Shop Logs
Newsletter
The Shop Logs Blog @
http://www.shoplogs.com/wordpress
| August/September, 2005 |
| Volume 1, Issue 7 |
Anaheim, California
Mystery
Shopping Book Reviews
Which are worth the read...
Coming - October 05
There are many Mystery Shopping books advertised. Which are worth your time away from the mall or off the route?
Find out here this October.
Special Interest
Articles:
MSPA
Educational Conference Review
-
How did it go and where
will it go?
Feed Read the Web -
Read more relevant info in less time
We
Shopped 'em –
Blog entries from those that have
been shopped
|
The MSPA 2nd Annual Educational Conference for Shoppers was held at the Crowne Plaza Anaheim Resort in Garden Grove, California, July 15-17. More than 200 shoppers and 50 mystery shopping companies attended. Of the more than 2,000 Gold shoppers the MSPA has produced, relatively few showed up in California for the event. The 2006 conference will be more centrally located and should provide a larger sample of shoppers. Never the less, the MSPA did ask for shoppers to complete surveys including the contents of the press release that follows: "The nearly 150 mystery shoppers who participated in the MSPA survey spend a combined 5,400 hours each month conducting more than 4,000 shops." According to this MSPA July 21st press release. Many of the same shoppers that attended Orlando attended the Anaheim affair. Some sessions were repeats for these participants allowing for some extra networking opportunities. Lorri Kern commented on Volition.com "(a) large number of shoppers that attended last year and then flew across the country to attend again! That is one thing we definitely did not anticipate!" (see thread at Volition.com) Vicki Henry, of Feedback Plus, had an interesting session where she apparently relayed being involuntarily revealed. Dr. Rick Rigsby's motivational session "Making an Impact" received excellent reviews from all who mentioned him. The networking that could take place between 200 shoppers and 50 Mystery Shopping representatives sounds like a highlight in itself! |
Possible locations for the 3rd Annual Educational Conference include:
While topics have recently been removed from the regular bulletin boards, no decision has been posted by the MSPA. Many shoppers expressed interest in attending this year's conference, but even only around 200 attended. With over 2,000 Gold shoppers in the country it begs the question "why?" If you were a shopper that was interested in attending, but did not Shop Logs wants to know why. Please vote once for one reason and we will post the results in Issue 8, October 2005. #1 Reason I Did Not Attend the 2nd MSPA
Educational. Conference: |
|
Start Feed Reading the Internet
We Shopped ‘em!
Blog entries from the shopped…
According to Ellen
Finkelstein of Syndicating Web Sites with RSS Feeds for Dummies "...about one
third of blogs have RSS feeds." That means that the average Internet user
can subscribe to these sites, without divulging an email and have the
content delivered to him or her without making the usual rounds on the
Internet. The content can be delivered to the reader via a "Reader"
otherwise called an "Aggregator."
There are two types of Readers: Web-based and
Software-based. Each have different pros and cons that must be
balanced be the needs of each individual user. Within the
Software-based category users may need to further separate programs for
Windows versus Mac compatible programs. (See Figure 1)
Media Think,
software brander, says there is "a glut of aggregators" for consumers to
choose from, but offer their own analysis of convenience and reader
capabilities. (See Figure 2) Free readers are defined by the
small circles, while the larger circles represent readers with a fee.
If you are interested in starting down the Feed Reader path:
- Start with the free feed readers, or the free versions of the pay readers.
- Try both a software and web based feed reader.
- Must Subscribes for Mystery Shoppers:
Shop Logs Blog
Mystery Shopper Coach's Update
Idea Lady (Cathy Stucker)
If you are not interested right now, start
looking for the RSS or XML orange buttons on your favorite web pages.
You may start to see the value in bringing the content of those page to
you!
Need More Feed?
Just when you thought you had really learned something cutting edge, there is pod casting. Check out the files that can be sent the same way your written feeds travel: http://www.myrsscreator.com/RSSIntro.html pod cast for blogging RSS submitter video.
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10088_7-5143656.html Video tutorial: Rafe Needleman, editor for CNET.com Business Buying Advice, explains how RSS feeds give you the news you want, delivered the way you want.
July
18, 2005
“I got
mystery
shopped this morning. That was a new
experience. I first heard about
mystery shopping when I was working at
the
SADC in Bécancour. One of the people who worked
there was in charge of the "Mystery
Shopper" program. Basically, she called up shops and companies who
subscribed to the program (or showed up at their doorstep, depending on
which sort of
shop or company it was)
and evaluated their customer service. So, for example, today, I had to
deal with a request about the Conference Board's visual style standards.
Very interesting. I like the concept. And it was funny when the person
finally told me who she was. It was sort of like being on Candid Camera,
except they're not making fun of you. Like that Bell Canada guy who called
me up one time. Anyway, I digress. Besides, that's an entirely different
story.”
FULL TEXT
June
14, 2001
SWEET
MYSTERY
“Back
to work, and a
mystery shopper visit. A hefty bonus
depends on these anonymous inspections, and they're the one thing which
unites an often bickering staff. However, the guy was either generous or a
bit thick, as early on he brought out his assessment sheets so that a
sharp-eyed colleague spotted both them and him.
From that moment his four-hour visit was an orgy of Uriah Heep-like
servility. "Yes, sir. No, sir. How do you like your @#%& sucked, sir?"
But not from me, of course. Clint Eastwood just said
"..........Hi."
My bit came later, as live in front of my colleagues I produced an
impeccable 90 minutes of bingo-calling. Star or what? I even allowed one
bead of sweat onto my naked brow, just to show them how hard I was
working for them, and how very much I cared. Anyway, the man
awarded us a perfect 100 percent, then fled back to the real world.
Probably to get snarled at in the first
shop he went to.”
FULL TEXT
Figure 2
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