Let me tell you about one of my clients—they sell high-end luxury cars. Naturally, they assume that their ideal customers are people who walk into the dealership dressed in suits, with university degrees, and a certain air of sophistication. So, they asked us to send mystery shoppers who fit that exact mold. But here’s the thing: those people aren’t always the ones buying their cars.
Especially in a country like Australia, where people don’t dress to impress every time they walk into a store, you have to be careful about the assumptions you make about potential customers. Prejudging customers based on how they look, dress, or act is not only wrong—it’s bad for business.
The Danger of Pre-Judging
The truth is, when you train your staff to expect customers to look a certain way, they’ll only serve the people who fit that mold. They assume that if you don’t look like the “typical” buyer, you’re not worth the effort. And that’s where the real damage happens—both to the customer experience and your sales numbers.
We see this all the time in mystery shopping. Staff ignore or give poor service to people they think won’t buy, all because of preconceived notions about what a “real” customer should look like. Maybe someone walks in wearing casual clothes, or they’re younger than expected, or they don’t carry themselves with the expected level of refinement. And just like that, they’re treated as if they aren’t a serious buyer.
But here’s the reality: you have no idea who’s ready to make a purchase. The next person who walks in could be the one ready to drop thousands of dollars on your product—whether they look the part or not.
Serving Customers Across All Walks of Life
That’s why, in mystery shopping, we don’t just send in one type of shopper. We send people from all walks of life—different ages, different ethnic backgrounds, and dressed in a variety of ways. This is intentional. We want to see how your staff treats everyone, not just those who fit the “ideal” customer profile.
If you’re not consistent in your service, you’re leaving money on the table. You never know who’s ready to buy, and treating someone poorly based on how they look could cost you a sale.
Consistency Is Key
Now, don’t get me wrong—there are cases where it makes sense to tailor your approach to a specific demographic. For example, when we mystery shop high-end river cruises in Europe, it makes sense to only send shoppers over the age of 55 because that’s the typical customer for that product. But for most businesses, you need to be ready to serve anyone and everyone who walks through your door, regardless of how they look.
If your staff only delivers top-tier service to people who meet their narrow expectations, you’re not only missing out on potential sales, you’re actively driving away customers. Consistency is key.
The Right Thing to Do, and the Smart Thing
At the end of the day, treating every customer equally isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s also good for business. Your staff’s job is to provide the best service possible to every person who walks through the door, whether they’re wearing a three-piece suit or a pair of flip-flops.
Mystery shopping exposes these gaps in service, and it’s eye-opening for many businesses. They realize that their prejudgments about customers are actually hurting their bottom line. When we send in mystery shoppers who don’t “look the part,” we often see them receiving worse service, and that’s a red flag. It shows that the staff aren’t consistent, and they’re making assumptions that can seriously hurt the business.
Removing Prejudice from Customer Service
The best way to combat this? Train your staff to treat every customer with the same level of respect and attention, regardless of what they look like or how they’re dressed. Get rid of the preconceptions about who your “ideal” customer is, and be ready to serve everyone.
By removing these prejudices, you’ll not only improve the customer experience, but you’ll also see a positive impact on your sales. The person you didn’t think would buy might just surprise you.
That’s why we do mystery shopping. To help businesses uncover these biases and fix them. Because at the end of the day, treating every customer the same isn’t just good ethics—it’s good business.
