Build A Bear Workshop

This review is solely for the great customer service I received over the phone by Shawn Templeton. I was having difficulty signing up for the Stuff for Stuff account online, so I called this store and Shawn answered within a few seconds. He was very kind and helpful in setting up an account for me over the phone, and when I mentioned I had made an online purchase the other day, he gave me the number to call to see about having those points retroactively added to my new account. When I called, they were just as kind and considerate as he was!
I felt it necessary to write this review because at most places — especially in a mall setting — customer service associates are so quick to rush you off of the phone due to the in-​store customer demand and I never had the feeling with Shawn. I was definitely appreciative of that from him and handling my concern efficiently. Kudos to employing awesome people, Build A Bear!

Today, I got an Olaf build-​a-​bear. It’s so awesome and sings. Kelly helped us out and made me feel like a kid again. She helped me to feel the magic kids feel when they’re making their build-​a-​bears. If you come here ask for Kelly.

I came here for the toothless dragon and Kelly and Sean made me feel like I was part of the family. Kelly is a sweet employee and is very knowledgeable of the product, I told her a story about my daughter and I could tell she cared about what I had to say. When I went to check I was greeted by Sean or Shawn (not to sure how it was spelled) he is also very nice and a master of his craft. Both of these employees deserve raises, cause if I can walk in there and the employees make me feel like I was 8 years old again, then imagine how great the kids must feel when they leave with their new fluffy friend. 5, s all around.

We braved Build A Bear for a birthday party our son was invited to the other day. He had a fantastic time. The store’s pretty cramped for a b-​day party, but the staff is good at wrangling them and keeping the kids occupied, plus parties get a separate line for stuffing the bears. It’s all a bit silly and kind of expensive, but the kids loved it.

My review doesn’t delve into the normal expectations of the Build-​A-​Bear experience. But I’ll tell you that it’s mighty fun.
In celebration of my graduation, a group of my friends went here because I was trying to compensate for the sad absence of Build-​A-​Bear in my childhood. (Cue pitiful flashbacks of little Mary being excluded from classmates’ invitations.)
So what do we have when seven college students build bears? An eclectic hodgepodge of plushie friends, which includes a heavily stuffed, heartless monkey and a gay, assless chaps-​wearing bear. Why would anyone opt out on a heart for their bear?, you ask.
«So that it won’t come to life and kill me. Don’t tell me it won’t do otherwise… I’ve seen Child’s Play.»
Yeah, those are my friends. My minor complaint with Build-A-Bear’s clothing selection is that their girls’ section is scant… I’m not interested in hot pink, leopard prints, or sequins. Isn’t there anything just a little more elegant and sophisticated? No, I don’t want that wedding dress!
Be prepared to shell out $ 30 – 40 per person if you go.

Having a birthday party here is an okay proposition. Your total price is however much you choose to spend on the party guests, so you can go anywhere from $ 10 to sky’s-the-limit per guest. They do some cute stuff that makes the birthday girl feel special, like have all the guests pick out a little heart to go in her special bear.
Really, though, the lack of a room to have birthday cake in is a big problem. The kids get so worked up at the party, when you head over to the food court they’re boisterous and happy and loud and really tend to piss off the emo teens at the adjacent tables.
So the pros are a flexible cost, the fact that a party favor is built in, and a solid hour’s worth of entertainment. The con is that there’s no place to do cake and presents in the store, so you have to haul all that stuff halfway across the mall and get the stinkeye from people sitting nearby.

It tends to be expensive. Truthfully, you can go in there and stuff a bear for 10 dollars, but with all of the cute outfits and sounds and this and that, spending $ 50 on a stuffed animal might seem normal. It is another place that kids just love. My daughter went to a birthday party there and I was really not looking forward to it. They did such a good job of keeping the kids focused and happy about their $ 10 bears, that I now think a party there is much cheaper than having one at home and there is no clean up! The only thing it lacks is birthday cake, you’ll have to do that at the food court.