Serious Stuff

If you stick with mystery shopping long enough, one day it will happen. It's disconcerting at best, downright dangerous at worst, and leaves you with a seriously uncomfortable feeling. It could be two employees roughhousing next to the fryer. Perhaps you see a supervisor shove an employee or use foul or demeaning language. Maybe you catch sight of a cashier's hand going from till to pocket. Or worse.

Most undercover assignments come with very clear instructions about not identifying yourself—ever. But what about when the serious stuff happens right there in front of you? How will you handle yourself and the situation?

First, let's think through some scenarios. If there is a serious danger to life or limb and you feel action must be taken, take it. You don't need to identify yourself as a mystery shopper to alert the manager to an unsafe condition or action. It's a good idea to keep the phone number of the assigning mystery shopping company somewhere close by. If it's during business hours, you can excuse yourself to your car, call the company and explain what happened. They will advise you on whether you should proceed with your shop. If the company cannot be reached by phone, continue on with your shop, detailing the condition or action very precisely in your report.

If you see abuse, physical or verbal, a phone call to your assigning agency (outside of earshot of the store, please) is a good idea. Again, they may wish to cancel your shop immediately, or they might have you continue. As long as the situation doesn't degrade to fisticuffs or handguns, it's a disciplinary issue but not dangerous.

In the case of till-to-pocket, the situation might not be what you think you saw. As a trained observer, you will need to describe the incident as clearly as possible in your written report. Did you actually see the money go into the employee's pocket, or was she reaching for a tissue? Exact times here are crucial as many stores will have security video they can check. Your very best, honest reporting of the occurrence without personal commentary, is essential.

It is very hard to avoid personal commentary in these situations. It seems natural to attribute blame to one party, but that is not your call.

My New Year's Resolution: No Thanks!

Happy New Year, shoppers! I hope 2009 brings you financial and educational opportunities beyond your dreams!

My business-related New Year's Resolution is to stop saying, "Thank you." Well, not all the time.

One of the hardest habits I've had to break as a mystery shopper is the tendency to say, "Thank you" every time something is handed to me. My mama drilled it into me good that polite people say thank you.

But as a mystery shopper, I need to give the salesperson time to thank me without stepping on their cues. If I say thank you when my purchase is handed to me, the salesperson might check off "thanking" on their mental checklist and perhaps not give the "thank you for your business" closure they are instructed to give.

But breaking this habit has been a difficult one for me. My way of dealing with it (and many of the other challenges of shopping) has been to slow down the entire transaction. At a drive-thru window, for example, I'll arrive at the window with my car window rolled up. The few seconds required to roll my window down are all I need to catch a nametag or proper description most times. As long as that event is not timed, there is no harm. Same thing in a department store. I'll get into my purse and fiddle for my keys instead of grabbing the bag as it is handed to me. This gives the sales person time to say "thank you" or whatever closing they intend to use before I'm on my way.

And, to quiet the mother in my head, I offer a sincere "You're welcome" when thanked.

Recording Information: The Tip Sheet part two

Whoa! I didn't get that whole thing about folding the tip sheet in fourths. Do you have a picture of that?

Sure, I have a couple! First, I made a tip sheet listing the departments and what data I need to gather for the report. I listed it down the left-hand side of a sheet of paper turned landscape.








Now I fold it this way:
And that:













And write my list on the blank top when it's all shut:
Now as I walk through the aisles, all a passerby can see is my handwritten list. But if I flip the top open, I have access to all my notes.

Recording Information: The Tip Sheet

Tip sheets are very valuable tools in the mystery shopping arsenal. When you receive an assignment, your report form could run from two to twenty pages or more. Since you are not permitted to bring the forms with you into the store, how will you remember all the data you need to collect? And once you know what you need to know, how will you remember it all?

I like using my home computer to cut and paste single words or phrases from a downloaded reporting form into a second document. I try to get it down to one single-sided page with just enough room to write some sketchy notes. By making it one-sided, I can fold the sheet in fourths and always have it blank on the outside. This leaves room for a for-show list on the front. If someone spots the paper in my hand, all they will see is the list of things appropriate for that store. Paper clips, Bic pens, Post-It notes; or brown sweater, white pumps, half slip. Hidden inside are the clues that keep me on track.

I try to write my tip sheet in the order the observations will be made. Time in, parking lot observations, enter store, cash wrap observations, greeted by employees on the sales floor, clothing displays, price check, name of employee at dressing room. I can jot down information while I'm in the dressing room and refold my paper so the next set of items is easy to see. Many times the reporting form doesn't use the same order and I'd rather my tip sheet be easy to use on the spot. I can reformat my answers later as long as I have the data I need.

I'll often use "native paper" for my tip sheet. If I have a grocery shop, I'll make some coded notes in the margins of the sale paper. If I need to get the name of the employee at the meat department, I'll write "Angus" in the meat section. Then when I see his name, I'll put that on my paper next to Angus, with a coded physical description 6 pounds 2 ounces for chili, 24 ounces for burgers (6'2" tall, age between 20 and 25.) White chili would mean blonde or gray hair, BBQ burgers is red hair (BBQ sauce is red), burgers with gravy is brown hair, that sort of hint. If the store is very crowded, I'll make an anagram of a person's name rather than writing the whole name. Beans, Rice, Ice cream, Angel food cake, Nestles morsels. B-R-I-A-N.

Writing and using a tip sheet will assist your memory, especially on complicated shops. I love thinking up ways to use tip sheets to stay anonymous and still gather all the information I need. For me, it's an artistic pursuit.

Recording information: Discretion

These days, there are recording devices everywhere, especially in retail outlets. See those clear black plastic "balls" hanging from the ceiling at the department store, discount store, drug store, grocery store, and just about everywhere else? They contain cameras and your actions are being recorded. Don't get paranoid, those cameras are there for the protection of the store and their customers.

So, you've done part of your shop and you need to write down some information before you get your next set of data to report. Most shopping assignments will specify that you may not leave the store and return to complete a shop. So, how will you get your notes on paper without being discovered?

Tip Sheet Next week's post will deal specifically with the tip sheet. In short, it is a piece of paper you've prepared with brief notes on the information you need to collect. You can jot information on your tip sheet discreetly if you are careful, but with all those cameras, you still could be discovered.

Cell Phone Of course, during a shop your cell phone will be set to "silent" so you don't get a call during an important interaction. But you can still use your phone to send yourself a text message or email about the data you've collected so far. You can leave coded messages on your home voicemail as well. You can also use your cell phone as a prop to pretend to phone home for the shopping list you "forgot" or directions on how to get to your next stop all the while writing down the info you need to remember.

This is a trick I have fun with. I'll say, "Hey, did B-Bruce call? Well, tell him we need 62 cases of model 35, the dark brown short ones." The B-b stammer tells me the first name starts with B. If I'm nowhere near the person I'm describing, just I'll use their name. If not, I'll stammer and that "b" clue is enough to remind me of their name. 62 cases is 6'2" tall and model 35 means he's about 35 years old. Dark, short, brown all refer to his hair. Please do not use this trick during an interaction or during a timed event.

Bathroom Stall Inside the stall with the door shut you have a legal expectation of privacy. This is a safe place to get out your paper and pen and make notes. Once you leave the stall, you no longer have an expectation of privacy and your actions can once again be recorded.

Because I take my children with me on some shops, we have a rule: No talking about shopping except inside our own house. You don't know who is standing next to you at the ATM, who is browsing the next row over at the library or who might overhear you talking about a mystery shop. Just like being a superhero, it's just safer to never, ever admit your secret identity in public. Ever.

The Guesswork of Reporting

A mystery shopper is asked to give "just the facts" when reporting shops. There are certain parts of the form, however, that require some good old-fashioned guesswork combined with intense observation and a bit of education.

Name Let's say your report requires the name of the salesperson helping you. That's an easy one if the person is wearing a nametag. But what are other ways you can determine their name other than a nametag. Did the salesperson introduce himself to you? Did another employee call to her and she turned to answer? If not, what then?

In some instances you can ask for a business card. In an electronics store, for example, or a high-end clothing store where the salespersons work on commission, asking for a business card won't give you away if you ask near the end of the shop couched in an excuse. "I'm starving. I'm going to go grab some lunch and come back to make my final decision. Can I ask for you when I come back?"

If you know the person's starting initial (from a ring, necklace or earrings) and have a pretty good description, you can leave the store and phone them. "Hi, I was there about 20 minutes ago and there was a girl in the TV section who was just a great help. I think her name started with an "S". She has short blonde hair. Can you tell me her name? I wanted to drop a line to the manager about what great service she gave me." Of course, you won't drop a line to anyone, but if you are calling to praise you're more likely to get the name than if you call with a complaint.

Height I find "estimate the height" a fun game. I know how tall I am in each of my pairs of shoes and as I enter a store or browse a certain department, I'll notice where things "hit" me. So, for example, in a clothes store, the rack hits me two inches below my shoulder. My salesperson looks about an inch taller than me, and the same rack hits three inches below her shoulder, so that is a good confirmation. At a fast food outlet, the counter hits right at my hip bone. It hits the employee right at their waist. In a restaurant, calculating height from a sitting position might be harder and I rely more on my landmarks. Where did the table hit me when I stood next to it? The top of the chair? The bottom of the frame of the painting on the wall?

Age This one can be really tough. For the most part you're going to have to rely on educated guesses. When I was studying for this area, I found training manuals for private investigators to be helpful. Here are some of the extremely general guidelines they provided: Teens generally have shinier skin than twenties, not just on their faces, but on their arms and legs as well. Their conversation tends toward school, friends and hobbies like music. Early-twenties are more likely to have more vibrantly-colored hair (magenta, blue, green, etc.) than other age groups. Friends will still dominate their conversation, but hobbies and interests will be more dominant. Mid-twenties are more likely to have tattoos and multiple piercings, men in this age group are more likely to have goatees or a "soul patch." Work and home, perhaps a pet, is the focus of the conversation at this age.

Upper-twenties to mid-thirties is the newlywed/pregnant/new dad era. In their upper thirties, men begin to soften around the middle and women usually gain one neck crease. (I avoid using facial lines as determiners as sun exposure, dry skin, allergies, smoking and makeup can alter these lines dramatically.) In their early forties, men will usually start to go gray and women might begin coloring their hair (colored hair has a more uniform color where natural hair has individual strands of color.) Women will also start showing thinning of the skin on their hands at this age, allowing the blue veins just under the surface to "pop" a little.

In their upper forties, men are more uniformly gray and the back of women's hands are more wrinkled. Often by their late forties women have gained a second or even third crease in their necks (although carrying extra weight can hide these creases). By the time most men hit their fifties, a definite "spare tire" graces their middle. The skin on the back of women's hands become thinner and more transparent. By their late fifties, women will often have liver spots on their hands that look like large freckles. At about this age, men and women both can develop horizontal lines on their teeth, although this can happen much earlier in smokers.

Again, there are so many variables that guessing age is very tricky. Fortunately, most of the reports I have completed ask for an age range, usually by decade, which is easier for me to estimate than an exact year.

In closing, please do NOT estimate measurements which need to be specific. Elapsed time, the time your shop begins and ends, the temperature or weight of an item, these measurements need to be exact. If you aren't sure, check the information provided with the assignment.