Mystery shopper questions from the door to the checkout
A mystery shopper survey of 14 checks, recorded by a briefed shopper in about four minutes after one visit.
- 14checks
- About 4 minto complete
The 14 mystery shopper questions
A mystery shopper survey is the form a briefed shopper fills in after one visit, recording what the store and its staff did against your standards. These 14 questions ask for facts two shoppers would record the same way. Open them in our online form and survey builder and set your own greeting time.
The visit
Where and when, so every score is compared like with like.
- Which site did you visit?
- When did you visit?Staffing moves with the daypart, so compare mornings with mornings.
Arrival
The first half minute, recorded as a fact and a count.
- Were you greeted within about thirty seconds of walking in?
- How many staff were visible on the floor when you arrived?A count explains a slow greeting better than an impression does.
The store
Three checks a shopper can make without speaking to anyone.
- Was the entrance area clean?
- Were prices clearly displayed on the items you looked at?
- Was the item you came for on the shelf?
The interaction
What staff did, recorded as events the shopper saw.
- Did a member of staff ask what you were looking for?
- Was the answer to your briefed question correct?Set the question and its right answer in the briefing.
- Were you offered anything extra, such as a related item?
Paying and leaving
The checkout and the door, the last things a customer sees.
- How long did you wait to pay, from joining the line?
- Were you thanked as you left?
In their words, then the overall rating
One optional note, then one comparison against the brief.
- What would a customer remember about this visit? Please do not name or describe any member of staff.
- Overall, how did this visit compare with the standard in your brief?
Brief the shopper, then score the visit
Brief each shopper with what to buy and one question with a known right answer. They fill in the form once out of sight of staff, while the detail is fresh.[1]
Score each visit as checks met out of checks seen: count the Yes answers to the seven yes-or-no questions, leaving out "Could not tell". Compare stores over several visits in each daypart, with question 14 beside the score.
Nothing on the form names who served the shopper. Tell staff their service may be checked, and use the results for training and rewards.[1]
Then hear the customer side. In a car showroom, the dealership customer survey asks the buyers themselves. In a store, the retail customer survey asks real shoppers what they noticed. A hotel hears from its guests through the guest satisfaction survey. A restaurant hears from diners through the restaurant survey questions.
Mystery shopper survey FAQ
What does a mystery shopper look for?
Whether your standards were met: how fast the greeting came, whether the store was clean, whether the item was on the shelf, whether staff helped and answered correctly, and the wait to pay. The form records what happened, not how the shopper felt.[1]
Is a secret shopper the same as a mystery shopper?
Yes. Secret shopper, mystery shopper and mystery customer are three names for the same job, so this form works as a secret shopper survey as it stands.
How is mystery shopping different from a customer satisfaction survey?
A mystery shopper checks whether your standard was met on one visit. A customer satisfaction survey asks real customers how their visit felt. Run both on the same stores: this form finds the missed step, and customers show whether they noticed it.
Michael Hodge, survey methodology · Updated 27 September 2026 · How templates are reviewed
Sources (1)
- Market Research Society. "MRS Guideline: Conducting Mystery Shopping." March 2020. mrs.org.uk
Give every shopper the same fourteen checks
About four minutes per visit, scored the same way at every store. Set your greeting time and briefed question, then send it to your first shopper.
Use this template