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October 2024 by S hart
?Learning Express?
Do you like being followed to your car after your shopping experience? Do you like being asked to do the job of an employee? Do you like subtly being accused of stealing? How about listening to employees talk about how much money the store made that day? Complain about their boss while you shop? Then I have the store for you!
Buckle up, rewind an hour and step into Learning Express Toys of University Park at UTC with me.
I walked in looking for a gift for my (almost) 4 year old whose birthday is Tuesday. Her birthday party has been canceled due to the impending storm so I wanted to do something sooner for her and I don’t have a gift since the ones ordered online wouldn’t be here yet.
I don’t have anything in mind, just browsing. I finally spot Calico Critters. She loves those. I found the perfect set - royal princess dress up. Her party was supposed to be a princess costume party so this was perfect. I grab them and continue browsing looking for anything else that catches my eye. I start wondering if $40 was too much for this set.
As I’m browsing I overhear the younger of the two employees on a phone call. ‘Do you know how much we made today? Two thousand….’
I think to myself it’s a little distasteful to talk about the revenue in front of customers but whatever. She hangs up and the other employee asks if he’s coming in. He’s not. They talk about how they take bets on whether he’ll come in or not. He never does.
Anyways…. Let me check Amazon to be sure I’m not way overpaying. I’m on a budget after evacuating for Helene and potentially evacuating again for Milton. I’m squatting down to set everything down so I can get my phone out of my purse and check the price and I see Amazon has it for $10 cheaper.
I can’t justify that much of a price difference and decide I’ll buy it online and see if I can overnight it. I set it down on a table behind me and leave. As I leave I pass by the younger employee who is heading back inside. She says have a nice day and I tell her the same.
I go sit in my car and start checking Amazon. I realize the Royal Princess set won’t actually work because it won’t get to me until after her birthday, so I start looking for another idea that I can overnight. About ten minutes goes by before I notice the younger employee is standing at my window. I put the window down and ask if I can help her.
She proceeds to say ‘I saw you had a calico critter box while you were looking at fidgets and I can’t find it. What did you do with it?’
I’m really caught off guard and kind of stumbling over my words telling her it’s on the table behind where I was looking. She seems perplexed and I’m getting a little annoyed but still trying to be helpful.
She keeps asking me where it is because she’s been looking and can’t find it anywhere. She then asks me if there’s something else I’m looking for and can she help me find that??? I show her my phone and say no, it’s $10 cheaper on Amazon so I’m checking there.
She says she understands but would I mind coming back inside and showing her where I set the box. ?? what in the actual…
I say yeah I do mind, but sure, let’s do this.
I shut my car off, walk back inside with her trailing me, walk right to the table and pick up the box, set it on the counter and walk out. She gave me a sheepish ‘thanks’ and ‘soorrrryyy’.
Still in disbelief of this encounter for many different reasons.
1. It was literally right next to where I was. Open your eyes before hunting down the customer???
2. How insanely unsafe to walk out to a customer’s car, especially if you think they’ve potentially stolen something.
3. Has Target ever asked you to come show them where you set mascara? Has Publix ever hounded you for that can of beans you set down? Learn how retail works.&l
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August 2024 by Matt Craft
What an amazing experience, the most fun i’ve ever had in a toy store! So clean and organized! The entire team was so helpful, I’m very impressed!!!
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May 2024 by Dawn Dandrea
Very cute store with tons of fun and interesting toys! They gift wrap for free and offer military discounts. I'm glad I stumbled upon it today!
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March 2024 by Anna Garst
Really friendly staff with a really selection - everything from Pokémon cards to squishmallows to fidget toys. We saw the cutest book bag tags that could be written/drawn on in a variety of characters. We stopped by because we saw the Easter bunny - kids got free prizes and cookies. We loved it so much we ended up grabbing a few toys and I have my eye on a few more items the next time we’re in town! Highly recommend!!
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February 2024 by B Alvarez
I've always loved coming to this store. My first pick for gift giving and now shop there for my own kids. It's unfortunate that today I had a bad experience... I needed to take my daughter, who is potty training to the bathroom and was told to go to another store as there is no "public bathroom". I explained to the employee that it was an emergency and she did not care. How do you have a kids store without a bathroom?
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November 2023 by Elaine Lovell
I recently visited the toy store, and I must say it was an outstanding experience. The store had an incredible selection of toys, catering to a wide range of ages and interests. From classic toys to the latest trends, they had it all. The staff was exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable, helping me find the perfect gift for my child.What truly set this toy store apart was the quality of their products. The toys were not only fun but also well-crafted and built to last. I felt confident that I was making a worthwhile investment in my child's playtime.The store's layout was clean and organized, making it easy to navigate and find what I was looking for. They even had a dedicated section for educational toys, which I appreciated as a parent.Overall, I highly recommend this toy store to parents and anyone looking for top-notch toys. It's a place where you can find both entertainment and educational value, and I'll certainly be returning for future toy shopping.
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November 2023 by angela alvarez
Wonderful! store with a variety of toys for every age.The owners & staff were simply great too!! Engaging and very knowledgeable, which helps you pick out the proper toy for the age of the child. It's so refreshing to be able to walk into a small business owned store instead of on line shopping and get the love and attention to detail that you get at this Learning Express toy store at the shops at UTC.
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November 2023 by Sherry Kallivokas
Well staff with caring people! Super selection of toys just what you're looking for.
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October 2023 by Alexander Ronzino
Staff was rude, toys were overpriced
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October 2023 by Joey Lamielle
Was great to see sensory and development toys.
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July 2023 by Mushroom._.
Great place a lot of toys! The service was really good the girl that works there what are you looking for? And then she asked what kind of stuff are you looking for we told her and then she finds it and shows us also she asked me what do you like and I said Axolotl me cause u use to have one then she remembers it and finds a lot of Axolotl stuff the service there are so nice! 10/10 shop is amazing in sarasota it’s nothing like the pictures, I only took 2 pictures of the outside tho because I knew my hands were gonna be full inside and they were!?con:there are no shopping bags to carry around while shopping so it was kinda hard to carry. Pros: excellent service very nice workers and clean store nice toys very big slime collections to buy and there’s everything + they can wrap the toys for you!. The store was a 10/10
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June 2023 by Jayme Winans
Awesome little toy store. Really captures that nostalgic vibe of being a kid and going to pick out a new toy or game with the Fam.
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June 2023 by Brittany Y.
Absolutely love this place. As a mom of 3 boys they have an amazing selection for them and plenty for even myself to get excited about. The staff is absolutely well knowledgeable and friendly. The free gift wrapping is definitely a god. Will be a return customer. Look forward to my next visit.
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April 2023 by Meserock
I went to Learning Express Toys for my very first time. Their customer service was phenomenal. They are well organized, and have an amazing selection of toys! I definitely recommend them to everyone, and I definitely look forward to going back!
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February 2023 by Angela Roxanne G
A very fun store to go to if your a kid. We took our daughter here for a mini shopping spree for her birthday & she loved it. Dad hated it because most toys can be found cheaper at other places but it was a fun experience for my 8 year old. I must say stay away from anything with orbeez balls in them. My daughter picked out 2 cute Easter toys that had orbeez and they popped withing 10minutes of playing with them. Unfortunately this store does not offer exchanges or returns. I've attached a photo of the Easter bunnies that popped they where $10 each
