What is your impression of your local Kmart, Target, IHop or even McDonalds when you go shopping? How about your local upscale chain food restaurant or your local home improvement store? Who rates?

Did your cashier ask you if you "Did you find everything that you were looking for"?

If you needed to use the restroom, was it clean and had sufficient toilet paper and hand soap available for your use?

Maybe you went to grab a quick burger and fries. Did you wait too long at the drive through? Was your burger cold and your soda warm?

Did you wait too long for a gourmet dinner that your server got wrong?

How about that weekend journey to the Home Improvement Store for the mailbox that they had on sale - and when you got there - they "just" ran out.

Who evaluates these items? Management, sure. But, mostly Mystery Shoppers. Let me tell you how and why!

What is Mystery Shopping, you ask?

Very simply, both large and small companies would like to stay ahead of the competition. How do they do that?... well, simply by customer satisfaction.

Who rates customer satisfaction?..... Well, the customers do, right???

Management has everything to do with making certain that their store is in order and overall that the customers are happy; but they cannot do everything. Sometimes they need an outsider to check things out and give them some feedback.

That is where Mystery Shopping comes into play. Let me tell you more.

I went to my local Foodtown today, Saturday, with efforts to purchase 4 items that were on sale. They were all advertised at half price.

• Toilet Paper
• Boxed Pasta
• Jarred Spagetti Sauce
• Name Brand Potato Bread

It was a great sale, and I knew that I could use the items to feed my hungry family during the week. What the hec - I was even willing to purchase the ice cream which was $0.50 over the competitors price, just because I was shopping there.

I went to this supermarket, and wouldn't you know - they were out of EVERYTHING except the Jarred Spagetti Sauce. The sauce that they DID have in stock had Mushrooms in it. While I love mushrooms, the remainder of my family does not.

So, I made a trip for nothing. I would rate this shopping trip a big fat ZERO.

What now? I left the store with an empty shopping cart. I spent time there, and I had nothing to go home with. What a disaster.

Retailers DEPEND upon consumers coming in to get the items that are advertised to be on sale. (We all know the term "Loss Leaders".)

Then, the consumer normally remembers that he or she needs bread, milk, butter and eggs. Most of THOSE items are NOT on sale; but the consumer will tend to purchase it anyway, just because they are currently in the store shopping, and they need the item.

Some shoppers tend to shop "hungry", which means even more $$$ in the retailers pocket!  (Ever buy a bag of chips for $3.99 - knowing that you could get the same bag at a different supermarket for half of that?)

With my experience, a planned Mystery Shopping event could have assisted this establishment. Let me tell you why.

Mystery shopping is a simple job, that regular people (consumers) can sign up to do. They agree to visit different establishments to evaluate the business. It may be simple, or it may be complex.

It may involve "tasting" food at your local fast food joint, or it may involve "evaluating" store conditions, customer service, or store stock at one of your most shopped at stores.

A mystery shopper must have focus, and good people skills. Also, she/he must be able to memorize many details and act as if they are a normal consumer, and not a "Mystery Shopper" - not give away the fact that she is evaluating the store and the surroundings.

If I were performing a mystery shop at my local supermarket, I would have reported that none of the items that were advertised to be "on sale" available. Many consumers will make substitutes and purchase another brand at a higher price in lieu of the sale price. Some will opt for rainchecks and come back another day.

Then others, such as I, will NEVER return because I felt as if I had a wasted trip and just would not go back to that particular store, uh - EVER!

None the less, mystery shopping would have revealed that to Management.

Management then in turn could have attempted to fix the issues before it became a problem, and they lost a customer (or MANY customers.)

Mystery shopping is something that the big name retailers count on. It could also be something that us - as the little guys - utilize as a part time job.

I have utilized performing Mystery Shops for over 20 years. Reason - I shop all of the time.

I don't call this a full time (or even part time) job - it's merely a supplement to my income. It pays for my gas and lottery tickets! Sometimes, I am able to plan mystery shopping where I get a free meal, or free groceries out of it.

Make Millions - No. Make Money? - Yes, but just a little bit.

If you are considering doing Mystery Shopping - that's great. Don't think that you will make millions; even, thousands is a little out of the question.

Stay tuned. I will keep you posted and give you hints, details and updates on the Mystery Shopping realm.

Please, do not "pay" to join any type of mystery shopping "club". Firms which need mystery shoppers do NOT charge a fee.