Contributed by mystery shopper Jennifer X

Mystery shoppers must remember all sorts of client-required details to fill out their reports. With pages of questions to answer and narratives to write, mystery shoppers can use all the help they can get recreating their experience.

There’s an app for that! Shoppers who have invested in Smartphone technology are at least one step ahead. There are apps to take notes, pictures, videos or audio recordings. Most voice recorders have time stamps, so coughing at the beginning and end of your shop can help determine how long it took. Don’t have a Smartphone? Can you text yourself? How about just calling your voicemail; you can leave your cell phone on during your shop and you’ll have a full account when you get home.

That employee, what was his name again? I only saw his name tag for a moment. Luckily, there are tricks for remembering people’s appearance and names. Do they remind you of someone you know?  Maybe they’re a cross between so and so and so and so. How about a celebrity? A friend?

When you need to describe employees, build your avatar.  Develop a male and a female body image to use as a standard. When you come in contact with someone, identify items that do not match your avatar. For example, your male avatar might be 5’10”, Caucasian, straight brown hair reaching the shirt collar, brown eyes, black polo shirt, black pants, and no glasses. The employee you met had blond hair and glasses but matched everything else. So all you need to note or remember is two descriptive items instead of eight.

Remembering a name can be harder. Try spelling it in your head. Repeat it out loud. Visualize yourself writing it or rhyme it with similar words. Test yourself as you follow the person. Create an association: picture an object with that name or even a family member (use pleasant images only). Use humor or signals such as traffic signs. You could picture them in odd places. Can you see May serving your mom on Mother’s Day? Is that Nathan serving you that hot dog on the beach? You can sing their name. “Michelle” has been immortalized by the Beatles. Different techniques work for different people. Try them all.

The Learning Revolution (1999) suggests creating mind maps linking information to what you already know. You can also picture people and objects in your house or on your body. Another memory technique involves memorizing a list by picturing each item placed somewhere around your living room. In your mind, you can see each piece on a mantle or shelf as you inspect the room from left to right.

Some say fish is brain food, but your mind still needs exercise to stay in shape just like the rest of your body. Try Googling “memory games.” The internet is filled with sites that can help. You can play a mind game the next time you’re stuck in traffic. Can you name all the places you’ve travelled? Can you list all the restaurants you’ve shopped? How many spices do you remember?

The best way to remember what happened during the shop? Fill out your report as soon as you’re done. Don’t wait. Some quick notes in the car will make reporting easier, but nothing beats logging in and reporting  as soon as you get home.