Hello researchers!  I heard something on the radio a few days ago that
sounded so interesting that I wanted to find out more! Apparently
there are companies that use "secret shoppers" to help them assess
their products, customer service, etc.  The story on the radio was
about a guy in college who ordered a pizza and was subsequently asked
by the pizza company to assess them on a weekly basis.  To do so, all
he had to do was order two pizzas a week and then fill out a form on
the speed, taste, friendliness of the delivery person, etc.  For this
he got free pizza each week for a year! What could be better than
that?

So here's my question - what other companies (pizza first, others
welcome as well) do this same type of thing? And where can I find out
more information about signing up? I'd like to participate in
something like this but need any info you can find on how to get
started.  Of course, I don't want to actually BE the delivery person,
but I'd love to be the recipient!

:-)

Susan

Hi there!

Secret shopping is one of those jobs that sound too good to be true...
Yet all kinds of companies use these services to get feedback on how
their businesses run 'when no one's looking.' The companies that use
secret shoppers tend not to make it known, because, well, because it's
a secret!  However, here's an excerpt from
http://www.idealady.com/mysteryshop.htm about what kinds of companies
use secret (or mystery) shoppers:

"Who Uses Mystery Shoppers?
You may think of restaurants or department stores when you think of
mystery shopping, but almost any business that deals with the public
has a need for mystery shoppers.

Although many times a shopper makes a purchase, other times a shopper
may simply evaluate the service or information provided to potential
buyers. For example, if you are hired to shop a car dealer you don't
get a free car, but you will be paid for your time in asking questions
about the cars and financing options, and writing a report describing
your experience.

Examples of businesses currently using mystery shoppers include:

apartment complexes
automobile dealers & auto repair shops
banks & credit unions
convenience stores
department stores
gas stations
grocery stores
hair salons
health clubs
home builders
hotels and motels
movie theaters
restaurants
video rental stores
vision and eyewear providers

Mystery shoppers are also used by the government to check up on the
businesses it regulates. "


To quote an amazing story from the July, 2001, issue of Psychotherapy
Finances, "According to a 1997 New York Times article, Barbara Gerber
at the consulting firm Devon Hill Associates fakes illnesses, and has
accessed emergency room care with a feigned cough. 'Unstoppable in her
critiques, Ms. Gerber once made it all the way to the operating table
to inspect an outpatient surgical unit. She brought the procedure to a
halt by telling the surgeon, who was in on the ruse, that she drank
orange juice a few hours before, a disqualification for anyone
scheduled to receive anesthesia.'"
(http://www.psyfin.com/articles/010701.htm)

As far as becoming a secret shopper yourself, I learned when looking
into it for myself a few months back that assignments come primarily
through agencies, kind of like temping (rather than companies hiring
shoppers directly.)  Rather than going into all the details here, let
me refer you to the "Shopper's Corner" at the site of one such agency.
 Here you'll find Guidelines for Shoppers, Frequently Asked Questions
about secret shopping, and a Resources section that includes links to
the Mystery Shoppers Providers Association (
http://www.mysteryshop.org/ )and National Center for Mystery Shopping
Professionals ( http://www.ij.net/nationalms/ )
Who knew such organizations existed!

There are many agencies online, and with some, you can begin your
application right on their site.  To locate agencies in your area, go
to http://www.mysteryshop.org/searchmspanav.php .

Here are a few agencies to start you on your way (I have tried to weed
out those that ask you to pay to apply):

http://www.secretshopnet.com/

http://www.checkupmarketing.com/become.html

http://www.focusonservice.com/signup.htm

http://www.merchandiseconcepts.com/frames/formBecome.htm

http://www.secretshopper.com/

http://www.crg2000.com/ProShoppers.htm

http://www.pedge.com/scripts/agreement_(1).htm


(Once you are contracted with a given agency, they may be willing to
tell you who their client companies are.)


Best of luck with this new endeavor... Let me know if I can be of any
further help, and happy shopping!

Rebecca



Search terms:

how to become a secret shopper (
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=how+to+become+a+secret+shopper
)

---

Clarification of Answer by rebeccam-ga on 06 Jun 2002 13:54 PDT

I also tried to find specific pizza companies that use secret
shoppers, and found a few results:

Become a Round Table Pizza Mystery Shopper (
http://www.roundtablepizza.com/RTP/personalize/shopper_locate1.asp )

Mystery Shopper Jobs.com - names Pizza Hut (
http://www.mysteryshopperjobs.com/ )

Article from Software Wire that talks about Domino's alternative to
secret shoppers ( http://www.softwarewire.com/news/qualistics_022802.htm
)

Barry's Pizza, through Quality Evaluations (
http://qualityevaluations.com/barryspizza.htm )

Gondolier Pizza - mentions Mystery shoppers on their franchise info
page ( http://www.gondolierpizza.com/franchise.html )

California Pizza Kitchen, through Customer Point of View (
http://www.mindspring.com/~mysteryshopping/ )

Papa Murphy's Take & Bake - mentions mystery shoppers on their
franchise info page ( http://www.papamurphys.com/FranchiseOps.html )


I searched for:

pizza "secret shopper" (
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&querytime=4tmS&q=pizza+%22secret+shopper%22
)

pizza "mystery shopper" (
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&querytime=4tmS&q=pizza+%22mystery+shopper%22
)

---

Clarification of Answer by rebeccam-ga on 07 Jun 2002 10:18 PDT

One more thing... I realize that I said "Rather than going into all
the details here, let me refer you to the "Shopper's Corner" at the
site of one such agency," and then forgot the link!  Here it is:

http://www.checkupmarketing.com/shopcorner.html

Thank you Rebecca! Wonderful and timely answer.  I will be looking
into each and every one of the links you provided me.

Well done!

aw, no free pizza, but that title is catchy ;-)

I think that's a great answer above.
I thought I'd just add this, but a few months back I saw a show on how
Consumer Reports [http://www.consumerreports.org] works. And I thought
it was very interesting, it's not really what you asked but what they
do is they have these secret buyers and they test stuff that those
people buy to see how good the quality is, the buyers are secret so
companies don't give any special samples and stuff, they get
everything from open market like we do. Consumer Reports FAQ:
[http://www.consumerreports.org/main/detailv2.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=2179&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2159&bmUID=1023406622629]

This was a really interesting question and a great answer! =)
~Angel1

I am a "mystery Shopper" for several agencies.  The pay is $10 to $25 per report
and takes an hour or so to make a visit and write your report for most shops.
You can find good information here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mysteryshoppingbyncpms/
or here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mysteryshopping2

Thanks Susan, it was a pleasure :)

I'm a mystery shopper.. but not for anything pizza related.  The only
reason I get free pizza is becuase I've got a friend who works in a
pizza place.  But I always seem to be going in when her boss is
there...

Everyone seems to want this job - I'm employed by a marketing company
in the UK who want to check up that retailers are displaying point of
sale material properly, and that shop assistants have a clue. 
(Unfortunately I don't get to buy anything, though)

I'm employed directly through this company, and not by an agency, and
I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to spot the
advert.  I'm guessing that other firms employ directly, so keep an eye
on the job ads in your local paper, you might just get lucky!