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social sector recruitment agency
Mystery Shopping To Investigate Underage Sales
About The Client
A social sector recruitment agency partnered with Mackman Research to investigate underage sales compliance in general stores across Suffolk.
The project aimed to assess whether retailers were consistently enforcing age verification policies for restricted goods such as alcohol, cigarettes, and kitchen knives.
Table of Contents
The Research Project
Mackman Research was commissioned by a social sector recruitment agency to mystery shop 22 (undisclosed) general stores, in Suffolk. The mystery shopper was asked to purchase cigarettes, alcohol, or a kitchen knife (sharps). The purpose of the mystery shop was to test the proof of age I.D. request at each store within the 25 years and under policy.
Customer Feedback Survey Results
Precisely half of the mystery shopped stores failed to ask our researcher for I.D. when purchasing either cigarettes or alcohol. Our researcher made detailed observations at each location. He noted that there were two occasions where I.D. was requested, but it appeared to be a last minute gesture that was prompted by text on a till screen. In addition, the majority of stores which did not request I.D. were found to be located in areas where there appeared to be a high density of social housing. Mackman Research provided the client with strong results to support an in-house assignment.
Research Aims & Objectives
The primary aim of the research was to assess compliance with retail age verification policies among general stores in Suffolk. The client sought to understand how often ID was being requested and whether store staff were consistently applying the “25 and under” policy. A secondary objective was to gather qualitative insights on environmental or behavioural factors influencing ID checks, to inform internal strategy and stakeholder reporting.
The Research Design & Methodology
A 21 year old male researcher conducted the mystery shopping. He wore smart / casual clothing. During the mystery shop exercise, it was found that the store group no longer stock kitchen knives or any other sharp implements, therefore purchases were made of cigarettes and alcohol only.
The mystery shop exercise was conducted in one day during the hours of 10am and 4.20pm.
Research Outcomes
The mystery shop exercise revealed significant inconsistencies in the enforcement of age verification protocols. The final report not only confirmed the client’s concerns about non-compliance in certain areas but also identified specific locations where intervention or training could be prioritised. The insights provided helped the client strengthen their internal safeguarding policies and supported wider discussions around community risk factors and retail accountability.
What The Client Says
“Thank you for the work the Mackman Group did for me earlier this year. Your staff completely understood what I wanted to achieve right from the start of the project. The information you provided me in the mystery shops was concise yet comprehensive. Furthermore the report you supplied me not only covered everything I had specified but also included additional comments of interest and of use to me. I would certainly recommend the Mackman Group for Mystery Shops.”
Paula Mcpherson, Director
