I did my first one this past weekend...well...I can't say I would do it again under the same conditions. Compensation was 5 tickets, you use one for the shop then you are responsible for paying for all the other stuff. We had been eager to go to the amusement park so we decided I would do the shop and then reap the 4 extra tickets. Fortunately the cost wasn't as high as it would normally be because the park is partially flooded so they aren't charging for parking and offering discounted admission and other free perks.

The shop literally took 7 hours to complete. Yes we were having fun on all the rides, but having to stop sporadically to check off the list and hunt down a bathroom attendant and taking pictures covertly was a little challenging. We did a TON of walking in the sun and I ended up with a little inner thigh irritation from the chub rub (tmi?). So when we got home at 7:30 I layed down on the bed and struggled to muster the energy to take a shower to get the nasty sweat and such off me. I was BEAT! I slept hard....

There is a cash bonus if you get the report in by 10 am and I looked at the BF and was like I don't think its worth it given my exhaustion he agreed and said that all we both needed was sleep. The next day I sit down to do the report, knowing it is supposedly 3-4 hours to complete...yep they weren't joking. I had a deadline of midnight and even with little breaks here and there to refresh the head, I was getting so irritated. I think i began to get irritated because even though i have 4 tickets, they are tickets and I am thinking the cash would be much more desirable...because this shop is making me despise the park. All that time and effort for tickets. Yes the value is about $200 in tickets left...but still...

I wish they would offer a either or option. So you can get 5 tickets after or $150. I may take the $150...well actually i would have definitely taken the cash.

Has anyone done or do these shops before? Is there any advice that maybe I did it wrong or is that just the nature of these shops?

I wanted to love this shop...but I am not sure it was worth all the time and energy.

I am still battling exhaustion from it and its now wed....likely from being up til 12 Monday doing the report.

yikes. That's why I don't like fine dining. I am so "on" during the entire experience that I don't enjoy it and that's only for 3 hours of the day. This is double that. Double yikes. Here's an idea- can you sell the tickets on Craiglist or Stub Hub? Get the cash, reap the rewards.

I have considered that, or even selling them to my coworkers to make it easier. I just have a feeling that maybe i missed a opportunity to negotiate or something....or maybe I did something wrong that I am still so beat on it...not sure if anyone had any insight on how to attack these shops better.

I would agree it falls into the fine dining shops. Fortunately I have done a few of those and yes the reports are a little daunting and a nuisance...

I am thinking that i may take the tickets and sit on them for a month is then in a month when the bad feelings towards the place have subsided we go back for a day that we don't need to worry about timings and names and interactions...and just be stupid adults screaming on rides.

It would be nice if there was a review on each shop so you could hear what each shopper thinks of it...so you know what you are getting into...

I did a shop such as this. The scheduler said the tickets could be used by a friend or family member but could not be sold.

I saw they had a $0 cash value on them. I hadn't considered the option too much...I am not sure if I want to do 2 more visits at the theme park this year....but i want to get my compensation.

Still wish they offered a cash option

I had no idea the amusepark shops were so intensive! Thanks for the heads up on that one, because just as soon as I saw your post I got an email about one in my area. It's sad that this experience has ruined the whole park for you, especially if it's close by.

Ok, you can't "sell" them but you can "gift" them and then they can "gift" you with some cash. LOL. I'm kidding....mostly.

The reason they give you four free tickets instead of cash is the tickets don't really cost them anything - its just four more people wandering around the park, probably buying food, etc. Giving cash would make the shop much more expensive for the company. Thanks for the feedback on the shop - I had applied for an amusement park and didn't get it, now maybe I am glad!

yeah i understand the cost thing and thought the whole thing through. I justified it with the BF that we would be doing the shop this time and able to wander the next times.

I also added up all the money that was spent between the BF and I and it was quite high given the "free tickets".

Maybe in a few weeks I will be more excited to use the tickets. But I think going forward i will do a thanks but no thanks on the amusement park shops.

I think it would be a lot easier if the report wasn't so long. It did take me 4 hours and close to 5 if you could the full time (i took a few short breaks). I usually am not the one who takes forever on reports, but this one was a doosy.

If the report was that long, it would be nice if there was reimbursement for food/games/merch and a little cash on the side or if they could make the report more efficient to fill out.

Jessica

Not all the amusement park shops are like this. The one I am doing next Friday is nowhere near like this and is actually quite easy, despite having to do 6 different shops at the park. It's also for a different MSC than this one....

I used to have a family + best friends annual pass to a local amusement park that would send free tickets to passholders and include additional greatly reduced tickets in their "annual pass holders" booklet. I had no need for the xtra tics. For the ones I could not use I would stand somewhere not too far but inconsipicuous from the box office on the day we went there and quietly offer the extras I had at a nice discount to people going in. Some passed on them but mostly people were happy to get in and save some money. Since my "free" tics or reduced price tics did not look like the real tics I always would tell the person buying the tics from me that I would accompany them through the gate and if there was a problem I would return their money. And I would show them my annual pass so I was credible. I always sent the others inside and did this solo, just like doing a mystery shop! Inconspicuous and solo.
I would venture to say that when you have recovered from your report after a few weeks you probably will enjoy your return to the park and since you seem to have enough extra tics to sell some you can sell the leftover tics on the day of your visit.

It is not a money maker. It is a free entrance to a park. Any cash offered is eaten by the parking requirements.

Parking was free this weekend since half the park was flooded and so was a majority of the parking lot. That was a nice win

A few years ago, I had a similar experience at a zoo. Our family could not enjoy ourselves because I was having to go down the list, and it was time consuming. I have done museums and other sites for the same company without that much trouble.

Yeah, I've done parks and a waterpark, and the reports for this company ARE a bit grueling. And then you don't even want to go back there for awhile!

It's been good for my daughter and her friend, but I'm a bit burned out by them myself.

I have sold my extra tickets outside the gate. Retail was $50, and I let them go for $30 each. Took about 5 minutes. Usually, I use them, but I didn't need 12 tickets. (I stockpiled them.)

I've had no problems with any of the shops I have done for them, museums, amusement parks, zoos. If it was your first time...Maybe just let it settle a bit and then go through ways you could have done things differently at the park to make the day better. Input will always be arduous. I have learned to use the recorder on my phone and the note pad option. That way I don't have to do a lot of writing while there. Bathrooms are easy for me since I usually have to stop regulary. I take notes on the park maps a lot...like name and description. The part that I have trouble with and am constantly reminding myself about is pictures of food before eating...lol. Good luck!

I am doing my first one Monday and am nervous about doing it. The person who called me seemed so nice and helpful that I believe I will get it done OK. I may not have fun on Monday but my grandson sure will.

I've done the aquarium one and, yes, both the shop requirements and the report are time consuming, but I knew the likelihood of what I was getting myself into. I was specifically doing the shop to cut down on the cost of going to the aquarium and went with my spouse. As recommended in the guidelines, I stopped after every 2-3 interactions and made my notes. We had a great time despite me having to pause every now and then. After doing tons of grocery and drugstore shops where I've had four interactions for each shop, doing the aquarium was similar but with about 2-3 times more interactions. When I first did IKEA (which was one of my first shops), it was an absolute nightmare (don't know what the guidelines are now, but you weren't allowed to use a cell back then, which was a little over a year ago). I still wouldn't do IKEA now given the MSC, what the shop pays AND the length of the report. However, I don't think I would've found it as bad had I more experience with multiple interaction shops.

If I were with kids who couldn't be allowed to roam the park on their own, I don't think I'd do an amusement park shop. However, if I were planning on going anyway (either just with my husband, with him and other adults or him and teens), then, yeah, I'd see if I could pick up a shop for that location.

A little over a year ago I did one. They shelled out a whopping $20, which covered gas, and 3 tickets, basically for a couple with one kid. The ideal was take at least one kid and have another adult to handle any children so you can focus on the shop. I had a 1 and 3 year old at the time, and couldn't take my guy. So I invited my friend who also had a 1 year old. Because of the ages, the two extra guests didn't cost me more than a few extra bucks in the gift shop. It's a small park, one of the newer ones in the state. They open around 9 or 10 and close at 7pm (almost no outdoor lighting). Of course it doesn't give you much time to get things done when you live over an hour away, only have about 9 hours to do everything if you get there right when they open, and want to let the kid(s) you are forced to bring enjoy at least part of the day. It was a headache, I did turn in the report 3-4 hours late, but was not peanalized. And there wasn't much of a rush since they give 48 hours to turn in the comments heavy report. The same MSC does places such as wax museums in the area that are half the distance and so much easier. Unless I really want to be a cheapskate when taking the family to an amusement park, I doubt I will be eager to do another one any time soon. At least for this park. Maybe next time we'll go visit the Peanuts gang over at Knott's. Their's seems far simpler.