How to Make a Scavenger Hunt for the Mall

Before the Big Day

• 1

  Create rules of expected behavior. Your scavenger hunters will be racing around a public place, wandering in and out of stores and interacting with salespeople and store clerks. Running, screaming and rudeness should not be allowed and teams should be penalized accordingly.

• 2

  Create a set of game rules including the time limit for the game, scoring rules and whether participants will hunt as individuals or be grouped into teams. The time limit should include a reasonable amount of time for participants or teams to find all of the items on the list. Do be careful not to allow too much time, however, or your participants may do more shopping than hunting. Scoring of the event should include the assignment of point values to each item on the list, with bonus points awarded for the first, second and third place finishers and penalty points subtracted for unacceptable behavior. Additional penalty points may be subtracted for those who take longer than the time limit and bonus point may be added for particularly difficult items on the list. Lastly, consider that while scavenger hunts can be fun to participate in as individuals as well as teams, opting for team play may be a better choice for larger parties.

• 3

  Create the list of sought after items. Lists of scavenger hunt items in the mall do not have to cost anything but remember the most important rule in the game: participants must ask permission before removing any item from a retail establishment or from a common area in the mall. A salesclerk may choose to give a participant a hanger or a job application at no cost but someone did pay for these items initially so the question, "May I have this?" must be asked. Other examples of items that can be searched for include business cards, straws, napkins, sales fliers for 50 percent off items (or buy one, get one free specials) and signatures. Specific information is also challenging to hunt for including a store display with a certain mannequin, the price of a medium latte in the coffee shop, a store with the most electronic devices in the window or how many restaurants are in the food court. Photographs of team members riding an escalator, talking to a salesperson, lying on a bench or wearing a tiara can also be included on the list. Chances are good you'll have as much fun coming up with the list of items as the guests will when they play the game.

• 4

  Make more copies of the scavenger hunt list of items than you think you will need.

• 5

  Purchase or make prizes for the winning participants or teams. Having prizes for all participants is always nice. Funny gag gifts, magnifying glasses or binoculars are good choices when you're looking for consolation prizes to give to those who didn't come in at the front of the pack.

At the Scavenger Hunt

• 6

  Designate check points throughout the mall. On the day of the hunt, post a few volunteer helpers in high-traffic areas of the mall to monitor behavior and progress. You'll want to be able to keep in contact with these helpers throughout the hunt to determine if penalty points need to be subtracted or if bonus points should be added at the end.

• 7

  Review the rules once all of the participants arrive. If this is to be a team activity, separate the group into teams.

• 8

  Distribute the lists and send everyone hunting through the mall. Don't forget to start the timer.

• 9

  Tally the scores at the end of the hunt and award the winners their prizes.