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March 2024 by Khadijah M
Booked a birthday "party" here on 3/9. For some reason, I expected a party room/area for our group. We were at the rear of the store. I was asked to choose a theme, I'm guessing that was for the invite. There was no decor, just a cute handwritten sign, on a dry erase board.The store wasn't crowded, but with all the fixtures of bear clothes and accessories, it made the store hard to navigate.Our hosts were nice. They worked well with the kids ages 2-4. The heart ceremony for the birthday kid's bear, was really cute. The kids all received birth certificates for their bears, and most importantly HAPPY.We had a lil hiccup with what came with our package, didn't care for how management handled it, but at that point I was just ready to go.It's a cute idea, a bit pricey, but hey Baby Girl is into Teddy's right now so it was fine. Again...the kids had fun so that's all that really mattered :)*Also get extra staff to work during party days, I heard customers complaining about no cashier or help on floor.
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March 2024 by Archana Shrestha
The staff are so nice and kind❤️. Fun Experience .
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March 2024 by Connor Murphy
Do not shop at this store.Build-A-Bear as a company itself has declined drastically in quality. It used to be “where best friends are made”, but is now as good as getting an oil change by a con-artist mechanic. Employees, at least at this location, are forced to push add-ons like scents, sounds, and gift cards on customers, even when the customer is clearly disinterested— lest they risk being reprimanded or having their hours cut. They’re also encouraged to be misleading about the Birthday Bear. Most people, when they come in for the birthday bear expect it to be the child’s age, however, it is only one specific bear. The way that bear builders are being told to respond, “Any bear can be a birthday bear!” only confuses customers when they’re being asked to add 10 other different things.The store is a mess, and the last I visited, President’s Day, there was a line nearly to the back of the store, yet the sales associates were told by the manager that only one person was allowed on register. Supposedly, this was so the managers could grade them on evaluation scales instead of stepping in to help.Prices continue to rise, and the quality continues to decrease. Half the time, the birth certificates at this location don’t even work, and with the ceremony so centered around the add-ons, there really isn’t much of an experience aspect to it anymore.If you’re in Menlo and looking for toys, I would much rather recommend Rumi, True Believers, or Squishables. They’re way more reasonable for the price and have much better quality.If you must shop at Build-A-Bear, shop at the Freehold Raceway or Bridgewater location.
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February 2024 by Krissy MorrWine
Fantastic service for a large group of kiddos.
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December 2023 by Mar1 Lyn
The staff was very welcoming and super friendly. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the quality. With all the technology upgrades today. We didn't realize until we left that one of the bears opened and closed its eyes but had a delay in speaking. The volume on both of them are so low that you can barely hear them. The only option to record is in the middle of the store with all the background noise. They should have other forms of recording. My children don't care or notice the difference because they are little, but with the amount of money you are spending, I think they need some upgrades. They did have some cute options and many choices. I wish they would have some of the upgraded character that are on TV today, like spidey and such. They had Paw patrol and bugs bunny.
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December 2023 by Adia Woodridge
After my purchase cashier reached over with a pair of scissors and cut the tags off of all my items. Not sure what he was on or off!!
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October 2023 by Ariel Yegelwel
We went to build a bear right before closing and my daughter is very indecisive. A girl named Alyssa was amazing! She took her time and didn't make us feel rushed. She new all of the characters names , helped her make decisions when she couldn't. I am so happy we got her to help us!
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October 2023 by Sarah Hess
We showed up to the store with 10min before closing and the gate was down. The staff said they close the store early. We were very sad because we brought my son on his first birthday and wanted to get him a bear. It was very disappointing.
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August 2023 by Nick Costanzo
Cassie was very helpful, a breath of fresh air! Helped us stuff an online order to perfection!Bring bag the bath ? The air shower for the stuffed animals was part of the experience
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August 2023 by Kristy Marie
Darn, for not coming up with this brilliant business model myself!That said, Build-a-Bear is everything it promises to be: a fun experience for children and for anyone who might enjoy the comfort of a personalized stuffed animal.Have taken my children here, as well as purchased gifts from here/online for both children and adults.The 3, 4, 5, and 8 y/o children I've brought to "BAB" have all enjoyed the process of creating a new stuffed creature immensely. For example, on our last visit, our 2 children chose 1 tye-dyed frog and 1 tan rabbit.Other items from the vast choices include Chase the German Shepherd (from Paw Patrol t.v. show), a honey bee, classic teddy bears, an axolotl, Star Wars characters, Harry Potter characters, and SO much more. *pictured* The trademarked characters all have corresponding clothing and accessories to match. Kids loved so many of the stuffie options that it will be easy to pick birthday gifts this year.After choosing their stuffies, a BAB employee then encouraged our children to press the stuffing pedal as she stuffed the empty toys with batting from a large decorative stuffing cylinder in the store. She then asked both children to hug their stuffies to see if they were full enough. Kids then made a wish on a (free) small plush heart that went into their individual babies. *cylinder & hearts pictured* Other options besides the free heart: heart with recordable sound/voice, heart with pre-set sound. Stuffies are sewn closed, so replacement easiest if brought back to store.Once closed, our children chose some items from a 'bear-rage' (I mean, barrage!) of clothing, accessories, furniture, and even vehicles. Such items include sunglasses, pajamas, Light Sabers (Star Wars accessory, with light & sound, complete with loop so stuffie can hold it), and a bear-sized futon.The last stops are to create a birth certificate for one's toy, and then to pose for photos with the new friends (your own camera).The online app is easy to search through. Often deals online and coupons available via the BAB Club. Online customer service chat is always helpful.Overall, I highly recommend this experience for children. Removed 1 star for the expense of this merchandise (seems excessive, in my opinion).
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August 2023 by Rhea Kudchadker
The whole process was fun! You start with picking out a bear and adding a scent or sound of your choice. Next, you pick out an outfit. The last step was naming the bear and getting a birth certificate printed.At each step there were a lot of options to choose from.
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July 2023 by Gladys Jeszeck
My daughter loved it! Staff was super friendly and helpful.
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June 2023 by Nicole Guardiano
I went there today for my son 2nd birthday expecting to have a great experience. Well I was wrong the two girls who were working were more interested in having a conversation with the adult male that we there greeting us when we walked in and help my son make his first bear. I wait to see if they would say anything and they didn’t I picked out all of my stuff and had to ask then to come and stuff the bear and it seem like a bother. Will never go back to this build a bear.
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June 2023 by Tyronica Cooper
They were very helpful it was my granddaughter's 3rd birthday and she is autistic the ladies really work with her and her mother to make her special bear
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June 2023 by Robert Moore
My daughter just turned six and we stopped by build-a-bear so she could customize a bear. It was nice. Not to crowded and the workers were very helpful. She got a bear and a couple of outfits. The outfits are sold separately. You can even look online for pricing for the outfits to get a better deal. My daughter was happy with everything which made my wife and I happy.