One of the most controversial ways retail companies evaluate their employees is through a role known as a secret, or mystery, shopper.
While many customers confuse the title with someone whose job it is to watch for suspicious activity from customers, known as loss prevention, that’s not what a secret shopper does.
Instead, their job is to visit retail stores to evaluate customer service, make purchases, make sure the space is clean, confirm the employees are following company rules, and more. Then, they typically fill out a questionnaire and send it to a third party.
Recently, TikTok creator Phil (@philbrkn) shared the darker side of what it’s like to work as a secret shopper, specifically at a Costco warehouse in California.
In his clip, which went viral with more than 3.1 million views, Phil walks around the aisle filming sample distributors and employees at the meat counter. “Tbt when i was a secret shopper for costco and genuinely had to stalk the employees,” Phil wrote in the video’s text overlay.
He added in the caption, “weirdest experience ever.”
Commenters Share Experiences With Secret Shoppers
In the comments section, viewers who claimed to have crossed paths with a secret shopper shared what it was like.
“I got a secret shopper fired once because I would see him every time I went to the grocery store and I genuinely thought he was stalking me so he got fired for being bad at his job,” shared one user.
“Got in trouble once for actually asking a customer if they needed help,” wrote another. “Apparently I was supposed to ONLY be restocking products. Not helping the customers???”
One person wanted to know about the results of Phil’s work. “Did u find anything off?” they asked. Phil responded, “i felt so bad.. but yes… I had to report if they weren’t calling people over to try samples.”
Other commenters questioned whether the practice is morally right. “this whole concept of stalking employees is so damn slimey,” one wrote. “sneaky sneaky.”
While a few viewers expressed doubts about whether Costco employs secret shoppers at all, the comments above and other reports online claim that it’s a common occurrence.
Can Secret Shoppers Get Employees In Trouble?
There are several instances online of retail workers claiming that a secret shopper’s report led to their termination.
One Reddit user shared their story on r/rantsfromretail. They stated that they lost their two-year job after two secret shoppers’ reviews of them were “absolutely terrible.”
Another user on r/retailhell said secret shoppers were an integral part of their performance review. According to the user, who claimed to work at an authorized Apple dealer, if they didn’t pass the mystery shopper’s reviews, managers would temporarily suspend them for an entire month.
Because most U.S. states operate under at-will employment laws, employees have no protection from consequences like this. At-will employment means an employer can terminate a worker at any time and for almost any reason, as long as it isn’t discriminatory.
@philbrkn weirdest experience ever #costco #secretshopper #tbt #throwback #fyp
BroBible has reached out to Costco via contact form and Phil via TikTok messages for comment.