Mystery Shoppers and What They Learn in Local Stores

Approximately 15 years ago I became a mystery shopper. This was before mystery shopping became well known. I found the request for mystery shoppers in a local grocery store ad, and I immediately answered that ad. Several days later I received a call from the store with the good news that my application had been accepted. I would be taking mental notes while doing my usual grocery shopping, and I would fill out weekly reports on employee friendliness, cleanliness, and anything else management was interested in learning more about from a customer standpoint. In exchange I would receive a check for $25 for each completed report.

One of my Biggest Complaints

Being a mystery shopper opened my eyes to a number of problems and issues in my local grocery store. My biggest complaint involved the deli department. Unopened meats in football-size packages were often outdated - sometimes over a month. I brought this to the attention of those in charge of the mystery shopping by adding it to my reports, but it didn't make a difference. Instead of throwing away outdated meat, deli employees began turning the packages around so mystery shoppers couldn't view the date labels.

Customer Service

Another issue I had when employed as a mystery shopper was the friendliness, or lack thereof. Certain cashiers were always friendly while others were predictably grouchy. I'm usually very polite and I try to be pleasant, and I don't take out my problems or frustrations on those around me - at least not the innocent people who aren't responsible for my problems. When I was a store clerk I was friendly to everyone, and if a customer wasn't friendly or cooperative I didn't take it out on the next guy in line. I killed everyone with kindness whether they were receptive or not. Mystery shoppers wouldn't have had any complaints in my department.

Mystery Shoppers and Customer Satisfaction Today