Shopping with kids

Keep in mind, if the restaurant shop is reimbursement only you are not getting a free meal. You are getting a meal in exchange for writing a report. Your time writing has value

Otherwise, great idea to start on your own or a shop where your husband can be responsible for your son while you focus on the details. After you have done this for a while it will be soooo much easier.

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
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Right, true. But my shop today is reimbursement plus a small fee. I consider the fee to be in exchange for the report, the meal is a perk.

Good deal and good luck. Let us know how it goes.

I've done a few that actually ENCOURAGED bringing the kiddos along, just note it in your report. It helps show how their staff interacts with children.

Another time.. I was told I could.. they just couldn't be on the same receipt.

There's a few I can think of Build-A-bear, Disney, Lego

My 12 year old considers herself "in training" so she won't have to work fast food as a teenager. When allowed, she goes with me. Even if we are not on a shop, she gives me a report (hotel room condition, wait staff names, number of cashiers, etc) and it has helped her observational skills greatly.

MissChele - Shopping KY, IN & OH
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Ask the scheduler if you could bring the child. Once you get more comfortable with mystery shopping, it probably won't really matter to you if you have child with you or not. I took my little niece with me to numerous restaurant and hotel shops. If it is not clear in guidelines, ask the scheduler, sometimes you can ask for permission. The only shops that are difficult to perform with kids are bar shops as many clients would't let the child sit in the bar area.

My youngest is now 5 and this is my 3rd year doing this, as of end of March. Generally my kids are good, especially when I tell them ahead of time that this is for work, so they have to be very well behaved and not saying anything about the work.

I also tend to bribe them with time doing something we don't get to do very often, like going out to a park. After a while, you will have a good idea how they will behave in certain situations and which shops are appropriate to bring kids along.

All that said, I have done one restaurant shop that specifically says that it is for 2 adults only, but the schedulers were selling it as kid appropriate (the restaurant is family friendly), but the report is not to mention the kids at all. We also had to pay separately for the kids meals. The waitresses never questioned it, but it felt awkward asking for the kids' meal separate from the adult meals.

This is a little hilarious. Your kids are behaved. My kids are behaved. Well,,, the two year old acts like a two year old. The only one to blow my cover in a mix of random friends for two man shops in as much as a casino that reimbursed and paid net $300... was my wife, the one I described secrecy to in all these years. This only happened once and I caught on mid meal because our service was unique. I had to call the MS and cancel the shop. That was a one time event. I'm curious if my daughters will spill the beans in this small town we are moving to now. That would be a small pain for a limited amount of opportunities but hopefully not an event.

Hey...Family that works together stay together plus it allow you time to money with your family......Right!!

@prepmaster wrote:

This is a little hilarious. Your kids are behaved. My kids are behaved. Well,,, the two year old acts like a two year old.

Let me rephrase. They are not well behaved when we are at home or whatever. But they do realize that they have to behave when it counts, so I do tell them ahead of time how important it is to behave.

Amusement Advantage and Spies in Disguise have shops where you need to bring a child. Mostly reimbursement, though. Some grocery store shops allow children. If you have a neighbor who will watch him while he naps, pop out and do a 10-minute post office shop.

ETA: ICU Associates currently has a shop open where children are encouraged.

"Let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you - and why?” ~Walter Williams

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/2017 10:05AM by iShop123.

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Shopping with kids

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