Most people hear “secret shopper” and imagine someone casually walking around a store, maybe buying a soda, writing a few notes, and going home.
Easy money.
Low stress.
No drama.
Yeah… not exactly.
A TikTok creator says when he took a gig secretly evaluating workers at Costco, he quickly discovered the job came with something he never expected.
Tracking employees.
For long stretches.
Close enough that they might notice.
He thought coworkers were exaggerating
Phil (@philbrkn) says other people had warned him.
They told him it could feel awkward.
They told him workers sometimes catch on.
They told him he might have to keep someone in view longer than feels comfortable.
He figured they were being dramatic.
“I never believed them,” he admitted.
Then it happened.
Suddenly he was the “creepy guy”
In the viral clip — now sitting at over 3 million views — Phil films inside the warehouse while moving past food sample stations and the meat counter.
On-screen text summed up the reality of the assignment:
When I worked as a secret shopper for Costco and genuinely had to stalk the employees.
In the caption, he added:
“Weirdest experience ever.”
Because unlike loss-prevention workers, secret shoppers aren’t there to watch customers.
They’re there to watch staff.
Are they greeting people?
Are they offering samples?
Are they following policy?
Are they keeping areas clean?
Everything gets written down later in a report.
@philbrkn weirdest experience ever #costco #secretshopper #tbt #throwback #fyp ♬ In Game (From “Granny”) – Diego Dibala
And yes — he did have to write people up
One commenter asked the obvious question:
Did he actually find anyone doing something wrong?
Phil said yes.
And he felt terrible about it.
Specifically, he had to note when workers weren’t actively calling shoppers over to try samples.
For viewers, that detail hit hard.
The comment section exploded
People who said they’d encountered secret shoppers before started sharing stories of their own.
One person claimed they accidentally got a mystery shopper fired after repeatedly seeing the same individual in different aisles and reporting them for suspicious behavior.
Another retail worker said they once got in trouble for helping a customer because they were supposed to focus only on stocking shelves.
To many, the system felt backwards.
“This feels slimy”
A big chunk of the audience wasn’t debating whether the practice exists.
They were debating whether it should.
Several commenters called the idea sneaky.
Others said it creates unnecessary paranoia for workers already juggling difficult jobs.
Because here’s the reality:
Employees usually don’t know when they’re being evaluated.
Or by whom.
Can a bad report actually cost someone their job?
According to numerous retail workers online, yes.
Stories across forums describe mystery shopper reviews being used in performance evaluations, write-ups, suspensions, and even terminations.
In many states, companies can legally fire employees for almost any non-discriminatory reason.
Meaning one anonymous visit could carry serious weight.
Not everyone is convinced
Some viewers doubted whether Costco even uses secret shoppers.
But workers and contractors across social media insist it’s common throughout retail — especially in large chains where consistency matters.
Either way, Phil says he learned something fast
What sounds simple on paper can feel very different in practice.
Instead of casually browsing, he found himself constantly wondering:
Do they know I’m watching?
Am I standing too close?
Is this weird?
By the end of it, he had one clear takeaway.
He never wanted to do it again.
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