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| *Ostroff, Fair and Company>>>Marketing & Sales |
What exactly is a mystery shopper? |
What exactly is a mystery shopper? A person who gets paid to go in stores and shop for several reasons: 1. To catch people stealing 2. To rate the service/product quality of that particular store They shop in the store like they were regular customers, but really they are shopping for another purpose. The company I work for spends over $100,000 a year on mystery shoppers and they take them(the reports from the mystery shoppers) very seriously. They can be grounds for termination if you get failing scores. Alot of retail stores use them to rate the level of customer service and they have very specific guidelines for the mystery shoppers. Restaurants and all kinds of businesses use them to rate the service. The mystery shopper will come in and pose as a regular customer, sometimes buying and returning or just asking alot of questions to see if the employee knows the service/product. What is Mystery Shopping? Some retailers hire marketing research companies to evaluate the quality of service in their stores; these companies use mystery shoppers to get the information anonymously. They assign a mystery shopper to make a particular purchase in a store or restaurant, for example, and then report on the experience. Typically, the shopper is reimbursed, and can keep the product or service. Many professionals in the field consider mystery shopping a part-time activity, at best. And, they add, opportunities generally are posted online by marketing research or merchandising companies. Nevertheless, fraudulent mystery shopping promoters are using newspaper ads and emails to create the impression that they鈥檙e a gateway to lucrative mystery shopper jobs with reputable companies. These solicitations usually promote a website where consumers can 鈥渞egister鈥?to become mystery shoppers 鈥?after they pay a fee for information about a certification program, a directory of mystery shopping companies, or a guarantee of a mystery shopping job. The truth is that it is unnecessary to pay money to anyone to get into the mystery shopper business. The shopping certification offered in advertising or unsolicited email is almost always worthless. A list of companies that hire mystery shoppers is available for free; and legitimate mystery shopper jobs are on the Internet for free. Consumers who try to get a refund from promoters of mystery shopping jobs usually are out of luck. Either the business doesn鈥檛 return the phone calls, or if it does, it鈥檚 to try another pitch. The Facts of Mystery Shopping Becoming a legitimate mystery shopper for a legitimate company doesn鈥檛 cost anything. Here鈥檚 how to do it: * Search the Internet for mystery shopping companies that are accepting applications. Legitimate companies don鈥檛 charge an application fee. Many accept applications online. * Do some homework about mystery shopping. Check libraries or bookstores for tips on how to find companies hiring mystery shoppers, as well as how to do the job effectively. * Visit the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) website at www.mysteryshop.org for information on how to register to be a mystery shopper with a MSPA-member company, a database of available jobs, and additional information on the industry in general. In the meantime, the FTC says consumers should be skeptical of mystery shopping promoters who: * Advertise for mystery shoppers in a newspaper鈥檚 鈥榟elp wanted鈥?section or by email. While it may appear as if these companies are hiring mystery shoppers, it鈥檚 much more likely that they鈥檙e pitching unnecessary 鈥?and possibly bogus 鈥?mystery shopping 鈥渟ervices.鈥?br /> * Sell 鈥渃ertification.鈥?Companies that use mystery shoppers generally do not require certification. * Guarantee a job as a mystery shopper. * Charge a fee for access to mystery shopping opportunities. * Sell directories of companies that provide mystery shoppers. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/aler... |
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