That time I was a mystery shopper
That time I was a mystery shopper
In a tech-dominant world, should companies still hire mystery shoppers?
I walked into the department store with my story memorized — I was three months pregnant and shopping for maternity clothing for work. With the loose shirt I was wearing, this seemed easy enough to pull off. Some women, including my own family members, didn’t appear to be pregnant until their last few months. And I’ve always had wide hips. I just hoped no one touched my stomach or asked me a question that was too intrusive. After all, I was in this store to get into their business, not the other way around.
That was my assignment. I was supposed to play the role of an expectant mother and see how employees in the maternity section of the store treated me. Was I greeted promptly? Did representatives suggest potential outfits for me? Did anyone offer to assist me when I went into the fitting room? Did the maternity belly in the fitting room look like it had been sanitized?
Recommended Read: “The hidden value of mystery shoppers ~ Why secret shopper Intel still surpasses customer survey data”
For someone who’d never even humored the idea of being a mother, this was totally out of my element. But it was fun. And I was a mystery shopper for a little more than two years. However, in the age of online shopping, are mystery shoppers even necessary these days? In my opinion, any company with a brick-and-mortar should continue to hire mystery shoppers.