Retail mystery shopping assignments are usually fairly fun to do, but often require a lot of memorization. On the fun side, you get a lot of one on one interaction with the salesperson, providing you with a chance to develop your acting skills while you play out roles. It’s also exciting to have that secret in the back of your head that you are a mystery shopper while you interact with the salesperson.
Yet despite the fun aspects of retail assignments, they can also be fairly intensive in terms of requirements. Often, you are required to keep track of the times you entered and left the store, how long you were in the store before someone approached you, how long you waited in the fitting rooms before someone came to check on you, and how long you waited in line to check out. Then you will also be asked to check on the cleanliness of the fitting rooms, bathrooms, cashier stands., and the store overall. You may need to check various display shelves or ensure the clothing or shoes are properly “sized.” And as always, you will have to make a note of the names of the salespeople who helped you. Considering you are typically only in the store for maybe twenty minutes or so, this is a lot to keep track of in such a short period of time. A tip – make use of the time when you are supposed to be trying on clothes in the fitting room to help you through your assignment.
Jot It Down. In most cases, a mystery shopper will not actually need to try on the item of clothing you’ve grabbed from the racks. This is especially true if you need to return it later that same day or the following day. So spend some time in the seclusion of the fitting room jotting down some notes of your assignment. Write down anything you need to remember that has already occurred up to that point, such as names, times, and so on. Then when you leave the fitting room, your brain will be cleared and ready to move on to the next phase of the assignment.
What’s Next? Take the time in the fitting room as a quick breather to refresh your memory on what else you need to accomplish on your assignment. Visualize yourself checking a few displays before walking over to the bathroom to check on its cleanliness. Or if you need to interact with the salesperson and express an objection about the item you tried on, ensure you know what objection you are going to make. The fitting room provides you with a brief quiet period to regroup and collect your thoughts in the middle of the assignment.
Think It Through. Despite your planning and forethought into the assignment, there is always a chance something can go wrong on your assignment. Perhaps your salesperson’s name tag is turned the wrong way and you can’t read her name. Or perhaps you think your may have blown your cover. Any number of things can (and do!) happen to mystery shoppers at the job site. When this happens to you, don’t panic. Simply grab an item or two of clothing to try on, and head into the fitting rooms to think through your dilemma and plan a strategy for completing your assignment successfully.
The fitting room can be a mystery shopper’s secret haven on a retail assignment, giving you privacy to regroup, collect your thoughts, clear your brain, and prepare for the next phase of the assignment. So be sure to use this strategic location on your next retail assignment for all that it can be used for!