Probably the companies that make the phones.

You then went on to explain to the store manager why they should allow you to continue the mystery shop. That is an admission that you are a mystery shopper. You are supposed to deny, not confirm.

I have done many mystery shops in cell phone stores where the reqesting company appeared to be Samsung, Apple, or Google Pixel. Rarely have I though that the cell phone company was the client. Exceptions are AT&T and Cricket audits, but those are not covert.

@johnb974 wrote:

@Datagirl wrote:

@johnb974 wrote:

I was in the middle of a mystery shop asking the employee questions. The manager noticed I was a mystery shopper, and I was told to leave. The manager said they do not allow mystery shoppers in their store. I tried to explain the reason for the mystery shops. The company wants to know how the store is doing. The manager said she didn't care and if the company wants to send out mystery shoppers, they have to tell her first. I put this in my report. It will be interesting to see if the company reacts to mystery shoppers refusing to do this store. She keeps kicking them out. This manager has a real attitude problem with mystery shoppers.

You are not supposed to disclose that you are a shopper. Deny deny deny. You admitted it and you put it in your report. Wouldn't be surprised if you got banned from these jobs or even the MSC as a whole.

One more time for the people with comprehension issues, it was the store employee who told the manager i was a mystery shopper.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2026 08:13PM by myst4au.

OH GOD...once again, the store manager made it clear she does not allow mystery shoppers in her store. That alone will cause her problems with upper management. She does not own the store. The shops are done to collect information and she is preventing that.

@johnb974 wrote:

@Datagirl wrote:

@johnb974 wrote:

I was in the middle of a mystery shop asking the employee questions. The manager noticed I was a mystery shopper, and I was told to leave. The manager said they do not allow mystery shoppers in their store. I tried to explain the reason for the mystery shops. The company wants to know how the store is doing. The manager said she didn't care and if the company wants to send out mystery shoppers, they have to tell her first. I put this in my report. It will be interesting to see if the company reacts to mystery shoppers refusing to do this store. She keeps kicking them out. This manager has a real attitude problem with mystery shoppers.

You are not supposed to disclose that you are a shopper. Deny deny deny. You admitted it and you put it in your report. Wouldn't be surprised if you got banned from these jobs or even the MSC as a whole.

One more time for the people with comprehension issues, it was the store employee who told the manager i was a mystery shopper.

NO comprehension issue: YOUR WORDS: "I tried to explain the reason for the mystery shops. The company wants to know how the store is doing. The manager said she didn't care and if the company wants to send out mystery shoppers, they have to tell her first. I put this in my report"

When she came out, you DENY. A mystery what? I don't know what that is. You don't engage the conversation.

In the 15 years I've been doing cell phone shops, I've had 3 managers point me out as the mystery shoppers. All 3 times I left the store. I reported what happened. The next time I went back to these stores, (a month later) 2 of them the manager was no longer there.

You've been doing this long enough. I could swear there have been other threads akin this one. It feels like deja vu. You know the rules. You're no victim unless you choose to be.

Short form:
Outed? Deny.
Told to leave? Go.

That's it. Simple as that.

The MSC needs to ban this shopper, as they clearly and admittedly violated their contract. This shopper has repeatedly encountered problems during their assignments, including prior incidents where they made female sales staff uncomfortable. They have also admittedly been banned from an individual phone store. Now, they are complaining yet again about being "outed' as a secret shopper. He comes here to vent (?) but takes no personal responsibility for his actions, refuses guidance from other shoppers, attacks them by questioning their reading comprehension ability and apparently has no self-awareness. The situation is hopeless.

John, The questions on the report are for you to answer, not store employees, whether by your observations or by responses to vauge indirect inquires, not pointed questions.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2026 07:23PM by jgardn02.

@jgardn02 wrote:

John, The questions on the report are for you to answer, not store employees, whether by your observations or by responses to vauge indirect inquires, not pointed questions.

So, when the report says, Does the employee use iOS or Android? or Which phone does the employee use? How does the employee feel about the Pixel? What are the promotions?........you don't say anything?

Example conversation: Note.. conversation, not inquisition

Customer: Hi, I'm thinking about upgrading my phone and wanted to get your opinion.

Associate: Sure, I'd be happy to help.

Customer: I've been looking at a few different options. What phone do you use personally?

Associate: I use a Google Pixel.

Customer: Oh, nice. Is that an Android phone?

Associate: Yes, it is.

Customer: How do you like it? I've heard good things about the Pixel but don't know anyone who actually uses one.

Associate: [Associate explains their experience.]

Customer: That's helpful. What do you think are the biggest advantages of the Pixel compared to other phones?

Associate: [Associate responds.]

Customer: I may be ready to make a change if the price is right. Are there any promotions or deals going on right now for the Pixel or other phones?

@Datagirl wrote:

Example conversation: Note.. conversation, not inquisition

Customer: Hi, I'm thinking about upgrading my phone and wanted to get your opinion.

Associate: Sure, I'd be happy to help.

Customer: I've been looking at a few different options. What phone do you use personally?

Associate: I use a Google Pixel.

Customer: Oh, nice. Is that an Android phone?

Associate: Yes, it is.

Customer: How do you like it? I've heard good things about the Pixel but don't know anyone who actually uses one.

Associate: [Associate explains their experience.]

Customer: That's helpful. What do you think are the biggest advantages of the Pixel compared to other phones?

Associate: [Associate responds.]

Customer: I may be ready to make a change if the price is right. Are there any promotions or deals going on right now for the Pixel or other phones?

On my cell phone shops I get 9's and 10's. My method works just fine. You are asking questions. The same questions I ask. In the report, you have to ask questions. You have to get the employee's opinion. I've talked to store employees and managers. Many of the questions, normal customers don't ask. Normal customers don't care which phone the employee uses. The questions themselves mark you as a mystery shopper.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2026 09:19PM by johnb974.

The manager of this cell phone shops made it clear she does not want any mystery shoppers in her store. Any shopper going into this store will give is a very bad review. You won't be able to finish your report. She does not allow her employees to answer too many questions or even take up too much time of the employee. Most managers want a good report, so they leave the shopper alone to finish the report.

I would never do any business with this shop because of the attitude of the manager.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2026 09:34PM by johnb974.

John- Sorry but if I were that manager I would be asking my corporate leadership for permission to ban you from that store. Regardless of how it happened, you are creating a disruption in the store's atmosphere and potential business.

I worked in multi-level retail management for many years and trust me, in most states, the store staff can refuse entrance to ANYONE and the police will back them up.

Let it go.

I know, just from reading the posting styles of various forum members, that many of us could walk into that exact same store, perform the shop and never be suspected as the shopper or confronted by anyone.

Me, I'm not so much a good actor but I'm definitely good at being old which goes a long way when asking for information because it's believable that I'm not too familiar with newer technology.

@ShopperGirly wrote:

John- Sorry but if I were that manager I would be asking my corporate leadership for permission to ban you from that store. Regardless of how it happened, you are creating a disruption in the store's atmosphere and potential business.

I worked in multi-level retail management for many years and trust me, in most states, the store staff can refuse entrance to ANYONE and the police will back them up.

Let it go.

So if the manager says, they do not allow mystery shoppers in their store, you're fine with that? By the way, it was the store employee who told her I was the mystery shopper. From that point on I was told to leave.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2026 10:18PM by johnb974.

To quote from Kenny Roger’s song ‘The Gambler’

You got to know when to hold ‘em
Know when to fold ‘em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run…

@Minime wrote:

To quote from Kenny Roger’s song ‘The Gambler’

You got to know when to hold ‘em
Know when to fold ‘em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run…

I'll never go back to that store, just because of the manager's attitude. One time I was in the store and this manager told the employee to stop answering my questions and move on. This was months ago, even before there was ever a mention of being a mystery shopper. This is how she treats every customer who asks too many questions. Doesn't matter if you're a shopper or not.

A few years ago, I was doing an ATT shop and started asking a few questions. The employee told me, they were told to not answer questions. They are here to sell services, not answer questions. The customer has to know what they want, even before coming into the store. This is how some managers train their employees.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2026 11:10PM by johnb974.

The manager is entitled to run the store the way she wants. Your role is to be a mystery shopper. You are not supposed to be a self-appointed corporate trainer. You are NEVER supposed to reveal yourself as a mystery shopper unless the MSC explicitly says, in advance, that you can do that (under specific circumstances).

You freely admit that you verbally agreed with the manager's conclusion that you were a mystery shopper. Why? So that you could violate the instructions from the MSC? So that you could "educate" the manager? You appear to think that you are a corporate trainer. You are not.

@johnb974 wrote:

@ShopperGirly wrote:

John- Sorry but if I were that manager I would be asking my corporate leadership for permission to ban you from that store. Regardless of how it happened, you are creating a disruption in the store's atmosphere and potential business.

I worked in multi-level retail management for many years and trust me, in most states, the store staff can refuse entrance to ANYONE and the police will back them up.

Let it go.

So if the manager says, they do not allow mystery shoppers in their store, you're fine with that? By the way, it was the store employee who told her I was the mystery shopper. From that point on I was told to leave.

@sestrahelena wrote:

I know, just from reading the posting styles of various forum members, that many of us could walk into that exact same store, perform the shop and never be suspected as the shopper or confronted by anyone.

Me, I'm not so much a good actor but I'm definitely good at being old which goes a long way when asking for information because it's believable that I'm not too familiar with newer technology.

^^^ This.

@johnb974 wrote:

@Minime wrote:

To quote from Kenny Roger’s song ‘The Gambler’

You got to know when to hold ‘em
Know when to fold ‘em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run…

I'll never go back to that store, just because of the manager's attitude. One time I was in the store and this manager told the employee to stop answering my questions and move on. This was months ago, even before there was ever a mention of being a mystery shopper. This is how she treats every customer who asks too many questions. Doesn't matter if you're a shopper or not.

A few years ago, I was doing an ATT shop and started asking a few questions. The employee told me, they were told to not answer questions. They are here to sell services, not answer questions. The customer has to know what they want, even before coming into the store. This is how some managers train their employees.

John ~ Trust me, I get it. I remember you mentioned before you were banned from doing some phone store shops, so I was surprised to hear that you got back on the hamster wheel again. In reading this stuff I’ve come to the conclusion that you struggle with this because - according to a theory from the book ‘The Color Code’ - you have a ‘blue’ personality. (The others being red, white and yellow). Blue types are altruistic, they hate injustices and tend to ‘over share’ in an attempt have people better understand them. They also despise bad manners and improper decorum.

So you struggle with these b*tches who were given their first taste of a little power to manage a store for peanuts. They lose tons of money for the companies they work for and set a bad example for the employees. Would you be better at filling their shoes? Absoluelty. Should you be taking up the cause to fix this cluster F? Absolutely not.

I’ve had my run ins with having to get (other) work done amongst them when I’ve had to go in to fix equipment for other vendors in big chain stores. They think they can treat outside people like trash. I had one - who’s title I believe was ‘assistant manager to the assistant manager’ or ‘ass for ass’ for short, get in my face. After I lambasted her for my own amusement she threatened to report me. I merely responded ‘2 can play at that game Missy’ and walked out. She ended up reporting me and my boss got wind of it. We were supposed to take any and all abuse from these morons b/c these contracts were for major $. I agreed to take any future abuse in exchange for washing my hands of whatever mission I was there for and retreat. I still got paid and discovered that I had zero reason to care about any of these dipsh*ts. Try it. You should still get paid either way.

Well, I've worked in enterprise teleco industry (enterprise software side, not the retail stores) for 25 years. I know the space inside and out. You can tell by the questions in the project who is sponsoring it. Thats my source.

The carriers (Verizon, AT&T, etc) want to sell plans and subscriptions not phones (they don't make money on the phones - they are generally loss leaders for them). If the assessment was to determine the sales skills of the retail sales person, the questions would be about the plans offered, the benefits of their network over a competitor's, etc. Go do a little research, ask ChatGPT, since you are just going to argue with me. But simply said, Verizon isn't paying the big I to send mystery shoppers in to their stores to ask about Google Gemini.

@johnb974 wrote:

@Cassiespark wrote:

You are assuming the shop you were doing was contracted by the store. It most likely was not. The 2 big cell phone projects are contracted by a Japanese electronics manufacturer and the world's biggest search engine company. Thats why the questions are hardware specific. Verizon, AT&T, etc aren't contracting these projects - and they own the stores you are visiting. So, no, the manager isn't violating a contract. She probably just doesn't want her employees wasting time with someone who will not buy anything from them.

And you don't need to ask all 44 questions verbatim. Have a conversation, the information will come out naturally.

"The 2 big cell phone projects are contracted by a Japanese electronics manufacturer and the world's biggest search engine company."......where did you get this information? Show your source.

The truth is "Major wireless carriers and authorized retailers (such as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and various third-party dealers) hire mystery shopping agencies to assess several key areas:"

Most of the questions are about the phones, not the plans.

Then it is likely that the shop was done for Samsung or Apple or Google. From the store's perspective, you are wasting their time because they want to sell plans, not waste time telling you why the like Samsung or Apple or Google phones. AT&T or Verizon or T-Mobile would applaud the store manager for making you leave the store.

@johnb974 wrote:

Most of the questions are about the phones, not the plans.

@myst4au wrote:

Then it is likely that the shop was done for Samsung or Apple or Google. From the store's perspective, you are wasting their time because they want to sell plans, not waste time telling you why the like Samsung or Apple or Google phones. AT&T or Verizon or T-Mobile would applaud the store manager for making you leave the store.

@johnb974 wrote:

Most of the questions are about the phones, not the plans.

I've talked to managers and they don't want a bad review. ATT tried that by just selling plans and they got reamed for it.

One thing for sure, I'll never go inside that shop again. I don't like the manager's attitude. The shop is just across the street from me. The shop is not taken often.

The two golden rules of mystery shopping are to always be honest and to never ever reveal oneself as a mystery shopper. Unless it is a planned reveal shop, like many gas stations, a shopper should never ever under any circumstance reveal that they are a shopper.

As repeated over and over by multiple posters above in this thread, deny deny deny. Say that you don't know what a mystery shopper is. If you are asked to leave, leave. Never have a discussion with the staff about being a mystery shopper.

Also, once you have revealed that you are a shopper, there is no need to argue or have a discussion about it. What if you argued with the manager and then they agreed to let you be a mystery shopper? You wouldn't be a mystery shopper at that point! All of the data you got from the site would be pointless because they knew who you were.

So I don't understand the decision to have a discussion with the manager about it. It wouldn't do any good, and continuing a shop after discussing it with the staff would be extremely unprofessional and very much against the rules and guidelines of the shop and the mystery shopping company. Never reveal yourself!

If I were in that situation, I would tell the manager that I do not know what a mystery shopper is and I stopped by because I had some questions about phones. I would refer back to the guidelines of the shop about why I am there and what I am looking for. If they continue to insist that I am a shopper, I will simply say that I have questions about phones. If they refuse to answer those questions about phones, then I leave. I report accurately exactly what happened. That's my job as a mystery shopper. It's never ever my job to reveal myself and then argue with the staff about whether they should allow mystery shoppers or not.

As an aside, if I was a manager of a store that was getting mystery shopped by an outside company, I would do the same thing. It sounds like this mystery shopping is being set up by the phone companies and not by the actual stores themselves. I would do the same thing, and I wouldn't be polite about it. I would make it a living hell for anybody that tried to mystery shop my store because I'm not party to the setup. My store and my company isn't agreeing to be shopped; it's some outside group that is organizing it.

On the other hand, let's say I worked for a BP gas station that was getting mystery shopped. In that case, I cannot refuse the shop because the place where I work has an agreement with BP that I'm going to get mystery shopped. In the case of the phone store, it's not the actual phone store that is agreeing to be mystery shopped. It's outside phone companies wanting to spy on the stores. It's not something that's agreed to in their contract, so they have every right to say no.

This is especially true of those clandestine price scanning shops. As soon as I figured out that is what they were doing, I would tell them that they have one minute to leave the store before I call the police.

One of the reasons why I rarely do phone shops is because of this dynamic. The stores rarely want to talk about phones, and they just want to talk about services. I've tried to do phone shops where a location won't even talk to me about anything without getting my ID and doing a credit check. I'm certainly not going to go along with all of that. In every case, I accurately reported what happened and got paid.

You nailed it!

@myst4au wrote:

Then it is likely that the shop was done for Samsung or Apple or Google. From the store's perspective, you are wasting their time because they want to sell plans, not waste time telling you why the like Samsung or Apple or Google phones. AT&T or Verizon or T-Mobile would applaud the store manager for making you leave the store.

@johnb974 wrote:

Most of the questions are about the phones, not the plans.

Well there you go. Hope this thread was helpful to you.

@johnb974 wrote:

Most of the questions are about the phones, not the plans.

As soon as the store manager made it clear she does not allow mystery shoppers in her store, I would have looked around the store and asked, "Who's the mystery shopper?" Even if the employee and the manager both said I was a mystery shopper, I would never have agreed that I was!

@johnb974 wrote:

OH GOD...once again, the store manager made it clear she does not allow mystery shoppers in her store. That alone will cause her problems with upper management. She does not own the store. The shops are done to collect information and she is preventing that.