Are theater checks worth the time?

July 23, 2012 05:06PM

I did a couple of theater checks last year. The first was okay because I only had to do the first showing. The second wore me out because I had to be there all day for all shows. The pay was good, but I haven't done it since. Standing around the theater, and even checking out other movies, got old after nearly 12 hours.

Has anyone found a way to make the all day theater counts worth while and not be so boring, or tiresome?

Sincerely,
H.A.R.D. at work

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July 23, 2012 10:20PM

Lately all I have been seeing available are the ones that you have to stay all day and hit every showing. How on earth do you stay in there that long without being approached by managers? Surely they must notice.

July 24, 2012 02:11AM

I've seen theater checkers bring a partner or a few of their friends to help them out.

hudge95, the managers are aware the theater checkers are there.

July 24, 2012 02:36AM

Many are revealed with a letter of authorization like the ones for Batman this past weekend.

Too long and boring to spend a day and night in one place unless you live down the block and are unemployed or retired. Factor in the cost of lunch and dinner also...

July 24, 2012 02:42AM

Are those things set up so you don't have time to leave and do anything else? It might be a good time to pick up a slew of phone shops if you can find some on the weekends.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

July 24, 2012 02:53AM

I've never seen an all day one. I do them all the time but they are trailer checks. I only have to spend about 20 minutes in each screen and usually have to do about 3 screens but I can hop from one right over to the next one.

July 24, 2012 07:57AM

I did one for MFI a couple weeks ago with a bunch of friends/family. They require you to send in the paperwork, and the site still says that I haven't submitted it. I mailed it right away. I just contacted them today, so hopefully it gets resolved.

My opinion is that it can be worth it, but not likely. I knew people who wanted to see the movie, so I essentially bought tickets for all my near-by friends to get the location covered without screaming that I was an auditor. In the end my payment should be ~$300, but that includes a ton of ticket reimbursements. The take-home pay will be about $150, not too bad for about 12 hours of work. But still a pain to organize.

July 24, 2012 10:28PM

LisaSTL, it is possible to leave and do something else if the show times aren't back-to-back. For instance, opening weekends have back-to-back shows which is why it is suggested to have someone assist you.

I was hoping to get some suggestions on how to make the time go by faster, or see if someone had a system that I hadn't thought of. I'm trying to decide if I want to spend 10am-10pm at the movies this Sunday. (ugh!)

Sincerely,
H.A.R.D. at work

July 24, 2012 10:42PM

Just this morning an e-mail came out for bonus trailer checks, first show only. It was tempting, but there were two problems. In the instructions it said the movie would be at multiple screens and if you only had one you did something wrong. Well, on of the theaters only had it on one screen and there was no way I was going to take my chances with MF on that one. The other was close to my house, but the e-mail came out about 15 minutes before the first showtime and I wasn't ready to rush out of the house.

July 30, 2012 04:53PM

mdneilson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did one for MFI a couple weeks ago with a bunch
> of friends/family. They require you to send in the
> paperwork, and the site still says that I haven't
> submitted it. I mailed it right away. I just
> contacted them today, so hopefully it gets
> resolved.
>
> My opinion is that it can be worth it, but not
> likely. I knew people who wanted to see the movie,
> so I essentially bought tickets for all my near-by
> friends to get the location covered without
> screaming that I was an auditor. In the end my
> payment should be ~$300, but that includes a ton
> of ticket reimbursements. The take-home pay will
> be about $150, not too bad for about 12 hours of
> work. But still a pain to organize.

Same boat here, still in current assignments and says "awaiting hardcopy". I emailed and got a response that said, "We have it." ummmmmm ok!

Robin

Silver certified, I shop in Cities in NM and TX that no one has ever heard of.

July 31, 2012 06:45AM

I've done the revealed and unrevealed ones. For the unrevealed ones, I had to buy a ticket each time, so I had every reason to be there. I often did that for a small theater, too. When asked, I said it was a college project. After I got the necessary information, I'd watch the movie the first time. After that, I'd go watch another movie to kill the time. Or rewatch the movie if I liked it.

Now I couldn't do that because I can barely sit still for one movie since the car accident. The money was great because it was always bonused but even with a fat bonus and lots of pain meds, I'd probably be crying after four hours, much less 12.

July 31, 2012 02:17PM

I did an unrevealed a few weeks ago. A simple customer count. My guest and I were the only ones there!!

Robin

Silver certified, I shop in Cities in NM and TX that no one has ever heard of.

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