Recognized as a Mystery Shopper: When My Hidden Camera Wasn’t So Hidden
Being recognized as a mystery shopper is something every video shopper wants to avoid. I learned that lesson the embarrassing way when a small piece of tape failed at exactly the wrong time.
Video mystery shopping adds another challenge that you don't have with a regular written shop. You're wearing hidden video equipment, and it has to remain hidden throughout the assignment.
I normally used a button camera. The camera looked like one of the buttons on my shirt, allowing me to record the interaction without carrying anything in my hands.
There was just one problem with my setup.
I used duct tape to help hold the button camera and my shirt in place.
It had worked before. On this particular day, however, the tape wasn't holding as well as it should. Before going into the location, I noticed it coming loose. I added some more tape, checked everything again, and thought I had solved the problem.
I hadn't.
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What to Do When You're Recognized as a Mystery Shopper
I walked into the business and started my assignment. I didn't realize that the tape had come loose again.
The salesman did.
At one point, he looked at me, smiled, and asked if I was having a problem with my shirt.
That's not exactly a question you want to hear when there's a hidden camera behind one of your buttons.
I looked down.
There was the tape.
At that point, I knew I had a problem. I didn't announce what had happened or tell him I was a mystery shopper. I simply carried on as though nothing was wrong.
But the salesman wasn't fooled.
He knew something unusual was going on, and I'm pretty sure he figured out that he was being shopped.
His entire approach to me changed.
He smiled, but he gave me short answers and didn't seem interested in spending much time with me. Basically, he didn't give me the time of day.
I continued with the assignment and completed as much as I could. But I already knew this wasn't going to be one of my better shops.
Once you're recognized as a mystery shopper, you're no longer seeing how that employee normally deals with a customer. That's the bigger problem.
He Knew Exactly What Had Happened
Employees are supposed to know they will be mystery shopped with hidden camera gear. The mystery shopping companies I work with tell me that companies have their employees sign a release form allowing them to be recorded. This helps the client properly evaluate the performance of the employee.
When an employee believes they are being mystery shopped, the best strategy for them is to give the best performance possible. They know that if they bust that person, another mystery shopper will be assigned.
I later learned that the salesman wrote a note to his manager about the encounter. He explained what had happened and said that he had another appointment coming up that he needed to prepare for.
From his point of view, that probably made perfect sense. Since he had another appointment that was far more important, he wasn't going to treat the situation like a normal sales opportunity. If he didn't have an appointment, he would have given his best performance.
From my point of view, it was frustrating because I had made a preventable mistake.
It wasn't the camera that failed. It wasn't a complicated technical problem. It was the way I had attached the equipment.
A piece of tape had compromised the assignment.
That's one of the things you learn after doing enough video shops. Small details matter. You can have the right equipment, understand the assignment, arrive at the correct location, and know your scenario perfectly. Something as simple as your shirt or camera mounting can still cause trouble.
I Fixed the Problem for Future Shops
I didn't want the same thing to happen again.
Instead of continuing to depend on duct tape, I went to a seamstress and had her modify my shirts. She sewed around the button area so I could position the camera properly without using tape to hold everything together.
It was a simple solution, and it worked.
For the rest of my video mystery shopping assignments, I didn't have to worry about tape working loose and suddenly becoming visible.
That's another lesson I've learned from mystery shopping: when something goes wrong, figure out whether you can prevent it from happening again.
Mistakes are going to happen. Equipment can move. Batteries can die. A recording may not turn out the way you expected. You may forget something. The important part is learning from the problem rather than repeating it.
Being Recognized Changes the Entire Shop
Being recognized as a mystery shopper doesn't necessarily mean you should immediately announce who you are or explain what you're doing. Your response should depend on the assignment and the instructions from the mystery shopping company.
In my case, I continued the shop and tried to stay in character.
But I also understood that the value of the assignment had changed. The salesman wasn't interacting with me the way he would have interacted with an ordinary prospective customer. He suspected why I was there.
That makes a big difference in video mystery shopping.
The client wants to see a genuine customer interaction. They want to know what happens when the employee doesn't realize someone will be reviewing the conversation later.
My hidden camera wasn't very hidden that day.
It wasn't one of my finest video assignments, but it taught me something useful. I didn't blame the salesman, the camera, or the assignment.
I fixed my shirt.
And sometimes that's how you become a better mystery shopper—one embarrassing mistake at a time.
About the Author
I'm Mystery Don, and I've completed mystery shopping assignments for restaurants, hotels, apartment communities, automobile dealerships, and new home builders.
I created this website to help people avoid the mistakes I've seen—and to show new shoppers how legitimate mystery shopping really works.
My book Take That Job And Mystery Shop It! lists over 150 mystery shopping companies to contact. I offer beginner-friendly tips and honest guidance without hype.
We're always looking for new faces to visit different places.
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