Mystery shoppers give retail managers "dose of reality"
Akron Beacon Journal
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.
ON THE NET
Mystery Shopping Providers Association: www.mysteryshop.org
