MYSTERY SHOPPING THREAD 19 - please don't mention client names or fees on here!!

nearlyheadlessian

sharpy2010 wrote: »

Can't help but think that people who do mystery shopping don't seem to realise they are messing with peoples lives.

It's very simple: if you (or others) don't like being subjected to mystery shoppers then don't work in retail or hospitality. There, that was easy wasn't it?

sharpy2010

nearlyheadlessian wrote: »

It's very simple: if you (or others) don't like being subjected to mystery shoppers then don't work in retail or hospitality. There, that was easy wasn't it?

Not really, most people are aware that a limited number of job opportunities exist at present, and make the most of it in any position they can get, be it retail, hospitality, or anything else.

Mind you, call centres are the same, with all their "call monitoring" by managers. Thats a form of Mystery Shopping, too.

sharpy2010

berbastrike wrote: »

Hell no, its just trying to improve the company.

And at the same time, scoring an employee on a very small time snapshot of what he/she is actually like. Not very likely to give a particularly fair version of events.

Monitor someone for a week, and that will show you what they are really like.

However, thats known as stalking.

polythenegirl

sharpy2010 wrote: »

Again I agree with what you've said, but the member of staff on a personal level is telling lies. Does a company want to employ a member of staff who is capable of lies?

But they aren't lieing. They are selling us a product within their store - unless asked they do not have to mention products in another store in any way, shape or form.

By asking us to take into account that they have had a bad day then you are asking us to lie on our reports and consequently put our jobs at risk - why should we do that to ensure the job safety of someone else?

sharpy2010

polythenegirl wrote: »

But they aren't lieing. They are selling us a product within their store - unless asked they do not have to mention products in another store in any way, shape or form.

By asking us to take into account that they have had a bad day then you are asking us to lie on our reports and consequently put our jobs at risk - why should we do that to ensure the job safety of someone else?

I just think Mystery Shopping is not the best way to go about improving a company as I believe it to be sneaky. Just my personal opinion :-)

DebtHater

sharpy2010 wrote: »

I just think Mystery Shopping is not the best way to go about improving a company as I believe it to be sneaky. Just my personal opinion :-)

But no one is making you do anything though. If you dont agree with mystery shopping, then dont view this thread. Dont work for the companies. Its simple.

Mystery shopping has been around for years and is seen as one of the best tools for training their staff. Its not all about getting the staff into trouble. If the staff are doing what they are paid to do, there will be no bad reports.

And its not all about mystery shopping either. There are audits and other jobs as well. One job I have done quite a lot in the past is standing in the doorway of an electrical retailer and surveying people as they leave the store. The store then use these surveys to ascertain what that person purchased or why they didnt purchase.

And then there is the stock check jobs, some of which I am doing on Monday. Going into a store to do random checks on their stock. So its not all staff-focused, the companies want to improve themselves and make more money in the long-term.

polythenegirl

sharpy2010 wrote: »

And at the same time, scoring an employee on a very small time snapshot of what he/she is actually like. Not very likely to give a particularly fair version of events.

Monitor someone for a week, and that will show you what they are really like.

However, thats known as stalking.

Its also not practicable. If someone knows they are being monitored for a week then they will do the best they can and get everythign correct all the time. The idea behind Mystery Shopping is to monitor the times when the store manager and/or company cannot do that.

At the end of the day no matter what job it is, call centre, hospitality, retail or even the high paid directors, CEOs, you still have to maintain a professional exterior and do your job to the best of your abilities at all times. Not when you feel like it, or on days where you haven't got somehting else on your mind or whatever other excuses can be made. Mystery Shopping simply tests that theory that people are doing that.

The most important person in retail and hospitality is the customer and they should always be given the highest standard of service possible. Whether you need the toilet, or need to ring the babysitter, or want to get off your shift on time is irrelevant and every single customer should be given the highest standard of service possible. If a customer gets rushed through and details forgotten and have a bad customer service experience then they most likely will not return.... As bad as it is for people to lose bonuses for bad MS results it is worse to lost a customer for life.

At the end of the day it is only bonuses that people lose, it is very very rare that someone loses their job because of a bad MS report. If the Staff Members aren't giving the highest standard at all times then why should they get that bonus? Surely a bonus is awarded for excelling? I know it is in my full time job.

weeg

sharpy2010 wrote: »

I just think Mystery Shopping is not the best way to go about improving a company as I believe it to be sneaky. Just my personal opinion :-)

Fair enough - but please remember that this is how we pay the bills so don't come into our workplace (this thread) and slag us off.

sharpy2010

weeg wrote: »

Fair enough - but please remember that this is how we pay the bills so don't come into our workplace (this thread) and slag us off.

Fair comment, thanks for the interesting discussions thus far. My apologies for thread hijacking, and all the very best :-)

I wont continue to post on this topic as it is obvious we all have different opinions, which of course makes for the rich tapestry of life.

xxvickixx

Just to add a further angle. We don't just identify moody staff, we also have the opportunity to praise staff for good service (most reports ask if any staff member stood out or was exemplary) and sometimes issue awards to staff who go the extra mile.

So it's not all bad news!