Read the text. Match paragraphs A–E of the text with questions 1–7. There are two extra questions.
Mystery shopper
A
Rita Adams (not her real name) has an interesting job, but she’s not allowed to tell anyone about it in real life: ‘I’m a Mystery Shopper. That means that if I go shopping or go to a restaurant for a meal, people think that I’m a normal customer, but actually I’m there to check that everything’s OK.’
B
Rita is paid by the company that owns the restaurant or shop. ‘Large companies want to know what’s happening in their business, but it’s difficult for them to find out what the service is like or if the tables are clean, because if a manager visits, everyone will make a special effort.’ Most companies want to know what things are like for a normal customer – that’s why Rita’s job is so important. ‘If I go to a restaurant, I’ll check the time it takes for the food to arrive and if the table is clean. I also make sure the waiters say what they’re supposed to say.’
C
Although Rita looks for things that are wrong with a place, she likes it when staff are doing a good job. ‘I can usually find problems, but I really like it when I get good service. Sometimes a member of staff is very good at their job and they do everything they can for me as the customer. In my job, we call that “going the extra mile”.’
D
‘For every job I do, I have to write a report. I have to describe members of staff or write down their names if they are wearing a badge. The company can then use my report to sort out problems and also to give rewards to staff that are doing a good job.’
E
Rita enjoys the job, but it isn’t as easy as people think: ‘I get lots of free meals, but I never really relax when I’m working. I don’t do the reports until later, but I have to make notes or I’ll forget things.’ And there’s one thing that she needs to be particularly careful about: ‘If staff find out I’m a mystery shopper, I’ll lose my job. So I have to look like a normal customer. I’m quite good at that now, but I’m always slightly anxious that one day someone will guess what I do!’
In which paragraph does the mystery shopper tell us …
about one waiter who gave her excellent service?
something positive that she enjoys about her job?
what her role is?
what she has to provide for the company?
why it’s difficult for companies to check their own staff?
something she’s worried could happen in the future?
what she’s going to do one day?
Mystery shopper
A
Rita Adams (not her real name) has an interesting job, but she’s not allowed to tell anyone about it in real life: ‘I’m a Mystery Shopper. That means that if I go shopping or go to a restaurant for a meal, people think that I’m a normal customer, but actually I’m there to check that everything’s OK.’
B
Rita is paid by the company that owns the restaurant or shop. ‘Large companies want to know what’s happening in their business, but it’s difficult for them to find out what the service is like or if the tables are clean, because if a manager visits, everyone will make a special effort.’ Most companies want to know what things are like for a normal customer – that’s why Rita’s job is so important. ‘If I go to a restaurant, I’ll check the time it takes for the food to arrive and if the table is clean. I also make sure the waiters say what they’re supposed to say.’
C
Although Rita looks for things that are wrong with a place, she likes it when staff are doing a good job. ‘I can usually find problems, but I really like it when I get good service. Sometimes a member of staff is very good at their job and they do everything they can for me as the customer. In my job, we call that “going the extra mile”.’
D
‘For every job I do, I have to write a report. I have to describe members of staff or write down their names if they are wearing a badge. The company can then use my report to sort out problems and also to give rewards to staff that are doing a good job.’
E
Rita enjoys the job, but it isn’t as easy as people think: ‘I get lots of free meals, but I never really relax when I’m working. I don’t do the reports until later, but I have to make notes or I’ll forget things.’ And there’s one thing that she needs to be particularly careful about: ‘If staff find out I’m a mystery shopper, I’ll lose my job. So I have to look like a normal customer. I’m quite good at that now, but I’m always slightly anxious that one day someone will guess what I do!’
In which paragraph does the mystery shopper tell us …
about one waiter who gave her excellent service?
something positive that she enjoys about her job?
what her role is?
what she has to provide for the company?
why it’s difficult for companies to check their own staff?
something she’s worried could happen in the future?
what she’s going to do one day?
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Answers & Comments
about one waiter who gave her excellent service? Paragraph C
something positive that she enjoys about her job? Paragraph C
what her role is? Paragraph A
what she has to provide for the company? Paragraph D
why it’s difficult for companies to check their own staff? Paragraph B
something she’s worried could happen in the future? Paragraph E
what she’s going to do one day? There is no information about this in the text.