A satisfactory mystery shopper experience is down to the shopper, the person and establishment surveyed, and the commissioned questions. The quality of these forms is questionable and what a company believes is a repeated and formulaic shopping event may not be, leaving large areas unjudged or, worse still, commented on without experience of them.
Having been a mystery shopper who spent over 2 hours in an establishment (non-retail) I was happy with some general guidance and a request for me to write a report on my visit.
Where I now work, we are sometimes in the know when the mystery shopper is due in. Personally, it makes me needlessly nervous as my job means I need to respond to each customer as an individual and cannot be totally formulaic. But the mystery shopper will be looking for me to work as closely to the company requirements as possible. If I under score do I need to improve? Possibly. As my manager ensures I am on duty when the shopper is expected, even switching my day off, probably not!!
Companies will keep using them and it's better than nothing to gauge how their customers are served.
We've all been on the receiving end of a sullen youngster's service. They are on low wages and can be treated appallingly by their managers. But I think a good many, and most where I work, do a great job, give great customer service, work hard and are lovely to work with. And they are Brits.