An evaluation can mean whether the person shopped will keep their job.

If I was evaluated and found out that the person evaluating me did so for fun as a hobby and for very little pay, I would be ticked off. I would let my employer know that I was ticked off, and I would hope that they would be too.

In fact, I used to be a commissioned salesman. I sold consumer electronics. I was shopped out once. I did not receive a good evaluation. It wasn't terrible, but the shopper stated that the words that I used were too big. Seriously. In my entire life, up to that point, I had never been told that the words that I used were too big.

I was able to peg who the shopper was. She appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties. She was dressed like she was going to a formal wedding, which was unusual. She appeared very nervous, and I had a tough time getting her to answer any questions.

Due to the less than perfect evaluation, I had to go for a "retraining" session that cost me being on the floor for a day. I was paid, but not what I would have made if I had been selling.

When the person in charge of the retraining took a closer look at my evaluation, he apologized for me having to have been there. He agreed with me that the shop report was...uh...um...baloney. But, it still cost me a day on the sales floor. If I had known then what I do now...well, I am glad that I didn't.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2019 06:46PM by jameschicago.

That shouldn't have happened to you.

I substitute teach. And I mystery shop. Both jobs allow me to pick where and when I want to work. I can take a 2 week holiday during the school year. I can take half day jobs or refuse them. I can go to a few select classrooms and see the classes I love or I can go anywhere a sub is needed.
Regardless, while I am there, I am a professional teacher.
When I mystery shop I am professional about it, whether it is one shop or 20 in a week.
I do both jobs because I am not ready to retire. I enjoy the work. And I do need the income. I need the work to get me moving. Projects at home don't motivate me.

If I were to use the word hobby, it would not mean I would behave like that young woman did.

When I started nearly 13 years ago , the MSPA guidelines stated that mystery shopping was intended as a helpful training tool, so managers could guide staff on things they needed to do or needed to do better. It was also a way of letting them know what they were doing right.

If companies intended to take punitive action as a result of customer service evaluations, they were supposed to use individuals who were licensed to take on risks related to getting people fired, like private investigators. The fired employee may sue, the evaluator may have to testify in court--or may be a party being sued as well.

I dont know exactly when things shifted--maybe 7 or 8 years ago--but companies have been hiring mystery shoppers for all kinds of questionable evaluations, from trying to get gentlemen's club workers to work at prostitution in the club, to trying to see if they can convince cash-handling employees to help with financial crimes. And dont forget the shoplifting scenario, using a shopping cart at grocery stores. All of these shops can end with the shopper being threatened with police intervention, if not actually arrested (especially if they are a member of a group often presumed to being engaged in wrongdoing).

And more and more shops include the possibility of demotion or termination, or forfeited bonus if someone forgets to smile or ask enough questions, forgets to thank a customer or shake their hand...

And of course, the pay doesnt match the risk the shopper takes!

Nowadays with Franchises and chains throughout the world, the owners need someone's eyes and ears to tell them who needs re-training promotions and to know what's going on. MS'ing is a way to keep tabs on business and employees. There are poor evaluator's and there are good ones...you were unlucky enough to get a bad one,, this doesn't mean the entire industry doesn't work. I just today did one of three groceries, and they used to put expired items in the bakery. I wrote that in last month's report, and they changed, no more expired items.
I agree that pay should be more, and hiring a bit stricter, but it is a service needed. This really wouldn't be considered a hobby, this is work , and I take it seriously even doing it part-time. Responsible shoppers last,
while hobbist's don't.

Hi prince...I do the same as you. I am a retired teacher and substitute on occasion when they request me for my subject area. The pay is much better, but my former school is a stones throw from about 5 NJ malls so I plan shops for lunchtime and on my way home. I don't do this as a hobby and take it seriously. I love the flexibility and the variety. I am NOT a diligent housekeeper. I admit that I'd rather be out working,driving or gardening than dusting and vacuuming. Plus my husband drives me crazy as he's home all the time.

Ms Judi - I think my working helps our narriage too.

I challenge the word "hobby" in the subject line. I would like to know how the OP knows that the shopper did the evaluation for fun? Also, why does their age matter?

You also mentioned low pay. Are you implying that due to your definition of low pay the person must not have taken the evaluation seriously.

IMHO, the problem is with the company you worked for. They allowed subjective comments to drive how they utilized the report.

I have been in commissioned sales for 16 years straight. I can accidentally find myself at times talking over a customers head, or saying more than necessary. The less they know, the more they need my guidance. Then those that know too much need my guidance even more. I adjust my verbiage and actions to match the customer, help them feel comfortable with and relate to me. I listen to my calls on a regular basis and review select ones with my manager. This helps me continually improve.

The one bad complaint I received recently was from a customer after a phone conversation. My manager reviewed the call before informing me about the complaint. He said that I did nothing wrong, the customer was making a false complaint, so I just needed to not communicate with them again.

With my previous employer they would occasionally share mystery shopper reports with us. No accusations, no penalties, just informational. I was never defensive but many times would share my concerns as to how the shopper was not providing correct information.

@Susan L. wrote:

When I started nearly 13 years ago , the MSPA guidelines stated that mystery shopping was intended as a helpful training tool, so managers could guide staff on things they needed to do or needed to do better. It was also a way of letting them know what they were doing right.

If companies intended to take punitive action as a result of customer service evaluations, they were supposed to use individuals who were licensed to take on risks related to getting people fired, like private investigators. The fired employee may sue, the evaluator may have to testify in court--or may be a party being sued as well.

I dont know exactly when things shifted--maybe 7 or 8 years ago--but companies have been hiring mystery shoppers for all kinds of questionable evaluations, from trying to get gentlemen's club workers to work at prostitution in the club, to trying to see if they can convince cash-handling employees to help with financial crimes. And dont forget the shoplifting scenario, using a shopping cart at grocery stores. All of these shops can end with the shopper being threatened with police intervention, if not actually arrested (especially if they are a member of a group often presumed to being engaged in wrongdoing).

And more and more shops include the possibility of demotion or termination, or forfeited bonus if someone forgets to smile or ask enough questions, forgets to thank a customer or shake their hand...

And of course, the pay doesnt match the risk the shopper takes!

"Shopping" to find out if an employee will agree to prostitution sounds like a matter for law enforcement. I would not like to conduct such a "shop" and find myself dealing with a bunch of bouncers or other people upset with my "shop".

By the way, the time when I was shopped occurred, in 1990, at a Highland Superstore. They went out of business a few years later.

Thanks Susan L. for your comments.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/01/2019 06:54PM by jameschicago.

@isaiah58 wrote:

I challenge the word "hobby" in the subject line. I would like to know how the OP knows that the shopper did the evaluation for fun? Also, why does their age matter?

You also mentioned low pay. Are you implying that due to your definition of low pay the person must not have taken the evaluation seriously.

IMHO, the problem is with the company you worked for. They allowed subjective comments to drive how they utilized the report.

I have been in commissioned sales for 16 years straight. I can accidentally find myself at times talking over a customers head, or saying more than necessary. The less they know, the more they need my guidance. Then those that know too much need my guidance even more. I adjust my verbiage and actions to match the customer, help them feel comfortable with and relate to me. I listen to my calls on a regular basis and review select ones with my manager. This helps me continually improve.

The one bad complaint I received recently was from a customer after a phone conversation. My manager reviewed the call before informing me about the complaint. He said that I did nothing wrong, the customer was making a false complaint, so I just needed to not communicate with them again.

With my previous employer they would occasionally share mystery shopper reports with us. No accusations, no penalties, just informational. I was never defensive but many times would share my concerns as to how the shopper was not providing correct information.

I am basing the statement about "hobby" on what a lot of other people have posted. They have posted that they do it for fun. In fact, some have insisted that it is better to have people do it for little or no money. One woman claimed that she liked to listen to audio books in the car while driving around.

Anyway, this is a quote from another thread:

"And I think 95% of the MSCs would probably be delighted to have all mystery shoppers who do it as a hobby and don't need the money rather than "professional mystery shoppers."


As far as age, read my post carefully. I wrote about a time that I was shopped out, and the shopper appeared to be very young. I would have stated if the person was older.

You are right in that I do not know what the person who shopped me was paid or their motive for shopping, I was using my personal experience to illustrate why I think that it devalues mystery shopping when people do it as a hobby and little or no pay.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2019 06:11PM by jameschicago.

You have judged a world of strangers! No shopper is obliged to work as you think they ought to do. Their large picture finances are not your business, and they are free to do what suits them.

Hobbyist versus Professional is not a thing. The two terms refer to financial situations.

You are trying to get at or to professionalism, are you not?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2019 08:37PM by Shop-et-al.

Having met dozens of MSC owners, managers, schedulers and editors at 10+ MS conferences, the ONE thing they want, and why the ante up $$$$ to support the conferences is more PROFESSIONAL shoppers.
Sorry to burst your bubble.

You have not burst a bubble. So, no worries. I never argued that anyone wanted or need more hobbyists in this industry. I merely suggested that the implication that hobbyists lacked professionalism was silly. After all, some of the hobbyists who post here have actual professions in which they demonstrate professionalism. What these hobbyists who demonstrate professionalism do not have is the same amount of available time for mystery shopping that professional shoppers have. In addition, they might not have the same motivation or need to work as professional shoppers that professional shoppers have.

It seemed like a good idea to remember that shoppers worldwide might have the highest standards of professionalism even if they do not earn much money from this or work many hours at it. For many shoppers the terms hobbyist and professional are irrelevant anyway, since these are US IRS terms. Shoppers elsewhere have other designations for their situations.

@Shop-et-al wrote:

It seemed like a good idea to remember that shoppers worldwide might have the highest standards of professionalism even if they do not earn much money from this or work many hours at it. For many shoppers the terms hobbyist and professional are irrelevant anyway, since these are US IRS terms. Shoppers elsewhere have other designations for their situations.

This is so true. I have no idea what other people consider a hobby but for me something being a hobby is something they usually love and delve into despite the fact they may not be able to make a living at it and often there is no interest in making any money at all. These type of people often know more than those who get paid to do what they do. I gather what the IRS considers a hobby is someone who works and does not make a $$ profit more often than once in 5 years. So that means most startups are hobbies. I guess Uber is a hobby since it has negative earnings every year. But that is a company, not a person. The person running the company must pay themselves some money. So this definition of hobby really does not describe what most people i know consider a hobby. It would be like someone who collects stamps but just for fun and does not sell them. Perhaps they trade. Or someone else may have a hobby of a sport they do that actually costs them lots of $$ to be involved with. Or they build small furniture for their grandkids. Whatever but that is what I consider a hobby. I do not in any way, shape or form consider mystery shopping a hobby and in another post called for people who do this as a hobby without any financial consideration at all to let me know. No one answered that call. Many said they enjoy the field for various reasons but so far I have not found anyone who does mystery shopping for fun with no profit, be it reimbursement or training for future employ or enjoyment of a venue they do not want to pay to get into. Their pay is the money they save.

And then.. there are people who just think life is fun. Their work is fun for them but not necessarily frivolous. Perhaps they balance their work.with other activities. Are these people to be shunned because they have an inherent upbeat attitude? This bias, too, was implied. Do these assumptions foster objectivity?

I fear that we are attempting to label part time shoppers as Hobbyists. Whether part or full time, someone is either professional or not.

I fish for a hobby. Professional anglers fish for their living, as a job. Both are important to commerce. I read some books to improve my sales skills, some to learn, and others as a hobby for entertainment.

I professionally mystery shop, part time, to supplement my income. I would take it as an insult to call my mystery shopping role as a hobby.

I would not hire a hobbyist to repair my plumbing. I would not call a retired plumber, that offers his services part time at a discount to neighbors, a hobbyist.

Shop-et-al,
My comment about bursting a bubble was NOT about you, at all. It was for the idea that MSC companies would prefer less/fewer professional shoppers. They value professional conduct and standards very highly, regardless of the number of shops that anyone does.