Mystery Shoppers Give Retail Managers "Dose Of Reality"
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Among the hordes of shoppers looking
for bargains and returning unwanted gifts may be a few
spies too.
They are secretly sent to stores, pizza shops, hair salons
and hotels to report back to owners and managers about how
they were treated by employees.
Businesses nationwide spent nearly $600 million on mystery
shoppers in 2004, up 11 percent from the year before,
according to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association,
based in Dallas.
All together, mystery shoppers made more than 8 million
visits to businesses last year, the trade group said. The
top three industries that use the service are retail,
banks and fast-food chains.
CiCi's Pizza, a restaurant chain based in Coppell, Texas,
spends about $600,000 each year to measure customer
service, including using mystery shoppers, said Steve
Hawter, the company's training director.
"Mystery shopping tells us the customer's impression of
the store by taking the ego out of it," he said. "We think
we're great, but mystery shopping gives us a dose of
reality by providing another set of eyes to view our
stores."
Secret shoppers visit the Charles Penzone Family of Salons
at least 200 times a year, said Charles Penzone, president
and founder of the company.
"With competition the way it is, you've got to know what's
going on in your business, so you'll know how to improve
your current operation," he said.
Mystery shoppers "can tell you how your staff is acting
when management isn't around," Penzone added.
The Mystery Shopping Providers Association has 150 member
companies, and seven are in Ohio, including Anonymous
Insights Inc. of Dublin and Corporate Research
International of Findlay.
Anonymous Insights saw a 20 percent jump in business over
last year, said co-owner Suzy Baker.
"Customers want to be valued and business owners want to
know if that's what's happening in their companies," Baker
said. "And they want to know it from the customer's
perspective."
Companies using the service are charged by
mystery-shopping companies based on the size of the
business, how many locations are visited and the time it
takes.
Fees that secret shoppers earn are based on the business
and the experience level of the shopper. Pay typically
ranges from $12 to $20 for each assignment and shoppers
sometimes get free meals or discounts on products, said
Brad Holdgreve, a vice president at Corporate Research
International, which has 250 business clients.
Reprinted from
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/13494675.htm
Yours
in success,
Jennifer Callahan
admin@mysteryshopnow.com
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