Welcome to Issue Eleven of Mystery Shopper Magazine. If this issue proves anything, it proves the value of the mystery shopping community. Why? Because the issues we bring up are first brought to our attention by mystery shoppers who are active in the community. In fact, the contents of this magazine are largely based on discussions that first started at MysteryShopForum.com.
For example, Associate Consumer Evaluations is a reputable mystery shopping company, with a lot going for them. But one issue has caused controversy, and that controversy was brought to light on the forum, and discussed in-depth. Without the forum community, there may have been discussion of this, but it would not be widely known, or widely discussed.
Because mystery shoppers are organized and part of an active community, we have a venue for discussing issues important to mystery shoppers, bringing them to light, and taking action when necessary. All of that work happens due to the active participation of mystery shoppers in the forum community. Because of that work, we’re able to know where to focus our attention in our reviews of companies. Our reviews often synthesize the lengthy discussions, distilling a variety of perspectives on a company being reviewed. This is good for both mystery shoppers and mystery shopping companies. Mystery shoppers get to know what it’s like to work with a company before they sign up, and companies get valuable feedback from shoppers that helps them guide their future actions.
I believe that the mystery shopper community has done a lot to help the industry as a whole. It has helped weed out bad mystery shopping companies. And it has also helped raise the bar for mystery shoppers in general. The discussions on the forum have turned into a vast educational resource, allowing for the professional development of many mystery shoppers. A shopper who is active on the forum can quickly learn many things about mystery shopping that they wouldn’t be able to on their own, and if they have any questions, the generous members of the community are their to assist them. More and more skilled mystery shoppers are able to succeed because of the support they get from the community. A strong base of highly skilled mystery shoppers can only benefit the industry as a whole.
And, if you ever want to up your mystery shopping game, you know what to do: Sign up for Mystery Shop Forum, and participate.
And, of course, read our Magazine.
If you have any comments, questions, or feedback, please send it our way.
Sincerely,
Jacob Jans
Editor