What to do if you are spotted as a mystery shopper??
We hope that you will never get into such an awkward and unpleasant situation as being identified as a mystery shopper, but still it is useful to know how to act in such unforeseen circumstances!
While working as a mystery shopper, you should try to remain undetected by the employees of the establishment as much as possible. Many employees believe that problem customers are often mystery shoppers, but, in fact, a good mystery shopper is a person who remains undetected and does not stand out among other customers. The main task of a mystery shopper is to fit into the normal regime of an establishment and go unnoticed by employees.
However, sometimes it happens, that even despite your diligence and correct behavior, you may be spotted by staff. You may have been detected for a variety of reasons such as: having asked the wrong question to an employee, or being unable to adhere to the requirements of the visit without being detected.
It is necessary to make every effort in preparation for the secret visit, but, at the same time, you should be prepared for unforeseen situations too.
?Here are some things you need to know if you are detected:
?Firstly, if you are asked whether you are a mystery shopper, the best answer to this question is “What is a mystery shopper?” Many people are unaware of the mystery shopping industry, so pretending that you have never heard of the concept of mystery shopping is the best idea. You can even practice looking confused at home in order to look more convincing when answering the question.
?The next decision you need to take is whether to continue the mystery shopping visit or not. The answer to this question depends on the circumstances. If you have just started the visit, then it’s better to leave the establishment than continue the visit. However, if you are already at the end of the visit when detected, you can finish the visit and complete the evaluation, having already obtained all the necessary information to write a quality report. Sometimes you may be asked to attend a visit which must be completed in any scenario, so it is best to continue the visit in these cases, even if you have been detected.
?If you decide to leave the establishment, contact your mystery shopper scheduler as soon as possible after leaving to find out what you need to do next. In some cases, if you have not been completely detected, you may receive a partial payment.
What do you do if you think you may have been noticed by the staff, although they did not pass a comment? You may suspect that you have been detected as a result of the adrenaline of conducting a secret visit.
If you failed to complete the visit successfully and were noticed by staff, this is not a disaster. In these cases, you should just practice and think about how you can be a more effective mystery shopper in order to conduct visits undetected.
