Three Easy Steps to Increase Your Business
Small improvements in each of these areas could reap big rewards!
Fueling Excellence
The outside of your location is clean and visually appealing to your customers and that they have a nice experience while filling up at the pump.
Learn MoreShopping Excellence
The inside of your location is clean, easy to get around and nice to look at for your customers — especially the restrooms.
Learn MoreCustomer Excellence
You and your employees look nice and give friendly, helpful service to each customer that walks through your door.
Learn MoreAbout
The Trimark of Excellence Mystery Shop Program is uniquely designed to protect the integrity of the CITGO brand and reward you for your day-to-day efforts to maintain it. It creates consistency across the brand and allows for tracking accomplishments as well as areas of improvement, both in store and at the pump.
Additional Information
Mystery Shop Frequency
Your locations will be shopped secretly by a third-party vendor four times per year, so we can give you better feedback.
- Shop One: Jan. 1 - March 31
- Shop Two: April 1 - June 30
- Shop Three: July 1 - Sept. 30
- Shop Four: Oct. 1 - Dec. 31
Grading System
The grading system pinpoints your performance based on a possible score of 100% plus up to two bonus points, with all questions allowing for partial credit. A pass/fail score will be given on select brand image questions. Locations that score 97% or higher on any given shop will receive a reward.
Locations scoring 80% or lower on any given shop are considered failing and penalties will be applied.
Questionnaire/ Checklist
The questionnaire emphasizes consistency and is divided into three sections that encompass the overall retail experience of your customers—fueling excellence, shopping excellence and customer service excellence.
Rewards
Make Your Mark. Reap the Rewards.
Your attention to retail detail will not go unnoticed!
Quarterly Rewards
If your location scores 97% or higher on a quarterly shop, you will receive the following from your gasoline supplier:
- $250 in CITGO Gift Cards
- A letter of commendation
- A performance certificate to display in the store
Annual Rewards
If you are among the top 500 retail locations for the year, you will receive the following from your gasoline supplier:
- $500 in Visa® gift cards
- A recognition plaque
- A letter of commendation
Results
You will be notified that your mystery shop survey was completed after each shop. Contact your CITGO gasoline supplier to review your results. You can also review results on myCITGOstore.com, if your location is registered on the website. Just click the “Mystery Shop Results” button.
Penalties
Your gasoline supplier will receive the following penalties for each location scoring less than 80% on consecutive shops. They will decide whether or not to pass them on to you.
- 1st failure - warning letter (no charge)
- 2nd consecutive failure - $500 charge
- 3rd consecutive failure - $1,000 charge and subject to debrand
- 4th consecutive failure - $2,000 charge and subject to debrand
- 5 or more failures - $2,500 charge and subject to debrand
After the first-quarter results are completed, Retailers that register on this site will have access to:
- Quick, easy-to-understand performance reports
- A complete survey review after each shop
- A request for appeal process should you question your scores for any reason
Appeals
To receive points back on your survey for corrections made to select branding issues, or if you feel a scoring error was made, you can submit an Appeal by clicking the “Appeal” button at the top of your survey in the Alta360 Research reporting portal. All correction photos should be taken from the same spot as the original mystery shop photo. Appeals must be submitted within 30 days of the original mystery shop or up to 10 days after the close of the quarter, whichever comes first.
Locations who receive a Brand auto-failure can retroactively receive their points back (and any penalties) if you submit an appeal with correction photos prior to the end of the following quarter.
Steps to submit an AppealTips & Tricks
Tips & Tricks is a feedback feature found on your quarterly mystery shop reports. Automatically populating under select questions, they provide you with solutions to file existing issues in order to avoid penalties on future shops. They do not offer points back.