This review is only for the birthday bear. A nice family told us about the birthday bear while dining nearby for my kiddos birthday, we decided to give it a try and it's very cute- of course you're trying to be upsold every step of the way. The birthday bear offer requires you to register with build-a-Bear and input the child's age. You then pay age of the child for the bear so a 5yr old coat $5 etc. The cost is for the stuffed bear only and it doesn't include clothing or the accessories. Children will receive a bear birth certificate, and it is an adorable interactive activity for young children. Recommend stopping in during your kiddos birthday month to create their own stuffy. read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Birthday bear- pay your age - bear only. - Toy Stores Near Me - Grapevine, Texas

This was my first time at build a bear! I came for a gift and ended up having a cute experience. I forgot the stuffers name but it started with a C, and she even told me to grab a heart, rubbing it over mine, rub it on my ear for the secrets and then kiss it! Before it goes into the bear. Then I was told to take it a "bath" LOLOL I love it. My bf said he had one once and the stuffer said she's had people come back for testifying to gift their build a bear to their kids! It wasn't a totally long wait, but I appreciate how each child was shown to feel special and if it was their birthday, they would sing! Some were shy, others had a smile! Now I want one of my own. read more

Loved the $15 dollar deal today. Employees were kind and efficient despite the line. Selection wise they didn't have all the bears that they have online (that aren't online exclusive) but still had a lot. read more

Anytime I go here, it honestly is like a money grab. I had my youngest's birthday party here in March of this year. I booked with the expectation of her having a birthday party package, upon the week of her actual birthday, a manager informed me that I would have to pay for each individual item as though we had just walked in with no reservation or party. I asked what the point was of reserving a birthday party then, they said so they would be properly staffed. I begrudgingly agreed because the invites had already been sent out and we were a week away. I spent over $3,000 on about fifteen kids for my two year old's birthday and all we got as an addition for her birthday? A sticker. Wow. But anything to make our kids happy, right? Fast forward to yesterday. One of my daughters has been collecting every Bluey character as it comes out, so we've been coming in during the Bluey drops. They haven't released every character at once, again smart business move because it motivates families to come in multiple times. That's fine, again, I'll do anything to make my kids happy. One person on the stuffer, like always. Always understaffed, but my sweet children waited patiently with their "Pawsports" wanting to get them stamped and name their new furry friend after dressing them. Tell me why once we get their friends dressed and make our way to the naming station, with a sign hanging from the roof that still says "NAME ME", they have now changed the protocols to not print any names on any certificates. Ok, fine. I understand times are changing and protocols change. I asked the receptionist to borrow the sharpie I saw in her apron. She refused to let me borrow her sharpie citing "company policy" that the name could not be written on the certificate in the store. The name in question for my four year old's bear? Cloudy Princess. I did some research online. Apparently there has been controversy in upstate about inappropriate names being printed on certificates. Could you explain how Cloudy Princess is inappropriate and how you deemed that offensive to write on a piece of paper at checkout by MYSELF nonetheless? There was absolutely none waiting in line behind us either, so it's not like we were "taking up too much of their valuable time" as they have previously cited. I'm not sure if it's BAB as a whole that is going downhill or just this particular location. This is honestly the first hugely negative experience I have run into where a team member was actively rude to my children. read more

not sure if they train their employees, but took an hour to get our animal stuffed. line of maybe 10 people. other stores can do it in 30 seconds. read more

This was my first time to Build-A Bear and the entire staff was amazing. Aspen especially went above and beyond to make sure my daughters birthday bear experience was special. We got in there only about 15 mins before closing (cause dinner ran long), so I expected them to rush us or at least be exhausted by the end of the day... but NO! They were fantastic. They went above and beyond to make sure my little girl get loved and special on her birthday. read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Celebrating my daughters special day! - Toy Stores Near Me - Grapevine, Texas

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Waited almost an hour to stuff our bear. Only one employee was on the stuffer. The only guests in the store were in line to stuff, while 3 employees were standing around doing nothing. read more

Theres not enough stars here to rate the experience I had here. Not only did I have a great time but my daughter Lily who turned 6 had the "best day ever". All the employees there made sure to make her day as special as I was trying to make it. They helped us and walked through every step with the upmost patience and charm. Everything to making the sound, stuffing our new babies, dressing them and doing the birthday announcement. I cannot thank enough the employees here, yall made it the best day ever! read more

Worst experience I've ever had. Don't go to this build a bear. My family goes to build a bear yearly even when I was a child it was my favorite place. I decided to try this location out and it was THE ABSOLUTE WORST!!!!! Beyond frustrating experience and it takes them over 30min to stuff a bear on a weekday.... Not worth it. read more

The store was clean and the selection was good, but the customer service was lacking and music was too loud to record my bear's audio message without interference. This was my 1st time in build a bear and I was trying to get my son a birthday bear. I asked the young man working how the process worked, and he couldn't have been more confusing, talking in circles. He didn't show anything and pointed to the different stations. The other associates were a little more helpful and friendly going through the process. Come checkout time, J was back with the young man, and he asked for an email which I declined to give. He checked us out, and said the bear was around $40. I questioned this as the birthday deal is pay your kids age + add ons , so should be much less. Turns out he failed to mention he could only give the promos without an email. Why would he not say that to us on the front end? I ended up giving the email, and getting a quality stuffed bear my child enjoys for his birthday at a reasonable price, so that was a win. But the crowds and the 1 specific associate, does not make this an ideal location. read more

Today was my birthday 08/04/2024 and I had been informed that you could pay for a bear with the amount of the age you are turning. Me and my friend has gone into the Grapevine mills Build a Bear to ask if it was true. Instead of being a decent person to ask how old I was turning, the front desk man looked me up and down with a disgusted look, asked and upon hearing my answer said in a very rude tone " yeah no" and walked away. read more

Our daughter visited on her third birthday for her birthday bear, which was only $3. This location, I found the employees to be much more enthusiastic than the one in Arlington where we live. They treated our daughter like birthday royalty, even though she wasn't having a party there with them. They put a hat on her, a birthday sticker, did a fun little rhyme with the heart that goes in the teddy bear, rang the "birthday bell" for her, and sang a happy birthday song. Then they let me take pictures of her with a birthday sign holding her new bear. She loved the whole experience and even with an outfit, the bear came out to be $16. The price of the clothes is what gets us every time, and they try and sell so many extra things. You can almost feel attacked.. it's a money trap, but it's also a fun time for little ones. The birthday bear is worth it. read more

My kids loves this place and so do I lol. The staff is always friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Love how they celebrate a child when it's their birthday, so special. read more

Staff was amazing we bought in our daughter to get her bear for her birthday. They made her experience special and went above and beyond. Shout to Cassidy she really went above and below. Thank you read more

I took my daughter here on a special mommy and daughter date. Overall kind of a lackluster and disappointing place to go. The store opened 5 mins late with an employees saying that his manager was on the phone so he couldn't come out. I don't believe that as a manager would expect the store to be open to customer's, how does a store make money if their employees are running that late and not opening up? Its just not believable the story we were told. My daughter is 3yo so 5mins was quite a while, we were actually about to leave since I didn't think it would open at all. Once the employee finally opened the store my daughter picked an animal and went to get it stuffed, the employees made her stay back pretty far, perhaps this was covid related but no one else was in the store so I honestly don't get the reasoning, basically they took an experience she could have had and the employee had it instead. We added a sent thing and an outfit. Overall I was pretty disappointed. I don't understand why they got SO bad from when I took my son here just 2 years previous but it certainly made me not want to return. The employee was fine once you get over the story/lie I was given in the beginning and the weird distance we had to stand as the animal got stuffed. I hope its all bad policy that can be rewritten. I would recommending not going here until things change, it was a pretty big letdown to say the least. read more

Decided to check this out as I have never gone to one before. My friend and I each got one doll. The skins ended up a bit overstuffed as the clothing would not stay on. They had almost no selection which was a bit underwhelming. The price and selection were my reasons for this. The employee was nice enough but I can't see myself going back to get another doll here. read more

We took my one year there for his birthday! He got a special birthday bear. They sang to him and made his day very exciting! We had a great experience and only spent about $6. It was such a good time! My husband was impressed with how much effort they put in to make it an exciting experience. read more

Fun experience for children, but it doesn't last long. I've only been to BAB twice and at this location. Both visits have been pleasant. Once was with my family and another was a birthday party. With my family, we were celebrating my daughter's birthday. All the children picked out a skin, filled it with stuffing, then dressed it. You get to name it and get a birth certificate. The skins can be creepy. They have a wide variety of animals and characters. It's not just stuffed animals. The second time was a birthday party. It was well organized. The party host was pleasant and kept the party moving. I will say the experience is expensive for what you're getting - a stuffed animal. Your visit will last around 30 minutes. I would expect to attend a minimum of $25. That's a minimum, mind you. I see a few notes about employees and managers. Like I said, we have only been here twice. We encountered nice employees. I can't say they were overly excited about being there, but they were always nice to the kids. We've had children from 3 to 10 and both boys and girls go and they've always had a good time. Park by children's place, Lego land and the movie theater. read more

I love this place and what they do but this one was loud crowded and took a long time and the bears are getting a little overpriced but still a great place for kids read more

On this busy Saturday evening, we took back a Jack Skellington bear that had been ordered for a special present. It had arrived with a defective sound....a Pokémon vice box. Cassidy at Grapevine Mills Build a Bear, identified the problem and changed the sound box, added more fluff, and sewed up the bear., making an excited grand daughter. Thanks for going above and beyond Cassidy. read more

We come here a few times a month to build animals and we always have fun. The teenage clerks could be a bit perkier, but maybe they are just tired of all the little kids. Who knows. I have been to a birthday party here that was well organized and fun. Just going on our own always yields a new friend with a birth certificate and a box house to carry it home in. Make sure to sign up to receive free coupons when you are creating your birth certificate. The coupons are good and will keep you coming back. After you pick your floppy friend, you go to the stuffing station. Once your new friend is sewn up, you can "bathe" and brush it, dress it and go on your way. The clothing options for these furry friends are a hoot to browse through. read more

My kids all love this place. It's a lot of fun and a special treat for the little ones. They have lots of different stuffed animals to choose from. My kids have always loved getting to pick out their very own animal and then getting to help with the stuffing inside of it. I think their favorite part is picking out a heart and making a wish and putting it into the stuffed animal. After that your child gets to give them a bath and then give them a name and get a birth certificate. The staff is always friendly and helpful. They do like to upsell so sometimes they're a little too helpful. The only negative is the price. The animals are not too terribly expensive. They usually range from $15-$30. The clothing and accessories are very expensive. It's a fun outing that we do with our little ones. It's a lot of fun and I have a stuffed animal that they can keep forever. My daughter carried her New kitty cat around for two straight days and sleeps with it every night. read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Our new kitten, Flower. - Toy Stores Near Me - Grapevine, Texas

I have to give a shout out to Mike as the King MC of Build A Bear. He made my kids' experience a truly enjoyable one, knowing the dolls and accessories like the back of hand, entertaining and educating the kids every step of the way. read more

Not Beary Special. We went to the Grapevine Mills BAB today to check into the pay your age birthday program for Bonus Club members, since my sons birthday is next week. I was informed that yes, they still do the program, but it would be better to do it today because they have that other pay your age program next week and employees are already planning on calling in sick because of last years chaos. We said okay and we're shown the bears for the program and then asked to excuse the employee because she needed to check someone out from a birthday party, she'd be right back, why don't we look at the clothes. After waiting over 30 minutes we finally went back up to the employee and she literally asked us if she could help us with anything! We've been walking around with a deflated bear in the hot hands of an almost four year old who cannot stand still for over half an hour and she FORGOT she was helping us! We finally start the process and she seemed to have used up all of her good energy on the other kids from the "real" party. After stuffing the bear she sent him on his merry way not to speak to us again until it was time to check out. I had to ask the only other employee in the store if the Birthday Bear also gets a birth certificate, and I was pointed to the computers and told to 'scan the thingy' and it would tell me what to do. Yes, I know, we've done BAB for 18 YEARS, but this is our first Birthday Bear so I didn't know if they get one too...anyway; after giving my money to this company for 18 years and having wonderful experiences for that whole time we were completely disappointed with our whole experience today. This was my 4th child's first BAB and he didn't get 'the full treatment' that my older kids had gotten. My older children had been led around the store, asked their interests, they had help shopping for their bear's accessories and help with their birth certificates, it was always special; today was not beary special for my little guy. Maybe they've changed the way things are done since I last shopped there, but it's only been 2 years since my daughter got her first bear and they spent individual time with her...‍ read more

I took my granddaughter here and had a wonderful experience. I was so surprised that every single employee was enthusiastic and cheerful and really seemed to enjoy their jobs. I know retail is tough right now and it was so nice to see a store where the employees work as a team and are able to make every child feel special. read more

Our first time here! We have tried before but my son was NOT interested..I finally bribed him with ice cream to help make Mommy a bear, because I didn't want to be the weird adult who goes in BAB alone and makes one lol Well he didn't want a bear at all, he chose a white tiger! Ok, I'm cool with that. An employee approached us and asked if it was our first time and if we wanted a run down of how it works. Very helpful! Seems pretty explanatory but, we saw other families who didn't get a run down and seemed lost, trying to checkout when their bear wasn't even stuffed. After choosing your "skin" ( ew that sounds creepy), you go to the sound station and you can choose a sound for your new friend to make when you press its paw if you want (extra cost) We chose a recordable one and I recorded my son saying "I love you mommy!" Aww, he won't have that cute 3 year old voice forever, so now I have a special keepsake! There were a few other people in line so hopefully your kid is patient! The lady at the stuffing station was friendly and you can choose "soft" or "firm" stuffing. You get to choose a heart to put in your animal and they do this cute little thing where you run the heart on your head to make it super smart, rub it on your ears to have super hearing.. rub it on your nose.. ok I think you get the picture. My son thought that was hilarious. You could also add a scented thing to put in your friends other paw too, or a button that you can play hide and seek with. Pretty neat. You can "fluff" up your friend with brushes in a big fake bathtub. Turn around and you're amongst the wide selection of clothes, shoes and accessories you can purchase for your new friend. I can see how this place can get expensive. Then to a computer to fill out your new friends birth certificate, then checkout. About $35 (w/tax) for white tiger ($25) recordable button ($8) and you can choose a house, a dog house or a backpack to take your friend home in. I saw they have sales, like 2 for $35 and they send out coupons if you sign up. read more

This build a bear has been around at least since I was in high school. I remember going to build a bear in late elementary school one or two times with a friend for her birthday. I had a friend that worked here starting in high school and transferred to another one when she went to college. She enjoyed working with the company, and while she liked both she always said she missed her home store here cause the team they had at the time she was there was awesome. This is one of the better build a bear's we've been too, and I think there has only ever been one experience in all the times I've been; I think 3 times in the last 4 or 5 years; that I wasn't really happy with but I think it was that it was close to opening and they were still not quite ready for customers yet cause someone had been running late. This last experience we were very pleased, we had someone helping us or offering to help us pretty much every step of the way. We had a 5$ off coupon from a mailer that we had gotten from being signed up for their paw for points club. Even with that we still ended up spending close to 30$ ... which truth be told is expensive for a stuffed animal with a fancy outfit. Which is the biggest reason I can't ever give build a bear a 5 star rating. read more

As a longtime fan of Build-a-bear workshop, I wanted nothing more than to work here... But the current main manager Carla is ENTIRELY lacking in the "heart" that buildabear tries to portray. Don't get me wrong, assistant managers are wonderful, but the lead is forgetful, pushy, works the wrong way at certain angles of sale and of employee coaching, treating both adult customers and employees as if they are children, which has garnered a number of complaints from staff and patrons alike, ATOP iciness in general to customers and her own staff. She is cruel and heartless to those that "cross" her by standing up for themselves, or trying to offer alternatives to customers. Only after I began working here did I hear the horror stories. Though our lead is very good about work/life/school balance between the employees, she has a tendency to forget important necessary days off and does not monitor schedule change requests, and often disregards time needed off entirely, no matter the reasoning. The coaching experiences leave quite a bit to be desired, as well, being reiterations of items we already know and things that we have tried to improve upon, but sometimes the fish just aren't biting... But at least she doesn't yell at us, or scold us for certain hiccups or accidents here and there. Oh Wait. She does. When trying to assist customers we have her breathing down our throats and trying to critique those of us who have been working retail for YEARS upon years and know how to handle situations with those that have "offed" body language and know when to back down to avoid conflict or garnering distaste. Or, most of us do. We have shed about half a dozen different assistant managers within my time of employment and a few more employees are on their way out just before the busy season to avoid the pains of not being able to take time off. Former employees have told me to run away as fast as possible and have recounted incidences they have tried to bring to corporate that have been all but ignored due to lack of evidence and a "he said/she said" baseline, of which is to be taken with a grain of salt in that of itself. If the current lead manager were to be relocated, or even generally leave the employees alone and work at their own ability, or even shake things up and NOT have to upsell to every customer, lest face the same boring drone of a speech, then things would be greatly improved. Just getting RID of this manager entirely would be splendid, and we would recieve countless former employees returning in SPADES, but as of current, turnover is awful and within the one year that "C" has been in lead, she has lost so many good people that it sickens me, and she's left wondering *why*. Perhaps if she were to take a good, hard look at herself, she'd see. Ultimately, the work environment, while fast paced, lets you dissociate and space out while doing what you've been trained to do, especially if you're a customer service vet. *This is not a job for those just entering the work force,* as you'll quickly be overtaken and overwhelmed by the consistent demands and the entirely neglected "training protocol" mandated by the company itself, the manager firmly believing in "learning by experience", which basically translates to "Here! Have fun keeping a line of 20+ customers on a holiday/saturday happy while fiddling with fussy strings and irritable toddlers with tired mothers!", with NO regard for the employees' well-being or the nerves that come to first-time bear builders. In addition, she REFUSES to give us links so we can attempt to learn company standards on our own time, and outright has refused to train people to do things, like sewing and cash-handling at register. Coworkers are wonderful to be around and host different stories and interesting perspectives on things I had not considered before. All in all, the environment between *coworkers* is great, though with staff vs customer there is the occasional "mama bear" you don't have a very fun time with that cuts you off at every mandated upsell, which is sure to sour anyone. All in all, if you decide to brave the store and forge past this review and view it as nothing but a bittered employee trying to ruin an old store, take it from me: keep dialogue options in your head, both generic and specific, and become in the know about paw patrol, pokémon, and all other fads on display. Be aware to be gentle with those just coming in, and try to fit things to mirror the mood of your clientelle. If you're too chattery or too bubbly, you'll be swept under the rug and people without children will not want to be around you-- but don't be dead on your feet and drone, because you'll get complaint after complaint. To sum it up: RUN. AWAY. HORRIBLE upper management gives no room for proper advancement for deserving employees and consistently direct, forced upselling to very young children saps your soul away, and the cruel manager chastizes every aspect of help you give, even read more

I am beyond disgusted by Karla the "store manager" at this location. Condescending, rude, improper. I tried to explain to her my situation & rather than listen attentively she continued to cut me off & basically told me she didn't need my money, they have people lined up to come here. This is supposed to be a family store where you should feel comfortable taking your kids for a nice time, specially when you walk out of there spending $100 on a bear. I'll never ever go to this store again. read more

Came in to get a bear for my son cause he's always playing with his older sisters. Had to get the only cashier to get us a bear from under the counter because they didn't have any actual bears out in the floor. There's at least 50 people in here and the three employees that were on the floor working have disappeared and left only the single cashier and the single worker stuffing bears. So after a 30 mom wait in a line that was moving very slow we decided to opt out of getting a bear. We will not be back. read more

We come here at least once a year. Today, an employee named Caitlyn assisted us and stuffed our daughters bear. In the middle of her stuffing it, her manager, Wendy, came up to Caitlyn and started criticizing her in a very rude and unprofessional way. There were lots of customers that saw this, and it embarrassed the poor girl so much. Our bear turned out perfectly, as always. The manager obviously doesn't care about customer service and is more concerned with getting people in and out as quick as possible and taking their money. If you go to this store, make sure and ask for Caitlyn, as she is the best bear stuffer I have seen since coming to this store years ago. As for Wendy, she should find a new profession. You do not treat your employees that way, especially in front of customers. read more

Staff is kind, place is crowded and I honestly have no idea how Build A Bear is a public ally traded company- if it wasn't for the gift cards we wouldn't have gone. read more

The checkout lady made my 7yr old daughter bag everything we bought and acted like we were just annoying her the whole time we were there.....I guess customer service is not what build a bear is trying to provide.... just a bear in a box that you the customer must bag yourself....I don't recommend this location at all. read more

So disappointed. My daughter and son who have never been to build a bear where so looking forward to the pay your age event for the past week. We got there at 10:30 as we were getting in line outside the store of maybe 20 people we were stopped and given a coupon and told the line was closed at 10:30!! They obviously where not prepared for this event. Kids left crushed. read more

I went yesterday for my birthday with my sister, brother and my sister's boyfriend and it was a blast! The selection of animals was wide and we enjoyed picking one out (I picked the Fudge pup), getting it stuffed and choosing an outfit (we picked out some Bear Boxers, Bad to the Bone hoodie and bandana and some Converse sneakers.) Then, it was fun making the birth certificate and we got free Smurf hats before we left. I will never forget this visit, I was completely pleased with this place! Anybody, I advise you to go here. :-) read more