# Multiple trips thru or limit to one?



## Creeper (Nov 7, 2008)

I do a walk-thru haunt and have a mix of ages of tot's coming through. For the last 2 years, I 've been letting the kids go through the haunt as many times as they want and I love to see the fun they have. The problem I see is that after one or two trips where they are really scared, the kids are doing more playing inside. Props get touched or moved, kids are trying to hide and scare other kids they know and this year there was a couple of kids who just wouldn't leave until I finally told them to go do some trick or treating for crying out loud. 

I want them to have fun - that's the point (that and to get scared) and I really don't know if the fun factor would be as high if I limit the kids to one trip through. It would make my night go smoother though...

Any thoughts would be appreciated.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

We ran our walk through Halloween night and the following saturday. We had the same problem and after thinking about we had this issue last year as well. This year we accepted donations for a local food/clothing bank and saturday before opening I came up with a way to help deter them or at least get something out of it.

As guests came in we put marked there right hand with a single line. If they came back they got another line to form an X. After recieving an X we asked that you make a donation before entering.


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## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

We allowed it, depending on how long the lines were that evening.


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

joker said:


> As guests came in we put marked there right hand with a single line. If they came back they got another line to form an X. After recieving an X we asked that you make a donation before entering.


Joker that seems like an effective method to control serial repeaters.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

I didn't really want to deter those enjoying the haunt, but there were a few that would just walk through with groups that hadn't gone through and start to point things out or just more or less be hanging out. It was pretty effective. Originally I was going to use a highlighter and black light, but we didn't.


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## Creeper (Nov 7, 2008)

Yes, that is a good idea Joker, thanks.


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## Vlad (Aug 2, 2005)

We've had the same problem for years. I find that the main problem associated with repeaters is that they give away the scares to first timers. I've contemplated going with hand stamping as well. 
There is also the problem of parents gathering in the street while the kids go thru several times. Crowd control is definitely an issue.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

This idea might help with your crowds of waiting parents: an old amusement park we went to has three "lanes" or fenced in paths to their rides. The farthest left lane is for kids getting on the ride, the middle path is for parents to wait in, the right lane is for kids to exit the ride. That way, no one is tripping over each other and it cuts down on lag time getting in & out. 

I love the X idea. I have seen kids do the same at haunts: they start screwing around, punching the scares and getting loud, which totally ruins the effect for the new peeps coming through. 
I think that after the 2nd time through, they should be asked to donate a finger for re-admission.


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## IowaGirl (Oct 14, 2008)

We had a different kind of repeater.. we had kids who had been through once or twice BRING more kids to take them through! lol

Most went through once, but usually went slowly so they could "see" everything.


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