My daughter and I had an incredibly disappointing experience at Build-A-Bear today. She picked out…read morean adorable Chase dog, but the staff member who helped us significantly underfilled it. She handed it directly to my 3-year-old and quickly closed it up, so I didn't have the chance to check if it was properly stuffed. When we got to checkout, I noticed that two of the dog's legs were almost completely unfilled, with one paw so floppy it had no structure. Since the dog was already soft, there wasn't enough stuffing to redistribute.
We went back to the same employee and asked if she could add more stuffing. She struggled to open the stitches, so another staff member stepped in. This second employee immediately started cutting the stitches, but even after several minutes, she couldn't get them open. I suggested getting a new Chase dog, as this one was proving difficult to fix. She refused, saying she couldn't replace it because it had a scent inside. As she continued, I noticed tufts of fur being cut off. After about 10 minutes, the back was fully opened, but it looked rough and uneven. I again asked for a new one, but she dismissed me, quickly saying, "It's fine. It's fine. I can fix it." When I pointed out that fur had been cut off and couldn't be reattached, she insisted it wasn't a problem. Not wanting to escalate the situation, I let her continue.
Once she restuffed Chase, it was clear the toy was ruined. The back was buckling, the shape was completely off. At that point, I firmly stated that I needed a replacement--I wasn't paying $40 for a destroyed stuffed animal. Her response? A sarcastic "That's great" as she threw Chase behind the counter.
My daughter and I went to pick out another Chase, and she angrily grabbed one as well, tossing it back in the bin when she saw we had chosen one ourselves. She then grabbed a scent and snapped, "Smell too, right?" Her passive-aggressive attitude continued as she restuffed the new Chase, making comments like, "Have mom check. We can't have that again," and "We're gonna close him up for real this time." When my daughter tried to do the heart ceremony, she barely acknowledged her, muttering, "Yeah, make a wish."
At checkout, she remained visibly angry, aggressively handling items and throwing things around. After completing the transaction, she immediately walked to the other side of the counter and started talking negatively about us to her coworkers.
This was supposed to be a special and memorable experience for my daughter, but instead, it was frustrating, uncomfortable, and anxiety-inducing. I could easily buy a stuffed animal on Amazon for a fraction of the price, but we came to Build-A-Bear for the experience. Unfortunately, what should have been a sweet moment turned into an awful one.
