I signed up with them and got assigned the first two shops I requested. After searching for them on this forum I found mixed results about them. It seems some people complain about their long reports. Are they longer than like EPMS reports? What are your general experiences with them? I'm doing a bowling alley this week and was wondering what to expect. Any tips, advice, or feedback would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2017 08:46PM by Tocino.

I did a skating rink for AA this past weekend and it was my first shop with them. The report was long and took me about 2 hours (they stated that they expected it to take 2-3 hours). I received a 94%, which I'm happy with considering that it was my first shop with them.

Now that I've completed a shop and know what to expect, I think I could get the time down a little. The shop I did was bonused. It would not have been worth it if it wasn't. They asked a lot of specific questions and required many interactions. They also require a significant amount of narrative, which I enjoy, but they have sentence requirements and you can only say so much about a restroom. lol

I brought my daughter and she enjoyed the experience, so that also made it worth it. I probably won't do shops for this company monthly, based on the length of the reports, detail required, and unbonused pay (most unbonused pay seemed low for the requirements), but I will probably do AA shops a few times a year. Especially if there's a bonus and if it's something I can make work for my family.

The company itself was nice to work with. They communicate well and have timely editing. I haven't been paid yet, so I can't comment on that. Good luck!

Thanks Johannams! I appreciate your input!

That's a very accurate review from Johannams. I've done several shops for this company over the years but only about one every six months on average. You do spend a lot of time at the facility fulfilling interaction requirements, so if you only take one family member, it can be hard to entertain them and make it a visit that's enjoyable for you both. I've found a few locations that are worth the time for me.

I've done 5 - 6 shops for AA. Mostly zoo's and bowling alleys. Taking the family out on their dime is awesome, but you better set aside 1.5 - 2 hours to finish their reporting, it is loooooong and tedious. The website is rather unprofessional looking too. The communication with editors and schedulers is A+ They get back to you soon.

One of my first shops was AA.. yes, their shops and the reports are quite involved, however I'll agree with others who've said that once you get into the swing of what they entail they get easier. I've done 3 shops for them now. I completely missed a target on one shop, but because only intense narrative and the fact that I was IN the area (I was supposed to sit at the bar top and I sat IN the bar) the shop was still deemed as acceptable. I am fortunate to have a 'family fun center' in my area.. oh how I'd love to live near a major theme park!

Meh, wasn't that bad, but some of the questions didn't really make sense for the experience. Ellis reports are just as bad or worse. I expect I'll hear back from the editors. Also, the trip cost more than the reimbursement but I'm ok with it. It's not a profitable kind of a shop, just a way to try something new for free or deeply discounted. I probably won;t be doing to many of these either. I think I'll want to try one of those senior living facility deals if I can get the opportunity, though none of my current MSC's seem to offer those.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2017 10:22PM by Tocino.

My report for miniature golf took over 3 hours - of course I dragged it out, whining & kicking. The effort was worth the amount of FUN my guests had and the fact that the reimbursed amount + the shop fee paid for everything.

Yeah, they're unnecessarily tedious, no doubt about it. I did indeed hear back from the editors and it was for minor revisions that didn't really make sense. Oh well, it's a give and take deal for what is a funner than usual shop. My girlfriend had a lot of fun, at least.

One of my first shops EVER was going to be with AA. I was all ready to go, then I got a voice mail saying another person had already been scheduled for that day, and that I needed to pick another day. I thought that was absurd, to assign me something then pull it from me the day before. I thought this was unprofessional but I let it go.

Two days later I got an email saying they hadn't received my report yet. I called and spoke directly to the owner of the company. I told him that he had left me a voice mail saying that they had found someone else. He said that they still expected me to complete the shop, which was absurd. I told him that telling me to pick another day and then demanding that I go that same day as someone else was unprofessional and that I didn't want to deal with a company that can't keep its information straight. Even though I was not disrespectful, just upset, he hung up on me mid-sentence and terminated my account within the hour.

I'm glad some of you have had good experiences with them, but the extremely tedious reports and all of the POV and stops required at some places made the pay really not worth it.

I've done some entertainment/amusement shops with A-Closer-Look, and hands down, those didn't even take me 20 minutes to do the report, and required 3 photos of receipts and 4 photos of the facility, which I took right when I got there. I would highly suggest ACL's shops for their customer service and easy reports with generous spending limits.

How long does it take once you request an assignment?

I've taken my kid and their friends lots of places I wouldn't have been able to afford for fun shops through this company. Usually they just want good descriptions and detailed narrative. If you've done those for other companies, it'll be easy, but time consuming to write the report. I like them a lot and noticed they have shops for kid's birthday parties now, would be a great way to save $$ on that, but my kid has aged out!

@thefoxbox Something about your story does not make sense. Are you saying that they called and asked you to reschedule your shop a day before you had originally planned it - and then they were upset that you did not go on the original date? What about the rescheduled date = were they upset about that? What did they say when you mentioned that you had a voicemail about it? Were they asking you to go as someone else? Hm.

I have found them to be a good and solid company to work for. The reports are long, and yes tedious. They do require narrative, and do have sentence requirements.

However, the last time I did a shop for them - my grade was lowered because one of the editors did not like the length of my narratives and said that I needed to be more "concise". Well, I only wrote down what actually happened so idk what the problem was.

I still got a good grade, and I still would do shops for them for the enjoyment.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2017 09:37AM by Chix.

I did one shop for them and loved it. It was long but super easy because I took good notes.

I'd say it's shorter than Ellis, depending on your shop i guess. My guidelines estimated 2-3 hours and I finished in two hours. I completed early and received the extra early bonus incentive. My payment was paid on time.

I'm going to do one of their amusement parks next month.

I agree with other posters on length but wanted to add a comment about the owner. Scott has been amazingly responsive and easy to work with. I've done numerous shops for them but two of them were 'brand new' and once onsite the guidelines didn't match reality. They are always available by phone which is priceless when trying to explain complicated situations that can arise at large amusement parks. The pay is usually nothing but my family has a great time.

I had a co-worker who was a mystery shopper. She traveled all over the United States shopping on her weekends (lots of casino shops). She said that the local fun center was a pretty tough report to complete and she would not do it again. I see that it is a shop from amusement advantage. I am slightly leaning towards applying for the shop but I should probably listen to her advice. It is not a super expensive fun center and yet there are tons of little things to do (and report on). It would only be worth it to take the family of course but it does cut out some of the fun when I am trying to shop and concentrate on what I need to accomplish. I prefer to take the family to shops that I complete regularly so I know all the guidelines and questions. But...I am still tempted...what is wrong with me?

@stebrow283 wrote:

I had a co-worker who was a mystery shopper. She traveled all over the United States shopping on her weekends (lots of casino shops). She said that the local fun center was a pretty tough report to complete and she would not do it again. I see that it is a shop from amusement advantage. I am slightly leaning towards applying for the shop but I should probably listen to her advice. It is not a super expensive fun center and yet there are tons of little things to do (and report on). It would only be worth it to take the family of course but it does cut out some of the fun when I am trying to shop and concentrate on what I need to accomplish. I prefer to take the family to shops that I complete regularly so I know all the guidelines and questions. But...I am still tempted...what is wrong with me?

The co worker compared the fun center shop to a casino shop? Ummmmmm no, not even close. Casino is much more detailed (for BestMark)

@luckygirl0100 wrote:

@stebrow283 wrote:

I had a co-worker who was a mystery shopper. She traveled all over the United States shopping on her weekends (lots of casino shops).

The co worker compared the fun center shop to a casino shop? Ummmmmm no, not even close. Casino is much more detailed (for BestMark)

I would also add that I have done quite a few of the shops for AA . Some are much easier than others but I would not do one of these the same or next day if I were doing "lots of casino shops" at the same time. This isn't a shop you can run out to in a few hours of spare time between other shops. It is time intensive and I would say the main value is for the guests as the shopper generally spends a good chunk of time getting the requirements done before having free time for the rest of the day to enjoy the venue. If the shopper wants to enjoy the venue too you virtually have to do that after getting the requirements done. I have gone with guests who have wanted to tag along and help me and we have enjoyed having a movable feast at some of these...a burger here, and then a walk and a soda there, then another walk and a dessert at the third place sharing each of the meals with my adult guest. Some have 6 or 7 food requirements and unless you spend on only one item at each location you will probably go over budget. So the fun of a moveable feast is not only adventurous but helps to keep your costs down. If it is an amusement park where there seem to be lots of stops for food or gift shop stuff dragging small kids around without another adult to keep them happy while you are walking distances between requirements might not go over well for them or for you.
Otherwise I like them and think they are worthwhile, not to make money but to save money!

Sorry no she did not compare it to a casino shop. I was just saying that this co-worker was very well versed in mystery shopping and would fly all over the USA to complete shops including lots of casnio shops.

Stebrow283, what your friend found hard (or annoying) to do might come easily to you. You will never know until you give it a try. You know the reports require narrative and will take 2 hours minimum to complete, so if you're okay with that, then give it a whirl. Your friend found the shops that are the best fit for her. Maybe these shops are meant for you.

I was intimidsted by AA for quite a while but finally did a shop for them. I've done a few now and got 100% each time. I have found the staff to be excellent and like that there is a live chat function if help is needed.
I have found the reports to be repetitive and slightly lengthy but they are upfront about the length.

I have my first shop with them scheduled next month and they told me right up front that the report will be a minimum of 3 hours. It is an extremely detailed shop. We are all looking forward to going because it is a popular place here, so we are excited. I'm just wondering about the logistics of taking the notes. There are 5 pages of a cheat sheet. I will have to take notes and gather receipts during the 5-hour shop. Any advice? It is a water park so I can't really carry or hide anything. Thanks.

Could you put your notes and pen in one of those clear lanyards designed for cell phones? I see a lot of people wearing those at the water park in our city. They are usually on display near the cell phone accessory section of most retail shops.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2017 07:33PM by gigishopper.

LeslieKay, I have not done a water park shop for AA but at the local water park in my city you can leave your backpack on a lounge chair with your towel and go off or you can put your things in a locker. If this is the case your paperwork could be sitting on your lounge chair in your bag. At most of these amusement places there are lots of places to be out of view of the vendors where you can pull out your papers and fill them in. Certainly a place like a water park might have lots of parents who came but do not do slides but might be doing some other things that involve reading or writing while they lounge on their chair waiting for the kids to come back.

I don't have very good writing skills and it takes me 10 hours to complete the report of an amusement park. There is lot of narrative that is required and doing these have helped me with my writing skills.

I have done a shop for them and enjoyed it. The length of report varies by assignment. There are some shops I won't do because it says the report is 10-12 pages! I will take the ones that are only 4-5 pages. My area has a lot of assignments so I can be picky about which ones to do. If you can, grab one to try it out!