Asker: Mystery shopper programs have been around for decades. There is nothing illegal in the program. He has prepared to be fired for refusing to improve his relationships with customers. Take this very seriously and improve your attitude and performance or you will be out of work.
The management was relaxed and fun. Teamwork was the best thing I've ever worked with in any restaurant. First, mystery shoppers shouldn't make strange requests (like cutting fudge from a melted cake) unless it's part of what the customer (their employer) requires. Companies use observations made by mystery shoppers to determine areas where they could improve, Indeed said.
Sometimes, due to the nature of a customer's program, the buyer's identity must be provided. A woman said in a now-viral Reddit post Sunday that a recent Best Buy assignment caused her to rethink her work as a mystery shopper. Once assigned, the buyer should be guided and advised on the requirements of the program, making them aware of everything needed to produce a high-quality report. The only type of secret purchase that could cause someone to get into serious trouble or get fired for failing would be things like buying alcohol and tobacco tests (for obvious reasons).
So if this guy really is the buyer (he may not be) or he shouldn't be, or your employer has a terrible design for their Mystery Shopping program. I certainly hope that this particular buyer can sleep through the night knowing that he caused a good man to lose his job. Mystery shoppers often evaluate retail stores, restaurants, and even banks, and may be asked to compile reports, complete questionnaires, and follow specific purchasing instructions. Employees may fear or resent secret shoppers because they think that if the buyer is in a bad mood and gives them a poor report, they could lose their jobs.
Another thing potential buyers should consider: If your request or evaluations show that a buyer is looking for, or probably would be, primarily looking for poor performance, that buyer will get little or no work. A successful mystery shopping evaluation should ask unbiased questions so that the buyer only reports on what happened during their experience. Yes, this kind of thing has happened in my workplace before, where someone didn't help a secret shopper find an item, but nothing bad came of it other than a reminder to take customers directly to the items they need help finding. In such cases, customers should rely on their service provider to contact buyers with any questions or concerns, and not communicate directly with evaluators.
