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Shops with kids?

March 01, 2018 08:30PM
Just wondering about mystery shopping companies that allow children? I know marketforce does with some clients. An Any others you know of?
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March 01, 2018 09:53PM
To a large degree, it's more about the client than the MSC. Some shops require kids (compliance shops at movie theaters and video game stores). Some strongly encourage kids (bowling allies, amusement parks, zoos, some restaurants). Many forbid bringing kids. For the most part, bringing kids is ill-advised.

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.
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March 01, 2018 10:36PM
We rarely take children to work in any work position.
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March 02, 2018 01:48AM
My "kids" are 14 and 16. I rarely take them to shops with me. They seem to burst out laughing at inopportune moments and get bored easily. Maybe when there is food involved they will happily volunteer (think burger joints). Otherwise they are more of a hindrance than a help.
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March 02, 2018 10:50AM
My kids are full grown adults. I take them with me when I need a plus one guest. If your kids are little as in infants, toddlers, or young school age, then it is not appropriate to bring them on shops with the exception when the guidelines state that you can bring young children with you. The reason why most MSC forbids children to bring along on shops is that your children can distract you from what you need to do for the shops. For example, if you brought your infant along for a bank shop, your infant can cry nonstop while the banker was trying to explain to you about their products.
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March 03, 2018 04:17AM
Teens are welcome at some movie shops. They are needed when testing age compliance for movie ratings. I have forgotten the name of the MSC who provides these shops, but I think it begins with an 'A'. If I were a teen, I would do that. Mind you, it would be more fun without a parent along, but..... Does this sound like something that you and your teen would like to do? (There is always the chance that your teen would like this and go on to do some mystery shops on their own.)

My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a chilly Christmas morning. (Mary Quant)
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March 03, 2018 04:24AM
When I first started doing mystery shopping I begged my kids to do those compliance shops with me. There are some for video games, which they need to try and buy a game that has an "M" rating. There are movie theater shops that they need to attempt to buy entry into an "R" rated movie. I used to beg and beg, but they would not and will not do it. They didn't like the fact that they were trying to do something dishonest. I tried to explain to them that this was to protect kids from getting access to things they shouldn't, but they still would not do it. I began to think I must have raised them right, since they didn't want to lie, or try and do something dishonest, but then my 16 year old said "why would I do it? I'm not the one getting paid. What's in it for me?" I haven't mentioned it again.
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March 03, 2018 08:00PM
@CTChamp wrote:

When I first started doing mystery shopping I begged my kids to do those compliance shops with me. There are some for video games, which they need to try and buy a game that has an "M" rating. There are movie theater shops that they need to attempt to buy entry into an "R" rated movie. I used to beg and beg, but they would not and will not do it. They didn't like the fact that they were trying to do something dishonest. I tried to explain to them that this was to protect kids from getting access to things they shouldn't, but they still would not do it. I began to think I must have raised them right, since they didn't want to lie, or try and do something dishonest, but then my 16 year old said "why would I do it? I'm not the one getting paid. What's in it for me?" I haven't mentioned it again.


I must be a mean mom because I don't beg my 16yr old... I tell him, "guess what we are doing tomorrow night....." And if my kids ever pull the "What's in it for me?" line my response is always "Well you get to live in this house and have food to eat.....AND you get to enjoy a movie at the theater"

My kids are not given choices to help me with things. I see it as another chore. I pay a small fortune for their education (Catholic school for 5 kids isn't cheap) so I expect their full cooperation.
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March 03, 2018 09:55PM
Some do - some don't. I did an ice cream place a few days ago and brought my niece and mentioned it in the report and the shop was approved. One MSC rejected my shop because I said I gave the food to my niece - saying I was supposed to eat it. Some shops REQUIRE you to bring a kid under a certain age: Disney Stores and Build-A-Bear - among others. So it varies. Read the guidelines and if in doubt ask ahead of time. For To-go shops it doesn't matter. Even if they say you must eat the food once you leave - like they are ever gonna know?
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March 03, 2018 10:36PM
My son is painfully shy; so even though he said that to me, I know that he won't do it because he's scared to, and it makes him feel uncomfortable to approach people like that on most occasions, and if he has to pretend to do something that is perceived as wrong, well, that would just make things worse for him. I would never force him to do something like that. It would be his choice. Besides it wasn't the theater one that he said that about. It was one where he had to go to an electronics store and buy an M game and see if they stopped him. he won't even go into a convenience store by himself, so I should have known he would never do anything like this. I can relate to this well, because I was shy myself at his age.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2018 10:58PM by CTChamp.
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March 03, 2018 10:58PM
@luckygirl0100 wrote:

@CTChamp wrote:

When I first started doing mystery shopping I begged my kids to do those compliance shops with me. There are some for video games, which they need to try and buy a game that has an "M" rating. There are movie theater shops that they need to attempt to buy entry into an "R" rated movie. I used to beg and beg, but they would not and will not do it. They didn't like the fact that they were trying to do something dishonest. I tried to explain to them that this was to protect kids from getting access to things they shouldn't, but they still would not do it. I began to think I must have raised them right, since they didn't want to lie, or try and do something dishonest, but then my 16 year old said "why would I do it? I'm not the one getting paid. What's in it for me?" I haven't mentioned it again.


I must be a mean mom because I don't beg my 16yr old... I tell him, "guess what we are doing tomorrow night....." And if my kids ever pull the "What's in it for me?" line my response is always "Well you get to live in this house and have food to eat.....AND you get to enjoy a movie at the theater"

My kids are not given choices to help me with things. I see it as another chore. I pay a small fortune for their education (Catholic school for 5 kids isn't cheap) so I expect their full cooperation.

OMG I was going to write exactly this last night!

Get your butt in there and ask for a pack of Pall Malls already. LOL
My kids did so many of the M rated games shops. It's a great gig.
My 16 year old is smart. She and her friends buy their movie tickets online or on their phones. They go see lots of Rated R movies (mostly liberal indy stuff). We did a Rated R movie in person scenario during a volleyball tournament in AZ. The fee paid for lunch. I didn't ask her. I told her that she'd be doing it.

Sure, the first time doing it is scary/nerve wracking, but so is life. You can't go through life being scared. My kids are confident. It is a learned behavior. As grown ups, being afraid of public speaking or not being able to run a meeting is really going to be an issue.
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March 03, 2018 11:05PM
Being shy as a teen ager didn't ruin my life, so expect it wont ruin his either. I speak in front of large groups each and every week for my day job. Everyone's personality is different. The same is true for parenting styles.
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March 04, 2018 03:37PM
My 16yr old PLAYS 'M' rated games... lol, he would have no problem attempting to buy them (as he is talking to the cashier about the newest updates to the game, lol)

He HATES that I have to walk in and buy it with him.

He goes to the grocery store for me all the time when I forget an ingredient or just need a few things and don't want to take the other kids with. He is employed! He works about 20hrs a week at Toys R Us, sometimes filling in shifts at Babies R Us. His supervisors have said he is great with customers and has been SPECIFICALLY named in 3 surveys by customers, complementing his customer service skills.
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March 04, 2018 04:02PM
Erica, I think Ellis allows well-behaved children to go with you on shops, but the thing is, until you get apartment shopping down well and are sure your kid isn't going to distract you from your observations, I wouldn't. Actually, I never took my stepkids very often with me on shops unless it was something kid friendly. Once I took them (and their father) to an amusement park where I had to evaluate concessions and other kiosks in the park. They had fun, I didn't. I won't every do one of those again!
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March 04, 2018 05:57PM
I don't know what your point is with this. My son (who will be 16 in a few weeks) is not old enough to get a job yet, and sure, when he is 16 he will get one. He is a straight A student in the honors program, and he plays rated M games as well, although, I only just let him do this recently. In this state, you need to be 16-1/2 to drive a car, so he couldn't "go to the grocery store" for me, even if he wanted to. The point is, he knows it's wrong to buy these things without a parent, and attempting to do something that is wrong is not something he enjoys or feels comfortable doing. I VALUE that trait in my son, it tells me that he has integrity. I really don't care what your son is doing with his time, as it is none of my business how you raise your children. BTW; in my area, these shops stay on the board forever, so that should give a clue about how successful they are at finding teen-agers to do them. I really don't think speaking about the differences in our children adds any value to this discussion, so this will be my last post on the matter.
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March 10, 2018 07:51PM
Hopefully I don't post anything illegal.

I have done shops for Amusement Advantage and Service Scouts with kids. Both generally encourage kids and sometimes require them depending on the client. I have taken a kid to dinner when the MSC allows a guest but doesn't specify "adult" in the guidelines.

I have mentioned it before but my 12-year-old is the name tag checker for me when she comes along. She knows what I am doing and is amazed how I can take pictures without even her noticing.
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March 10, 2018 08:04PM
I love this topic! IT might expand or define shopper experiences. Should it be a permanent part of the newbie board?

My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a chilly Christmas morning. (Mary Quant)
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March 10, 2018 11:43PM
@CTChamp wrote:

I don't know what your point is with this. My son (who will be 16 in a few weeks) is not old enough to get a job yet, and sure, when he is 16 he will get one. He is a straight A student in the honors program, and he plays rated M games as well, although, I only just let him do this recently. In this state, you need to be 16-1/2 to drive a car, so he couldn't "go to the grocery store" for me, even if he wanted to. The point is, he knows it's wrong to buy these things without a parent, and attempting to do something that is wrong is not something he enjoys or feels comfortable doing. I VALUE that trait in my son, it tells me that he has integrity. I really don't care what your son is doing with his time, as it is none of my business how you raise your children. BTW; in my area, these shops stay on the board forever, so that should give a clue about how successful they are at finding teen-agers to do them. I really don't think speaking about the differences in our children adds any value to this discussion, so this will be my last post on the matter.

Wasn't trying to attack your parenting... just 'bragging' on my kid a bit, but GEEZE! Anyway, YOU were the one who stated that your son said, "Why should I do it, I'm not the one getting paid." Um, yea doesn't sound like he made that decision on values, and if you're tying to say that kids who DO these shops don't have integrity oh boy..........
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March 12, 2018 12:59AM
You can always ask your scheduler if you can bring the child. It depends on the shop, the client, and MSC.
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March 12, 2018 02:56AM
@erica_miller1994 wrote:

Just wondering about mystery shopping companies that allow children? I know marketforce does with some clients. An Any others you know of?

We have shops that allow children [www.a-closer-look.com]

Jacqueline Biles
Independent Scheduler for Primo Solutions
Apartment and Senior Living Shops
Follow me on Facebook for NEW SHOPS:
Jackie Scheduler
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March 12, 2018 05:13AM
@jbiles wrote:

@erica_miller1994 wrote:

Just wondering about mystery shopping companies that allow children? I know marketforce does with some clients. An Any others you know of?

We have shops that allow children [www.a-closer-look.com]

Obviously I can't name clients but some shops list all taking part must be 21 but in some cases I have asked and been able to even take my 10-year-old niece and I have been able to do it. It never hurts to ask
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