locality manager

seasonal associate

location manager

shift leader

character performer

Cherry-Hill-Programs

This used to be my favorite job during the Easter/Christmas seasons. But after the Christmas 2025 season, I will not be returning. The company provides zero training to new Location Managers. Having a trained, knowledgeable, and organized Location Manager truly makes or breaks how the season will flow and how successful a specific location will be. Opening day was a complete disaster and we lost out on several hundred dollars in sales due to not having the set and equipment set-up and working properly. The Location Manager did not know how to use the register, reservation system, or printers either. This could have been avoided if the Location Manager had done a test run on set-prior to opening day, unfortunately they did not step foot onto the set until opening day. Another problem with this season was lack of Associates/Assistant Location Managers hired. There should be two Assistant Location Managers and 8-12 Associates for the Christmas season, unfortunately only one Assistant Location Manager and 3 Associates were hired prior to opening day. The Location Manager then hired two family members as Associates, giving us 5 Associates for the season. Another problem was with scheduling. Schedules should always be given a minimum of 2 weeks in advance.. but this Location Manager would post the schedule the night before the first day of the week. At times they would add additional days to your schedule days after the schedule was already posted without asking or notification… if you didn’t have UKG notifications turned on or check your email daily you could easily miss the update to the schedule for that current week. Another factor that is not taken into consideration when this company is hiring Location Management is how a person fits overall within the set location. Respectfully. Hire people who are local to the area, who fit the demographic of said area. People who are familiar with the customer demographic. There were several other problems with this year’s Location Manager including inability to lead, nepotism, poor communication, and lack of empathy. It was fun while it lasted...but this is no longer a seasonal job I would recommend to anyone.

I'll start out by saying every location is different. Some are busier than others. I've worked as a Location manager here for almost 5 years now and I actually really enjoy it. The hours can be very long depending on how reliable the staff that you hire are. Sometimes the DM will start to do some of the hiring for you which I don't approve of. I prefer to hire my own staff. The DMs will hire without meeting face to face and majority of the time they're not reliable, constant no-shows or switch their availability which really throws a wrench into the whole operation. If they give you the opportunity to hire your own staff DO IT!!! Many times I've had no staff and had to run an extremely busy set with just myself and my Santa or Easter bunny. It can be very discouraging when you're working 7 days a week open to close on salary and your PT Associates get paid more than you do just for working a few days a week. You will definitely learn time management here and problem solving. You'll set up your equipment and work with it (so help is there for you if you need it. Once you get the hang of the job and know your position (job duties) its a good place to work. The pay could be better especially for Location managers. Like I previously said SALARY!! You're paid salary so no matter how many 10+hour days 7 days a week you work you only get paid what you agree upon in your interview. If you know your job and are dependable then upper management doesn't really bother you, which is nice because it shows that you're doing your job properly and that you are trusted. Don't get me wrong sometimes it's very stressful and discouraging; again it all depends on your staff and location. I'd definitely work here full time if it wasn't just a seasonal job. Bottom line, you do have to be dedicated to this position and have open availability. I Love watching the kids (and adults) excited to see Santa or the Easter bunny and I've also gotten to know a lot of people that have turned into repeat customers, it's nice to know you photographed babies very 1st pic with Santa and then you're still doing it when they're 5-6 years old etc.


Working for The Noerr Programs has been a great experience during which I learned a lot about management, working with children, and how to capture special moments with a camera. A typical day at work would consist of getting Santa Claus ready to meet and greet children and families, making sure my employees arrived on time and in a positive attitude to start work that day, taking photos of children and families with Santa Claus, selling photo packages and holiday items such as snow globes, frames, and tree ornaments, and answering customers' questions about our programs, products, prices, and more. As the manager, I would also count the cash drawers at the beginning and end of every shift, taking the day's profits and depositing them in the bank at the end of the day, create the employee schedules, and I would also swap out the Santa suits twice a week to be dry cleaned. During one particular weekend, a couple of my employees and I opened a few hours earlier than usual for a special meet and greet with Santa Claus for children with special needs. During those hours, I learned how to be patient, how to communicate with children who have a harder time communicating than most, and how to help overcome their fears of Santa Claus and the general public by speaking to them on a personal level, and doing whatever it took to earn their trust and cooperation. It was a wonderful experience, and I learned that I enjoyed working with special needs children, and that I would gladly do it again. The most difficult part of the job was making sure I performed every task efficiently and on time, and meeting the company's sales goals for the day, due to a decrease in general customer activity throughout the mall during that particular Christmas season. However, I really enjoyed that I was able to work cooperatively with my employees, I felt very respected by them, and the most rewarding part was being able to see each child and family leave with a smile on their faces and a memory in their hearts that will, hopefully, last a lifetime.

Working with Noerr Programs was an eye opening experience. Everyday I went to work and was emotionally touched by the families coming in to get their pictures taken with Santa. 

The typical day for me started by arriving at least 15 minutes early to get the camera, and the cash register set up. Once that was done I would escort Santa to the set and start interacting with the families in line. In the middle of the work day I would break the line and escort Santa to the break room. I would then go get his food from him and enjoy my lunch break. 5 minutes before the lunch break was over I would go make sure the camera was still functioning properly and then escort Santa back to the set. At the end of the day I would escort Santa off the set so he could change, and went back to lock the camera up and close the register. My day ended after I made the nightly bank deposit. 

I learned many things working with Noerr. I learned how to efficiently up-sell our products. I learned how to have pride in my work because I wouldn't take a picture unless I would have wanted to purchase it. the most important thing I learned was that a smile and happy demeanor is the most important skill to have to be successful in the public eye.

The hardest part of the job was the long hours. I was working around 10 hours a day, 7 days a week from the day after Black Friday to Christmas Eve. I started to feel very worn down by the end of the season. This fact was easily negated by the most enjoyable part of the job, making children and their parents smile. I had two instances that absolutely stole my heart and made the long hours worth it. The first was a little autistic girl that came up to me and held her arms up for me to pick her up. Her parents had two other kids, and her clinging to me allowed her parents to focus on her siblings. They had tears in their eyes as they thanked me for allowing them just a small break in their day. The second instance that stole my heart is when I finally got a timid young boy to sit on Santa's lap. His parents had been bringing him around about twice a week to try to get a picture. Finally, on Christmas Eve I was able to snap the most perfect picture of him laughing on Santa's lap.

When I was working during the Easter Bunny set, I didn't have any issues with my manager. The manager was a professional, gave me tips on how to establish my role within the team, and helped me whenever I needed help. Under their management, I was able to strengthen my skillset even more working under them because of how patient, calm, and understanding that they were. When that manager left, new management stepped in for the Christmas set, and the difference was striking. When I was dealing with an emotional dispute with another employer on the set, I called the district manager to keep them in the know. After I told them everything that had happened, that district manager cared more about me sitting down during the job more than the actual issue. Then that manager told me that they were going to talk to the employer to get them to stop and that they were going to make sure that employer wasn't at my shifts. That said employer still ended up being at my shifts anyway. Then the manager that actually works at the Christmas set told me that they didn't want to deal with the situation because that manager wasn't there so they didn't want to get involved. Besides management, I would say the hardest part of the job is how busy the lines get on the weekends. The weekends are the toughest part of the job. Sure, when you're working here, you'll get fair pay, will recieve breaks and will gain/strengthen your skillset in customer service, but the work environment and communication within associates and managers is extremely poor. I wouldn't recommend it.

The job in theory is nice. Easter/Christmas are fun holidays so celebrating and seeing kids exciting can be rewarding. The pay is far too low for how much money they bring in. A lot of downtime on some days amd others are CRAZY. it can be stressful and enjoyable. Too many inconvenient and unnecessary rules for employees especially for when they are not needed and how you are paid. They are bad about watching hours and typically will look to cut them and effect your money. If you dont take it too seriously but do work and do your job its not a bad secondary gig for extra money as the actual work is not difficult. Cherry Hills as an employer could use a lot of revamping on their policies or at least recognize they do not need to be universally enforced at all times as they arent necessary and can cause for a less than favorable work envirionment. Didtrict managers and higher ups should not try to micromanage from a far as they are not on sight and cant recognize or see the reasoning behind many decisions or things that need to be done. They are. Ultimately just looking at numbers and trying to make cuts anywhere they see without getting any information on why things are the way they are and if it is in the best interest of business to make changes or leave them alone before they cause issues they were preventing. Like most managers in any business do not realize and are out of touch with reality is that the people doing the actual work on site day to day see and know things they can not from offsite or in an office not actually doing work with customers or the people that actually make a business successful and are essential. If you love the holidays though, need some extra cash flow and dont let the minor things get to you then depending on your location and team you end up working with i think you could enjoy this seasonal job or its worth a shot 

Ive been with them for two years, and I am unsure of my return to go another year. The Management this year were worse than before, and whoever spearheaded the area I was In had no care for the authenticity/wellbeing/care of whomever was in the suit. Previous years I had to heavily suggest getting Personal Fans for inside the costume and a larger fan for on the set. I brought my own and extras cause Ive done this before. So thankfully the bunnies last year has something. 

This year was terrible enough with the managers not caring about the bunnies, or whoever was inside. One shift in particular, the higher manager of the area, manned a shift with me, didnt give me a break for the full hours I was in suit. And in the middle of that, broke the outfit infront of the customers with me clearly still in it. They pulled at my head super aggressively. Causing the Headpiece's glasses to almost completely fall off. Almost pulled my head off (ah yes the ol' Breaking the Magic stuff) I had to hold my hand to my face for decent pictures with a mostly removed pair of glasses. I had to fully fix the outfit myself and I was royally upset.

On top of this, they knew I had extensive experience, so they used me to be there everyday, and I have had to set boundaries which they didnt like. If the above was because of this, I might not come back.

Pros: Nice job for the time and money. quick pay for sure!
Cons: You should probably be experienced in Marcotting, but not too much or else they think you are able to cover daily shifts. Then treat you like garbage if you need a break.

I’ve worked as a Mall Santa for this company for 5 season and more so then other years, I left feeling disappointed. Compensation was lower than expected, but the bigger issue was the overall focus of the operation—it felt heavily driven by sales rather than the spirit and experience you’d hope for during the holiday season.

Photo packages are priced quite high, with minimums around $35, which can make something as simple as a Santa visit feel out of reach for many families (Considering everyone’s cellphone takes a photo of equal quality). Not every child comes from a background where that kind of expense is easily justified, and it’s unfortunate that a holiday tradition like this can feel inaccessible.

From my experience, the environment didn’t prioritize creating a warm or engaging atmosphere for children. Most of the photography staff seemed disengaged, and interactions often felt rushed rather than meaningful. The sense of excitement and magic that should come with meeting Santa didn’t seem to be the focus.

Having worked in similar roles before, I know how special these moments can be—especially for kids who may be visiting Santa after living in a hospital setting or under difficult circumstances. Those experiences can be incredibly meaningful when done right. Unfortunately, that spirit didn’t come through here.

Overall, the setup felt more like a commercial transaction than a festive experience centered on children and families.

Initially, I was really excited to be working as a holiday photographer. It was always a highlight of mine as a child. Working with Santa (along with the Grinch) was very rewarding. I left every day feeling that I was apart of making family’s experience special. However, the negative side to all of this was the management…I would never have applied or suggest anyone to apply for this position knowing that management has little concern for their employee’s wellbeing. The management ignores any requests for accommodations and brushes aside any form of compromise. There is clear hierarchy among regular returning employees and the “new seasonal employees,” creating a tense environment among each other. I’ve never worked anywhere like this before. It is so unorganized and they have no idea what they are doing. Employees count for only seven but three of them have the title of manager. It’s ridiculous have management treats their seasonal employees so unfairly and really don’t care about them at all. If you aren’t the mangers favorites then you will get yelled at for just about everything. Regular returning workers (manager’s favorites) are super toxic. Schedule cuts happen without any notice if manager doesn’t think you are meeting their goals. I was treated as if I was constantly being a burden and that I did not know anything. No care at all. Avoid!!

This was by far... the most poorly managed, unprofessional place I have ever worked. The manager was beyond petty and rude. She had this hatred toward Santa that I never understood. She would actually talk badly about him to the other employees right in front of him. She dis-invited him to the employee Christmas party and gift exchange. Can you imagine... an employee holiday party where Santa is not invited!? Ha. She also moved a table to the back of the break room and told Santa he had to sit back there and eat by himself during breaks. (And actually, I'm pretty sure it is illegal to segregate one employee.) If the manager didn't like you, she treated you like dirt. I, personally, watched her and the assistant manager (her daughter) LIE to a customer when they weren't happy with their product then blame it on another employee because they didn't feel like making the effort to right the mistake. She constantly made "specials" that weren't company standard and told us not to offer them if we saw her boss walk in (because she didn't want to get in trouble). It was a very stressful work environment with lots of unnecessary drama. 


Everyone else was a pleasure to work with. I have to say, the work itself is enjoyable! If it weren't for the terrible managers (mother & daughter), it would have been a super fun way to make some extra holiday cash!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Locality manager 936 salaries reported	$19.29 per hour
Seasonal associate 979 salaries reported	$15.57 per hour
Location manager 689 salaries reported	$17.61 per hour
Shift leader 329 salaries reported	$16.72 per hour
Character performer 433 salaries reported	$17.33 per hour

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