NATIONAL SHOPPING SERVICE ANNOUNCES 150,000th MYSTERY SHOPPER

When: 10-26-2004
Where: Market Wire (press release) - USA

Leading Mystery Shopping Firm Taps Record Number of Shoppers to Perform Evaluations for Retail Organizations to Improve Business Efficiency, Customer Service

Rocklin, Calif., October 26, 2004 –National Shopping Service, a leading provider of customizable mystery shopping services, today announced its 150,000th “mystery shopper.” The company uses mystery shoppers to provide evaluation and feedback services for worldwide retail organizations to give them the objective, actionable data they need to improve staff performance and increase customer loyalty. With the largest active network of technology-enabled mystery shoppers within the $1.5 billion mystery shopping industry, National Shopping Service provides insights on employee / customer interactions that help companies improve business performance.

“National Shopping Service sets itself above its competition in a number of ways, and the company’s shoppers have always been its greatest asset,” said Matt Wozniak, president and CEO of National Shopping Service. “With more than 150,000 registered shoppers performing over 30,000 client visits a month, National Shopping Service provides a truly fresh perspective. We expect our shopper count to continue to grow rapidly, with nearly 5,000 new shoppers joining our team each month.”

National Shopping Service’s mystery shoppers call on retail businesses posing as ordinary customers and then provide detailed evaluations of their experiences. With the 150,000th shopper in place, National Shopping Service now provides clients even greater shopper rotation, with faster turnaround times and vaster geographic coverage. This translates into complete shopper anonymity, faster information delivery for time-sensitive research, and increased service availability in even the most isolated geographical regions. All National Shopping Service shoppers go through a thorough verification and training process, making them the most qualified and technologically savvy mystery shoppers available, serving a number of industries. Many National Shopping Service shoppers are gold- and silver-certified by Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA), the industry’s leading trade organization.
"I have been a mystery shopper for more than ten years and have worked for a number of providers throughout my career, shopping at banks, post offices, auto dealers, building / home supply retailers, and various types of restaurants,” said Bruce Haskin, National Shopping Service mystery shopper. "I have found the National Shopping Service team to be very friendly and competent. Using the company's feature-rich website to report and schedule shops is convenient and easy, and shop fees and expense reimbursements arrive predictably around the same time each month. They are just are a wonderful bunch of people to work with."

About National Shopping Service
National Shopping Service offers customizable mystery shopping services and solutions for Global 2000 retail organizations. Through its personal, consultative approach, National Shopping Service uses state-of-the-art data collection methods, Web-based technologies and proprietary processes to give companies the information they need to understand and affect their businesses at points of customer interaction. Its work provides managers with third-party data validation for programs that increase customer loyalty and retention while also improving staff performance throughout the organization. With a network of more than 150,000 trained mystery shoppers conducting more than 30,000 site visits per month, National Shopping Service provides insights on employee / customer interactions that help companies improve business performance. More information can be found at: http://www.nationalshoppingservice.com.

CONTACT:
Kim Dion
Brodeur Worldwide
(415) 593-2262
kdion@brodeur.com
http://www.brodeur.com