The shops to look at and collect advertising materials have been going on for years. They had nothing to do with the ongoing program and were always run by a different MSC. Timing is irrelevant, just ordering exactly the right things to trigger getting the right stuff inside and out. I have done some in the past and often had problems getting an Under 3 Toy, but that is presumably part of what they want to know. While I said timing is irrelevant, these are sometimes breakfast only shops, sometimes lunch only, sometimes dinner only but usually with 2 to 3 hour windows. The current one is after 11 AM. I would feel odd ordering a Mighty Kid meal for myself to eat inside, but I have done it before. No one has ever asked me to produce a kid (no, you can't bring a kid or anyone else along).
Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008