There were some subtle but important differences on the mystery shops Icarried out yesterday

I carried out two mystery shops yesterday, and both had subtle differences to the standard mystery shops I carry out that made then interesting. In my view these changes also made the shops more relevant to the companies I visited.

The first one was a visit to a discount store that sells all kinds of items for the home. The mystery shop in general was to check out the service - pretty standard I hear you say. But the difference was that I was to stand close to a member of staff and look at a product. This was to see how long (if at all) it was before I was approached. The measure is that a customer shouldn't have to approach the member of staff for help. The member of staff should approach customers and see if they can help.

The subtle difference is in the level of customer service and interaction. The fact is that customers that aren't approached may just go without asking, resulting in lost sales.

In this case, the team member asked if I was okay after only about 30 seconds. This was good service.

Fee = £7.00

Reimbursement = £1.00

Spend = £1.50

Profit/Loss = +£6.50

The second mystery shop was to a cafe situated inside another store. Again it was mainly standard fayre for most of the mystery shop-

How long to be served?
Cleanliness of the cafe
Quality of the food

The difference in this assignment was the fact that the instructions stated "be honest, fair but be strict." The honesty and fair are how you approach every mystery shop. It is quite rare that you are instructed to be strict. I feel that must mystery shopping companies I carry out shops for allow a little leeway for the place you are assessing. But the instructions here were to be strict.

I do feel as though I pointed out things that I may have overlooked in past shops so it does make a difference.

Fee = £0.00

Reimbursement = £11.00

Spend = £12.00

Profit/Loss = -£1.00

TOTAL = +£5.50 + a tube of toothpaste and lunch for 2

If you are thinking about becoming a mystery shopper then a great way to get into it is to read my book on how to become a mystery shopper. It will help you to apply to be a mystery shopper and then shows you great ideas on how to be successful.

It is time to start mystery shopping again, and a change in strategy to boot!

It is mystery shop time again tomorrow. I have carried out so few mystery shops in 2016 through a lack of available jobs and other work commitments taking over that it feels like tomorrow will be my return to the arena of mystery shopping. This is the start of getting back into it and making sure that I hit my goals of how much money I want to make by mystery shopping this year. I won't divulge too much information about that at this moment but it is safe to say that I haven't made it there yet!

There are two shops tomorrow and it does mark the start of a slightly different strategy that I am taking with my this year.

In the past I took the spend up to the available limit (and sometimes beyond) to maximise the products I was getting for the mystery shop time I was putting in. Most assignments have the payment in two elements - the reimbursement and the fee. The reimbursement is the money paid back to you for what you have spent. The fee is the incentive for going there. I have usually used the money from both to make the purchase, leaving me with no profit but a full spend on the products I would take home, for personal use or to give as gifts.

This year will see me spend the reimbursement but ensure that I keep the fee as a profit, leaving me to spend the fee on whatever I choose from wherever I want to buy. It is about what is important to you as a mystery shopper and this year I want spending money for my holiday!

I will post an update tomorrow on the two mystery shops I carry out and you will see more shops and more blog entries in the upcoming weeks.

If you are looking to become a mystery shopper then my book is available now and is a great guide to becoming a mystery shopper and making a success of it.

A slightly different (and more lucrative) take on the mystery shop is available this week

I wanted to quickly share with you a slightly different opportunity that comes up now and again for mystery shoppers. There is this opportunity through one of the mystery shop companies at the moment and this prompted me to give you the lowdown on it. It is more lucrative than a standard mystery shop, it takes a little more time but doesn't involve an actual purchase.

It is the shop and report.

You go into a specified company (in this case it is a travel agent) where you go though a scenario about looking for a service or product. You then write a longer report which is sometimes converted into an article or customer review for a magazine or website.

What do you have to remember?
This is all about reporting the experience, the way you were made to feel. It is not like a traditional mystery shop that it concerned with the facts, such as how long you waited or the description of the person who served you. The content you write is used to form a picture of the service that you were given, rather than an exact measure of service times.

It can pay between £25 and £50 for a standard shop of this nature but your English grammar and punctuation skills will have to be very good.

If you are looking to mystery shop as a way of supplementing your income then mys book is a great way to start our. It gives hints and tips to starting out as a mystery shopper and gives a step-by-step guide to applying to become a mystery shopper-

A visit to a national clothing retailer brings a chance to learn about mystery shopping

This really has been a strange January for mystery shops. I was braced for another busy month after January of last year but it's been a real washout. I carried out a shop on Sunday of this week to a clothing retailer that has a national chain and is hugely well-known.

The mystery shop was split into three parts and I'll look at each in turn to give new mystery shoppers an idea of what may be expected of them-

Shop floor enquiry
I was to browse until I was approached by a sales assistant. I then had to make a broad enquiry about an item of clothing. A question along the lines of "I'm looking for some new trousers." The question needs to be this vague so the sales assistant can ask you several questions that lead to a recommendation. It is a test of customer interaction and product knowledge.

You need to remember names, descriptions and what was said here. It is important to focus.

Fitting rooms
You are then to approach the fitting room with an item of clothing to try on. This purely a customer service measure as you are looking to how the assistant interacts with you and whether they offer you any service above and beyond what is usually experienced.

Inside the fitting room is a great opportunity to recap what you have done and perhaps make a quick note or two.

Till transaction
You are then required to make a purchase at a certain till. This is to again measure the customer service at that till, as the member of staff interacts with you whilst processing your payment. As with many shops it is a last chance to make sure the customer has got everything they came in for.

This is all about how you were made to feel, so it is easier to remember this information.

This shop performed well on this occasion and I think that the report I completed will show very positively on the team members I encountered.

If you are thinking of becoming a mystery shopper then it is a good idea to get some tips on the process before you start. My book is available now to give you the lowdown on becoming a mystery shopper.

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.