There are some signs to watch for when there is a secret shopper in your business.
Secret shoppers or "mystery shoppers" as they are also called, are often hired by marketing research companies to evaluate a company's performance. Corporate executives also at times hire anonymous shoppers to report back to them about how one of their lower-level managers is operating the storefront. If you suspect that there is a secret shopper at work inside your business establishment, there are some tell-tale signs.
Instructions
1. Look for anyone who might be taking notes inside the business. Secret shoppers will need to take notes concerning the layout of the store, the attitude of the employees, the pricing of the inventory, the general ambiance of the business---anything that could be directly relevant to a marketing research company. Anyone with a paper and pen or who appears to be talking into a tape recorder is an easy giveaway.
2. Identify anyone who is taking pictures. These pictures will often be used to accompany any notes the mystery shopper writes about the business. If you are worried about this information getting into the hands of a marketing research company, you might enforce a no photograph policy inside your business.
3. Review company security cameras. Secret shoppers are expected to be discreet, so it is doubtful they will be out in the open with their pictures or note taking. Being able to observe them working from afar, like in a back room watching security tapes, you may be able to better determine whether someone is a secret shopper.
4. Notice if they are staying inside the location for an extended amount of time without making a purchase. For instance, if someone is staring too long at company name tags and not the products for sale, they be secret shopping. Some secret shopping companies require employees to be physically inside the store for at least half an hour, so if someone is lingering suspiciously he could be a secret shopper.
