Marathon Petroleum Corp. and Chevron USA have informed their branded wholesalers that they will continue to suspend the mystery shopper surveys they use to enforce brand standards, according to notices obtained by OPIS. ExxonMobil, Shell and Sinclair told OPIS their mystery shop programs remain on hold. Shell initially told jobbers that it could resume mystery shops in May, but now that’s not the case. “Shell announced a pause in the MMP (Mystery Motorist) program for Period 2 shops back in April, until further notice, and have not announced a date yet for resuming the program,” the company said. Sinclair told OPIS that it had “paused” its mystery shopper program in March but has announced the restart effective June 1. However, the company also has decided to reduce the number of shops for the year from three to two. Other majors are expected to do the same. In March, oil brands and the market research firms that conduct these surveys said they would temporarily stop their mystery shopper programs to limit personal interaction and comply with local restrictions during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
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