Comments on: Something fishy about the Mystery Shopper program?

By: SSA

SSA — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:21:08 +0000

MYSTERY SHOP IS A WASTE OF TIME

By: Midwest SSA

Midwest SSA — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 13:51:07 +0000

The problem with the USPS approach to the Mystery Shopper program is the uninformed tweaking by the POOMs in an attempt to increase revenue. What started as an awareness program to ensure clerks were giving a relatively consistent sales experience to our customers has mutated into an awful experience. We are now in the league of a drive thru restaurant, where a mindless clerk is forced to ask you if you want the 28 piece family chicken special EVERY TIME YOU DRIVE THROUGH. It doesn’t matter if you just wanted an ice cream cone, they still are told they HAVE TO ASK YOU. Likewise, at the USPS, we are told now that we are mandated to start by offering a $14.4o option for EVERY PACKAGE. Even though we know our customers, we are told we must ask the four questions of every package, and must insist on pretending that parcel post doesn’t exist. “Don’t even offer parcel post” was our directive. C’mon, our customers aren’t that stupid. They know there are cheaper alternatives, and I for one feel like an idiot when a little old lady says she wants to send something the cheapest way possible and I have to start with something that is $14.40 a pop. We look like morons. And another thing. Who shops the mystery shoppers? If I were at Maritz or whoever has the contract, I would make sure there were some bad scores now and then , so I could go back to the USPS and say “See, if we weren’t there, this would be a bad customer experience.” Even if those “bad scores” were lies by the mystery shoppers to keep job security.

By: Sha-Day

Sha-Day — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 01:20:52 +0000

Hi,

I do mystery shopping all of the time. You just gotta know what companies to sign up with. So sorry you had a bad experience. There are lots of great companies out there.

By: L Unterreiner

L Unterreiner — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 03:31:33 +0000

I KNOW that revenues have improved! How much is anyone’s guess. People DO respond to suggestion. I’ve done it, seen it, believe in it. If you know your customers (read them) you can get more sales – but you do have to have time and be in the right frame of mind. Insurance is the easiest, along with DC.

The last Mystery Shop I had the shopper didn’t hear me. I did what I was suppose to do – my managers KNOW this – but we didn’t get credit for it. Appeals are fruitless. THAT is what is frustrating!!