The (Un) Secret Shopper

Jonnie Wright was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1964 and grew up in Cambridge, a small town 20 miles to the north.

He was raised by his funny mother, demanding grandmother and tolerant aunt; these were three strong, progressive, independent – minded women.

Throughout his formative years, as he was “invited” to come along on thousands of visits to area malls, supermarkets, big box stores and mom and pop joints, Jonnie watched, observed and eventually “got” it, absorbing the lessons taught by The Power Shopping 3.

None was more important than the importance of business owners and employees offering great customer service to their shoppers – a lesson he would one day revisit.

After graduating from Ballard High School in 1983, Jonnie - with minor delays incurred during an aborted career as a college student – embarked on a 20 year career as a radio and TV broadcaster and commercial writer, including stops in Cleveland, Long Island, Dallas, San Antonio and Des Moines, and the less glamorous Pocatello, Idaho, Tyler, Texas and Northampton, Massachusetts. 

His interviews and interactions with business owners and customers he met along the road of his broadcast journey helped solidify for Jonnie what his upbringing had taught him: employee and customer retention and satisfaction, company revenue, and everyone’s happiness are inexorably linked.

 

His company’s mantra would evolve from that understanding: Shop happy. Serve happy.

Eventually Jonnie put down the microphone, picked up a pen and began writing his thoughts about the powerful synergy between customer and employee, company and happiness.

These writings eventually evolved into a blog called The Unsecret Shopper, which became the blueprint for a customer service training program and Secret Shopping company called The Buyosphere, which Jonnie developed and launched, in 2005.

Today, Jonnie uses his Buyosphere training program and a team of professional Secret Shoppers to help his business owner clients and their hundreds of employees, create a better shopping experience for us all.

He has also picked up the microphone again; The Unsecret Shopper Radio Show can be heard Saturday mornings 8-9am, on 1350, KRNT.