Mystery shopping - useful quotes thread

THE IDEA OF THIS THREAD.

Some MS companies want an answer to every question. My record (where I have kept account) is 105 questions for a total fee less than the minimum wage. And there are jobs where there is no fee, with long questionnaires. This thread is based on the premise that...

cutting and pasting is quicker than typing! It's still quicker if you have to change the odd word or phrase.

You will find it is useful to keep useful phrases for different types of shops. It is also invaluable to write your answers in Word and paste them into the questionnaire - you will be particularly glad you did this if the website goes down or (as happened to me this morning) the company decides there was a mistake in their questionnaire and deletes it after you have already submitted your report. :mad:

So this thread is about MSers fighting back. Here are some useful stock phrases - I am donating the first 10, and am hoping others will do the same so we all end up with lovely big files full of useful comments for every occasion, which can be personalised to suit the occasion.

Phrases are listed under the sort of shop which inspired them. There is nothing to stop you using phrases listed under one sort of shop for another - in fact, it's encouraged!

Please send me additional phrases by private message (PM) - let me know under which sort of shop you would like them listed.

For those who are newer to Word skills:

Control + a selects all text (for example, in a text box or this post)

Control + c copies it

Control + v pastes it where you want it

Control + x cuts text, but keeps it in memory so you can then paste it.

Staff


The assistant nodded when I was talking to him, and his body language showed that he was paying attention to what I said.

She welcomed us with a smile and a 'good evening'.

The team members were working well together and seemed to be enjoying their jobs.

I felt that the query was dealt with well, and that the assistant understood my needs - I felt I would look forward to visiting again.

The assistant was not wearing a name badge, although the rest of his uniform was correct.

The assistant made eye contact with me and smiled.

The staff were very friendly and polite during my visit today.

[person's name] was friendly and attentive. She was polite and ensured I had everything I needed before thanking me and saying goodbye.

The staff member was natural and seemed genuinely interested in what I was saying.

The staff member made me feel like a valued customer.

All staff members that I saw were wearing correct uniform.

The staff member used please and thank you whenever appropriate.

The assistant made appropriate eye contact.

I was acknowledged with a genuine warm smile.

The assistant used open questions to establish my needs.

The staff member checked what I had said, repeating the main points back to me to ensure they were correct.


The member of staff explained everything in clear understandable language without using jargon.


Queues

There were xxx tills open out of xxx available.

There were xxx customers ahead of me in the queue, in addition to xxx being served as I joined the queue.

There were three tills open and one out of order.

The till which was broken had a clear sign saying 'Till out of order'.

I waited for x minutes.

Even though the pub was busy the wait time for food seemed excessive.

Purchasing

The operator rang up my burger twice, so that the original receipt was incorrect.

I had to ask for a receipt as I was not given one.

The refund process was a smooth transaction with no problems.

There were two customers, who were together, being served at the till, and I was the next to be served.


There were only two checkouts open, but one of the other staff came forward when she saw there was a queue and opened an extra till.



Signage\Display
There was an "A" board advertising muffins outside and a selection on the bar with a sign saying "breakfast" to promote timely items.

There was a good display of teas and coffees behind the counter.

The shelves were well stocked and the products were faced forward.

Everything looked neat and tidy and welcoming.

The food was well-presented and displays were full.

The 'best before' date was clearly displayed on all merchandise.

There were a lot of empty spaces but the staff were filling the shelves at the time of my visit.

There was a glass dome display with cookies on the counter.

The store was well stocked, and all the listed products were available together with a good range of other items.

The products that were available looked appealing enough to buy and well within their use-by dates.

There were no flowers on the bar or condiments table.


I would feel very confident in recommending this store/shop/pub/ to friends and family

Toilets

The toilet was clean and tidy, whilst not being spotless.

Everything was functioning correctly.

The checklist was up to date.

There were fresh lilies in the washing area, which gave the area a nice atmosphere.



The actual conversion was very cheaply done, but clean and fully functional.


All facilities (soap, hand dryers, hot water) were available and functioning.


Surroundings


There was some litter including a receipt in the doorway

The front door mat was in need of a vacuum, but otherwise the floor was very well presented.

There was some litter including a receipt in the doorway.

This was a very well presented shop, and everything I saw was clean and tidy.

I could see price labels on all products.

It was easy to find the focus product in all departments.

Condiments were available but not pointed out.

COFFEE SHOPS (thanks, Josie!)

The store felt pleasant and welcoming on entry, however the service from the staff was impersonal and perfunctory as no attempts were made to upsell products or personalise my drink.

There was a good display of teas and coffees behind the counter. Everything looked neat and tidy and welcoming.
The food was well-presented and displays were full. There was a glass dome display with cookies on the counter

The checklist was up to date. The toilet was clean and tidy, whilst not being spotless. Everything was functioning correctly.

There could have been more effort to acknowledge customers on their departure. As we left two baristas were behind the counter, one serving and one cleaning but we were not acknowledged on our departure. Other customers were acknowledged. The barista who was tidying interacted with customers but I saw no evidence of extra selling.



PETROL STATIONS (thanks, HP!)


All the petrol pumps were working.

The area around the petrol pumps was free from litter and there were hand towels available for hand washing.

The adjoining carwash was clearly labelled and priced.

The petrol prices were clearly displayed.

On entering to pay for my petrol I noted there was a promotion on the forecourt of BBQ coals. There was also a good range of newspapers on display.7

Bookie shops

I entered the shop, collected a football coupon and sat down, pretending to study it but really to observe the members of staff. There were two members of staff behind the counter - one was constantly interacting with customers and the other was either on the phone or monitoring a computer screen - he seemed to be working and I assumed was doing something like monitoring odds and bets of other customers. Both appeared to be working hard and all the interactions with customers I saw were friendly. I decided what bet to put on and approached the counter. The assistant welcomed me as I approached the counter and obviously recognised me from previous visits to the shop. He looked up the odds for me and entered them on the slip, and asked if I had my xxx card, which I did. I handed him the card, he processed the bet and I thanked him. He wished me good luck with my bet, and I left the shop.

I was offered a drink, and accepted a cup of tea. While I was waiting for this, the other team member came out on to the shop floor (the first was by this time behind the counter making tea) and he also offered me and the other customers a drink.

The team member seemed very knowledgeable about the games.

No promotions were mentioned during this visit.

The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, and everyone including the staff seemed to be having a good time.

The team members chatted about the race earlier that afternoon, as well as explaining to me why they restricted the amount I could bet at the very good odds on Barcelona.

I could hear the commentary when I stood near the screen, but it was not so loud as to spoil my enjoyment of machine play.