I'm still here -hoping February is better than January

A very short blog entry this week just to confirm I'm still breathing.

January, for me, has been quite a disappointment on the mystery shop front. There have been so few, and that's a real surprise as last January was a bumper month.

I will still keep on mystery shopping and still keep in reporting my findings back here.

In the meantime it's a good idea to take a look at my book on mystery shopping. It will guide you step by step through the process of becoming a mystery shopper.

I've not prepared for my mystery shop. What should I do?

I've got a mystery shop set up for today but I'm not really ready for it. It's at a national clothing and footwear retailer and I've not done the research, read the brief or made my notes. In short, I'm pretty much 100% unprepared.

So what can I do?

There are a few options and I'll take a look at them now. It is helpful to know what to so if you are ever in this situation.

Wing it

This is an option that I know some other shoppers have tried in the past. That's the only reason that I've included it here. I could probably give it a go as I've shopped this retailer many times before. The job notes do sometimes change for this but the theme is always the same.

Verdict: not a great idea.

Quickly check the notes and give it a go

Obviously in the day of mobile internet and wi-fi hotspots you can check out and pick up the notes at any stage. I haven't got my smartphone linked up to any printers so I couldn't have access to the physical questionnaire. I could however get on the phone and have a look at what is needed. I could make some basic notes and go from there.

Verdict: doable but not ideal.

Rearrange

Most of the mystery shop companies allow you to make a change to the date. It's often done online and most will allow you one change.

It gives me the time to check out the notes and prepare properly.

Verdict: the best plan!

If you are thinking of becoming a mystery shopper then it pays to read up first. Check out my guide to becoming a mystery shopper - it's less then the price of a takeaway coffee and gives you the lowdown on how to apply, be accepted and start making good money by going out to shop.

Two mystery shops in the same location produce very different results

I'll use this post to do two things. The first is to wish you all a Happy New Year. I hope that 2016 brings you everything you want. The second reason is to use two mystery shops to highlight what we do mystery shoppers.

I visited the same location as a mystery shopper two Sundays in a row, the second occasion being yesterday. The visits were very different and I'll use this to illustrate what we should be measuring. It's two visits to a national food pub chain.

Level of trade

The difference in level of trade on these two dates was staggering. On 27th December the venue was packed. I struggled to find a table and waited a long time at the bar to be served. Whilst ordering at the bar I was told that the wait for food would be around 40 minutes, which was a fairly accurate prediction. It took longer to use the toilets, longer to have the table cleared and longer to pay but all of this is expected when it is this busy. And it's here that I want to look at customer measures.

What could have been done?

The only potential change would have been to have more staff present. Now I know that at this time of the year people need their time off and there's more likelihood of someone calling in sick, so this isn't always an option.

As a measure of the actual service the team gave me on that day, they could not have affected the delays. It was purely down to the heavy trade. The service was friendly and as efficient as possible and the delays were explained. The visit yesterday was to a virtually empty place. There were no queues, speedy service and the food arrived quickly. The team worked as well as they did the week before, but with vastly fewer customers.

It's here that you need to consider what you are measuring. Service times in busier times can be extended and this is acceptable. If you're unsure then speak to your mystery shop company, they will help you along the way.

If you want more information about mystery shopping then take a look at my book, available now.