Today on Undercover Customer I’m talking with Michael Glazer. Michael runs one of the longest standing mystery shopping and merchandising firms in North America. He built it from scratch, one shop at a time, and now manages tens of thousands of visits across retail, banking, hospitality and automotive.

Here’s why I wanted this conversation.

We talk about what mystery shopping really is. Not spying. Not trying to “catch” employees. It’s about catching what’s real in the moment a customer meets your brand. Did someone acknowledge me. Did anyone help me. Did anyone care. Michael calls it catching smiles. I love that.

We get into the gap between corporate intent and in-store reality. Headquarters can design the perfect seven-step experience and build a beautiful slide for the board. Then you walk into the actual store and none of it is happening. He and I talk about how wide that gap is, why it keeps happening, and how leaders should be using mystery shopping to close it instead of treating it like a report that props up a wobbly desk.

We talk accountability. Culture. The role of the store manager. The fact that consistency is not accidental. Someone is following up in real time or it doesn’t stick.

We also talk about where service has slipped. The bar has gotten so low that basic respect now feels exceptional. That should wake people up. Michael makes the argument that this is exactly the moment to bring pride back into running a store, a branch, or a restaurant.

And we hit on something I believe in deeply. Human intelligence. You cannot fix customer experience from a spreadsheet. You fix it by being present, listening, and acting on what you see. That’s how you build loyalty. That’s how you keep it.

If you run stores or branches. If you own the customer experience number. If you’re in charge of service but you’re starting to feel numb to the word “experience.” Listen to this one.