There are so many mystery shopping companies to choose from. As a new shopper, many of the companies can seem overwhelming at first. I always advise to sign up with about 3-5 companies a week. Give that company time to digest in your system, keep an eye on emails and thoroughly read what they require…
There are a ton of mystery shopping companies out there and it can be overwhelming to figure out where to start. I have researched the following companies to help make the decision-making process as easy as possible. We all want to work with the best shops available so here are 5 more companies to check…
Summer is one of the best times to make some extra cash mystery shopping. Families are on vacation, the kids are out of school, and people are doing a lot of traveling. So, instead of taking the summer off like everyone else, why not take advantage of completing a few extra shops and start make…
New mystery shoppers often wonder which mystery shopping companies to register with. Some mystery shoppers like simple, quick, short-reporting shops and some shoppers like more intricate detailed shops. In this fast growing industry, we have highly detailed video shops listed below to more simple shops that might require little narrative. Each is unique in their…
Shoppers certainly have many choices of mystery shopping companies to choose from. Some shoppers only want to shop mystery shopping companies where the word “bonus” is common. Some shoppers want easy, fast reporting and some shoppers want intricately detailed “high-paying” shops and the “easy” shops don’t fit in their lifestyle. Below we have 5 companies…
Have you ever wanted a great way to make some extra cash that fit into your own schedule? If you have, then becoming a Mystery Shopper is something you will want to do. It’s a lot of fun and the best part is that you get paid to shop! Here are 5 mystery shopping companies…
Company Overview: This company is lauded as a favorite of shoppers time and time again, so consider adding this one to your list of MSCs. A Closer Look was established in 1994 and is headquartered in Norcross, Georgia. They offer many assignments in hospitality including bistros, hotels and resorts, breweries, and casual and upscale dining….
A Closer Look has been a part of the mystery shopping industry since 1994. Based in Norcross, Georgia, their mission is “facilitating a renaissance in service by delivering outstanding feedback…” From the information I could find, this company only has assignments in the United States. They have shops in nearly all industries, including restaurants of…
Overview: A Customer’s Point of View, Inc. (ACPVIEW) is a privately owned corporation founded in 1997 and headquartered in McDonough, GA. The company provides mystery shopper services, service discrimination testing, customer service and telephone evaluations and training throughout the US. According to the business’ website, ACPVIEW services the retail, food service, transportation, utility and housing…
Company Overview: Based in Arroyo Grande, CA, A Top Shop is the subject of quite a bit of negative discussion on www.mysteryshopforum.com. The company shows the “BBB Accredited Business” logo on their site but, when I attempted to search for them through the BBB site, no records were found. Also, what is interesting is that…
Company Overview: Based in Atlanta, GA, About Face Corporation was founded in 1999. They are accredited by the Atlanta, GA, BBB and have an A+ rating with that organization. There has been one complaint filed in the past three years which dealt with advertising/sales issues. Research has revealed no complaints that deal with issues directly…
Overview: About Face Mystery Shopping Company was created about 18 years ago by Founder and CEO Paige Hall, in Granville, Georgia. Previously, she was known for developing a famous Deli Meat and Cheese Purveyor’s first mystery shopping program. She has received 39 industry awards and numerous “Mystery Shopping Leader Industry Awards” for the past 5…
Aboutface Corporation is one of the largest mystery shopping companies in the United States. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and was founded in 1995. According to their Facebook page, they have won the most mystery shopping awards for five consecutive years, although they do not mention what the awards consisted of or who…
Overview: Ace Mystery Shopping began in 2001 with creators Julie Simbro and Tiffany Stewart. Julie and her husband recently purchased Ace shares and she now holds the title of President, CEO/COO. Ace works with many Fortune 500 companies and are well known in the industry. Ace is short for: Associate Consumer Evaluations. Ace has shops…
Company Overview: ACE Mystery Shopping is a privately owned mystery shopping company, headquartered in Warrensburg, MO. They service a broad range of industries, with clients in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. The business enjoys an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. New shoppers can register at http://www.acemysteryshopping.com/. MSM talks with Julie Simbro, CEO,…
Business Evaluation Services (BES), with offices in Bakersfield and San Diego, has acquired two notable mystery shopping industry brands -Customer 1st and Best Market Audits (BMA). The newly formed company includes over sixty years of combined experience in the customer service evaluation business and access to over 700,000 mystery shoppers. BES maintains offices in North…
Company Overview: Located in San Diego, CA, Advanced Feedback is “a MSC with over twenty years and 1.7 million shops of experience.” The company has shops in all 50 sates, Canada, and Mexico. Based on the banner ads of clients on their website, Advanced Feedback serves a wide variety of industries, including hospitality, customer service,…
Company Overview: Albatross Global Solutions is a worldwide mystery shopping company with some 20 offices in various cities around the world. The business was founded in 2005 by Christophe Cais and Nicholas Jeanjean, both 1991 graduates from the Institut Superieur de Gastion. The company website is http://www.albatrossonline.com/. The company’s shops tend to focus on high…
Company Overview: All Star Customer Service is a mystery shopping company apparently based in Dallas, TX. I say apparently as their website only has an email form for contacting the company. There are links on the site to media references about the company, and all the media listed is in Dallas, so the conclusion is…
Overview: All-Star Customer Service (ASCS) is a privately owned corporation established in 2002 and headquartered in Crowley, TX. The company conducts mystery shopping and audit assignments in the US, Canada, Mexico and Central Europe. They specialize in the retail, hospitality, healthcare and financial industries. After an extensive search of the BBB, even though All-Star Customer…
Written by elcarev68 Ever wish that you could talk to the actual client at 11:00 p.m. during a shop that has turned upside down to ask what to do when their special instructions don’t match up with onsite reality? Ever wish you could talk to another shopper who has completed a location before you for…
Company Overview: ASCAP was founded by composer Victor Herbert in New York City on February 13, 1914, to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members, who were mostly writers and publishers associated with New York City’s Tin Pan Alley. ASCAP’s earliest members included the era’s most active songwriters—Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern and John Phillip…
Company Overview: If you like what one shopper describes as “quality of life” assignments, meaning those that are fun or enjoyable or entertaining, then this is a mystery shopping company you should check out. On the flip side, if you only are concerned about adding revenue to your bottom line, then you might want to…
Certain shops or types of shops are not money-makers. Oil change shops that provide reimbursement without a fee is one example. Restaurant shops with little to no fee providing some or whole reimbursement is another. Hotel shops that pay a $25-$100 fee plus reimbursement for about two full days of work for a one night…
Company Overview: Founded in 1998 in Napierville, IL, Ann Michaels & Associates began serving businesses in the Midwest with reports being filed by mail and fax. As the technology changed because of the personal computer, AM&A changed with the times, obtaining a quicker turn around for reporting and being able to expand their service area….
Overview: Ann Michaels & Associates began in 1998 in Naperville, Illinois. Because of the way shops were (reported) back then by paper forms, the reporting was slow at first. All reports had to be mailed back to the company and then sent on to the client. Automation of reports picked up in 2004 and the…
Company Overview: Founded in 1992 in Columbus, Ohio, Anonymous Insights prides itself on being a MSC that is 100% female owned and operated. The company on their website lists that they have clients in the following industries: retail, restaurant, grocery, gas stations, convenience stores, mass merchandisers, banking, automotive, lodging, and airports. As I was finishing…
Company Overview: Apartment Shoppe “provides personalized mystery shopping services to apartment communities. We have provided apartment leasing, training, and mystery shopping services for the past 20 years.” Trying to find out information about this company is akin to what Churchill said of Soviet Union foreign policy, it “is a puzzle inside a riddle wrapped in…
Company Overview: Sometimes the real mystery about some mystery shopping companies is trying to find out information about them. This doesn’t necessarily have negative connotations. It simply means that the MSC might be more of a small boutique business with a certain niche, and/or doesn’t promote itself well. Apex Mystery Shopping is a family owned…
Company Overview: Exclusivity. That is probably the best one word description of Ardent Services. Their website, http://ardentservices.com, isn’t the most user-friendly in the world. You register with just the basic information and a writing sample concerning a dining experience. Then you sit back and wait…and wait…and wait. It could be a year or more before…
Company Overview: A one client company? Although their website promotes service to multiple industries, Ardent is known to shoppers for serving one fast casual restaurant client. This MSPA member company is more than 20 years and headquartered in Colorado. Payment is made by direct deposit on the 20th of the month following the shop. Shops…
Company Overview: Ardent Services is a Mystery Shopping company that has been in business for over 20 years. They offer a wide assortment of assignments within the retail, restaurant, resort, hotel, car rental, airline and extended stay industries. An interesting fact about this company is that they serve over 1,500 eateries worldwide. How to…
Company Overview: Sometimes there seems to be a disconnect between what shoppers are asked to do while on an on-site visit and what is truly feasible and realistic. One mystery shopping company that “gets it” is Associate Consumer Evaluations. The founders of this company, Tiffany Steward and Julie Simbo, were inspired to create a business…
Company Overview: In the haste to get signed up with mystery shopping companies when starting out, it is easy to skim over information provided on their websites which state their policies. When those policies involve payments made to shoppers, and the shoppers are not aware of those policies, shoppers can become unduly annoyed and/or frustrated….
Company Overview Ath Power Consulting is the top mystery shop provider for the financial services industry. The company is based in based in Andover Massachusetts. They were established in 1997 and specialize in helping clients build brand loyalty and customer retention. They pride themselves in their large database of reliable shoppers. The Better Business Bureau…
Company Overview: This company specializes in one thing: automobile mystery shopping. If you want to mystery shop car dealerships, they are for you. Automotive Insights, LLC is a global provider of operational consulting and mystery shopping teams that enable vehicle manufacturers, dealers, and suppliers to the automotive industry the ability to develop, measure, and deliver…
Company Overview: Smaller mystery shopping companies tend to have advantages over larger entities, such as maintaining a more personable relationship with their shoppers. Yet they are also at a disadvantage when it comes to being able to offer steady assignment opportunities. B Business Solutions is one such company. It has been operating since 1998 from…
Company Overview: In a mystery shopping world with many companies choosing their names from similar words like service, shopper, mystery and the like, their identities can get lost in the crowd. This company does not possess that flaw. The name is also accurate. Dale and Michael Bare founded this company in 1987 in Fairfax, Virginia….
Company Overview: Bare International is a full-service research company and mystery shopping is a huge part of their business. The company has been in business for over 30 years and claim that they have mastered the mystery shopping evaluation process. Bare International’s website states that they conduct over 50,000 mystery shopping evaluations each month and…
I first joined BDS Marketing in 2011. This mystery shopping company had a unique reporting system, different than anything I had ever used before. It was called the “Kars System.” It was a little challenging to get used to but eventually it became easier for me over time. The shop pay for BDS assignments was…
Company Overview: Founded in 1986, Bestmark “Is one of the nation’s largest customer experience measurement and mystery shopping companies.” They perform more than 500,000 field visits (mystery shops, audits, and exit interviews) annually and boast of a field force of 200,000 strong. Shops are located in the US including Nevada, Canada, and other countries. According…
Company Overview: Beyond Hello is primarily retail oriented. Their clients range from sunglasses to clothing, automobiles, high end plumbing, and more. Most of their shops average in the $10-15 range and the reporting is in line with the pay scale. They have recently started some exit interviews that pay $45 for three hours. I don’t…
Overview: In 1991, in Madison, Wisconsin, Beyond Hello was created by Gary Godding and Christopher Warzynski, who both, 23 years ago, dreamed up an idea that would help improve businesses. This concentrated around helping improve the customer experience for their future clients. They would do this by creating a dynamic mystery shopping company. Beyond Hello…
Add Primo Solutions to the list of MSPs recently purchased. In October 2014, Bild & Company, a Tampa based consulting firm for senior living facilities, announced the acquisition of Primo Solutions. Bild was founded in 1999 to offer “Integrated sales and marketing services to help healthcare organizations build occupancy and maximize revenue.” Additionally, it offers…
Updated February 3rd, 2014 Company Overview: It seems that shoppers are always on the hunt for hotel assignments, either to add to a long-distance route to offset costs or to simply get away from it all for a little bit. The easiest way to find these assignments is to get signed up with mystery shopping…
Company Overview: Business Evaluation Services was founded by the current President, Charles Stiles. Charles comes from a background in retail; owning a number of retail gift stores in national malls for over 8 years. Quickly realizing the only way to really differentiate his stores and stand out from the competition was to develop a consistent…
Company Overview: Business Evaluation Services (BES) and Mystery Shopper Services (MSS) were previously reviewed here as separate entities, but in fact, they aren’t… really. Sort of. You’ll see. 😉 BES is not really, in and of itself, a mystery shopping company. Even though they say they are. A Google search for “Business Evaluation Services” only…
Company Overview: Business Research Group, Inc. was founded in May 1996. They are a full service research company based in Springfield, Missouri. They specialize in personal “one on one” customer service evaluations for businesses with multiple locations. The company serves businesses in the following industries: Casinos / Gaming Hotels / Restaurants / Fast Food /…
Company Overview: Many mystery shoppers also do merchandising assignments to fill voids in their schedules. Cast Force is a merchandising company about which volumes have been written on www.mysteryshopforum.com. Based in Sarasota, FL Castforce is not a member of, nor are they accredited by West Florida BBB. However, the BBB notes that there have been…
Company Overview: CIMA Insight is a privately owned mystery shopping company (MSC), headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The company was founded in 2010 by Ellen Schlafer and sold in 2012 to 360Current, “a full service marketing, advertising and digital agency”. Current360 enjoys an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Registration: New shoppers can register…
Company Overview: Circle of Service, based in St. Louis, Missouri, has mystery shops in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. From the company’s website, they serve clients in multiple industries including: spas, retail, travel, healthcare, hospitality, telemarketing, automotive, and apartment/condominiums. Registration is at http://circle-of-service.com/ and is on the Prophet system. The company did have their…
Company Overview: It’s an infrequent occurrence to have both a mystery shopping company as well as one of its assignments hit the worst-of-the-worst lists as described by its independent contractors, the mystery shoppers themselves. Cirrus Marketing Intelligence is based in Anaheim, California, and has been in operation since 1993. From their beginning, the company states…
Company Overview: In 2004, with already more than 15 years combined experience in the video mystery shopping industry, Wesley and Leslie Jeter made a decision to bring their passion for exceptional customer service to business professionals nationwide with the founding of Clear Evaluations. Based in Houston, Texas, Clear Evaluations is a full-service secret shopping company…
Company Overview: Coast to Coast Scheduling Services (CTCSS) was founded in 2001 and is based in California. It schedules shops for a number of companies including Customer First, Goodwin, and Customer Perspectives. As such it is not a mystery shopping company, but a separate, distinct entity that performs the task of recruiting shoppers to perform…
To err is human…and I hope the readers of Mystery Shopper Magazine will forgive me. As I’ve mentioned, I’m a shopper like most of you who read this magazine. I write these articles as a labor of love, knowing that the time I spend writing is time taken away from shopping. When I research a…
Company Overview: Based in Richmond, Utah, Compliance Solutions Worldwide has been in business for over eight years. They offer carpet cleaning assignments. Their website is http://www.compliancesolutionsworldwide.com/index.html and registration is relatively straightforward on the Sassie platform. Personal Experience: I have no personal experience with this company. I did a search using a 900-mile radius and only…
Overview: Confero was created in 1986 and has since grown, and covers assignments in the 50 U.S., Canada, Mexico, China, Europe, Puerto Rico, Guam and Japan. They have over 130,000 shoppers. Currently Elaine Buxton serves as President. The total leadership combined offers 55 years of combined experience. Confero also works with Nevada for conducting mystery…
Company Overview: Headquartered in Cary, a suburb of Raleigh, NC, Confero has been in business since 1985. They are accredited by the Cary BBB and have an A+ rating. There have been no complaints lodged with the BBB in the last three years, although the BBB website has an alert that Confero has been a…
Company Overview: Confero, Inc. was founded in 1986 and are in contact with over 130,000 mystery shoppers across the United States, and all over the world. For those who like to travel, they have shops available in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Guam and Japan. Confero’s motto is direct and to the point, “Help our client…
Company Overview: Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Consumer Impressions has been in business since 1991. This MSC specializes in fast food with several regional chains in nine states. Registration is on their website, http://www.consumerimpressions.com/. There is no record of this MSC with the Plano, Texas, BBB. Personal Experience: I have no personal experience with this MSC…
Company Overview Consumer@Site is a Mystery Shopping Company (MSC) located in Puerto Rico; operating primarily in the territory, but also in the Caribbean region and Central America. They’re the only member of the Mystery Shopping Provider’s Association (MSPA) in Puerto Rico, or the entire Caribbean region. You can check out their website here: http://www.consumeratsite.com/index.html They…
Company Overview: Corporate Research International, or Cori, was acquired by Stericycle earlier this year and their offices were moved from Findlay, OH to Indianapolis, IN. Their registration is relatively straightforward at http://www.mysteryshops.com/. Personal Experience: CoRI was one of the first MSC’s I had registered with. I had my first two shops to do for them,…
Company Overview: Founded in Georgia in 1997, Corporate Risk Solutions was located next door to Asset Protection Associates, which was founded in 1991. The owners of each business soon found themselves referring clients to each other, and realized the synergistic benefits of merging, which they did in 1999. Their website is www.corporaterisksolutions.com. Personal Experience: Only…
Would you climb Mount Everest? If you were a mountaineer you would. Maybe. You would realize the road to the top of the world’s highest mountain is a long and arduous journey that requires extensive preparation and is for the seasoned mountaineer. Mystery shopping also has its apex. You have seen the inducements: Meals at…
Company Overview: Creative Image Associates, Inc. (CIA) was founded in 1989 and is based in Fitchburg MA. This MSPA member company specializes in serving the financial services industry and offers reports that can improve employee performance to deliver necessary customer service. Their client base is currently in the northeastern United States and Florida. This company…
Company Overview: Customer Experience Experts (CEE), formerly known as Draude Marketing Group, is led by Founder and President, Nancy Draude. According to her LinkedIn page, Ms. Draude founded CEE “over 10 years ago”. Ms. Draude shares that she has over 20 years of experience in related fields. CEE is a member of the MSPA. A…
Company Overview: Although one of the newer mystery shopping companies to come to our industry, this business was established from the foundations of other related entities. The founders of Speedmark Info Services and Green & Associates merged their companies, which was later acquired by Market Force. In 2009, they created Customer Impact, drawing upon their…
Overview: Customer Impact was founded by Mark Green, Scott Hiller and Clay Torro in 2008. Previously, the Trio had worked/and Founded Speedmark Information Services Inc. In 2008, Market Force purchased Speedmark Inc. The Trio of Green, Hiller and Torro, then developed Customer Impact in 2008. The Trio stayed in close touch with Market Force, until…
Overview: Customer Impact, LLC is a privately owned mystery shopping company, founded in 2008. It is based in Bryan, TX and serves over 100 clients in the restaurant, hospitality, grocery, retail and financial sectors. The business and has earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. New shoppers can register at: https://www.sassieshop.com/sassie/SassieShopperSignup/Signup.php?EmsID=BK1I8MXAf18. MSM talks…
Company Overview: Located in the state of Texas, Customer Impact has operated as a mystery shopping company for over 25 years. Their website states that they have over 200,000 mystery shoppers and represent well-known brands like Mattress Firm, Applebee’s, Hostess, Wagner and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. Customer Impact is an innovative company offering video, competitor, franchise…
Company Overview: Sometimes even the researchers get similarly named mystery shopping companies mixed up. Such was the instance with this mystery shopping company. I was halfway through with my background notes on this company when I noticed that forum members were occasionally using the words “customer” and “consumer” interchangeably for the name of this MSC….
Company Overview: “Are you committed to meeting deadlines and providing quality reports with detailed narratives?” CSEKristina posted this on the forum and might have also asked if you like to golf. Customer Service Experts (CSE) focuses on airports, restaurants, financial services, and recreation locales such as golf courses. It was founded in 1994 and is…
Overview: Customer Service Experts (CSE) began 21 years ago in 1994, located in Annapolis, Maryland. Lisa D’ Andrea is the President and CEO of this company and one of the most efficient and client friendly mystery shopping companies in the industry. This company’s prime focus is the airport concession shops. They are also known widely…
Company Overview: Based in Omaha, NE, Customer Service profiles is a full-service research organization with over 25 years of experience helping their clients gain knowledge from customer surveys that “provide actionable analysis to ultimately improve the customer experience and improve sales activity.” While they don’t have a list of clients on their website, as…
Company Overview: Data Quest Limited was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts and has a branch office in New York City. The company serves, “more than 1,000 companies, including Fortune 500 corporations, national chains as well as smaller companies on a local and regional level. These companies vary by industry, including but…
Company Overview: Who was that masked man? The Lone Ranger fought outlaws but kept his identify secret behind his mask. DJC’s pays at a lightning fast pace, is cited for quick and responsive interactions, but does not freely disclose the location of their brick and mortar location. Searches for that home office or website with…
Company Overview: This company was formed in 1981 as a consulting company. It first focused on the hospitality industry with mystery shopping, and other related services. Today, DSG touts itself as, “A leader in all types of mystery shopping, intercept interviews and specialty field services for a broad range of consumer businesses, manufacturers, agencies, and…
Company Overview: If the mystery shopping industry awarded companies the equivalent of a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, this MSC would definitely be among the potential recipients. Dynamic Advantage is one of the veterans in this industry, having over 60 years of experience. Their website claims that they were one of the pioneers in the…
Company Overview: Eagle Eye Retail Intelligence (EERI), is a privately owned video mystery shopping company. It was incorporated in 2006 by Jonathan and Cherie Przybyl and is headquartered in Gilbert, AZ. The company specializes in the retail industry. The business is accredited with the Better Business Bureau and has earned an A+ rating. New shoppers…
Company Overview: Edlund Data Services (EDS) is a privately owned mystery shopping and market research recruiting company. It was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Silver Lake, MN, located 60 miles west of Minneapolis-St. Paul. EDS specializes in recruiting for small projects and hard-to-fill locations, although they do also offer scheduling and editing services…
Company Overview: Based in Irving, Texas, a Dallas suburb, Ellis Property Management Solutions will soon celebrate 30-years of mystery shops in the apartment industry. Recognized as a leader in this industry, Ellis averages over 6,000 apartment shops per month in locations all across the United States. The company has audio, video, and ‘un-recorded’ shops. The…
Company Overview: Faith Perceptions, based in Cape Girardeau, MO, actually does mystery shop churches. Actually, I prefer what they call the program on their website—Mystery Guest. While the company offers several programs for churches, the one of interest to shoppers is the Mystery Guest program where you evaluate the friendliness of a congregation towards visitors….
Company Overview: Favored Panel, Inc. is a privately owned company headquartered in Westbury, NY. The business was incorporated in 2011. According to the Favored Panel website, they operate throughout the United States and offer inspection and audit services to “retailers, banks, mortgage companies, insurance providers, credit bureaus, and any company that needs a national or…
Company Overview: This mystery shopping company is well-established in our industry, having been in business longer than almost any other company that Mystery Shopper Magazine has reviewed yet. Its history in working successfully with Fortune 500 companies has captured the attention of several publications, including write-ups in the Wall Street Journal and Good Housekeeping, among…
Company Overview: Some mystery shopping companies are challenging to research. For some reason, there simply isn’t a lot of tangible information on the websites they maintain about their businesses. Nor is there much discussion on the Mystery Shop forum about them. These entities truly live up to the “mystery” when talking about mystery shopping companies….
(Foreword: Patricia has invited her cousin Alice, who is visiting, as guest on a restaurant mystery shop. They are leaving the parking lot after the shop.) “Did you enjoy the meal?” asks Patricia as she drives out of the parking lot. “It was awesome,” says Alice. “Especially because it was free. Thank you for inviting…
Mystery shoppers have recently been reporting missing, delayed, or incorrect payments from GapBuster. On Mystery Shop Forum, there has been a thread with multiple complaints from a variety of mystery shoppers. According to the reports, one shopper is owed 702 Euros, over $900 at the current exchange rate. Another complains of being paid the basic…
Company Overview: GfK is a truly worldwide mystery shopping company with 25 offices in the United States alone. “With more than 15 years of North American and international mystery shopping experience, GfK Mystery Shopping specializes in helping our clients increase revenues, grow brand equity, build positive customer experiences and drive operational improvement.” GfK conducts mystery…
By far one of the oldest market research firms in existence, GfK was founded in 1934 by Professor Wilhelm Vershofen as a scientific institute known as “Gesellschaft fur Konsumforschung,” or Association for Consumer Research. The company is still headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany and it’s mission is simply, “Make the consumer heard.” According to their corporate…
Gigwalk is a cell phone app you can use to find quick merchandising “gigs” on the fly. You download the app to your phone, enter some basic information and your Paypal address, and then you can have it search for gigs near you. I find it often reports gigs to me that are up to…
Company Overview: As one iconic character on the Mystery Shopping Forum expressed concerning the practices of this MSC, “A leopard seldom changes its spots.” My somewhat cynical nature would normally agree. But it does seem that they are doing just that. Goodwin & Associates, based out of Concord, New Hampshire, specializes in restaurant assessments throughout…
Company Overview: Although this mystery shopping company has an international presence and has been in operation for over thirty years, this business has escaped the notice of many shoppers. Grass Roots Performance Measurement, otherwise known as GRPM, is based in the UK. Its North American offices are located in Miami, Florida. Over a year ago,…
Company Overview: This MSPA member company was founded in 1994 and located in Georgetown, Ontario, Canada, which is a suburb of Toronto. It provides “Marketing and sales expertise for senior housing operators” to help nurture those businesses. From the website it seems mystery shopping is one of several services including marketing evaluations, talent acquisition, training…
Company Overview: Just as with a previous review for a mystery shopping company with an almost identical name, there isn’t a lot of information about this business on their website. Likewise, this is one of the few instances in which there isn’t much to learn on the Mystery Shop Forum. A big part of the…
Company Overview: There isn’t a lot of information about this mystery shopping company on their website. Likewise, this is one of the few instances in which there isn’t much to learn on the Mystery Shop Forum. A big part of the problem in trying to research this company is that another mystery shopping company has…
Many of us think of this company as a boutique MSP offering high paying bank and credit union shops. However, mystery shopping is only a small part of what Harland Clarke offers. Originating more than 100 years ago, this $1.2 billion dollar company offers a wide range of services for the financial industry. More than…
Company Overview: Harland Clarke is a large research company with their corporate office in San Antonio, TX and has a regional office located in Atlanta, GA. In total, they have over 3600 employees with over 12,000 clients on their roster. Harland Clarke primarily handles mystery shopping jobs exclusively in the banking and financial industry. …
Company Overview: Do you wonder what is going on when a company changes their name? In this case, the changes are probably cosmetic in nature only. ICC Decision Services (ICDDS) is a MSPA member company founded in 1979 and based in New York City. It offers mystery shopping, customer survey and compliance auditing to retail…
Company Overview: Impact Marketing is a full service video mystery shopping company working exclusively in the home building industry. They are based in Frisco, Texas and have been in business since 2003. The company has an A+ rating with the BBB of Dallas, TX. To become a mystery shopper for Impact Marketing, visit them here…
Company Overview: The company formerly known as Service Intelligence is the name of both a larger company that offers a variety of data collection services and the mystery shopping arm of the Service Intelligence branch of that larger company. In 2011 Service Intelligence and In-Touch partnered and later merged the Service Intelligence shopper website into…
Company Overview: The majority of mystery shopping companies have a wide variety of different assignments. However, some specialize in a specific sector. Informa Research Services is one such company. Informa Research Services, originally Meyer Interest Rate Survey, is a division of Informa PLC. It operates out of Calabasas, California, and has been in business since…
Company Overview: Informa Research Services, Inc.,, is the premier provider of competitive intelligence, sales and service evaluation, regulatory compliance testing, and lead generation services to the financial industry. We gather accurate and timely competitive product information, branch experience measurements, and consumer opinions. We deliver powerful market information, insightful analysis, and targeted recommendations. Located in Calabasas,…
Company Overview: Instant Replays is one of the “Big 7” video mystery shopping companies. They have been in business for over 10 years and are based in Raleigh, NC. Their clients cover such diverse fields as property management companies, home builders, senior living communities, automobile dealerships, Tire and Automotive Service, hotels and restaurants, retail stores,…
IF you’re looking for a new mystery shopping company to add to your roster, Insula Research is worth looking into. They offer low to average pay, but have a good reputation in the industry. Some of their assignments include fast food audits and electronics retailer assignments. Columbus, Ohio based Insula Research was founded in 2005…
Company Overview: Based in Perrysburg, Ohio, Intellishop has been in business since 1999. Perhaps their website describes their business drive the best, “We’re just different. We hope to convey that here, but a website can’t really say everything about who we are, why we’re different, how passionate we are about what we do, why we think…
Introduction: Intellishop is a large and well known company that generates much discussion from shoppers about their strict shop grading policy. Intellishop states, “Our system may be a little tougher than some other companies you might shop for; we have very high standards.” Because they use a significantly stricter standard than probably all of the…
Company Overview: Mystery shoppers are always on the hunt for a new-to-them company. Sometimes this isn’t as straightforward as it seems. It can be challenging to pin down who is who, especially with the plethora of MSC name changes, as well as the many active relationships between companies in the mystery shopping world. Interactions is…
Company Overview: Not to be confused with another mystery shopping company going by a shortened version of this name, International Service Check has a global presence. So for those shoppers looking for assignments in Europe, Asia, the Mid East, as well as North America, this company may be worth checking out. International Service Check claims…
Overview: Customer Impact is a privately owned mystery shopping company, founded in 2008. It is based in The Woodlands, TX and serves over 50 clients in the restaurant, hospitality, grocery, retail and financial sectors. They have an A- rating with the BBB. (The BBB states it does not have sufficient background information on this business,…
Overview: BARE International (BARE) is a privately owned mystery shopping company and customer research evaluation firm, headquartered in Fairfax, VA. It also has offices located around the globe in Antwerpen, Belgium , Africa, Russia, Budapest, Hungary, Sao Paulo, Brazil , Santiago, Chile, Shanghai, China and Mumbai, India. BARE was founded in 1987 by Dale Bare…
Overview: Market Force is a privately owned mystery shopping and customer intelligence company, co-founded in 2005 by three successful businessmen, Karl Maier, Paul Berberian and Rushton McGarr. It is based in Louisville, CO and serves over 350 of the leading brands in the restaurant, grocery, retail and financial sectors, and the movie theatre and motion…
Overview: Sensors Quality Management, Inc. (SQM) is a privately owned company, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was co-founded in 1993 by former Ryerson University classmates, David Lipton and Craig Henry, when they recognized a need for Mystery Shopping within the hospitality industry. Throughout the years, the company has expanded its focus and grown its…
We are pleased to present this interview with Shelly Martin, a scheduler for Kern Scheduling Services. Shelly is the 2014 winner of the Scheduler of the Year Contest presented by Mystery Shop Forum. She received quite a bit of praise from shoppers during the contest. If you’d like to learn more about Shelly, be sure…
Mercantile Systems Inc. (MSI) is a privately owned company, headquartered in Brentwood, CA. It was founded, in 1954, by Robert Cosgrove and focused totally on mystery shopping. Today, MSI also offers its clients a multitude of other services, such as compliance audits, sales improvement programs, training seminars, employee theft monitoring and management and much more….
Overview: TrendSource, originally Mystery Shoppers, Inc., is a privately owned mystery shopping company, headquartered in San Diego, CA. Kevin Moll and his brother, Rodney Moll, founded the company in 1989, when Kevin Moll was looking for a company to “shop” his restaurant. Today, TrendSource serves clients in the retail, healthcare and restaurant industries as well…
Overview: J.M. Ridgway has been around 91 years, since 1924. During my research, I found it amazing that this company has been around for that many years. I had no idea Mystery Shopping even existed 91 years ago! Interestingly enough, besides being the oldest, continually active mystery shopping company in existence, they also perform loss…
Company Overview: Located in San Jose, CA, Jancyn has been in the mystery shopping business for over 30 years. According to their website, Jancyn’s mission is to, “provide you with the qualitative and quantitative data you need, using employee performance measurement tools to drive improvement for your business. Our “insight from the outside” is a…
Overview: Jancyn Mystery Shopping Company (Jancyn Inc.) has been in business for 35 years, founded in 1980. Based in San Jose, California, this company has clients and shops located in all 50 states in the U.S. and Canada. Shoppers are known as “Service Assessors” and are considered part of the “Customer Experience Program.” There are…
If you’re looking for a company with a wide variety of assignments, and above average pay, look no further than JM Ridgway. Founded in 1924, JM Ridgway is “in business to improve your business” according to the header on their website. The company headquarters are located in Los Gatos, California and based on their job…
Company Overview: According to the company website, “The word ‘Kinesis’ is Greek in origin and means both ‘motion or change’ and, in the philosophy of Aristotle, ‘the actualization of potential.’” Founded in 2001, the company’s philosophy is to better align client’s service execution with their customer’s expectations. It does this by offering customer surveys, employee…
Company Overview: Not a mystery shopping company per se, this business entity connects shoppers with many available assignment opportunities with other mystery shopping companies. Previously known as Kern Scheduling Services from 1998 to 2001, this scheduling company now goes by the name of KSS International. The business is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was started…
Company Overview: Lanla Marketing Research is a Canadian MSC located in Mont-St-Hilaire, Quebec. Their focus is on “various customer experience evaluation and measurement programs to companies, such as surveys, automated complaint management system, competitive analysis, expert consulting services, training, etc. We specialize in mystery shopper programs with real consumers. Our cutting-edge technology turns data collected…
Company Overview: LeBlanc & Associates is a privately owned sales performance evaluation company. It was incorporated in 1997 by Mary LeBlanc and is headquartered in Carlsbad, CA. The company’s singular focus is on the housing industry and it currently services the continental US and Canada. The business enjoys an A+ rating with the Better Business…
Like many of the lesser known mystery shopping companies, LRA keeps a low profile and has mystery shopping as just a small part of their total business model. LRA Worldwide, with headquarters outside of Philadelphia, has provided onsite assessments in the hospitality and related industries since 1980. They have worked in 125 countries and very…
Company Overview: Although it bills itself as the largest customer research company in the U.S., Maritz Research forgoes the latest in technology to conduct its mystery shopping endeavors. Instead, it relies more heavily on having human contact with its shopper base, probably more so than most mystery shopping companies. Virtual Customers is the name of…
Company Overview: The biggest mystery shopping company in the world also has the largest mystery shopper network in the world. That results in an enormous amount of opinions and feedback about this MSC. Rarely are shoppers neutral about this company. The majority of shoppers are decidedly divided into two camps – those that love the…
Reports surfaced recently of Market Force International terminating a mystery shopper because of “known associates.” The shopper had reportedly done extensive work with the company, and garnered a high rating by them. No other reason was cited for the termination of the agreement. According to the report, Market Force refused to provide any information about…
Company Overview: Founded in 1996 in Glenmoore, Pennsylvania [a suburb of Philiadelphia], Market Viewpoint has clients in the automobile, retail, child care, real estate, and financial service industries. Their website is: http://www.marketviewpoint.com/. Market Viewpoint currently has two different systems in place for shoppers. One is a Sassie platform while the other is the MSS platform….
Company Overview: If there was an equivalent of a Good Housekeeping Seal Of Approval in our industry, this mystery shopping company would be one of the first recipients. It was a pleasure to review a company that shoppers highly endorsed without reservation. Marketing Endeavors has been operating out of Louisville, Kentucky since 2001. It is…
Company Overview: Untangling the history of this mystery shopping company was a bit of a mystery in itself. Trying to research the company’s background and relationships to other companies became more and more convoluted. It’s a tangled web of associations, with only one clear denominator shared by all entities involved, the year 2009. This year…
Company Overview: Founded in 2009, MarketStat has corporate leadership with more than 20 years of experience in the mystery shopping industry. Their main office is in Overland Park, KS and regional offices are located in Oregon and New Jersey. According to their website, they represent casinos and hotels, property management companies, airport concessions, and franchised…
Company Overview: Headquartered in Appleton, WI, MarketWise was founded in 1994. It was incorporated under its current name in 1997. The company is a member of both the Fox Cities and Wausau Region Chambers of Commerce, as well as the MSPA. Searching the internet and the chamber websites reveal no negative comments about this company….
Company Overview: Based in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Mars Research offers “a wide range of solutions for all of your qualitative and quantitative research needs including survey design, data collection, recruitment, statistical analysis and reporting.” It appears from their website that this company concentrates primarily on focus groups, product testing, and various forms of market research….
Company Overview: Located in Pittsburgh, PA, this marketing company was found by David Mastovich in 2002 “to create an integrated marketing firm different from the rest, leveraging both the art and science of marketing to achieve game-changing results.” MASSolutions uses integrated marketing to craft a message and work it into the client’s story as told…
Company Overview: Measure Consumer Perspective (MCP) is a privately owned company, which engages in mystery shopping, brand auditing, compliance checks, and field research. It is headquartered in Louisville, KY. Their clients range from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses and interest groups and offer category experience in healthcare, multi-family housing, senior care, financial services, insurance,…
Company Overview: Based in Louisville, KY, Measure Consumer Perspectives is a full service mystery shopping company with clients in a wide variety of industries. They do both conventional and video mystery shops. The company is an accredited member of the Louisville, KY Better Business Bureau and carries an “A” rating with that organization. They…
Company Overview: Melinda Brody and Company is another of the niche mystery shopping companies, this one specializing in new home shops, of which about 95% are video shops. Based in the Northeastern suburbs of Orlando, Florida, Melissa Brody and Co. has over 20 years experience in shopping the new home industry. They break their shops…
If your main focus as a shopper is obtaining higher-end assignments such as restaurants and hotels, then Mercantile Systems Inc. would be a desirable mystery shopping company to add to your list. Recent opportunities included: steakhouses, brewhouses, barbecue restaurants, other upscale casual restaurants and bars, golf courses, and resorts. This family owned business was founded…
Company Overview: It is common for mystery shoppers to be open to alternative earning opportunities such as those involved with merchandising, exit interviews, audits, and more. There are also options that don’t fit nicely into any category listed here that are fairly easy and pay reasonably. One mystery company specializes in such information-gathering assignments. Mintel…
Company Overview: Mintel Group Ltd. is a privately owned, global market intelligence agency, based in London. Mintel was founded in 1978 and, today, maintains offices in London, Chicago, Shanghai, Belfast, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Munich, New York, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto. The business is accredited with the Better Business Bureau and has earned…
Company Overview: Monterey Mystery Shopping is another mystery shopping company that has focused on a niche industry. In this case, it’s the luxury and ultra-luxury motor vehicle industry. Monterey Mystery Shopping was founded 10 years ago, in 2003. They proclaim themselves to be the “premier mystery shopping provider for the motor vehicle industry.” Although they…
Monterey Mystery Shopping is located in Pacific Grove, California and has been in operation since 2003. Their website states that they “provide mystery shopping services for all major brands within the automotive, motorcycle, recreational vehicle and marine industries, as well as related industries.” It also makes the claim of “being the premier mystery shopping provider…
From Linkedin, mVentix “is a point-of-sale marketing firm with primary focus on market intelligence gathering, mobile engagement and channel marketing solutions.” Formed in 2004 and formerly known as Integrity Marketing, this Los Angeles area based company serves retail clients in the United States and Canada. It claims to not only use technology, but also develop…
Company Overview: Research Services Group has offices in the US, Asia, and Europe. They cover a smorgasbord or industries including clothing, department stores, convenience stores, and real estate. Visit their website to see the full list. The company was founded in 2008 as Research Services Group in Atlanta, Georgia. They changed their name in September…
Company Overview: Mystery shoppers were among the interested and curious audience tuning into their television sets when a new reality series made its debut in spring of 2012 on Food Network. The show, called “Mystery Diners”, led many to believe that this series would be about mystery shopping in the restaurant industry, especially since a…
Company Overview: This is a family business started in 1994 by Beverly Gleason and her two daughters, Tiffany Gleason, and Trish Overton. From their office in Knoxville Tennessee they started small, serving nearby businesses. Today they serve a wide variety of industries including restaurants, banks, and healthcare in the United States and Canada. This MSPA…
Company Overview: It’s always interesting to see what mystery shopping companies have to say about their businesses on their websites. It’s even more interesting to see if what they have to say is at all in sync with what their shoppers have to say. Mystique Shopper is based in Clemont, Florida. It claims to have…
Company Overview: One of the great things about the community on the Mystery Shop Forum is getting the heads up about issues with MSCs. In some cases, this has alerted shoppers to problems of non-payment and other business practices that are unethical. However, sometimes warnings go up that must be taken in context. This is…
Company Overview: Based in Denver, Colorado, National Shopping Service Network has been in business since 1986. A partial list of industries served [from their website] includes: Advertising agency, Apartments, Auto dealer, Auto maker, Auto parts, Car wash, Banking, Bar, Baseball club, Bookstore, Business forms, Coffee shop, Concessions, Convenience stores, Fast food, Football club, Gift shops,…
Company Overview: This will be a short but far from sweet review. This mystery shopping company has been generating a lot of discussion on the Mystery Shopping Forum in the last six months or so, especially recently, and none of it has been positive. Nationwide Services Group is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. Surprisingly, this company…
Company Overview: This is another small but well-established mystery shopping company that has yet to be noticed by many shoppers. It has a niche that is different than the major industries covered by other MSCs like banking, restaurants, or hotels. New Image Marketing Research Corporation, otherwise referred to as NIM in this article, has been…
Overview: According to my research, ICCDS has been in business since 1999 and then recently changed their name to North Fork Research. They are located in Wichita Falls, Texas. The schedulers that work for North Fork are called North Fork Field Coordinators. Project Variations: North Fork Research does many types of shops. There are Sports-Wear…
After a first career in loss prevention for a nationally known retail store and a stint as a reserve police officer, Doug Rector started Northwest Loss Prevention Consultants in 1997. Despite this background, the name of the company, and the fact it also offers private investigation services, Northwest Loss Prevention Consultants (NWLPC) bills itself as…
Company Overview: This is a small, privately held company specializing in the healthcare field. Started in 1998 by Kevin and Brooke Billingsley, this is a “national customer perception firm based in Indianapolis, Indiana specializing in healthcare mystery shopping and customer service improvements.” More than 100,000 phone and on-site shops have been completed according to their…
This company is a pision of ADI Consulting. Since 1993, ADI has assisted financial service businesses with regulatory compliance issues. Person to Person Quality (P2P) was founded in 1999 to provide mystery shopping and related services such as employee training, surveys, and market research. Both companies seem to be closely tied. They have similar personnel…
Company Overview: This is another mystery shopping company that focuses on one niche industry. In this case, that would be banking and financial services. Pinnacle Financial Strategies has been in operation for over twenty years. In late 2010, it acquired Granite Starr Mystery Shopping as an adjunct to its other consultative services. At one time,…
This Canadian MSP (not to be confused with Premier Shopper’s Network) was started by CEO Michael Glazer in 1991 as part of a college project. That project was to assist retailers, “Evaluate and improve their customer service.” After a period of growth, Keren Dolan joined Premier in 2001 as President of Sales and Operations. Continued…
Company Overview: Primo Solutions, LLC is a privately owned, full service Mystery Shopping, Training and Consulting company based in Phoenix, AZ. It was established in 2007 and is headquartered in Phoeniz, AZ. The company specializes in the senior housing industry and offers services throughout the United States and Canada. Primo Solutions has earned an A+…
When I moved to Las Vegas I found out that mystery shopping was much different in the state of Nevada than anywhere else in the U.S. I learned right away that you must be an employee of a licensed private investigative firm. I looked in the phone book and found QSI Specialists. I gave them…
This charter MSPA member company was founded in 1984 and has addresses in both Loveland OH and Rochester IL. It provides clients “customer experience mapping and customer satisfaction research.” Types of Assignments: In addition to mystery shopping it also offers exit interviews, compliance audits and other related services. Various industries are served in the United…
Overview: Quality Assessments Mystery Shopping Company (QAMS) has been in business since 1984 and prides itself on a “consistent premier experience” for each of it’s clients. They are MSPA Members and also WBENC Certified (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) for Women Owned Businesses. They have clients in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. They…
Company Overview: Some mystery shoppers have certain niches, or types of businesses, that they focus on more than others. To that end, they try to categorize mystery shopping companies when possible to assist them in their quest for certain assignments. If your focus is in the hospitality field, you might want to consider adding this…
Company Overview: It is rare for mystery shoppers to agree about which are the best mystery shopping companies. So many variables factor into these viewpoints. These include, but are not limited to: fair fees, prompt timely and accurate pay, professional courtesy, effective and relevant feedback, and responsive communication. However, Quest For Best has maintained consistent…
Overview: Quest for Best Mystery Shopping Company began over 20 years ago in Memphis, Tennessee, as a small family owned business but has since grown quite large, and covers the service to many clients in 50 states. Since 1990, Quest for Best has provided mystery shopping that covers a wide range of services. Project Variations:…
Company Overview: Reality Based Group, based in Austin, Texas, is a “reality based consulting company that installs a self-funded, continuous business improvement process. Founded in 1992, Reality Based Group™ serves regional companies up to the Fortune 500.” According to posts on the www.mysteryshopforum.com website, RBG is the old Gamefilm Consultants, and they use the Gamefilm…
Company Overview: Reality Based Group (RBG), formerly Gamefilm Consultants, is based in Austin, TX and has been in business since 1992. The company originally focused on video-based apartment shops. According to the company website, RBG now serves the industries of retail, dining, banking, hospitality, homebuilding, property management, auto, health and fitness, insurance and government agencies….
Company Overview: When I was a new shopper with this company, I thought its name was highly ironic after some of my nonsensical dealings with one of its editors. Luckily those issues are a thing of the past. Like so many other shoppers, I consider Reality Check to be among my top companies. This is…
Company Overview: Based in Tampa, FL, Regal Hospitality Group is, “a quality assurance/integrity shopping firm that provides an array of services for hotels, resorts, restaurants and retail shops around the world.” There is no obvious indication of how long the MSC has been in business, although their website has a copyright date of 2008. Personal…
Company Overview: Remington Evaluations is based in Liberty Township, OH. Their website is: http://remysteryshops.com/. Remington Evaluations is primarily focused on apartment shops. On their website they say, “All of our mystery shopping reports and surveys are customized for each client. No apartment community or property management company is the same. Each mystery shopping report is…
Research Services Group is the mystery shopping division of Mystery Researchers. Their website defines the company as a “business intelligence provider” which, in addition to mystery shopping, also provides audits and standards compliance inspections, online and phone surveys, pricing evaluations and app performance testing. Mystery Researchers started out as a home-based business in 2008 and…
Company Overview: Retail Track Mystery Shopping and Consulting was founded in 1991 by Shaun Belding, CEO of The Belding Group of Companies, as a division of TBGC. Elsewhere, their site says they began in 1992 under the name “StoreCheck”. They’re located in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. Retail Track’s main website is here. They’re a member of…
Company Overview: Some mystery shopping companies regularly post assignments at offensively low fees and reimbursements, yet incredibly, they have a loyal following of shoppers. Ritter Associates is one of those companies. They’ve been in this industry since 1974, so they are well aware of the usual payment rates offered by other MSCs. They also have…
Overview: Sales Quality Research Group (SQG) is a privately owned company, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. It was founded in 1993 and incorporated in 1997 by Jim Rensel, the principal owner and President, and Dr. Kenneth Kehrer, a part owner. SQG provides research services for banks, thrifts and credit unions, as well as their brokerage firm…
Company Overview: Sales Quality Research Group (SQG) was founded in 1993 and based in Arizona. It was incorporated four years later and provides research services for the financial services industry. In addition to mystery shopping, it provides customer satisfaction studies and focus groups. Recent job posting on the forum lists bank inquiry and investment inquiry…
Company Overview: One of the first things new mystery shoppers should be aware of is that it is never necessary to pay for the opportunity to obtain assignments. The overwhelming majority of the time, any entity that requests money from a shopper is usually a scam operation. Those that aren’t necessarily scams are still of…
Overview: Second-to-None Mystery Shopping has been in business for over 25 years. Founded by Jeff Hall in 1989 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Second-to-None (STN) serves clients that have from 50 to 5,000 business locations (each), from across the United States and Canada. STN focuses on customer experience solutions, along with data and analytics with timely…
Company Overview: With so many mystery shopping companies using similar names, it can be easy to get them confused. Unfortunately, Secret Shopper is one of those MSCs that has been frequently mistaken for less reputable entities in the business. Because of this, many shoppers have avoided getting involved with Secret Shopper, and are missing out…
Looking for gas station assignments? Read about them here. Company Overview: Many mystery shoppers are continually on the hunt for “the best” mystery shopping companies, but sometimes it is just as important to know which ones to avoid. There are MSCs out there that have unethical business practices which cause shoppers great misery. Secret Shopping…
SeeLevelHX is a woman owned company more than 40 years in the making. Those who think their name is a play on words are right. SeeLevelHx tries to help C-level management make informed decisions from the CEO to COO to the CMO. SeeLevelHx uses their intelligence programs in order to optimize human experiences. Getting the public’s dollar is harder…
Company Overview: Sensors Quality Management (SQM) has been in business since 1993, and is based out of Toronto, Ontario. While the majority of their shops are in Canada, their website notes that they have clients in more than 40 countries worldwide. As of February, 2016, they have airport shops that are available in the U.S….
Company Overview: Founded in 1994 in Pacific Grove, CA, Service Check (not to be confused with International Service Check), was the first 100% web based mystery shopping company. They have a wide variety of clients in the retail sector. In addition to traditional mystery shops, Service Check also conducts competitor shops and telephone shops. Registration…
Company Overview: This is a company that delivers information about the point of sale transaction to companies in a variety of ways. Mystery shopping, intercepts and audits are some of those ways. Based in Woodbury, New York, Service Evaluation Concepts, (SEC) has more than 25 years in business and also offers real-time feedback options. Types…
Company Overview: Service Excellence Group, aka Service X, is a, “customer experience measurement and solutions provider” based in St. Louis Missouri. In 1996, CEO Marci Bolshorn. “began a journey – a mission of personal importance – to share her passion for exceptional service delivery nationwide.” Today this company offers a variety of services including customer…
Company Overview: Located in one of the four towns named Holly Springs in NC, Service Performance Group is a mystery shopping company that shoppers seem to love—when they can remember them. Founded in 1992 by two former United States Marine Core officers, SPG provides shopper services in these areas: Apartments, Financial, Retail, Restaurants, Leisure, Travel,…
Company Overview: Located in Lincoln, NE, Service Research Corporation has been in business for about 20 years. There is no data on their site regarding the industries and areas they serve. Going through the Prophet system, I was able to determine they currently have a restaurant in two or three states. Their website is http://www.serviceresearch.com….
Company Overview: Sometimes mystery shoppers need a little recreation and entertainment after completing a steady stream of the tried-and-true usual assignments. For a change of pace in that boring routine, check out the assignments with Service Scouts. This mystery shopping company offers all kinds of opportunities in venues for sports, musicals, shows, concerts, tradeshows, conventions,…
Overview: Service Sleuth (HS Brands) was created by Tom Mills (CEO) in 2005, when he bought out a former partner and created HS Brands, along with Mike Mershimer (Pres./COO). HS Brands consists of Service Sleuth (Mystery Shopping) and Mershimer Group (Loss Prevention.) HS Brands is one of the few mystery shopping companies licensed to perform…
Company Overview: If you are willing to deal with consistent but slow pay from a nationwide company with a wide variety of interesting and worthwhile assignments, then check out Service Sleuth. Service Sleuth is a division of HS Brands International, which is also the parent company for The Mershimer Group. HS Brands has offices in…
Company Overview: At times it is desirable for a mystery shopper to be able to categorize mystery shopping companies by the types of clients that are evaluated regularly. The problem is, sometimes these niche MSCs are hard to find, as they tend to be smaller and less well known. Service With Style is one such…
Company Overview: This company started in the United Kingdom as Retail Eyes in 1998. In 2012 a portion of the business was sold and the remaining company renamed Shared Insight. This new company is based in California. Its overall business includes mystery shopping, website feedback, and customer surveys. It offers a limited number of mystery…
Company Overview: One of the interesting aspects of the Mystery Shopping Forum is that the shopper doing a little background research on MSCs is bound to find volumes and more volumes of information on companies that have mixed reviews by forum members. However, this is not the case for Shoppers Critique. Although opinions about this…
Company Overview: A Sassie-based company, Shoppers Inc is located in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Their website, http://www.shopperjobs.com, has a couple of my pet peeves. There’s nothing saying how long they have been in business, and there’s no indication of what industries they shop. Personal Experience: I have been signed up with this company for over a…
Company Overview: In some cases, reviewing mystery shopping companies can be very much like the old saying “No news is good news.” There are some MSCs that do not garner much attention from shoppers. Considering that the independent contractors in the mystery shopping world have a tendency to be vocal about negative issues, it could…
Company Overview: Shoppers Confidential is headquartered in Canada, with offices in Toronto and Kitchener, Ontario; and a US office is in Hawthorne, California. Their primary website is here: http://www.shoppersconfidential.com/ According to the company’s Facebook page, they were founded in 2006, and their BBB page shows they incorporated in March of 2007. Speaking of the BBB,…
Company Overview: Sinclair Customer Metrics was started in 1976. They shop a variety of clients including fast food, financial institutions, retail, and automobile [both traditional and video]. Their website is easy to navigate and registration is fairly straightforward at http://www.sinclaircustomermetrics.com/. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, the company displays the BBB Accredited logo on their site…
Company Overview: Serving Rocky and Cascade mountain areas of the United States. The origins of this company are in a product and in-store demonstration company that started in Utah in the 1970s. That company serviced clients in the Rocky Mountain states. By the turn of the century, they had noticed an unmet demand for mystery…
Company Overview: Here is yet another small mystery shopping company that is not well known. It hasn’t implemented much in the way of self-promotion, and even its website has very little information about their business and its operations. But it should not be overlooked by shoppers, especially those interested in what one Mystery Shop Forum…
Company Overview: Located in Florida, Stacey’s Strategic Solutions [SSS] is a consulting, scheduling and business solutions provider specializing in collecting and analyzing data about customers, employees and competitors to maximize profitability and efficiency. The company has more than twenty years of retail management, human resources, scheduling and business experience with a reputation for knowledge, dedication,…
Company Overview: It really is not CoRI anymore. Stericycle ExpertSOLUTIONS is a branch of Stericycle Inc.. That parent company is in the business of disposing medical and bio-hazardous waste. However, any further discussion must include Corporate Research International (CoRI). Mike Mallett founded CoRI as a mystery shopping company in 1997. It utilized automation and technology…
Company Overview: Strategic Reflections is based in Cincinati, Ohio. The senior partners in Strategic Reflections have been coordinating customer research and mystery shopping projects since 1988 for small, regional and national clients. Strategic Reflections, Inc. has utilized a plan of action based upon experience for accurate and efficient design, development, and implementation of each and…
Company Overview: I hesitate to mention this company because it will sound too good to be true, and some might accuse me of adding “recreational products” to my martini. Based in New Jersey, Taylor and Associates specializes in Pay Per View (PPV) compliance. In other words, you’ll be assigned a location thats advertising something they…
Company Overview: Technology Store Shopper is a mystery shopping company that specializes in shopping the technology sector. I tried contacting the company on three different days via their 800 number to discover the basics [location, how long they’ve been in business, etc.] as this basic information is not on their website, and I could not…
Company Overview: Texas Shoppers Network, Inc (TSN) has the only registered U.S. Patent within the mystery shopping industry. That patent covers the process developed to evaluate client’s businesses. With experience as a vendor and merchandiser for major retail stores, Sondra Pulford founded TSN in 1996. The company’s purpose “is to form long-term relationships with clients…
This is an admittedly biased list of the 10 biggest mystery shopping companies. How is it biased? It is based on one simple number: The number of Mystery Shop Forum members who report they have registered with each company. In other words, these are the companies that mystery shoppers are most likely to be registered…
Company Overview: Founded in 1994 in Wisconsin by registered nurse Kristin Baird, this company specializes in the healthcare industry in the United States. For clients it “seeks to help transform your culture and shape the patient experience.” To improve the delivery of healthcare services it offers training and seminars in addition to mystery shopping. Shops…
The “Big Seven” video MSCs that founded the Video Shopping Network(VSN) have had their ranks reduced by one. The problems that shoppers have had in getting paid by Instant Replays for the past year or so have finally caught up with them and they are no longer a member of the VSN. It is unclear…
Many times mystery shoppers wonder if their efforts truly have any direct results on the business operations of a client. With The Brandt Group, they do. The company motto “Inspect What You Expect” neatly sums up the mission of this MSC. On-site client evaluations are taken very seriously, and a higher level of professionalism is…
Company Overview: The Shadow Agency is headquartered in North Richland Hills, Texas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. They were one of the pioneers in video mystery shopping, starting in 1995. The company specializes in new home, retail, automobile, apartments/property management, and restaurants. Their website is www.theshadowagency.com. Registration is on an extremely easy form. They…
Company Overview: The Shadow Agency is headquartered in North Richland Hills, Texas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. They were one of the pioneers in video mystery shopping, starting in 1995. The company specializes in new home, retail, automobile, apartments/property management, and restaurants. The company uses the ClientsSmart platform. Registration is available at: https://shadowagency.clientsmart.com/. Personal…
Company Overview: Based in Kennesaw, Georgia, The Training Factor specializes in apartment and call center training. There is minimal company history on their website. The company does both conventional and video mystery shops. The company began mystery shopping in 2009. The Training Factor uses the Shopmetrics platform to register mystery shoppers. Registration is fairly straightforward…
Company Overview: TNS Global Mystery shopping is part of WPP’s consumer insight and consultancy group, Kantar. Based in the UK, the majority of their offices are in Europe and the Middle East. Registration is on their website, http://www.tnsglobal.com/market-information/mystery-shopping/, and they utilize the Clientsmart system. This company has been a victim of the mystery shop check…
Overview: TrendSource was co-founded by Rodney Moll, in 1989, over 25 years ago. The business moved to San Diego, California, where Mr. Moll retained the titles of Co-Founder, Chairman, CEO, President and Executive Chairman of the Board. After further research, James Caltrider is currenly/ presently named President and CEO. My facts show the company incorporated…
Trendsource was founded in 1989 in Denver, Colorado and relocated their home base in San Diego in 2004. They were a founding member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) which is a comprehensive resource devoted to educating and assisting shoppers advance their mystery shopping career. Trendsource provides various services to numerous clients throughout the…
Company Overview: TrendSource (The Source), formerly known as MSI Services Inc., is based out of San Diego, CA and was established in 1989. This company boasts having over 300,000 Independent Field Agents in their North American market in efforts to produce the most accurate feedback possible for their clients. The Source’s website states, “Whether you…
Company Overview: Headquartered in Londonderry, NH, The Troy Dolan Group is a full service, customer experience management firm. In June, 2007, they acquired Best Mark Audits (BMA) which will operate as the Mystery Shopping/Audit division of Troy Dolan. They expanded into the southeast with the 2010 acquisition of Customer 1st of Greensboro, NC. The company…
Company Overview: Truss Communications is based in McLeansville, NC, a small town northeast of Greensboro. Their website is not active although their 800 phone line is active and has an answering machine on it. As there have been many negative comments, which will be detailed below, I left my name and number on several occasions…
Company Overview: This is a smaller mystery shopping company founded in 1986 that manages to fly largely under the radar. It focuses on mystery shopping, surveys, inspections, and compliance audits for hospitals, healthcare organizations, hotels, and restaurants in the United States. A list of clients and testimonials are located on their website. The location of…