Carphone is set to axe its mystery shopper firm Gapbuster, and will instead appeal to customers to give feedback on its sales staff’s performance.

Carphone bosses feel that mystery shopper feedback is unreliable because store staff have begun to recognise them, store mangers have been told.

The retailer now plans to ask customers for feedback by placing a phone number at the bottom of random receipts, and will offer customers incentives for giving feedback. It is believed the new scheme will be implemented in September.

Carphone staff are currently given a maximum of £300 worth of store vouchers if they are given good reports by Gapbuster’s shoppers. The incentive is considered easy money because staff are often aware when they are being mystery shopped.

One staffer said: ‘At the moment when a new mystery shopper comes
in, it’s always obvious who they are and we’ll email warnings to each other about what they look like.’