Why would
anyone who hates shopping become a secret shopper? For author Kelly McClymer it’s
all in the name of research for a mystery series about a secret shopper who
stumbles over dead bodies while sleuthing out bargains. Learn more about Kelly
and her books at her website.
Is that a
Secret Shopper in Line for Coffee Ahead of You?
When I got the idea for a set of mysteries
around a mystery shopper mom (the Secret Shopper Mom Mystery series that begins
with Shop and Let Die), I knew I
needed to do research because…well, because I hate to shop.
That probably sounds heretical to true
shoppers, I know. But my least favorite time of year was back-to-school
shopping. My mom was, and still is, a bargain-hunting maniac. I was much too
young to appreciate how much she saved by marching her four daughters around
every sale within a 20-mile radius.
So, knowing I needed to do a *lot* of
research, I went the computer and typed in “mystery shopping.” I signed up for
a few companies, and started getting job offers. And -surprise, surprise, I
found I liked this kind of shopping. Well, I liked that:
--Your mystery shop visit is meant to be only long enough to let you
gather your information.
--You have a check sheet of items to make notes on, so you’re always focused.
--You have a script, so you always know what to say to the salesperson who asks you if she can help. (My non-mystery-shopper response had always been, “I’m just looking” even if I am in the store to buy something specific.)
--I usually bought something I wanted, and then got a small shopper fee on top, so it was like getting a discount for what I had to do anyway.
--You have a check sheet of items to make notes on, so you’re always focused.
--You have a script, so you always know what to say to the salesperson who asks you if she can help. (My non-mystery-shopper response had always been, “I’m just looking” even if I am in the store to buy something specific.)
--I usually bought something I wanted, and then got a small shopper fee on top, so it was like getting a discount for what I had to do anyway.
Because I was in exactly the same situation
as my main character Molly Harbison (a mom of young children trying to make a
little extra household money around school events, snow days, and sick days), I
only took small jobs. Grocery stores. Coffee shops. Fast food. Banks. Jewelry
stores. Malls. Restaurants.
But I had joined shopper forums to learn more
about the business, and I read enviously of people who shopped cruises,
airlines, and fancy hotels.
I never got to do the highend shops. But
Molly, my character, will. If she can keep her husband’s disapproval and her
tendency to stumble over crimes while mystery shopping, at bay.
I still am not fond of shopping, although, I
do enjoy going to Camden, Maine and window shopping during the holidays...see
picture. One thing that has changed for me is that I understand all the hoops
and hurdles that employees must leap over and through. I am much more patient
and understanding when someone tries to upset me (They have to! it’s in their
script!)
However, I also now know when they don’t do
something they are supposed to (meet your eyes when you get in line; let you
know they see you and will wait on you soon.)
It isn’t my job to make note of their lapses,
but I sometimes check out the other people in line with me and wonder if any of
them are making notes for their mystery shop report.
I would tell you how to tell a mystery
shopper from a regular shopper…but that would break the mystery shopper code!
Have you ever tried mystery shopping?
Shop and Let
Die
Molly
Harbison hates being asked “What do you do?” more than cleaning the ring around
the bathtub or digging Cheerios and raisins out of the car’s back seat. She’s
tried on every possibility from a flip Domestic Goddess to a simple declarative
Mom. She jumps at the chance to make some extra money as a secret shopper. But
when she’s assigned to shop an online dating site…things get tricky. For one,
she realizes her husband doesn’t exactly meet her checklist of “must haves” for
the perfect man, not at all like her dating site Mr. Perfect. For another, the
FBI wants her to actually keep her date with Mr. Perfect, who just may be the
perfect serial killer.
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