August 2025 by Stacey Boon
Kayleigh and Thomas were amazing. My son had a great time building his bear thank you.
August 2025 by claire robinson
Great shop loved every minute of it went there for my daughter's first birthday ? and got her a bear and bits
August 2025 by katie
A group of us came in to get matching bears for our friends 21st birthday. All the staff were lovely! Especially Baily on the till, who got our friend up on the counter ringing the birthday bell and got the whole shop singing happy birthday to her. Made our experience extra special, thank you!
July 2025 by Roger Moreland
We had a fantastic visit to Build-a-Bear in Lakeside yesterday with a 5 year old and a 3 year old. The shop looks fantastic and so colourful with all the bears displayed around the shop. Steph looked after us and she was brilliant with the children. She kept their attention throughout the workshop and that?s no mean feat with young ones. By the end of a thoroughly enjoyable hour, they both walked out of the store proudly holding their new bears and they didn?t let go of them all day! A great and memorable birthday treat thanks to Build-a-Bear and the fantastic Steph! Absolutely recommend the experience.
June 2025 by rhys english
ok i love build a bear with all my heart such an amazing place i love all the calabs i got 10 i started at 5 and still doing it today its awaked though building it when I'm older now but hey i cant help getting a sent for my bear
May 2025 by Joe Hurles
Build-A-Bear Lakeside ? Disappointed on My Daughter?s 5th Birthday
Today was my daughter?s 5th birthday, and one of the first things she wanted to do was visit Build-A-Bear at Lakeside. She was so excited, with birthday money from her grandparents ready to spend on her special bear.
We were greeted by a staff member named Sharon, who was very enthusiastic?perhaps too much so. She pushed numerous add-ons from the moment we arrived. I understand it?s part of the sales process, but it felt uncomfortable and inappropriate when directed at a 5-year-old. The first thing my daughter told her was that it was her birthday. She even picked up the Birthday Bear initially before choosing a very similar one in a slightly different colour. Sharon was present throughout.
We ended up spending around £40 on a bear, a scent, and some clothes?not exactly value for money, but my daughter was happy, and Sharon was happy to take the money.
Then we overheard another customer asking about the ?Pay Your Age? birthday promotion, where children can get a special Birthday Bear for the price of their age. We were shocked. No one mentioned this to us?not even when my daughter specifically said it was her birthday, and not when she held the Birthday Bear in her hands.
To make it worse, in the very next shop we visited, a friendly sales assistant remarked, ?You must have done Pay Your Age at Build-A-Bear?how lovely!? That?s when I realised how badly we?d been let down. A quick Google search confirmed it: had we signed up (for free), my daughter could have got her birthday bear for £5.
I went back to Sharon to ask why this wasn?t mentioned. Her response? That they?re ?not trained to highlight offers unless customers ask? and that she ?didn?t want to sway the choice.? Frankly, that?s not good enough. She knew it was my daughter?s birthday. She knew the offer existed. She knew the bear she picked was nearly the qualifying one. And yet she said nothing.
It felt like my little girl had been taken advantage of. Upselling adults is one thing, but knowingly withholding a child?s birthday entitlement? That crosses a line. I reimbursed my daughter from my own pocket, but the whole experience left a sour taste.
Build-A-Bear, you need to do better. I hope someone with authority reads this and reaches out to make this right. Until then, we won?t be returning.
April 2025 by Susan Beca
I came in with my family, the store is nice and the most of the staff were nice however 1 staff member gave me a displeasing visit (the manager) and makes me put off from visiting again, I believe her name was Sharon I could tell she made one of her co workers upset and that's just not right at all.
March 2025 by LE
Came in to purchase for someone else, staff were very welcoming & accommodating!
March 2025 by Abigail Fox
Not normally one to leave a bad review - my OH and I took our daughter in today to get her some accessories for a bear she already had - staff tried to upsell us 3-4 times and talking directly to my daughter about products rather than her parents (when obviously a 6 year old is gonna say yes to the bear you're walking around the the whole new easter wear range you've got) spent about 10 minutes in there and out daughter decided she wanted a treat from somewhere else as we left the member of staff saw we didn't purchase anything scoffed and said 'well that was a quick look'
March 2025 by Abbie
I had such an amazing experience today! I was met by Kara who was very friendly and welcoming, she gave me lots of advice on the teddies and was very helpful overall then I met Trinity at the till which was also very kind and informative and helped me with my gift cards.
I would definitely recommend this store and thank you for everything
January 2025 by D_lovell
I came in with my friend to celebrate my 25th birthday and have a big kid day out and I just want to give a big thanks to those who served us this morning especially to the lovely lady who made our experience really special! I didn't catch her name but she had a stitch bear on her back. Wonderful service thank you so much!
January 2025 by Charlotte Russell
Really disappointed with the experience. From memories of my own trips to Build-A-Bear and taking my daughter once before I have to say I am really upset with the service I received.
Firstly, upon entering we were greeted by a worker who provided one of the only positives of this visit. She engaged in conversation with us and my 4 year old daughter about her choice in bear.
However, it only went downhill from there. It was Boxing Day so as you can imagine it was busy, but not too busy. My daughter picked the White Reindeer and we queued to have it stuffed. Watching on my daughter was excited as other children rubbed the hearts on their noses etc and made wishes for their bears. It was our turn after a 5-10 minute wait. Only to have someone who either is not fully trained on the stuffing process or couldn?t be bothered. He did not engage with either myself or my daughter. He did not ask her how much she?d like the bear stuffed, he didn?t ask her to make a wish or perform any actions with the bears heart. He did not ask her to squeeze the bear to check its softness. He stuffed the bear, put in a heart and stitched it up. He then handed her the bear got up and walked off. Not a single word.
I was so disappointed and upset for her. She looked so confused, as you can imagine after watching other children have their experiences.
We then picked out the clothing and watched as other staff members stood around having conversations with each other. I then overheard the manager tell our bear stuffer that he can go home. Which makes sense as to why his attitude stank.
There was no direction on making a birth certificate, I only knew to do this as I had been before.
Overall I am angry, upset and disappointed with the experience for my child. Considering we spent £60+ on the bear and accessories, it was a wasted experience.
If you just want an overpriced bear go for it, if you want the experience the brand claims to provide then go to a different store. This one is not up to scratch.
December 2024 by Jade Simpson
I went here for my babies 1st birthday absolutely amazing service and really reasonable prices
September 2024 by Matthew Ford
Young lady who serviced us this morning sat 28th we brought bluey bingo and birthday bear, she was so good with our boy and patience made our day thank you ??
July 2024 by Carmel Bentham nee Abi-Aad
We booked a party for my daughter?s 7th birthday and we?re so impressed. The children had so much fun and the party kept them entertained and happy for an hour. The staff were super friendly, patient and fun! We loved every second. Would highly recommend if you like a busy environment
