Are there specific companies that never allow kids on a shop?
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Most unless they specify you can like Disney shops are a no go.
I've noticed too that a lot of job postings specify "no kids", but later in the month when they get a little less choosy they get amended to "kids OK!"
If you've got your eye on a shop that says no kids and it's been hanging around awhile, I don't think there's anything wrong with dropping the scheduler a line letting him or her know that you'd love to conduct the shop, but can't do it without your kids. And if that requirement is ever relaxed, you hope they'll let you know. Couldn't hurt, right?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2015 09:14PM by CaliGirl925.
If you've got your eye on a shop that says no kids and it's been hanging around awhile, I don't think there's anything wrong with dropping the scheduler a line letting him or her know that you'd love to conduct the shop, but can't do it without your kids. And if that requirement is ever relaxed, you hope they'll let you know. Couldn't hurt, right?
Shopper in California's Bay Area
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2015 09:14PM by CaliGirl925.
Sometimes, the age of the kids is important. Teens are helpful with certain shops for certain products. Kids of all ages are welcome at shops for amusement parks and similar places, I think.
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu
For most types of shops, kids are a big time distraction. If you are paying attention to your kids as you should be, think of all the MS observations you will miss. Hard to retain all the details and names when the kid is tugging on your arm or throws a temper tantrum in the middle of the sales floor. As someone else said, teenagers are good for R-rated movies and games and underage cigarette sales.
If one or more of your kids is/are under 10, I don't see how you can conduct a shop effectively! Even with the bowling and dining shops I've done where bringing kids is allowed, mine are old enough to help with the observations and have been, in some cases, invaluable. On the bowling shops, for example, it would be OK to bring younger kids, but you really need another adult with you to keep an eye on them while you do the initial interaction at the counter and then the bar transaction. Even allowing for your kids being very well behaved, you still have to focus on your observations, leaving not enough of your attention on your child/children.
IMO, anyway.
IMO, anyway.
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Well this month alone I have had an indoor play place shop that wants kids, a casual burger shop, a toy store, a children's shoe store, a stuffed animal store all off the top of my head that want you have kids so those shops are out there.
Not to mention the picture with Santa shops that will be coming up soon.
Not to mention the picture with Santa shops that will be coming up soon.
Our seven year old is great on shops! He's been doing them since before he was born, though. Very few shops let kids come along so I grab every one we can do as a family. In our area those are mostly dining and grocery. The grocery shops are great to have a kid or two along.
@heartlandcanuck wrote:
Our seven year old is great on shops! He's been doing them since before he was born, though. Very few shops let kids come along so I grab every one we can do as a family. In our area those are mostly dining and grocery. The grocery shops are great to have a kid or two along.
There are times when having a kid along can help, or at least not be distracting. But most of the shops available in my area don't allow kids, or are so intensive on interactions and observations, I'd never be able to do one with kids with me. I do a lot of bank shops and cell phone/appliance/cable TV shops. No kids allowed.
There are amusement-park shops not far from me that I could bring my 13-year-old to, but I wouldn't be able to enjoy it or have fun doing things with him. My family would love to do an aquarium shop, and having the kids with us would be fine. But it's about 70 miles round trip, with no fee and a reimbursement that doesn't cover the cost. Not gonna do that one!
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2015 02:38AM by BirdyC.
I have found that on shops where I have my kids with (msc has said ok) I take more pictures than you can even imagine. And the kids are a great front for doing that. The pictures help me remember and show things i might have missed
I stopped shopping in 2008 because I realized that the types of shops I could do with kids in tow were barely going to pay for themselves, much less earn me any extras. I came back to it when my kids were grown enough to either not be a distraction or stay home. Though my 18 year old almost messed me up recently when he questioned why I was ordering a small drink for him (to wait for the upsell) at the movies.
Amusement Advantage encourages kids. You won't earn much money if you're bringing more than one paying customer but you'll have fun.
Amusement Advantage encourages kids. You won't earn much money if you're bringing more than one paying customer but you'll have fun.
We are all here on earth to help others....What on earth the others are here for I don't know.
--W. H. Auden
--W. H. Auden
Our kids aren't a distraction, since they have both been shopping since before they were born, but if the shop description forbids them I won't sneak them. Sometimes I can score a route of grocery shops and gas station mystery shops (kid-friendly) and take our oldest (7) along for the day. Part-way, if there is a nicely bonused drive-in burger shop, we'll share a meal. There are a few other drive-thru-only shops where kids can come, but I have not seen any in my area lately.
Nothing says "shopper" like wandering back to the grocery store stockroom in a small town in search of the loo. Most customers would live within a half mile of the store, see… I have had employees suddenly come out of the woodwork to offer assistance after seeing me come back out of the back room. When there is a child in tow, fewer people notice.
Nothing says "shopper" like wandering back to the grocery store stockroom in a small town in search of the loo. Most customers would live within a half mile of the store, see… I have had employees suddenly come out of the woodwork to offer assistance after seeing me come back out of the back room. When there is a child in tow, fewer people notice.
I can't recall any off the top of my head that prohibit children, except for fine dining and bar shops. I can think of plenty that don't allow you to bring anyone (McD's, Aveda, Meijer,...
The biggest problem i found with 2 kids was their unpredictability combined with the need to commit to a particular day. I could do a diner shop with my 7 and 10 year olds with no problem.... unless one wasn't feeling good, or they hadn't slept well, or the older one had taken apart a Lego spaceship to build a robot out of and the younger one was still holding a grudge....
*sniff* I miss those little boys, some days.
*sniff* I miss those little boys, some days.
We are all here on earth to help others....What on earth the others are here for I don't know.
--W. H. Auden
--W. H. Auden
I just did a grocery shop with three kids (4, 2 and 3 months): two in the cart (with an ipad for back up if they got bored) and one I was carrying. It all went off without a hitch! I can totally understand how kids can be a distraction but I appreciate those who allow them! I think the key is being prepared to entertain them so they don't distract. One shop that I did that I knew would take me an hour and a half or more, I packed a whole bag with snacks, books, etc. I sure do love my littles but am a bit envious of those who can do all their shops alone! 
Six years ago, I did a route of cell phone shops where the client did not mind kids. It was a blast! My son was under two then, and the salespeople kept giving him "dummy" phones of older models. We came home that day with several brightly coloured flip phones for him to play with. Now most cell dealers have live phones and prohibit children.
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