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Retail College - Mystery Shopper Lab


Article Thumbnail Mystery Shopper: Have wheelchair, will travel
Apr 18, 2005
This is the second installment of our continuing and occasional series of stories about our mystery shopping experiences at outdoor stores. In this scenario, we sent two operatives to shop for tents at two Orange County, Calif., specialty stores. The woman, Agent Q, was accompanied by Agent P, a male paraplegic in a wheelchair who is an active camper and skier. Read on for another glimpse into a retail selling experience that any one of your customers at any one of your stores could have.
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Article Thumbnail Mystery Shopper: Hel-LO! I'm here to buy… Hel-LO!
Apr 11, 2005
This is now the third installment in our continuing and occasional series of stories about our mystery shopping experiences at fitness stores. Although in our third round (the first was Dec. 20, 2004 and the second was Feb. 14, 2005), we'd like to briefly re-state that our only intent in running these is as an educational tool, and only an educational tool.
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Article Thumbnail Mystery Shopper: So helpful, but can't we TRY to close the sale?
Feb 14, 2005
For North Tampa Bay, it was an unusually chilly Saturday afternoon in mid-January. The SNEWS® shopper – let's call him Billy Bob – stopped into the Busy Body Gyms to Go store in the strip mall on Dale Mabry Boulevard. His shopping ruse: Out-of-shape, knee and back problems, desire to re-gain some fitness.
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Article Thumbnail Mystery Shopper: Nice, but shouldn’t we close the sale?
Dec 20, 2004
As an educational tool, SNEWS® two weeks ago began this column, debuting it initially in outdoors. To appear at occasional intervals in SNEWS®, the column will report on our editors and “operatives” as they make shopping forays into specialty stores around the country – and any other retailers we feel could offer some learning. In other words, on any given day, at any time, the consumer your staff or your customer’s staff is helping could be reporting for us. This week we are expanding the column to the fitness area, although we firmly believe that any retailer of any category can learn from what we see and experience in any store or category to some degree.
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Article Thumbnail Mystery Shopper: Killed by a cell phone
Dec 6, 2004
What makes specialty retail so special? It is a question we have been asking ourselves, somewhat rhetorically, in the last year as the outdoor retail industry has become increasingly vocal about various issues including uncontrolled distribution, over production, sinking margins, negative impacts of discounting, lower priced goods, etc. To that end, we're starting a column that will appear at regular intervals in SNEWS® that will send our editors and special operatives into specialty outdoor stores around the country. Any given day, at any time, the customer your staff is helping could be reporting for us.
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Products and Trends
Industry News Releases
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Reduces Its Carbon Footprint at Fall Show
Dec 16, 2011
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Hydrapak Expands Partnership Reach with UltrAspire
Dec 16, 2011
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High Sierra Adds Kyle Kilcherman As Director of Sales - Sporting Goods
Dec 15, 2011
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Jackson Kayak's New Cuda Fishing Boat Craves Open Water
Dec 15, 2011
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REVO Sunglasses Partners with Corey Rich Photography
Dec 15, 2011
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La Sportiva Launches Ski Mountaineering Apparel
Dec 14, 2011
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SNEWS Headlines
Outdoor: Movin' & Shakin' - Igloo names a new president; plus new hires at Backcountry.com, Leisure Trends, Mountain Hardwear, American Rec and more ...
Dec 19, 2011
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Outdoor Retailer Winter Market Planning Guide is live, in full digital glory
Dec 16, 2011
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Family business still going strong nearly 30 years later
Dec 16, 2011
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Trend Reports
Outdoor Research wants to protect from cold and dry, not just chilly and wet
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