There is often so much detailed information to remember on a mystery shop assignment. Your requirements may ask you to keep track of the employee’s name, a description of the employee, the time you entered and left the store, how long you were in the store or fitting room before someone helped you, if the displays were set up appropriately and if so, what was wrong with them… the list goes on and on! Considering an average shop lasts about 20 to 30 minutes, you are cramming a lot of information into your head in a very short amount of time, all the while trying not to look suspicious. Not to mention if you forget any details you may not get paid for your shop. This can create a lot of stress for a shopper, but it doesn’t have to!
High Tech Notes. With today’s technology, you can very discreetly take notes on your shop as you walk through the store. You can use your PDA or your cell phone to casually take notes. As you walk through the aisles, act like you are sending a text message to someone. Or you can really send a text message back to yourself. This way your phone will actually ring back to indicate you are receiving a text message back from someone!
Or pretend to check your PDA for items on your shopping list. Act as though you are crossing one item off and looking for the next one. Or check for sizes and color preferences on your pretend list for the person you are buying presents for.
Note-Taking The Old-Fashioned Way. When those high tech gadgets fail or when they would look too suspicious in your assigned setting, a good old fashioned note page and paper may work OK. For instance, in a grocery store, it may look a little odd for you to be typing on a cell phone throughout your whole visit, whereas in a restaurant or even clothing store this may not stand out as odd. Not to mention, in a grocery story punching away on your cell phone would not be the easiest thing to do as you push a shopping cart through the aisles. On shops such as these, grab that paper and pen and take your notes the old fashioned way. Pretend you are writing on your shopping list or crossing items off your list.
Even if you aren’t in a grocery store, you can still take notes with a pad and paper if you use the private areas of the store to your advantage. Make a quick stop in the bathroom and hide away in a stall for a few moments. Or pretend to try on clothes, but instead scribble some of the shop details on a piece of paper. You can write down all the details you were supposed to remember up to that point and then move on to the next stage of your shop.
On most shops, there’s no reason to keep all of this information crammed into your head. You are more likely to forget information and lose important information. Or you may get the small details confused and enter incorrect information into your report. So make your life a little easier and take notes along the way.
Hello, I have been mystery shopping for years now. Here are some great ways to make notes without being caught. Use a crossword puzzle ! Or any other type of puzzle book. No one will know that you are making notes instead of putting in answers to a puzzle ! Go to any Dollar Store and get a big stack of cheap birthday cards or invitation cards. Then if you are sitting down at a restaurant or job, you can pretend that you are filling out invitations instead of actually writing down notes facts . Good luck ! Kirby
A trick I use to record the time I enter a shop is to call my home from my cell as I walk into the store, and call again as I leave. On my cell I then have a record. I also leave a message if I can do so discreetly, on my home voice mail with the name of the sales person and number of customers.
When I do fast food shops and the detail list is daunting – physical details of employees, condiments, number of customers in line, eating, time intervals, etc – I sit at a corner table and do my observations. I take in postcards and fein sending my friends notes from my “vacation”. If an employee comes by, my writing is small and written in a soft orange, that I go unobserved.
I used to make a mad dash for the ladies room to write notes till I noticed that my cell phone has a 60 second memo feature. I look like I’m just talking on the phone, but I am actually leaving a 60 second message to myself. Later when I do go somewhere private to write notes I also have info on my phone to call up. I can clear it then and make a memo to myself again later in the shop. Also, when I’m doing say a fast food shop, I pretend I’m talking to myself to write a grocery list, but I’m actually making notes of the clerk I just shopped.
Is it ok to use a small recording device?
I really would love to do that but I do not want to break any laws.
Jean
I have a PDA I use for shopping. Nothing unusual about someone having sizes, grocery list, and many other assorted things on a PDA.
Jean I’ve read at the forum many shoppers use a recording device. Not sure how it would look to a sales associate to see someone talking to themselves.
And I have games on my PDA. So in a restaurant, coffee shop or donut shop I can seem to be playing a game when I’m actually taking notes.
I have a small digital recorder that I hide in my bra, and it picks up crystal clear recordings. I usually chew gum so it is not so obvious when I am “talking to myself” or I will hold my cell phone to my ear and act like I am talking in my phone, when actually I am recording inportant information, such as exact times, names of people I encounter, etc. It is also great to help me remember exactly what is said if my shop requires exact quotes from the employees I am shopping. I am not breaking any laws, as these recordings are for my own personal use to assist me in my reports, and I delete them after I complete and submit my reports. However, I have performed shops that REQUIRE a recorded conversation too, in that case I can just upload the conversation on my computer. Easy as pie! 🙂
Hey, I was a day late reading this article. I tried to hold too much info in the head and forgot the most important part now I’m scrambling to correct it and even that might not work. Take some notes even if you write on yourself.
Can someone provide information on the digital voice recorder, such as price range? I hate to add another expense to my growing list of expenses which are due net immediately rather than net 45 like some of the shops we shop.
Almost all my shops say I cannot use a cell phone when performing a shop, not even to take real phone calls otherwise I would use it more often, especially for timing since my phone has split timing which is very useful.
I really like the crossword puzzle and gift cards idea. I’ll try those.
The MS companies are going to have to get more realistic if they want accurate information. Using devices such as cells, recorders,PDA or camera with date/time stamp on is the BEST way for the shopper to get accurate information! Maybe they need to require that the information is deleted once the report is completed for their own legal purposes.
I also like the crossword puzzle idea.I have used the cell phone and my i pod also for timing. I will use the calling home for time begining and ending TIMES .Than.ks
For Bona, I bought a digital voice recorder at Radio Shack for less than 40.00. It looked a lot like a cell phone so I would start it recording and put it in my pocket or my cell phone case and do the shop. It picked up everything that was said near it and all I had to do was mention names and other details quietly for it to pick it up. It really helps when you need a lot of details and don’t have a perfect memory. lol