When to Walk Away From a Mystery Shop
Sometimes the smartest thing you can do on an assignment is leave. Knowing when to walk away from a mystery shop comes with experience, and I learned that lesson during a video shop at a manufactured home dealership.
I had completed plenty of video assignments before this one. I knew how to act like a regular customer, follow the scenario, and keep the hidden camera from becoming a distraction.
This assignment didn't have a target, meaning I wasn't required to shop a particular salesperson. I simply needed to enter the dealership and work with whoever was available.
Want more help getting started? My book, Take That Job And Mystery Shop It!, walks you through finding assignments, completing shops, writing reports, and avoiding many of the mistakes new shoppers make.
There were a couple of salespeople on the floor when I arrived, but they were busy helping other customers. Instead, I ended up talking with the General Manager.
That was the last person I wanted.
The GM was familiar with the company's mystery shopping program. In fact, he was one of the people who normally reviewed the videos after the shops were completed.
Still, I decided to continue. I hadn't done anything to give myself away, and there was always the possibility that I could complete the assignment normally.
It didn't take long for me to realize that wasn't going to happen.
He Asked If I Was a Mystery Shopper
The General Manager became suspicious almost immediately.
Then he asked me directly if I was a mystery shopper.
There are certain questions you need to be prepared for when doing this work. If someone asks whether you're a mystery shopper, you don't panic or suddenly run for the door. One response is to look puzzled and ask something like, "What's that?"
That's what I did.
Usually, that would be enough to move the conversation in another direction.
Not with this guy.
He continued testing me.
At one point, he asked for my phone number. Depending on the assignment and the instructions you're given, video shoppers may use alternate contact information to protect their anonymity.
I gave him the number.
Then he asked me to repeat it.
By now, I knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn't simply making sure he'd written the number correctly. He suspected I was a shopper and was looking for something that would confirm it.
I had a decision to make.
Knowing When to Walk Away From a Mystery Shop
Technically, I could have kept going.
I hadn't broken the rules. I hadn't deliberately exposed myself as a mystery shopper. I could have continued the sales presentation, recorded the interaction, submitted the video, and explained what happened.
But I started thinking about the reason the client was paying for these shops in the first place.
The assignments were intended to evaluate the salespeople the General Manager had hired. The client wanted to see how those employees treated prospective customers and handled the sales process.
They weren't paying me to evaluate a General Manager who already suspected he was being secretly recorded.
What value would that video have provided?
Very little.
Once the GM suspected me, the normal customer interaction was gone. Even if I stayed another hour, I wasn't going to capture what the client wanted to see.
So I left.
And I knew that meant I probably wasn't going to get paid.
Sometimes the Assignment Fee Isn't the Most Important Thing
Walking away from money isn't easy, especially when you've driven to a location, prepared for an assignment, put on your video equipment, and already invested time in the shop.
But mystery shopping is a business.
The shopper isn't the only person involved. There's a mystery shopping company that obtained the account, and behind that company is a client paying for information it can actually use.
If a client repeatedly receives videos that don't accomplish its objectives, how long will it continue ordering them?
That's something experienced shoppers need to think about.
Knowing when to walk away from a mystery shop isn't about giving up because an assignment becomes uncomfortable. Shops don't always go according to plan. I've dealt with rude employees, poor service, unusual situations, and plenty of other surprises.
This situation was different. My anonymity had effectively been compromised, and continuing wasn't going to improve the assignment.
I decided protecting the client relationship was worth more than collecting one shop fee.
One Bad Shop Doesn't Define Your Record
Over the years, I maintained about a 97 percent success rate with my video assignments and made good money doing them.
Not every assignment was perfect.
This one certainly wasn't.
But experience teaches you that completing an assignment at all costs isn't necessarily the definition of success. Sometimes good judgment means recognizing that circumstances have changed and the original objective can no longer be accomplished.
I could have forced my way through that manufactured home shop and submitted the video.
Instead, I walked away.
I lost the money from one assignment, but I believe I made the better business decision.
That's the lesson I took from the experience. When deciding when to walk away from a mystery shop, don't think only about whether you can finish it.
Ask yourself a more important question:
Will finishing this shop still give the client what they're paying for?
Sometimes the answer will tell you it's time to leave.
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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