I’m pleased and excited to announce the 100th issue of Mystery Shopper Magazine. We’ve now been around for over two years, and we’ve accomplished quite a bit. We’ve published 160 reviews of mystery shopping companies. A big part of our mission is to help mystery shoppers connect with the best mystery shopping companies. That’s why…
Over the past several months or so, there have been a few discussions, or mentions in various threads, about the difficulties in being able to contact schedulers or mystery shopping companies (MSCs) after hours or on weekends, as well as a couple of other pet peeves. I’m not going to reference the specific threads, but…
Most shoppers have seen, or have some degree of familiarity with, the Planet Fitness shops. The ones where you go to the gym to inquire about a membership and, between the tour and the free trial, you’ll spend anywhere from 30-60 minutes there. This isn’t that shop. This shop tracks the progress of construction prior…
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: 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…
Mystery shopping is extremely time-consuming. So how does a mystery shopper handle the burden of housekeeping, laundry, auto maintenance, yard maintenance, and pet care in addition to their shopping? It’s not easy. It helps to be sure your priorities are straight. The biggest thing is to prioritize the use of one’s time. It doesn’t pay…
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…
The winter of 2015 is slowly fading into history as spring is making its way across the country. A shopper’s thoughts turn to not having to reschedule shops because of inclement weather and actually being able to plan a route and stick to the plan. While the arrival of spring is a welcomed event, it…
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…
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…
Last week, I received an email from a MSC regarding [upscale] hotel shops. The gist of it was that if you were shopping a hotel in your general area to avoid mentioning that to the employees if you were asked, as that is one way shoppers were being identified. Obviously, the desk clerk is going…
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…
Overview: White Clay is a privately owned company, headquartered in Louisville, KY. It was co-founded in 2006, by Mac Thompson and Mike Wright. White Clay offers Information Solutions, Management Consulting and Customer Experience services. The business enjoys an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Shoppers can register here. MSM talks with Ziggy Zubric, Customer…
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…
If you’ve spent any amount of time reading Mystery Shop Forum, you’ll no doubt have noticed various references to mystery shopping as “your business”. For most of us involved in mystery shopping, it is a business. And, since it is a business, you should have a business plan. Is your business plan set in stone…
Mystery Shopper Magazine is pleased to present the fifth in a series of mystery shopping scheduler interviews. In this issue, we bring you the scheduler, who is well known for his humorous email titles, such as, “I’m Going To Learn Spanish and Assign All The $5 Spanish Phone Shops For Monday To Myself! Apply While…
I recently completed a shop for one of those seashore gas stations. It was fairly simple, I took my photos according to the approved photos list and went on my merry way back to the car. Or so I thought. To hear the routine back-up beeper of snow removal equipment is commonplace here, snowplows, pickup…