A "mystery shopper" unpacks: These are the supermarket customers that hardly anyone knows about

Created: 12/28/2022, 12:35 p.m

By: Armin T. Linder

The "mystery shoppers" get lost in the crowd of other supermarket customers, and they should.

They have a special task.

Now someone will probably unpack.

Munich – Maybe at some point you stood behind a cash register without knowing it.

They shouldn't have noticed.

Because "mystery shoppers" usually behave very inconspicuously in supermarkets and other shops - that's part of their job.

They are the customers that hardly anyone knows about.

"Mystery Shoppers" are test buyers in supermarkets and other shops

"Mystery Shopper" is the technical term for mystery shoppers.

"As a test buyer or mystery shopper, you check and evaluate our customers' services," writes

, for example, on its website.

And also reveals how much money you can earn: “The more complicated and time-consuming the assignment, the more money is paid.

You can expect just under 10 EUR to 50 EUR per bet.

However, working as a tester regularly remains an additional income.” In order to apply, one must “have a feeling for service and sales and have good observation skills.

To do this, you should be able to reproduce important information in writing.”

A customer is standing in a checkout queue (symbolic photo).

Is it a "mystery shopper"?

These do not reveal themselves.

© Martin Wagner/Imago

The fact that these "mystery shoppers" exist is therefore more of an open secret - you just don't hear anything about them in supermarkets and other shops.

Things are getting particularly exciting on Reddit.

There, a “mystery shopper” will speak up anonymously and answer questions from the community.

The fact that he actually works as a mystery shopper remains unconfirmed, so his statements should be treated with caution.

But they are always exciting.

Alleged "mystery shopper" asks questions from the Reddit community

"I'm a mystery shopper and I do retail mystery shopping," the subject reads.

And the call: “Do this part-time in a wide variety of businesses and scenarios.

But mainly tests in supermarkets, car dealerships and specialist shops.

Feel free to ask anything!

Throwaway account to avoid any conclusions."

What does a test buyer do in a car dealership?

Order a Porsche?

A user wants to know that.

The answer: "He makes an appointment and gets advice, configures his dream car and everything up to the actual purchase." He earns "differently, depending on the client and scenario.

But experience has shown that it ranges from 15 euros in the supermarket to 120 euros in a car dealership per test purchase.”

An alleged former Rewe employee explains that he has experience with such mystery shoppers.

They would “not put everything on tape or consciously hide it.

You, as a cashier, should then routinely find these hidden things when you collect the cash.” The Reddit user cannot confirm this practice: “I can only speak for my jobs, but deliberate deception was never part of the job for my client.

Basically, a normal purchase is made and evaluated later.”

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He also doesn't see it as a problem to evaluate the employees at the supermarket checkout.

“No, because on the one hand the staff is only part of the entire purchasing process.

There would only be problems if the same employee was repeatedly explicitly commented on negatively.

On the other hand, only the basics are queried.

Hello, bye, Bon?

Basically enough.

If you can't manage that permanently, you'll have problems even without a tester."

"Mystery Shopper" is said to be allowed to keep part of the purchases

Another interesting detail: the “mystery shopper” is allowed to keep some of his purchases, he reveals.

Of course, this does not mean the ones in the car dealership.

“In the case of supermarket purchases, it is usually kept or part of the payment is intended for it.

Specialist shops have the option of returning them.

But of course I'll try to buy something that I need anyway." As mentioned: Nothing in his statements has been confirmed - but they coincide in various points with what is officially circulating in requests about these mystery shoppers on the Internet.

Speaking of "mystery": Media Markt sells "mystery boxes" - what's actually in them?

Cashiers recently also publicly explain which sentences they can no longer and do not want to hear.