MSPA Hosts Shopper Certification Workshop
The Chicago Herald News
July 13, 2004
By Bob Okon

The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) is the trade association for companies that send mystery shoppers into stores, restaurants and even doctors' offices for a variety of reasons that include checking on the quality of service.

The association is based in Dallas, but it will have a Gold Certification Workshop June 26 at the DoubleTree Club Hotel Chicago, 1450 E. Touhy Ave. in Chicago.

The certification workshop is an opportunity for mystery shoppers to upgrade their skills, said Jeff Hall, president of the association and also president of Second To None Inc., a mystery shopping service in Ann Arbor, Mich.

There are more than 400 mystery shopping companies in the United States, and the business has been around for 40 years. "It really took off in the 1970s," Hall said.

Large retailers and restaurant chains will use mystery shoppers to check on quality of service at individual locations, Hall said. The business has evolved to the point that some mystery shoppers have been sent to health care providers for physical exams.

For more information about the Mystery Shopping Providers Association or to register for the upcoming workshop, visit the association's Web site at www.mysteryshop.org.