Mystery shoppers rate service California businesses rely on results
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
July 14, 2005
By Mabel Zhang

Most people go shopping because they want to buy something. But for "mystery shoppers,' who work as undercover agents, shopping is their job.

They anonymously visit stores, banks or restaurants, shopping like other customers. But the purchases they make are reimbursed, and sometimes, there are even free hotel rooms and casino tours.

After enjoying the free stuff, mystery shoppers must fill out a detailed online survey, evaluating the services they receive as they report back to their employers. The pay varies widely - from $10 for a simple store visit to hundred of dollars for a more complex dealing with banks or hotels.

"It is very helpful for businesses to evaluate their customer service,' said Richard Giss, a Los Angeles-based business consultant for accounting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP. "Companies use this service because they can get information that they can't get from other ways.'

Friendliness, site presentation, sales skills, and event cleanliness are among the employee traits companies expect mystery shoppers to examine. Used widely by retail stores, financial institutions, auto dealers and real estate agents as a market research tool, mystery shopping also helps clients evaluate back office departments such as accounting.

"Clients like it very much," said Jeff Hall, president of Mystery Shopping Providers Association's North American chapter. "They are able to receive detailed insight and unbiased reports to understand their employees' strengths and weaknesses."

There are at least 1 million mystery shoppers in the United States and 250,000 in other countries, according to MSPA, a Dallas-based organization of 180 mystery shopping companies worldwide. Most mystery shoppers are hired by mystery shopping companies on a part-time basis.

On Friday, the MSPA will host its second annual educational conference for mystery shoppers at the Crowne Plaza Anaheim Resort in Anaheim. The one-day workshop will offer training to potential shoppers from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Another conference for owners of mystery shopping companies has been scheduled for September in Long Beach.

Companies design their shopping assignments according to clients' requirements and send shoppers to stores in their frequently-visited areas. Mystery shopping firms also aggregate the survey data and produce summary reports for clients.

The Internet has become an indispensable recruiting tool for mystery shopping companies. Shoppers are also trained and given shopping assignments online.

"It's a fun, easy job,' said Elaine Locksley, owner of Locksley Group Ltd., a Pacific Palisades-based mystery shopping company. "People can make money when they take care of their kids, and the schedule is very flexible.'

Locksley's firm has recruited hundreds of mystery shoppers across the nation, many from east Los Angeles County, to assist in projects for Macy's and Merle Norman Cosmetics stores in the area.

"Currently, the United States is the biggest market for mystery shopping," said Hall, who runs Second To None, a mystery shopping company in Michigan. "And Southern California is a very busy state for mystery shopping, because of its growing population and retailing businesses."