Become a Mystery Shopper today

Saturday, September 14, 2019 I had the privilege of visiting Taco Bell located in Bessemer, Alabama. I arrived between 4 or 5pm. In the state of Alabama when Alabama University football team season starts the cities almost shut down. So, at this particular time of my endeavour there was a game going on.

Pulling into the parking lot was easy with no problems. The parking lot was clean as it always seems to be or I just to choose to come in at cleaning hours.

Once we entered the establishment there was absolutely no one inside. The floors were clean and lobby area was clean as well. I noticed that there were at least 3 cars in the drive thru.

As we entered, we were not greeted as customers. There are new order modules that sit in the lobby and that's what we used to order. I feel that with the new modules the employees feel as if they don't have to greet and give service to the customers as if they did before we they had to take our orders.

Once the order was complete, we still were not acknowledged by any of the associates. If you pay by card, they never say anything to you, but if you're choosing to use cash then without a doubt, they say something, but you have got to get their attention before they even check you out.

Due to no one being in, it was easy for my children and I to be seated. We chose a cosy corner where the light shined in giving us warmth from the cool temperatures of the inside of the establishment.

Oddly enough with there not being anyone there we had to wait at least 15-20 minutes for our meals which is crazy because that's the wait time on a regular day when there are other individuals visiting. My oldest daughter ordered the Chalupa meal and the Soft Taco Supreme meal with no tomatoes, my youngest daughter ordered the Mexican Pizza meal with no beans on the Pizza, and I ordered the Mexican Pizza Meal as well. I added extra beef and no beans to the Pizza and took off the sour cream on the soft taco supreme.

Once we received our food as we unfolded all wrappers it was brought to my attention that they did not remove the sour cream from the soft tacos.

The supervisor was on her personal phone while fixing orders which was very unsanitary, I feel. I took tacos back to the counter and let the supervisor know and she remade them. By this time two ladies entered ordered their food and was right back out the door in no time. The food was good as it always is.

As we sat down to enjoy the meal a man came in and started to act up. There was a security guard on duty but one of the individuals working in Taco Bell had to make sure we as the customers were secure and safe. The set security guard was outside face timing with someone the entire time. As the individual exited the building the security guard came in, asked what happened, and left back out of the door and preceded to talk to the individual on the phone.

As we ate and patronized with one another we thought about desserts, but there are only 3 items on the dessert menu and none of them sound appealing.

Before leaving the establishment there was a couple trying to ask questions about using the module and couldn't get anyone's attention. My daughter and I assisted them with the module and modification of their food. They thanked us and we proceeded to leave. I would refer friends for the food only at this particular location because the customer service is horrible. All in all I would have to give them an overall rating of 3. If we can get someone in this particular location with some customer service training then this Taco Bell will be an excellent place to dine in.

I was lucky enough to be chosen to be a secret shopper and my store was Old Navy! The store I shopped at is located at 2575 Town Center Blvd N. Sugarland, Texas 77479. Upon arriving at the shopping center, the store front and parking lot was clean of any debris and looked welcoming. Walking up to the front door, there was huge sign signaling a weekly sale, it is very noticeable and looks nicely made.

The layout of the store is of course by gender, has a shoe and purse section, and a children’s section. They also have jewelry located right by the shoes and purse section. Everything looked nice and orderly, there were no shelves that were empty, no big gaps between clothing on racks, and the clearance section was also in an orderly fashion. I have seen many clearance racks in my day and sometimes they look like a horror, but this one was great! Every garment was sized together as well, which is rare for clearance racks.

I approached an employee and asked where the belts were located, she was very friendly and walked me to the section that held the requested item. I went to the checkout lines at 12:24, and I was the third person in line. There was only one cashier at this time and the customer who was at the register was returning items, or maybe getting refunded, not exactly sure but after about 9 minutes of waiting, another employee came and opened up another register. The customer in front of me had an exchange, so I was still waiting for a few minutes before my turn.

I checked out at 12:46, the cashier was very apologetic and quite friendly. She did not ask to help with my packaging but I only had two light bags so no help was needed. My total wait time from walking up to the checkout line, to completing my purchase was 22 minutes. The wait was lengthy, but a few customers ahead of me had returns and refunds so that is to be expected.

I ended up purchasing 2 shirts and spend the rest on facial items, some make-up, and body sprays. The shirts were thin in material, but that seems to be the style these days. I was not impressed at the styles, though. Some of the clothes were not of my taste but does seem to be in tune with what other shops are selling. I really didn’t find many items of clothing that I liked at all, but that is just my taste. The prices of some of the tops seemed a bit much for not much material or for material that was very thin and I noticed the jeans were also pricey for jeans that were just plain. As far as being impressed, I do have to say the cleanliness and organization of the store was great. The employees were friendly and helpful as well. I would rate this store a 3 out of 5, being there wasn’t much of an selection of clothes, they all sort of looked alike. Also, the shoes were all the same style, just different colors, same with the boots. They were all short boots, some with frills and some not but all ankle boots. The selection of clothes and shoes were limited at best.

On Thursday, October 5, 2017 I visited American Eagle located at the Westfield Valencia Town Center (24201 West Valencia Blvd, Valencia, CA). The store looks very pleasant from the outside.

When I first entered the store, I noticed that there was one other individual shopping. I was not greeted right away until I went up to the counter to exchange an item that I had purchased some weeks ago. The employee who assisted me with the exchange was very helpful and friendly. After the exchange, I started to browse around. While I browsed around, I noticed right away that the store itself was clean and organized at the front.

Towards the back of the store, there was less organization. The area that needs some tidying up is the clearance area. There were jeans piled on the floor and shirts hanging off the racks. It looked very sloppy. Also, in the fitting room area there were clothes piled up on the floor. Piles of clothing on the floor can be a hazard to customers. While I continued to browse around, one of the employees asked me how I was doing and if I needed help finding anything. I asked her to help me find a pair of jeans in my size. Unfortunately, she did not find the jeans I wanted in my size and did not offer to check online for me, so I continued to look around.

Finally, I was ready to try on the clothing I had chosen out and stood by the fitting rooms. One of the employees was busy at the counter with another customer and the other employee was at the front of the store folding some clothing. I was waiting about 10 minutes for them to finally realize that I was waiting for a fitting room. The employee who was folding clothing at the front of the store came and opened the fitting room for me. In the past, they normally would ask how many items and my name, but this time I was not asked. Finally, I was ready to purchase the items I chose out.

I waited in line for about 10 minutes. One of the employees rang me up and I asked her if I can use my coupon. At first she was reluctant to the let me use it because I had already used the $15 off of $65, but I wanted to use the $25 off $100. She finally agreed that I can use it. I was a few dollars short from $100 before tax, so I asked her if I can continue to look around for one other item. I finally found an item that would meet the $100 amount. I went back to the front counter and waited another 10 minutes until the employees realized I had been waiting to purchase my items. I purchased my items and was able to use my coupon. Overall, my visit was great, but in my opinion the employees should spend more time tidying up the clearance area and pay attention to when someone is waiting to get into the fitting rooms or pay.