just part of my nature. I don’t know. It was just funny. I shopped in that store for five years now several times a week. I would never secret shop my friends. I give them Christmas gifts and stuff! There was a burger joint that I shopped and also visited on a personal level. One time the assistant manager thanked me for my report. I was just stunned. It really bothered me and I talked to the manager about it. I mean, the manager obviously knew who I was but you know it’s just that thing you don’t talk about it. But I did sit down with him because it really upset me because I am a professional. The manager was quite a upset and it might’ve just been the last nail in the coffin or something because that assessment manager wasn’t there much longer. One time I received a thank you note for my report in the mail from a high-end gift shop! I couldn’t believe it! I don’t know where these people become so unprofessional knowing that we are to be anonymous. But of course she had my information because was that type of store that took your contact information.

Ummm...talking to the manager? No, no, no

If you are a professional you would know that you broke your ICA by sitting down and having that conversation with that manager.
You are NEVER allowed to contact the client.

@TinaMarieO wrote:

I always get tickled inside when things like these happen. One time I walked into a cellular store for a shop, and the agent was reading over the guidelines for the program as I walked in. Another time in a different cellular phone store, I saw the form laying out where they had been looking at it before I arrived. There’s one in particular mattress store that I’ve gone to now and then because it’s not in my general area but when I’m in that area, I’ll go. The agent always asked me to wait just a minute. She goes back and gets the form and goes over it as she’s talking to me so she doesn’t miss anything. There’s a particular banker that I’ve dealt with through the years that always pulls out her cheat sheet that’s under her desk blotter to make sure she’s doing everything. I just don’t act like I notice. In my opinion, more power to them for making sure they’re doing their job right you know. I was shopping in the grocery store that I shop at several times a week the other day. I was talking to the guys at the meat counter and one of them asked me if I was a secret shopper. I admitted that I indeed was. I was just shopping, and I would never take a shop for that client— I did it once and I did not like it. I particularly wouldn’t do it at my main store. But anyway, it was so funny. He said I looked like one I look like I was observing everything. I guess that’s just part of my nature. I don’t know. It was just funny. I shopped in that store for five years now several times a week. I would never secret shop my friends. I give them Christmas gifts and stuff! There was a burger joint that I shopped and also visited on a personal level. One time the assistant manager thanked me for my report. I was just stunned. It really bothered me and I talked to the manager about it. I mean, the manager obviously knew who I was but you know it’s just that thing you don’t talk about it. But I did sit down with him because it really upset me because I am a professional. The manager was quite a upset and it might’ve just been the last nail in the coffin or something because that assessment manager wasn’t there much longer. One time I received a thank you note for my report in the mail from a high-end gift shop! I couldn’t believe it! I don’t know where these people become so unprofessional knowing that we are to be anonymous. But of course she had my information because was that type of store that took your contact information.