5 hour Bus Ride Shop for $65 + $15 Bonus + Bus Ticket Reimbursement ($54)

This made me laugh so hard. A typo or grammatical error would not lead me to that conclusion. Guess I've read too many shop advertisements that would never make it past the same MSCs editors

"The lack of a space after the comment makes me believe that."

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What company does these bus shops? I'd be interested in checking it out.

I think that the shopper can explore a sight as long as they want, then hop on the next bus that comes along. You can always find out how often the buses run. They might be running every 15 minutes, etc type of schedule. I think it depends on type of day you want to have. Take advantage of seeing some popular tourist attractions oor just do the stops to get it done.
This is a type of shop that could be done if you are traveling to a touristy city. You are already visiting some of the sights, so get some of your expenses covered. But after a day of touring, you still have to do the report. So I would want to know how long the report is. That could be the deal breaker for me. I am not sure I want to do a long report after a full day of touring. I do not hink the fee is too bad. I do not do shops for less than a 15.00 fee. Most shops do not pay enough for our time to do the shops & reports. So have to look at if it interests you as something you would like to do.it is really more of a reimbursement type of shop with a little extra Moey to cover some of your expenses.

@dakotagypsy wrote:

I question the accuracy of this part of the "Instructions":

-You must "hop off" the bus at 4 of the stops and "hop on" the next bus that arrives (you can spend as much time exploring each area as you’d like)and make the same observations of the bus and associates. All stops are listed in the brochure supplied by the ticket agent.

I would like a verification that this is EXACTLY what the instructions say or if the poster added comment in parenthesis saying you can spend as much time exploring as you want. The lack of a space after the comment makes me believe that.

If that was added by the poster, it is clear that you CANNOT spend as much time as you want but must take the next bus as it clearly says.

If I am wrong about that comment being added, then the instructions are contradictory and I would not take the shop without clarification from the MSC.

For the record: I added nothing to the guidelines that I cut and pasted. I was asked for better definition of the guidelines. That was a "cut and paste" for the exact guidelines written by the scheduler for that company. Here are the scheduler's guidelines again. I did not create/ add or delete any part of the cut and paste: Here you go:

FOR THE 5 HOUR TOUR:

Board the bus at the address on your Shop between 8am and 11am.

-Board the bus, noting associate behaviors, dress code and professionalism.

-You must "hop off" the bus at 4 of the stops and "hop on" the next bus that arrives (you can spend as much time exploring each area as you’d like)and make the same observations of the bus and associates. All stops are listed in the brochure supplied by the ticket agent.

-You must take photos of the staff, record staff names and bus numbers for each of the buses you board.

-This shop will take 5 - 6 hours to complete.

-You must ride at least 4 buses to be paid for this shop

I reiterate I would do this shop. Former travel agent/consultant for over 14 years. This is easy peasy in my brain. Hopefully one of these days I'll also get approved for cruises, hotels and airlines. My clients were big spenders and lack for a better term...nouveau riche snobs. I always had to write detailed narratives and take pictures of bathrooms in the late 80's. I was never paid more for that beeswax, because supposedly I was getting the bump for my travel discounts. Let me tell you there is no amount of money that covers babysitting old people who feel they are entitled. I will also mention there is no amount of money that covers apologizing for said asshats because they can't even learn how to say hello or thank you in a different language.

This shop without having to babysit ignoramuses...priceless.

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning; the devil shudders...And yells OH #%*+! SHE'S AWAKE!

Thanks for the clarification. If that's what the instructions were, then they contradicted themselves. It's physically impossible to "hop on" the next bus that arrives and spend as much time exploring each area as you’d like.

I have done the shop, or one like that in NYC. You just have to start by 11AM, to ensure that you will be able to catch the 4 different buses. You board the bus, usually the driver introduces himself, then you get out at one of the assigned stops and you go sightseeing around. You return to that stop and board the next bus that will show up, and repeat at the next stop. Great way to tour a city and reduce the amount spent on ticket fees. I also did the Empire state building, and the boat cruise around the harbor and the statue of liberty. (You can also combine the bus tour with a final stop at Times Sq to do the Toy store, Swatch, Madam Tusseaud, and Ripley's.) I have done the duck tour in other cities. I have done all these tours both as a tourist and when I had visitors taking them around town. The reports for all these shops are very straight forward. The shops are listed in the respective MSC's website and anyone can find them. You will be surprised by some of the MSCs that do these shops because their other shops are unrelated to touring.

I just returned from doing this shop in NYC. I'm a seasoned shopper and it had to be my least favorite one ever. So sorry I did it. 1) Memorial Day weekend so it was very crowded. Often buses would pass us by because they were full. 2) Very hot and humid. 3). None of the guides on our bus were exceptional at all. Didn't provide great commentary. Seemed burnt out. Two of the four guide were really pushing for tips, (a writeup), which made it uncomfortable for passengers when they got of the bus. 4) It was very difficult to get the drivers' / guides' names. The drivers didn't make eye contact. They were burnt out. Hectic unpleasant day. Not worth it. If doing NYC, I would advise to only do it on a weekday and not in the summer. p.s. yes, it was confusing about the 20-minute rule. I emailed the company beforehand and they said you can stay as long as you want at each stop. One more thing (which I voiced to the company. This should not be a 12-hour turnaround shop. It should be 24 hours minimum as you are mentally exhausted after the shop and in no condition to write a quality report.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2016 01:01AM by karen64.

@karen64 wrote:

I just returned from doing this shop in NYC. I'm a seasoned shopper and it had to be my least favorite one ever. So sorry I did it. 1) Memorial Day weekend so it was very crowded. Often buses would pass us by because they were full. 2) Very hot and humid. 3). None of the guides on our bus were exceptional at all. Didn't provide great commentary. Seemed burnt out. Two of the four guide were really pushing for tips, (a writeup), which made it uncomfortable for passengers when they got of the bus. 4) It was very difficult to get the drivers' / guides' names. The drivers didn't make eye contact. They were burnt out. Hectic unpleasant day. Not worth it. If doing NYC, I would advise to only do it on a weekday and not in the summer. p.s. yes, it was confusing about the 20-minute rule. I emailed the company beforehand and they said you can stay as long as you want at each stop. One more thing (which I voiced to the company. This should not be a 12-hour turnaround shop. It should be 24 hours minimum as you are mentally exhausted after the shop and in no condition to write a quality report.

Thank you. Very insightful!

If I did this shop, I would make it for November (not too hot, not too cold) and not on a holiday...and not on a hot and humid day.....and unless the MSC told me to tip the driver, I am not sure I would anyway... with their hand out, for a tip.

Sounds great if I were in a completly new city and wanted a bus tour anyway. I've taken several of these, a bus comes along every 1/2 hour or 20 minutes and you can check out all the attractions along the way.

Kona Kathie

I forgot about the bus shops I used to do - go buy a ticket and then go home. it was a good fee if I recall

@crs1934 wrote:

I forgot about the bus shops I used to do - go buy a ticket and then go home. it was a good fee if I recall

Only if you were in a city that did not have the luggage tag requirement. I was frequently doing it in a major metropolitan city that did not have the tag. During a gas route, I signed up for a location in another city as a filler. I had to bring along a large suitcase, packed so it will have weight, check the restroom (which in other major locations is done by a 3rd party so it was not evaluated) and wait in long line to buy greasy food from the station's limited hours snack bar. I ended up staying for nearly one hour at the station. Not the usual 5 minute shop that I was used to.

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5 hour Bus Ride Shop for $65 + $15 Bonus + Bus Ticket Reimbursement ($54)

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