Ron Welty, vice president of Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA), the largest professional trade association dedicated to improving service quality, told me in a previous interview that he believes that using a mystery shopper may help independent retailers better evaluate their customer service. Carl Ashby, president of Ann-Crittenden Hallmark Gold Crown stores, agrees that the unbiased evaluation of mystery shoppers has been a part of his success as an owner of thirteen stores throughout North and South Carolina. "It isn't just about evaluating the customer service level of your employees when you aren't around, but mystery shopping has provided me with an extra set of eyes and ears, since being in all thirteen locations is impossible," Ashby notes.