A Dance to the Music of Time:

As a "mystery shopper;' the author negotiated watch prices in 26 different stores. By ja ne Boon t started with an e-mail. Second to None, a n Ann Arbor (Mich.) field re. arch com­ pany, was looking fo r people in (he ew York area who would prerend to shop for a lUxury watch, negotiate on th e price, then complete an online questionnaire about the experience. Training would be provided, and 1 was to receive $80 for each negotiation, plus the occa­ sional bonus. Many companies hire mystery shoppers-just like regular shoppers, except nosier-to find out if their front ·line customer service representative!i and sales associates comply with corporate guidelines. They hire outfits such as Second to None to oversee the fieldwork; it'~ a $1 billion industry with more than 250 companies and 1.5 million independent con · tractors worldwide, according to the Dallas-based Mys! ry Shopping Providers Assn. I love shopping for watches. And the idea that J might be paid to We wer e trained to be Hkable. Rudeness doesn't work when buying a $20,000 watcb shop for them trum ped my innate fear of e-maiIs that seem toO good to be true-even if J wasn't actually purchasing a watch. (Transactions were ended by, for exampl , laiming I'd forgotten my credit card.) During a fi ve-hour training session in midtown Manhattan, my group of 10 would-be mystery shop­ pers role-played with a sales trainer whose typical [aSk was teaching sales as ociates how to dose a deal at the highest po sible price. Now, she was teaching us how to get them at the lowest possible price. The trainer, who, Uk the client, remained anonymous, stressed that watch negotiations are generally civi­ lized and friendly. We were trained to be gentle, Iik· able, and patient-verging·on-slow. Rudeness doesn't work when you're buyjng a $20,000 timepiece. Real buyers savor the experience, and the best price is re­ erved for favored clients. On my first assignment, at an independent jew­ elry and wa tch store near Wall Street, I got a white­ gold-and-diamond Cartier Tank Fran ~ai se reduced by 25 percent after reciting a few polite, rehearsed lines of dissatisfaction. Wal ki ng the saleswoman dow n the price ladder-using q ue. tion from "Is there something more you can do ~ r me?" and "Can you offer an price assistance?" to "This isn't what