Have You Been Approached By Suvey-Takers?

[SanFranciscan]

A thousand apologies in advance if this question is inappropriate, but I suspect people here are in a position to know the answer.

Because my husband wants to move to Florida, I have been applying for jobs there. One of these is to interview guests at Universal Studios because I have a background in market research and who buys what and why fascinates me. Has anyone here been approached by one of these interviewers? What was your experience with the interaction?

I am not shy and would love to hear what is on the minds of theme park guests because I am such a fan of theme parks myself, but I want to be respectful of the fact that the people are there to have a good time and not to be used by someone like me with another agenda. So I would want to in a sense be part of the entertainment so that I was not just detaining park guests from something that they would rather be doing.

Anyone here actually done the job? I suspect that it is a very competitive job, but I am thinking that I shall try to talk my way into it anyway.

 

[Timmy Boy]

No, I've never held the job, but every time I get asked to do one, I simply say that I can't (cause I work for a park in central Florida). They're really nice, and usually when my friends do one (as I sit back and watch) the questions are usually what their zip code is, what kind of tickets they have, how long they've been in the park etc. Then it can get more specific to the type of survey they're asking for. This could be how clean the park was, or how the Team Members were, or how the food was, or the quality of the attractions. The survey never takes more than a couple of minutes.

EDIT: Oh I forgot. Sometimes the want you to sit down at a computer and do something for about 10- 15 minutes. This could be for watching a new commercial, testing a new food item, or something more that would take longer than a couple of minutes. If you agree to this, their usually is some sort of "reward" for it, such as a couple of Express Passes for a few attractions, or Universal Bucks to spend wherever.

 

[Bluer101]

The only surveys at Universal I have done are the ones that you get paid. The people I cannot stand are the time share people.

 

[jsilvers]

Has anyone here been approached by one of these interviewers? What was your experience with the interaction?

I was approached once while leaving USF; I was taken to a small office near the exit. It took about 5-10 minutes, and the surveytaker did so warn in advance; at the time, I didn't mind, since I wasn't in a rush and the air conditioning was an added perk. I don't remember much about the actual questions, although I do remmeber syaing that while we enjoyed Universal, we still preferred Disney...

 

[ducky_love]

I always stop an help whether it is for the product research or for park surveys. I feel sorry for those folks though.. lots of people blow past them like they are invisable.

 

[Metro West]

About the only time I'm stopped is during HHN and once I tell them I live here, they lose interest. Oh well...I try.

 

[macraven]

i love doing the surveys !!

the best ones and only ones i do are where i am paid or fed..........

two years ago i made $20 and received food for doing 3 surveys.
one of them did take 35 minutes out of my time, but not a problem.
i'm at the park for 8 days on my trips.

 

[xApril]

I was only approached once, to take a survey as I exited IOA. It was kind of odd because we only did a few rides so most of the questions did not apply to us.

I was once at USF though and the person I was with approached the survey people so we could take a survey. We had to drink soft drinks in different types of cups and give our opinion on which cup was the best.

 

[NUHuskies#1]

I was approached after the Macy's Parade around Christmastime two years ago. The lady just asked me a few questions about where I was from and what I did and didn't like about the parade, where I was visiting, etc. I didn't mind answering the questions- it was brief and she was just doing her job like everyone else. I don't think I would have answered questions if I was entering or exiting the park though.

 

[torinsmom]

We were approached to watch a pilot of a movie, which they paid us $30 universal cash for. It was actually interesting, although the show never aired. Then we were approached with a short survey. They asked if I would be interested in doing online surveys and I said yes. Since then, I have made $40-$50/year with them. It is called Viewpoint Forums. I do maybe one survey a month and they have sent me trashbags and papertowels and a few other things to try out and report on. Last trip, I got paid $20 cash to go in and do a product panel on Purex detergent packaging. It took about 20 minutes.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

About the only time I'm stopped is during HHN and once I tell them I live here, they lose interest. Oh well...I try.

That's what we do with the timeshare people - tell them we live there!

 

[Planogirl]

We've done a few interviews as we were leaving and I kind of enjoy them. The people are always very nice and the interviews are short. We always praise just about everything though and Universal is our favorite so I don't know if we're typical.

 

[GinaBean]

We have been twice, and both times some of our family members have completed the surveys. My daughters sampled food the first time, my son, my oldest dd & I did the taste test the last time, and I completed survey. The kids love getting the universal bucks (or whatever they are called).

 

[mtblujeans]

We were approached once. I saw a woman standing outside the exit of a ride with an electronic clipboard-looking thing.

We had wandered around the gift shop and were coming out behind the rush from the end of the ride. She approached us and asked if she could take a few minutes of our time. She began asking us about where we were from and how we felt about the theme park, etc. I couldn't tell, right away, where she was heading with the questions and DH was very leery of her....but he isn't the shopper in the family and he doesn't recognize a survey taker.

After a few questions, she told us we qualified to take a survey if we would like and we would be compensated. We were taken into a building on the lot and, after verifying where I was from, I was led to a cubicle to sit in front of a computer monitor to take a survey on comparing paper plates. I was given a gift card to use in the park and, as previously mentioned, the air conditioning was wonderful!

 

[Orangeandwild]

We have done surveys to test products several times over the years at Universal Studios. They stop you on one of the streets, normally NY Street with us and ask a few screening questions. If you qualify they take you to this store front right behind the small park on the corner and have you do a survey either with an interviewer or on a computer. You are always compensted with some type of reward either money, Universal dollars or even a certif for a free meal at the parks.

Last one we did last year was for yogurt, DH loved it and asked them if they had blueberry besides strawberry and really confused the poor girl at the time

 

[schumigirl]

Surveys are one of my guilty pleasures in life

I can sit and give an opinion on anything if asked, have done a few as we are are entering or leaving the parks mainly leaving and ..........yes the air conditioning is lovely for 15 minutes or so.

Like Planogirl we too are full of praise for Universal. The guy last year was quite surprised we had came all the way from the UK and weren`t spending most of our time at Disney!!!

Don`t think we got anything for doing it though

We have never ever been approached about timeshare.......we must look as if we can`t afford it

 

[SanFranciscan]

Thank you all so much for the feedback.

A couple of you have mentioned Disney. I have no beef with Disney World. In fact, I currently work for Disney in San Francisco (at the Disney Museum in the Presidio), but I was encouraged by a Universal Studios team member to apply to Universal Orlando because he thought that I had great people skills and said that Universal Studios has better personnel policies. I don't know whether that is true, but I don't agree with the person who said that I was "too sugary" for Universal Studios because they have stuff for family entertainment. The only parks that I don't think that I could handle are those like Magic Mountain and some of the Six Flags, which I have heard repeatedly have been taken over by gangs. While the co-worker who told me that if I cut myself I would bleed butterscotch is out of her tree, I do know my limitations.

 

[inkkognito]

I don't mind the survey takers at all. Just don't become one of those timeshare people! I like earning little rewards for surveys, although they always seem to approach me when I'm heading for Stay and Scream and cannot stop so I miss out on lots of them. They have taken me in the past, even though I am a local.

Years ago Disney used to have paid surveys too; don't know if they still do. Back when Spaceship Earth was sponsored by AT&T we were paid to make long distance calls to family members from a survey center there. Pretty cool!

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

On my last trip I took two surveys. One was pretty interesting, got paid $20 to watch the first episode of Law and order LA (think it was law and order, all those crime/lawyer shows run together in my head).

Another survey I got $2 to decide which chex mix tasted better. So not only did I get a free little snack, I also got my next butterbeer free with the $2.

 

[katerach]

I have been asked many times to respond to surveys while at the parks over many years. Ordinarily when I am at home and get a phone call or get accosted at a mall for a survey I hung up or wave them off. But at Universal, I have really had some fun. I have given my opinions on everything from snacks to coffee to plumbing to new TV shows to the the parks themselves. Usually get at least $10 in Universal bucks up to $50 cash. I must hit some hard to fill demographic because about every time I walk by T-2 in US somebody wants my opinion. Sometimes they want my kid's and not mine, sometimes my wife's and sometimes all of us or just me. I have never found the experience to be unpleasant and I really am not a big fan of surveys.