Scores of secret store visits have yielded great ideas

After more than six years and almost 100 store visits, our Mystery Shopper is retiring.

The anonymous assessor has visited independent, chain, church and general market stores across the country to evaluate how Christian product consumers are served.

While not identifying the individual stores that came under scrutiny, the reports have been detailed enough to help other retailers discover best practices they might want to adopt—and highlight weaknesses they will want to avoid.

Initially reported without feedback, Mystery Shopper assessments were later sent to the stores that had been visited, inviting them to comment on our observations and opinions and including those retailer reactions in the magazine.

The Mystery Shopper files have been popular with readers, but less so on occasions with owners and managers unhappy with the rating or comments they received. Some, though, have welcomed the undercover visits covered in the column, which also won a Florida Magazine Association award for best department.

As our Mystery Shopper signed off, we asked:

What has made you qualified to "judge" christian retail stores?

I have been actively involved in the industry for 25 years. Even before Mystery Shopper began, I had visited more than 400 CBA-member stores. Plus, I love our industry and am eager for everyone—supplier, publisher, retailer—to succeed.

Why are you "retiring"?

Our industry has changed.

The retailer responses have been one of the most interesting elements of the Mystery Shopper. However, most chains do not respond. 

Some of the strongest independents have closed or been sold, so it's been increasingly difficult to locate excellent stores that might respond to a visit. 

In addition, most top-notch retailers now include photos on their Web sites, so retailers who want to learn from other stores can take a virtual tour.

How did you conduct your visits? 

I would simply pull out a small notepad, jot notes and sketch the store layout. Making notes about stores has become easier through the years, as an increasing number of them have comfortable chairs.

I especially appreciated finding a parking spot that allowed me to see into a store. After a visit, I would sit in the car and fill in the notebook blanks before driving away.

I spent at least half an hour, and usually much more, in each store.

were you ever found out during one of your store visits?

In all the Mystery Shopper visits, no one ever asked what I was doing. Actually, frontliners seldom spoke to me beyond a brief "hello" upon entering.

What's the big difference you noticed between chains, independents and church stores?

Chain stores were often better organized and had deeper and broader inventory than many of the independents. 

Church store inventories clearly targeted a specific customer base—a fact especially obvious in the music, Bible study and preaching categories. 

Plus, clearly marked restrooms were more obvious in chains; most church stores did not have them. 

How have stores changed most notably in the years you have been doing this?

Shrinkage of both phone book ads and in-store music sections became obvious.?

Inventories in gift departments have not only increased, but retailers are also more attentive to visual merchandising. Gift products are also looking much classier, as the industry now includes more than only "country Christian."

Books are organized in more subcategories now. Fiction, business and health-related topics have expanded.?Our retailers do a great job of displaying books and Bibles. 

However, there is still uncertainty about the best place to locate and display non-book items that don't fit into a specific category. For example, I've seen "Dance Praise" in music, children and gift departments. And what do you do with tech games? 

Suppliers should step forward and help retailers display non-book products, especially in emerging categories. "Holy hardware" is being neatly displayed (at last!) in a wide variety of acrylic racks. Thanks in part to Kerusso's Light House, retailers have some small footprint options for T-shirts, as hanging racks have been a messy issue.

What do you think of the responses you received to some of your critiques?

When the Mystery Shopper launched, our goal was to "offer observations from the frontlines, so readers could reflect on what they were doing and learn new ways to grow Christian retail." I was thrilled when retailers responded with changes they were making as a result of these visits. 

I understood how some other retailers were defensive; after all, a store is their "baby." But I was sorry some weren't willing to grow and learn. I wonder how many of those retailers are still in business.

Which was the most unique store and why?

C28, in the Santa Ana Mall in Southern California, had such a laser target on their customer, that they were unique in all aspects of store design, inventory and staff.  

On the opposite coast, The National Cathedral Museum Store in Washington, D.C., had an incredible location in the undercroft of an amazing landmark.

Overall, what do you think of the standard of customer service in Christian retail stores?

In my heart, I want to say, "Great." After all, customer service has always been a much-touted strength of Christian retail. But I rarely experienced outstanding customer service, especially in the last couple years. 

With the economic crisis, retailers have obviously cut staff. Suppliers and publishers could do a better job of providing in-store merchandising aids to help self-serve customers.

Did anything surprise you in your visits?

Historically, we've always thought that customer service at independents outshone the chains. Given that background, I was surprised to find some of the most attentive retailers, with the best knowledge of their inventory, at the chains.

I was also surprised to find dust-free glass shelves in the gift section of almost every single store. Knowing how hard it is to keep glass shelves clean, this was amazing.

I believe suppliers and publishers would be surprised or shocked to see how ineffectively some of their products are displayed.

How can stores do their own periodic "mystery shopper" reviews?

Ask friends or relatives, visiting from out of town, to drop in unannounced. For novice Mystery Shoppers, ask them to look for specifics. 

For example, you might ask, "What helped you locate the store? What's the first thing you noticed outside? What could you see through the windows? Who first spoke to you and what did they say?" 

Tell us about your own local Christian store.

Our nearest independent is pitiful. It's on the slow end of a busy strip. Inventory is minimal in almost every department except gifts. 

We also have two stores from a chain in the vicinity. Both are well-stocked and attractive. We don't have any local church stores.

Do you personally shop for christian products on the internet?

Yes, I use ChristianBook.com. I also buy Christian fiction at Wal-Mart and KMart.

What's your overall pet peeve about Christian stores?

Two problems became pet peeves, because I saw them so often:

 ?oo many stores leave open the door to the workroom. Close your door! 

 ?he back of displays visible from the parking lot. Two-sided displays maximize product visibility for customers.

Which stores of those you visited particularly stick in your mind?

Two church stores stand out in my mind: Prestonwood Bookstore at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and The Rockpile at The Rock Church in San Diego.

At Prestonwood, every aisle oozes classiness. In some CBA stores, I felt like the dingy atmosphere was expected and tolerated. But on each visit to Prestonwood, I felt respected like a first-class citizen. 

I also love the separate children's store. CBA stores usually bury the children's department in the back. That seems backwards, when we consider the exploding population among boomer grandmothers.

At the Rockpile, I loved the surfboard mounted on the wall. It brought the fun atmosphere of Southern California into the store. If independents are going to stand out from well-stocked chains, localizing both the environment and inventory is one strategy. Rockpile also had a dressing room with a full-length mirror, important for customers who shop for apparel, including school uniforms. It had exceptional customer service, posting volunteers in each department who knew the specific inventory.

What final thoughts do you have for retailers?

Like other customers, I researched online before making Mystery Shopper visits. With the excellent tech companies serving Christian retail, there is no excuse for a store to have an outdated or inefficient Web site. 

Every frontliner should wear a headset so phone customers can be served efficiently. 

Too often, I saw staffers put down the phone at the register and walk across a store, then walk all the way back to the register, to answer a customer's question. Mobile technology allows a frontliner to have both hands free and engage the phone customer in conversation during the product search. 

Greet every person who walks in the door. In so many stores I was a phantom shopper—in and out. Unless I purchased something or asked a specific question, no one ever knew I was there. During Mystery Shopper visits, that was only reflected in a star rating;?when customers are ghosts, that is reflected in the bottom line.

I will no longer wear my Mystery Shopper hat, but when I walk into your store as a customer, will someone smile at me?

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