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…
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…
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…
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…
Every so often on Mystery Shop Forum someone will post that an editor gave them an eight or nine and cited a grammar error. Some then continue on with, when they asked for a clarification, they never got a reply. Is it worth contesting the one or two points? The English language is in an…
I hope everyone was safe through the “Blizzard of Historic Proportions” that struck New England on January 26-27, 2015. This storm illustrates some of the hazards of current weather forecasting technology and why I’m sure there are schedulers who have to take these events with huge grains of salt. Let me start with my credentials….
When I first entered this strange new world of mystery shopping, there was a lot to learn and Mystery Shop Forum proved to be invaluable. A lot of what we do sounds easy, but really isn’t without a lot of prior preparation. I quickly learned that I can’t do dining shops that require I take…
Phone shops seem to be a love them or hate them shop among mystery shoppers. This discussion is dealing with shops that are exclusively a phone call, not a call with a follow-up visit. The chief complaint is they don’t pay much, and that’s true. It’s rare to see a phone shop paying more than…
“My Favorite Thing About Mystery Shop Forum” -> (Fixed Link) Mea Culpa Time I made a couple of errors in last week’s article on the Video Shopping Companies, and I wish to correct them now. I had posted a PM on the VSN board and, not having received a reply, I assumed my inquiry was…
As shoppers, we all have our favorite shops and we sometimes get frustrated by the rules that are imposed, either a rotation time, an age restriction, or something that seems totally out of the blue to us, but is something the client deems necessary. Also, as experienced shoppers, we tend to tell newbies who wonder…
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…
This is a rhetorical question of sorts. The genesis of it occurred shortly before the polls were closing on Election Day. I had decided to break my routine of going to the coffee shop and getting online to search for shopping assignments and photography jobs. I instead volunteered as a poll watcher for the party…
With the recent blast of Arctic cold covering most of the United States east of the Rockies, it’s a good idea to look at precautions to take to protect your camera, and other electronics, during periods of extreme cold. Last year, I wrote an article for Mystery Shopper Magazine about the care of your video…
With apologies to Charlton Heston… Thou shalt not be memorable. Being memorable, either in appearance or scenario, can restrict your shopping opportunities, especially if you are on a rotation at the same location. Thou shalt allow the target to lead. On mystery shops we have to give the target the opportunity to lead. We are…
I’ll start off by admitting that, as a professional photographer, I am biased towards the versatility of cameras, be they point and shoot or DSLR. At the same time, I have used my phone when a discreet picture needs to be taken. Even so, there are times when I have found the versatility of a…
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….
At what point should we turn down a mystery shop because some aspect of it is beyond our capabilities? There was a recent discussion on www.mysteryshopforum.com about a shopper who was asked to do a shop that included evaluating a golf course at a resort. The shopper stated on the forum that, “The description did…
There are several different types of gas station/convenience store audits, and they can be broken down into basically two types, revealed and unrevealed. Both require at least one purchase, although the revealed audits usually require two purchases; one of gasoline, and one of an item from the convenience store. Having an economy car, it becomes…
James Bond is dead? Well, not exactly. Life, however, is getting busy and the weekly endeavor of editing this magazine is starting to affect my shops, and my freedom to shop. I’ve told Jacob that the September 29th issue will be the last issue of the magazine that I will edit, to give him time…
This column is aimed primarily at video route shoppers, although all shoppers can take something away from this, as it could provide a different aspect for the family vacation. As you are no doubt aware, hotel advertising that refers to “high speed” internet almost always refers to download speed, leaving you to guess how much…
Early on in my shopping career, I had a route of apartment shops that consisted of eight different locations in five cities over some 300 miles of interstate highway. Sounds easy enough until the mystery shopping company said they were all for the same client and once you visit one property, you’re in the system…
So often we hear about shoppers who encounter problems with shops. Recently, I had several targeted apartment shops. I made the appointments with the target and I specified the date I would be there, verify that they would be there. When I arrived, the target was off. While that’s a problem, it pales in comparison…
Last week’s e-book on route shopping brought in a few questions, so I’ll tackle them here. DG wrote: I want to thank you for the Mystery Shopper Magazine that you send me and the book The Mystery Shopper Magazine Guide To Route Shopping For Mystery Shoppers. I have learned a lot and have used the…
Monterey Mystery Shopping recently sent an email to shoppers registered with them announcing that they are expanding their services to include video shopping. If you’re a video shopper and haven’t signed up with them, here’s the reason to do so. Based in Pacific Grove, California, Monterey Mystery Shopping bills themselves as “The premier mystery shopping…
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: 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…
This week’s issue of Mystery Shopper Magazine focuses on preparing for the International Mystery Shoppers Conference in New Orleans, LA. The conference will be July 29 & 30, with a video training session on the 31st [extra registration, limited space]. We would like to do a special issue on the conference in the August 11…
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,…
I realize that we have readers from around the world, but allow me a bit of reflection… July 4th will be the 238th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It’s a three day weekend this year, so please take the time to be extra careful in your travels. At the same time, let’s take the…
Mary Davis Nowell has decided to devote her writing talents elsewhere, including a book that she has been planning for some time. We wish her well and hope she might occasionally grace our pages again. Her last column will be in the July 7 issue of the magazine. We need someone interesting in writing a…
I have received several requests for books that I consider useful for a mystery shopper. The following is my somewhat eclectic list… The Associate Press Style Manual and Libel Handbook. This book is now printed in two volumes, AP Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, and AP Guide to Punctuation. I use the style manual…
Recently on Mystery Shop Forum there was a lively thread about “double dipping.” What do we mean by double dipping? Doing two, or possibly more, shops at the same location at the same time. While the consensus was that the mystery shopping companies involved need to be contacted, it did raise the question as to…
There are several different Bottom Of Basket (BOB) scenarios for grocery stores. The one that we are concerned with in this article is where you have a single, large item, not to exceed a given dollar amount, usually $5. If the cashier does not catch the item, then you are to walk out of the…
This edition of “Loose Ends” is taking care of some emails and MSC updates. One shopper wrote to complain about Wrapmatch. As we have said on several occasions, based on the lack of action with the company, we no longer are recommending this company as an income source for shoppers. If you have signed up…
In last week’s issue of Mystery Shopper Magazine, we reported on shoppers who had either not been paid, or have only received partial payment from Gapbuster. After we published that article, a shopper posted the following email on Mystery Shop Forum. They say it came from “Nathaneal” at GapBuster. Thank you for your email I…
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: 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…
It seems our mailbag is either feast or famine. This week’s mailbag runneth over and has a couple of questions that will require the skill of Carnac the Magnificent to get the answers, a well as a couple of questions that your editor should be able to answer with no real difficulty. We were asked…
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 /…
College admission shops that you’ll find on mystery shopping job boards are aimed at “for profit” institutions [think the schools you see advertising degrees on TV]. Usually, these shops have very specific aims regarding what is promised during the admission process. First, you admissions officer, or counselor, cannot promise that you will get a job,…
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…
While planning a recent, multi-day route, I discovered I could work out of one small North Carolina town for the duration of the trip. I was looking for a motel and checked the reviews of the chains where I can get points–Hilton, Quality, and Wyndham. The online reviews where substantially less than stellar for all…
In last week’s issue of Mystery Shopper Magazine, I related a situation that I was told by a fellow shopper. It was a rather unique set of conditions that came together and presented an opportunity for him. I did encourage shoppers to keep an eye out for “similar situations”. I received a phone call from…
In an attempt to become one stop financial service stops, banks have expanded beyond their traditional checking/saving/CD’s and have expanded into stocks/bonds/mutual funds and other investment vehicles. It’s this second group that are the focus of Bank Investment Shops. Banks are extensively regulated while stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. are subject to many fewer regulations….
In conjunction with the above announced changes coming to Mystery Shopper Magazine, we are looking for 2-3 shoppers who would commit to writing 3 articles per month on either an MSC or a Shopping Assignment. We are also looking for a shopper with a good knowledge of the current technology and how that technology can…
Jacob and I have been discussing for a while how we envision Mystery Shopper Magazine growing in the future. Also, Jacques’ business has been growing, so he has been devoting less time to shopping and has decided to retire as a contributor to the magazine. As a result of these conversations and contributor changes, there…
Occasionally on www.mysteryshopforum.com, a shopper will “vent” about some aspect of a shop, and the “venting” will usually end with some form of “I could make the form better.” A shopper recently sent me the following. He asked me to remain anonymous. “A few weeks ago, I went out to dinner at an ethnic restaurant…
I was recently in Atlanta, Georgia doing some shops and I had the opportunity to meet a fellow shopper for a late lunch [no, it wasn’t a shop]. We were talking about shops we’ve done when the discussion turned to how our experiences affect the shops we do. Or perhaps a better way to say…
UPDATE: WARNING: WRAPMATCH.COM APPEARS TO BE A SCAM. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THEIR SERVICES. I had honestly believed that I had come across a way for shoppers to make some extra money while driving between shops. The plan sounded good…better than it turned out to be. I received an e-mail from a friend this morning….
Sometimes we as shoppers get too complacent or maybe too comfortable with a given assignment, to the point that a similar assignment comes along and we don’t give it the due diligence that we should. Case in point, I’ve done over a dozen mystery shops each for both Tommy Hilfiger and Old Navy. The shops…
First, we received a follow-up to James’ review of Strategic Reflections: James, I read the magazine article you wrote about Strategic Reflections. I was the shopper who was hung up on. I wanted to make sure you (and shoppers) knew that one of the owners contacted me about this after she was informed of my…
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: 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: 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: 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…
UPDATE: WARNING: WRAPMATCH.COM APPEARS TO BE A SCAM. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THEIR SERVICES. Ok, it’s time for a couple of updates re: Adz In Motion and Wrap Match. First, I’ve had no type of follow-up information from Adz In Motion. Perhaps they are indeed out of business as one post suggested. I just find…
Overview: Why would a bank want a phone shop? Often, customers who are searching for a new bank, because they have either moved to the area, or are looking for a bank with lower fees, will use the phone to help narrow down the number of banks they will ultimately visit. These shops generally cover…
Company Overview: Located in Lookout Mountain, Customer Service Perceptions is one of a very small number of MSC’s that require applicants to mail a processing fee for their application. $2 in this case. From their website: Customer Service Perceptions charges an administrative processing fee of $2 to each shopper applicant. This fee in nonrefundable and…
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…
Company Overview: Advantage Sales and Marketing was founded in 1987 in Southern California and now has over 70 offices all across the United States. Their website is professional looking at: http://www.asmnet.com/. The company appears to be targeting mostly demonstrating and merchandising jobs in WalMarts around the nation. Personal Experience: I have had no experience working…
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….
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…
Virtually all of my shops are routes of some type. Whether it’s five shops around town, 50 banks on a two or three day trip around the state, or it might be a 10-day smorgasbord with some video shops thrown in to spice things up. Regardless of the type of shops, a cheat sheet takes…
We have a couple of more questions from the mailbag this week: Hello Jacob: I’ve been a mystery shopper for about 12 years and I am always glad to learn new things–and there are always little tidbits! I read with interest about the ASCAP program. I looked at the ASCAP site you referenced but saw…
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,…
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…
Over the past couple of weeks, both Jacques and I have begun to receive emails from readers wanting to apply for shops that are reviewed in Mystery Shopper Magazine and the letters are usually along the lines of “Please sign me up for…” We are not schedulers. We are also not mystery shopping company (MSC)…
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…
UPDATE: WARNING: WRAPMATCH.COM APPEARS TO BE A SCAM. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THEIR SERVICES. While this isn’t exactly mystery shopping, and it will make your vehicle memorable, after discussing this with Jacob we decided this is an avenue some shoppers might want to pursue to generate additional income. Adz In Motion, www.adzinmotion.com, and Wrap Match,…
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: 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: 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…
If you read the discussions on www.mysteryshopforum.com, shoppers either love or hate the phone shops that pay between two and five dollars. Until recently, there were shops I wasn’t crazy about. I was looking at them as individual shops rather than trying to create a “route” of them. Real life entered my shopper’s world and…
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: 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: 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…
Overview: Signal piracy shops is a fancy way of saying showing a program without paying for the right to show it. Generally you’re going to be shopping a bar. The bar can be any type of establishment, from a relatively classy place to a dive. Project variations: There’s pretty much no variation from assignment to…
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: 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: Not all audits are revealed. I recently completed an audit for an upscale manufacturer where I was to pose as a typical customer interested in purchasing their top of the line product. Project variations: You may not always be assigned a top of the line product. In any case, be observant for attempts to…
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: 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…
Overview: The last time I was in one of these “Adult Entertainment” emporiums was in the early 80’s shortly after graduating college. At the time, these were places where you generally went at night, parked behind the building or, if you were forced to park on the street side, you did your best to back…
It’s the New Year. Time to turn over a new leaf, get rid of the bad habits and improve yourself for 2014. OK, who am I kidding? Realistically we can all find areas to improve. I contacted some shoppers on www.mysteryshopforum.com and asked them, on the condition of anonymity, to share some of their mystery…
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: 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….
About a month ago I had a very conversation with an Anglican Priest at a coffee shop we both frequent. He had observed me signing up for jobs on my laptop and was curious what I did for a living. I told him I was a mystery shopper and I explained what it entailed. He…
You’ve done four or five video shops and have made the decision that video shopping is something you want to add to your mystery shopping repertoire. So you’ve invested the $600-$800 in a new PV-500 rig. How do you protect that investment? Electronics have three main enemies, heat, moisture, and shock [impact]. In protecting your…
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: 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…
This week I picked up 14 bank shops for a route, and a restaurant dinner shop. All the shops were supposed to be completed by Friday, 12/13/13. Here’s the catch. I won’t have them completed until December 19. And the schedulers are cool with that. I can hear some of you asking, “Has Bond finally…
Overview: These shops aren’t applying for credit cards, but rather seeing if you’re offered a credit card application with a purchase that’s within a certain dollar range. Project variations: There are two main variations, and it will depend on the type of store that is the target. In some of these shops, you will only…
Hi I have done Porsche shops in the past. I don’t do video, but regular ones. I have never heard of getting the car for six weeks. I am a car freak and would love that. Altho not an SUV (haha). I want a Panamera. But anyway, how does one apply for that gig? Thru…
A few weeks ago, I did an assignment review of hotel shops. Coyle hotels shops are really a shop unto themselves, so I felt the need for a separate column on this particular shop. Overview: These shops aren’t for your typical Holiday Inn or Marriot. Rather, hotel shops for Coyle are going to be involving…
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…
I am very new to doing this kind of thing. I work full time, but I ultimately want to be a stay at home mom for my boys. I also want to make money at home as well to help support our family. Is there any advice on where to start and what companies are…
Overview: Do you like going to open houses around town to kill time on weekends? Then consider doing new home mystery shops. Most of these do take place on weekdays rather than weekends, but they afford the shopper the opportunity to visit new home subdivisions. I like them because I live in a small house…
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…
Greetings, What are the most lucrative shops and what companies offer them? Also, is there a particular region for them ? We have been doing this for a while, but cannot seem to find the higher end opportunities. Please Advise. thank you. Dee Well Dee, a lot depends on your definition of lucrative. There are…
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,…
I’ve recently noticed on Mystery Shop Forum that some members are encouraging others to lie about their qualifications, or worse, to lie on reports. Is there ever a situation where this is the right thing to do? I had a recent shop at an assisted living facility. The shop itself went very well. The targeted…
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…
After some discussions with Jacob, and believing that variety is the spice of life, we’re going to try something new. Introducing, Ask Mystery Shopper Magazine. This will give you, the reader, a chance to ask us questions. They can run the gamut from humorous to serious, philosophical to tongue-in-cheek.Do you have a technical question about…
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…
Overview: Video retail shops are one of the newer areas of mystery shopping and it is a growth area. Retailers are beginning to see the advantage of having the full experience of interacting with one of their associates, from the customer’s point of view, completely unedited. Project variations: As this is a new area for…
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: 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: Although they can appear intimidating, bank shops are some of the easier shops available to mystery shoppers. These shops can range from inquiring about accounts, actually opening an account, asking about investment services, or asking about other services the bank may offer. Project variations: If you’re doing more than just a teller shop, have…
Company Overview: With corporate headquarters in Iowa City, IA, Marketing Systems Unlimited has been in business for over 30-years. “With the help of his wife and four sons, MSU has grown into one of the nation’s largest, and most successful, shopping services. MSU has provided services for over 500 clients and over 10,000 locations each…
Company Overview: Based in Louisville, KY, Marketing Endeavors has been in business since 2001. The company has no complaints in the past three years with the Louisville BBB. Registration is on their website, http://www.marketingendeavors.biz/, and is on the Sassie system. Although their website lists no specific clients, the style of the site leads me to…
Overview: Craving your favorite hamburger? A fast food shop could pay for your lunch and, depending on the restaurant and the mystery shopping company, you might collect a reimbursement on top of your meal. Project variations: While the basic scenario is probably the easiest in the mystery shopping world, just be yourself, these are not…
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…
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: 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…
The story you are about to read is true. The names and types of shops have been changed to protect the innocent. Two weeks ago I had a short, overnight route, scheduled. It was a trip where I would be able to combine shops and delivering an order of books I wrote to a museum….
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: 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…
You don’t have to be Imelda Marcos to like shoe shops. The former Philippine First Lady was rumored to have a closet with over 500 pairs of shoes…that could have been a shop all on its own. Overview: Everyone needs shoes. Why not get paid to shop around for something you need? These shops all…
Have you ever had a shop go horribly wrong? I mean so wrong as to make you want to seriously think about giving up mystery shopping? My “Car shop from hell” in Issue 17 of Mystery Shopper Magazine might have been close, had I not been as experienced as I was at the time. My…
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…
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: 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…
Overview: Competitor shops are, as the name implies, where Company A wants information on the customer service, or other customer aspects of its competition. Rather than send their own employees to shop the competition, they hire a mystery shopping company to get the job done. Competitor shops can include, but are not limited to, restaurants,…
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….
Overview: As the name implies, exit interviews take place after the customer has left the targeted location. In general these aren’t interviews per se, but rather surveys that generally average five to seven minutes, although they can be as short as three or as long as ten. Almost all are for the targeted location in…
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: 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…
Do you want the best mystery shopping assignments? If you’re like most mystery shoppers, the answer is obvious. That’s why I wrote this article: To help my fellow mystery shoppers get the best assignments they can. This is a follow-up to my column on choosing which companies to work with. It’s really a corollary as,…
Overview: Although not a mystery shop, loss prevention audits are conducted by several mystery shopping companies. These are similar to revealed gas station audits in that you will have to take pictures, often of the good as well as the bad. The major difference is that there is no “mystery” portion of this audit. Visit…
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…
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: 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…
One of the most common questions seen on www.mysteryshopforum.com is, “Can someone tell me the best companies to sign up with?” That question is very much akin to “Which do you like better, vanilla or strawberry ice cream?” It’s a subjective question and therefore, what is best for me will not necessarily be best for…
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…
Overview: Hotel shops aren’t for everyone. Some have a basic set or requirements while others can require multiple interactions with different employees and narratives that can rival novellas. Payment can range from reimbursement only to reimbursement plus a fee. The shops that are connected with national chains do have the added advantage of allowing 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: 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…
Overview: This is another love them or hate them assignment. There are two positives in my book—being video shops, in general less reporting will be required and, being video, the pay will tend to be higher. Multiple locations are usually available which allows for routes to be built. Project Variations: These assignments will almost always…
There are many questions that come up repeatedly on www.mysteryshopforum.com that will be compiled in a series of articles here in the Mystery Shopping Magazine. We hope that this will be a convenient resource for you to find the answers you are looking for regarding the tips and techniques and tools used in this business….
Overview: Car dealership assignments are commonly available. The pay varies widely, but is often around $15. The best assignments pay well and let you test drive luxury super cars. But there are shoppers who, plain and simple, don’t like car shops. I can understand it. You need to have as thick a skin as a…