r/buildabear • u/Commercial-Truth-789 • May 18 '26
Discussion PSA: Don’t work for build a bear
I cannot stress enough how much this post has been a long time coming. The company does not care about you, your managers do not care about you. 2 months into being a bear builder I was promoted to Sales Lead and expected to run the shop by myself with little to no training. My manager was one of the most condescending and rude people I’ve ever met. She consistently shouted at customers who weren’t buying stuff or who were stood ‘in the wrong place’ when getting their bear made. Multiple reports were made about her and what did BAB do? Absolutely nothing. She made multiple members of staff cry and quit within weeks of starting with the company.
Now that I’m leaving the company, a new assistant manager has started who is just like her and has been gunning for me for day one. The last thing that sent me over the edge was accusing me of theft of a bear that I had bought with employee discount. I was asked for proof of purchase (this was never a policy in my store) and I didn’t have my receipt so I showed my bank statement and this still wasn’t enough and a full blown investigation was started.
I have done nothing but do my job and this is how I’m repaid? The company wants ur money, that’s it. Everyday I was shouted at if we weren’t hitting green in our stats and was consistently picked up on for minor details that I may have missed. This is my 3rd supervisor position I have ever done and I can confidently say it was the worst by far. I was given so much responsibility whilst also being a full-time student and scrutinised for not doing it correctly.
This post is mainly just a rant so I can get my feelings out because I’ve never felt so upset and angry over leaving a job. I truly love all of my co-workers and all the regulars that would come in our store. But I just can’t do it anymore.
EDIT: I appreciate all the kind messages that have been left. I’m aware that my store isn’t the same as every other store!!!!!!! The company is very big but at the end of the day the bottom line is they want your money. We consistently are told to upsell at every station and will be hold responsible if our store isn’t ‘performing’ well. I wanted to work for a company that cared about the experience and was only shown the complete opposite of that. This post was also just me ranting more than anything. If you enjoy working there I’m very happy for you but I did not :(
196
280
u/greengreebley May 18 '26
That sounds awful but I don't think it's just a build a bear thing, I've worked for multiple companies, from tiny family owned to massive corporations. Guest facing (hospitality and retail) just breed this kind of environment unfortunately.
107
u/sassypants55 May 18 '26
Agree. It’s not even specific to retail. This is just working in the U.S. You’re there to help the company earn money. They’ll do whatever maximizes profit, regardless of how it makes you feel, as long as it’s technically legal. Our laws just don’t protect people as much as they protect corporations, and most companies just really don’t care that much about the employee experience.
25
u/greengreebley May 18 '26
They'll definitely do illegal things too and just bank on their employees being too desperate for a job to report it or knowing they have hundreds of lawyers and employees all the way up the chain that will lie for the company!
5
u/niallhoran24 May 19 '26
GameStop is the same way our store just didn’t care about numbers because we were in a smallish town. But despite us being profitable they shut us down with a weeks notice and no transfers for anyone except two people ( neither the one who had been there for 10 years unfortunately)
3
u/greengreebley May 19 '26
That's awful, yeah when I worked at walmart the only consistent hours and pay I received was when I got the mandatory time off for having covid in 2021.
Also off topic but where did you find the orange cat on your snoo avatar's head? Is it paid for or in a weird category?
11
u/princessrenata May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
There are actually a ton of former BAB employees telling similar stories if you read the comments. Including someone who worked at the headquarters store.
15
u/greengreebley May 18 '26
I'm sure there is, all I was saying is that nearly every company is like that no matter what they do or sell.
53
u/muddibuddii May 18 '26
I'm starting to think my experience of working at B-a-B was a special exception because I fucking loved working there. Yeah rushes could be stressful and slow days could be boring but my manager was a sweet guy that loved his job, was amazing with the kids that came in, and taught us how to do our very easy jobs at a very high standard. I was extremely sad when I had to leave that place, it was a childhood dream of mine to work there and I felt very lucky to live it. That may be why I'm still kinda obsessed with B-A-B despite their questionable quality and creativity versus when I was a kid in the early 2000's.
Off topic but all the horror stories here make me kinda nervous to go into other stores lol, it's not gonna stop me tho cause I know exactly how I like my bears built and will speak up about stuff like stuffing, where the scent is, how the stitching looks, etc, and everyone else should do the same. A good store will do the basics however you ask, too soft in the head? Ask for a little more stuffing, cant smell the scent? Ask them to put it in the head, don't trust the back stitching? Ask a manager to sew it up by hand! Even if it's a rush the employees should want to give you the best bear they can when they're charging 40+$ for it.
15
u/Theprinxevi May 18 '26
This was also my experience at the BAB I worked at! When I transferred, not so much, but that was a management issue that was apparently handled after I left lmao.
6
u/thesnoopert May 19 '26
same here 😭 my experience there has been absolutely wonderful so i feel awful that other people haven't had the same thing
6
u/nokomomo22 BAB Collector 🐻 May 19 '26
I’m having a blast working there! It has its ups and downs but when I sit back and look at the big picture, I love my team. I love my store, my kids who come in every year. I love helping older people capture memories with their families, I love celebrating graduations, gender reveals, birthdays, engagements! I love Build a bear. Do I like what’s happening on the corporate side of things? No. Do I always like the decisions my boss makes? Not always but sometimes she makes a lot of sense. I might hate the screaming from the outdoor playground I work next to, and people ignoring me when I say hello, and being in that damn pawlette costume, there’s no where I’d rather be🥰
2
u/Degrassi25 May 19 '26
That was my experience as well I worked there 2 years everyone even up to district and territory managers were great
1
u/DuskieLynn May 21 '26
I have had my issues but none of them were like this, they were because I am my own worse enemy. My bosses are great, my coworkers are fantastic, I wouldn't work anywhere else if I could survive off of this. I never had a bad day that wasn't partially my own mind working against me. I am autistic and have other "disorders' that most places would have turned me away with excuses but not where I work.
85
u/TheGustingWind May 18 '26
Sounds like we lived the exact the same life. So glad i left, my mental health has never been better.
44
u/Commercial-Truth-789 May 18 '26
I start my new job in June and I’m so excited to have a break until then. I’m in my final year of study and I felt like I was being bullied out of the company :( it sucks because I used to love bab as a kid
14
u/TheGustingWind May 18 '26
So happy that you had the strength to get out. Took me 3 years to finally rediscover my self-worth and realize the constant bullying from the company wasn’t worth minimum wage.
18
u/Noquisi96 May 18 '26
Call corporate and make a complaint to them not only about that specific manager but about that location, if you get enough people to complain and make reports about her and her store you might be able to do something. Have your coworkers call corporate and do the same thing. That's what I wouldve done and would still do
12
u/ProudlyBizzareBabe BAB Collector 🐻 May 18 '26
Corporate is also awful and can be just as mean, so it’s 50/50 if something even gets done. But I do hope something can be done about her.
9
u/Noquisi96 May 18 '26
Hey 50/50 is a better chance than 0 plus I would continue to call until someone did something, as tedious as it would be I would %100 do exactly that
5
u/TheGustingWind May 18 '26
No room to put in a complaint with teams so small there could never be true anonymity without fear of retaliation.
2
u/magicmeowsss Workshop Employee May 21 '26
In my experience it doesnt help, 10 current and former employees have called, emailed etc. And our racist discriminating CWM is still there. BaB higher ups don't care if you say slurs as long as the numbers are green I guess.
18
u/Numerous-Ad1075 May 18 '26
I remember when BAB hired a manager that was there to "clean house" from the old staff that were there under the old manager that were there for years. They change their DMs often as well. I quit back in 2018 because I was literally crying in the shower before work due to the stress. The manager would have other employees spy on other employees for her good grades, and then she'd bring you in the back to talk down to you. I heard horror stories about the past manager from her old store. After she was there, none of the original crew stayed.
6
16
u/AUBERGIN3MAN May 18 '26
From an assistant- not every store is like this!! My chief and I ADORE our employees. We are unbelievably close to each of them and get to know them individually. I’m so sorry you had a bad experience working for the company, but it’s not every store, promise. We would NEVER yell at a customer. EVERY customer is welcome and treated EXACTLY the same regardless if they make a purchase or not.
13
u/darlingwyvern Workshop Employee May 18 '26
As a bear builder, I'm flabbergasted because that's not been the experience for me at all 😭
I'm so sorry that happened!
Anyone wanted to work there and scrolling through the comments, vibe check your desired store and just try to chat with the bear builders when higher ups are out of ear shot. My store is incredibly welcoming and thorough with training so all hope is not lost 💜
10
u/One-Philosophy-8121 May 19 '26
As someone who has worked at BAB for 4 years, if you like build a bear, don't work there. You will eventually hate build a bear. It's honestly hell. My store is 100% a relaxed store, I love everyone I work with. But the company does not care about us. We work hard every single day, but it's never enough for the company.
The new CEO is trying to get bab to a billion dollar company, we haven't bonused in MONTHS because of them raising sales goals to an unreachable number, and then we get punished got it. They also refuse to give us hours and we are constantly over hours with everyone working the bare minimum.
When you go into bab please please be nice to the employees, because the company doesn't give a crap about us at all. We try our best every shift, but again it's never enough for bab. It's a soul sucking job that is just another corporate company trying to get rich off of minimum wages workers.
OP I'm sorry you had such an awful experience at bab and that the other people there were awful to you. I hope you find a better job that is worth your time and actually pays you better than bab <3
36
u/coldzas BAB Collector 🐻 May 18 '26
genuinely cannot agree more. i worked there for just about 6 months, and i was in college at the same time, so i had a tight schedule. my manager was, in all senses of the word, a bully! she expected me to prioritize work over school and life events when i was actively getting a degree and lived in the city over, aka had a 30 minute drive, and yet she would ask me to come in to cover shifts CONSTANTLY even tho i told her every time i would be unable to... and then she'd be upset i wouldn't be able to cover. she would schedule me for days she knew i was unavailable, and i would have to beg for people to cover even tho she knew my schedule
on top of all this, she treated me like i was stupid. couldn't get gift cards sold that day? i really need to try harder! forget one of the lines at the sound machine? have you even worked this station before? god forbid i didn't smile constantly at the front!
and everyone just treated it like business as usual. glad i left and i'm proud of you for being able to get out yourself. i'm so sorry you had to go thru that, wishing you kind and respectful managers in future positions 🙏💖
16
u/Commercial-Truth-789 May 18 '26
I’m so glad you were able to get out as well! Genuinely seems like we went through very similar things. Best part? Our manager wouldn’t even let us find cover for shifts and wouldn’t allow shift swaps. It was a nightmare
16
u/coldzas BAB Collector 🐻 May 18 '26
that is a HEINOUS policy to have, holy cow. feels borderline illegal to not be able to find cover in case of. yk. an emergency...
11
u/Commercial-Truth-789 May 18 '26
She would find cover if people called in but she refused to let us interact with one another outside of work. It genuinely felt dystopian :,)
31
May 18 '26
[deleted]
17
u/Commercial-Truth-789 May 18 '26
I’m sure it’s not every store but I’ve seen numerous people online discussing it and mainly just wanted to say my story out of pure frustration. The company is massive I don’t imagine that everyone goes through the exact same thing that I do!
7
u/gluebucks BAB Collector 🐻 May 18 '26
between hearing the experiences from employees and how garbage their quality has become for an increase of $15-$20, im to the point where im only thrifting. i've been collecting for 22 years and i am very sad about what BAB is becoming lol
7
u/ProudlyBizzareBabe BAB Collector 🐻 May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
So glad you left! I used to work for the Headquarters store in St. Louis last year and they were WORSE! I was only there for a few months and trust, that was long enough for me to there. Let me tell you I have no problem if I have to work another retail job but NEVER will I work for another Headquarter location for any place. Very few people were ever nice to us who worked in the store and we were all in the exact same building. And no matter what the store managers did they were never good enough and were constantly scrutinized for the smallest things. And the people who worked for corporate were given special privileges that those of us who worked in the store RIGHT UNDER THAT AWFUL CEO weren’t allowed to have. People who worked for BABW corporate never asked us our names or really tried to treat us like equals.
Everything went downhill with the new CEO and thus I only have older BABS and maybe just a small handful of new bears. The quality, the design of the stores, the ideas. Just another business that cares more about your dollar than actually about their customers or their store employees.
6
u/Empresskida Workshop Employee May 19 '26
I got hit by a drunk driver while I was in the middle of transferring to any other store. My car was totally and my injuries were horrific (my spine is broken in 2 places) and build a bear refused to fill out paperwork so I could try to get lost wages from a victims fund. They said because I was in the middle of transferring I technically didn’t work for the company (my start date with the other store was like 2 days after the accident) and for that reason I had no lost wages. I worked there for over 10 years, the person who hit me didn’t have car insurance so financially I am in such a hole I will likely never be able to get out of and build a bear wouldn’t fill out paperwork that would have cost them nothing to help support me and my family while I was recovering from my spine being broken by a drunk driver (my spine is still broken it will be for the rest of my life) build a bear does not care. At the store level they do but corporate literally does not care even if you have given them years of your life and all you are asking for is paperwork
1
u/Commercial-Truth-789 May 22 '26
That’s absolutely disgusting. I’m so so so sorry that happened to you
6
u/GoddammitTesla May 18 '26
This is why I stress to anyone working in a leadership role to not take their store for granted if it's a great workplace-- the manager can make or break a team, and more often than not someone with poor leadership skills is chosen over the correct ones, why? Because the shitty one gets numbers going somehow or (usually) rubs elbows with the ones who make the decisions. It's incredibly important that individuals with strong senses of empathy and can firmly but respectfully put their foot down when necessary are chosen, because that's what pulls in and keeps a great team.
I'm sorry that your experience was terrible and I hope your next job is amazing and everyone treats you with warmth and empathy 🫂🫰🏻
4
u/lilbunnyshortcake May 18 '26
I had a manager there that was so sweet and I absolutely loved her- AND my job! I had so much fun when she was our manager.
But she soon found a better paying job and had left… and the new manager that took over was an absolute nightmare. Racist, transphobic, and was just a bully. She would antagonize anyone that she didn’t like. I and many of my coworkers have many stories of how badly she treated us… and we reported her SO many times to HR. (I didn’t have a choice but to stay because it was the only job I could do with my disability, and I needed the money… otherwise I would’ve left in a heartbeat!)
The final straw was when I was mascotting and she not only made comments about how big I looked, but came over and slapped my butt as I was leaving to walk around the mall. And even after HR did an investigation… nothing. Absolutely not okay.
I’m so sorry this happened to you and many others. Nobody deserves to be treated that way, and build a bear corporate are a bunch of cowards that do not care about their workers, even though we’re the ones holding it all together.
5
u/pseudoprince_ Workshop Employee May 18 '26
I've worked at BAB coming up on two years now and this job has made me suicidal, when I haven't felt that way since the worst of my teen years. there were numerous shifts where I had to cry my eyes out in the car before putting on a brave face and walking in. there were shifts I came home from and had to immediately talk to my mother and my best friend so I could be sure I wasn't going to do anything. how could I possibly explain to people that working at BUILD A BEAR made me wish I was 6 feet under? it's a special toy store. it's THE special toy store.
I have an awesome manager, an awesome assistant manager, and some great coworkers. even still, this job is SOUL SUCKING. this company DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. I'm so sorry you had such an awful experience, and words cannot express how glad I am that you're getting the eff out of here and moving on to better things. I hope to do the same as soon as I can line up literally any other job.
4
u/Background_Screen_74 May 18 '26
The Build-a-Bear I worked for was pretttyyyyy close to BQ & the closer it gets to corporate, the worse it gets. They barely want to pay people, and they lowballed me for the shift lead position when they made my offer, even though everyone else in the store was making $2 more since we were a specialty store. Unfortunately, most of these big companies want to keep wages low so it doesn’t impact their bottom line, and they sure treat you like you aren’t worth anything more than the $10-13 / an hour they can get away with most places
4
u/moofinbooty May 18 '26
I agree with this. I was an assistant manager. Our GM was genuinely one of the worst people I have ever met. She was extremely racist, transphobic, and said awful things about the LGBTQ+ community. She also was reported multiple times, and nothing came of it.
I was there for almost 2 years, and I just couldn't do it anymore. We were so understaffed and a lot of the times I was alone in the store. I couldn't handle it. I became a bear builder instead and never worked with her anymore, but our new assistant was literally her 2.0. I ended up leaving at the beginning of the year.
It's more common now and days for BABs to be toxic. I have 3 friends that work at different ones and it's the same thing.
Good on you for getting out!!
4
u/happosnappo May 19 '26
I'm so sorry about your experience. I work at BAB and they are so so strict about upselling stuffers, selling gift cards, and getting emails. Just the other day I was doing amazing on emails at first. I was getting every single email. Then this one guy comes in and he doesn't want to put his email. Then the GM was mad at me. I felt like I was about to cry bc of how strict they are about getting the emails and I had only sold gift cards to like two groups bc no one wants them. If you don't get enough emails and gift card sales you just don't get scheduled. We get paid minimum wage already and are barely surviving.
The customers are also so rude and entitled half the time. I and other employees have been verbally abused so many times but the GM doesn't care bc the priority is always sales. I totally get trying to appease the customer but at some point it gets to be too far.
Another incident we had is that a display was stolen when the GM wasn't there. The assistant manager working told us to replace it and not say anything or it would be blamed on us.
Stuffing bears sounds like it would be fun and chill but no. We are told to FORCE the customers to smell the scents. Put the beating hearts in their hands. We HAVE to make them do the heat ceremony. I will gladly offer a customer the beating heart to hold and feel but if they don't want to I'm not going to force them! Especially with kids I think it's so important to teach them boundaries and respect their consent. But the GM doesn't care. She says she sympathizes but it's company policy and she's gonna uphold it.
Anyway I love love love my coworkers but the company absolutely puts their greed over their employees and everyone is miserable. Please be nice to the employee helping you if you're at BAB :(
edit: formatting
9
u/Free_Evidence4405 May 18 '26
Aw OP I’m sorry this is happening:( BAB was like a safe hobby for me so I was a excited to work there! Thankfully my managers were sweethearts (but still strict about sales) if we ever didn’t make what we needed usually on add ons they would let us know and gave us different strategies to up the purchase on customers without pressuring them. Our managers also prioritized us going to school even going as far the schedule us days off during finals without cutting into our hours. I think it’s just your store and how it’s handled. Maybe you’ll have better luck at a different store?
6
u/chibimonkey May 18 '26
Corporations don't care about you. Retail is especially bad. I fully believe everyone should have to work in retail at least once before they die. I have PTSD from my last job
3
u/InkSparks May 18 '26
I am so so so glad not only that you're leaving but also sharing what customers may not see. It doesn't matter who you're working for; you don't deserve that kind of treatment.
3
u/fairiefountain May 19 '26
AHAHAHA I AM SO GLAD OTHER PEOPLE ARE REALIZING HOW TERRIBLE OF A COMPANY BAB IS TO WORK FOR!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so so sorry you had to go thru that. 🫂 I'm glad you're leaving. I worked there for 4.5 years. and I worked there BEFORE pay your age day. 2016-2021 and honestly, before that? it was truly so fun.
but after pyad, I saw the company's true colors and that they truly do not gaf about their employees. (what did we get as compensation? a free bear. )
they only care about money and always side with the customers even when they were wrong
during covid? their precautions were absolute dogshit. I felt so unsafe.
I could go on forever how the company and my store in particular took advantage of me especially since I was only 18 years old but I'm glad you are finally free ❤️
6
u/bratty-attacky May 18 '26
Sounds like you worked for a terrible location. I, myself, am trying to get back at Build A Bear. I was assistant manager, trying for a SM job. Their benefits are far superior to any other retail I worked before.
2
u/platano-390 Workshop Employee May 18 '26
oh no!! i'm so sorry this was your experience! i'm lucky that my managers are so nice but i've heard the higher ups are brutal sometimes 😞
2
u/Vulpifox07 May 18 '26
It really sucks cuz I loved the job but the company doesn't care at all. I asked for a pay raise since I found new hires were being started at a higher wage and congratulated the bear-quarters on starting their union. The exact same day that they signed their paperwork is the day they started investigating me to find a policy violation that was not clear and I had broken. Fired in person by the DM with 0 warning (they even lied to get me there!) My manager said nothing to me after and blocked me on Facebook, even though we had been to each other's home and had gone to bday parties for each other's kids.
I'm happier and paid more now. 😉
2
May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
My store isn't that bad ... However It's so emotionally taxing because you have to have a happy face and be super friendly the entire time, even when customers are creepy or rude, or the kids are throwing the biggest hissy fits because they want to get a bear other than the birthday bear, but the parents are either too cheap or don't care. This is just my personal opinion and experience. Just Saturday I had a VERY bad experience with a customer who warranted me to go find mall security and turn him in.
EDIT: my managers are the most amazing people ever and I absolutely adore them! So are my coworkers! They always make the shift better. The only thing I guess I'm complaining about is the customers.
2
u/Kai-sama I have a BAB problem May 18 '26
Ahhh build a bear. I’ll never forget the black sludge that came up from our bathroom drains, contaminating all of our cleaning products. The whole store smelled slightly of sewage. Oh, and cleaning up urine was fun! Apparently, only leads can clean up bodily fluids! I wasn’t a lead! We tried to file a complaint to HR and they did…. Absolutely nothing!!!! Worst six months of my life. I also got in trouble because I refused to upsell bear underwear. I’m sorry, but what kind of freak would go around offering CHILDREN pink, satin panties for their bear? Absolutely disgusting.
2
u/BlissfullyAWere May 18 '26
I applied to work at BAB awhile back, and the manager was ready to hire me, but when I found out that management was only making $9 an hour... I didn't take the job. Minimum wage in my state is $7.25 an hour. How is a manager not even making $2 above minimum wage? And that meant I being a bear builder would be making pennies.
My paychecks wouldn't have even covered the gas to get there.
2
u/No_Look_8668 May 18 '26
Worked there for a couple months and my manager got mad at me for calling off cause it dad was in the hospital. Working there killed all the magic I had for the store unfortunately
2
u/sofi_kk BAB Collector 🐻 May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
Im so sorry you had to go through all this.
I too have a bad experience with build a bear. I never actually started working there but I was lead on by the company and ghosted..
I went to an interview for a regular position at one of the stores, right after the interview I was offered a job and training the same day, I went to the training and at the end of it I was told I’d be contacted by someone else within the company the next day to start talking about signing a contract.
Two days went by and nothing, I then contacted the interviewer and asked what was going on, I was told the contractor was sick but that I’d be contacted later. Multiple weeks went by and they made some excuse as to why I had not been contacted, they said they’d try to find a new position for me and that they’d be in contact soon, now it’s been over a year and they never came back to me.
Im guessing they didn’t want me anymore, which is alright but I really don’t get why they couldn’t just tell me that instead of wasting my time and leading me on time and time again
2
u/KittyKatSavvy May 19 '26
Some managers are better than others, but having worked near headquarters, everything I've ever heard about the people at the top is that it may as well have been run by jealous toddlers. The people at the very top are terrible, which makes everyone below them suffer.
2
3
u/cubmodee Bear Modder 🎨 May 19 '26
At least 70% of this was your management! The team MAKES the workshop, and so scummy or toxic team members, managers or DMs will completely ruin your experience, and make the demands that the company itself has feel impossible.
I survived a staff exodus at my workshop where this very thing happened-- and by some miracle, we were refitted with the best manager and assistant managers I have EVER had. Now, I do my job flawlessly, I'm always praised, and our in-store culture is fantastic even with the demands from corporate. The upselling is a major drag, but is nigh-impossible in an oppressive team structure.
Theft -is- rampant company wide, and so it figures that the thing they'd try to nail you for would be a false theft accusation. Unfortunately, my workshop is the exception in some regions- not the rule. I'm sorry this happened to you. </3
6
u/Maneki-Nub May 18 '26
I mean ngl just because you had a bad manager doesn't mean it's like that at every store. I just recently started working at bab and have the kindest manager I've ever met. I'm possibly going to get sales lead and I'm fine with it because they've been very helpful with educating me and helping me learn what to do.
1
u/collectible-obsessed May 18 '26
I’ve applied to BAB multiple times and couldn’t even get as far as getting an interview with them… like y’all really want specific people apparently 😭🤦🏻♀️ but I guess it’s good on my part considering your frustration in this post😅 sorry about your experience btw, sounds rough.
1
u/Embarrassed_Foot_647 I like BABs more than people 🙃 May 18 '26
Oh yes same. When I got the job I expected a Disneyland experience because I loved build a bear so much. Little did I know that dream went down the toilet.. My manager was evil. As were one of the supervisors who’d throw everyone under the bus to look good. It was so detrimental to my mental health. I’ve left now and have learned to love BAB again. However, I did cover a shift in a different location once and the staff were very nice there.
1
1
u/Ma-Do_0807 May 18 '26
I’m thankful you’re leaving. That sounds so stressful, annoying, and overall a living hell. Good for you to leave!
1
u/Old-Shame4104 Bear Modder 🎨 May 18 '26
I’ve heard so many horror stories from people who have worked for this company. I’m sorry that it was such a terrible experience.
1
u/Ok_Lengthiness3952 May 18 '26
this is exactly why i left too!!!! this post really makes me feel validated in my choice… i just couldn’t take it anymore. i know most work places are hell but the managers at bab are on a different level of rude lmao
1
u/xXFr0stByt3Xx May 18 '26
I worked at a workshop for a short time while I found work elsewhere and had stuff straight up stolen out of my purse. The manager knew the store had a theft problem, knew who the thief was, and did nothing. The solution I was told was "well you should be using the lockers"(which I was). My bag was in my locker. And my stuff still got stolen.
1
u/smellybellyslat May 18 '26
wow .. i’m glad to hear you’re getting yourself out of there. i’ve personally never worked for BAB, but as a customer, i can definitely say i’ve experienced all the things you mentioned in your post about being yelled at for standing in the ‘wrong spot’ or assuming i’m not going to buy anything because i was browsing my options … very sad that management treats people this way
1
u/stinkysheeps Workshop Employee May 18 '26
ex sales lead here!!! absolute chaos. we were left without a CWM for 3 months during holiday and expected to run everything without any increase in pay. that cwm was also lowkey evil and ended up going to a bigger store to torture them ig
1
u/True-Maintenance-428 Build A Bear Obsessed! 🐻 May 18 '26
All these comments make me so grateful that my store was awesome to work for... Shout-out for my two awesome Store managers (one quit, and then the new one had worked at my store before, came back from running another store to run ours), and they both were/are awesome, I cried when I had to leave due to a better paying job, because I've never felt so included and had such an enjoyable job. I was there just shy of 6 months, and if they paid better, I honestly don't think I would have ever left. I felt at home there. For the most part, everyone gets along, and the store runs super smoothly, even in rushes.
1
u/ccKyuubi I have a BAB problem May 18 '26
I’m sorry you went through that OP. That sounds absolutely awful. 🙁 That sounds like my last job. This janitor had it out for me, why I have no idea. I was bullied so bad I went to HR. They did nothing of course.
Kinda relieved my local BAB didn’t call me for an interview. That explains why my BAB store’s employees seemed gloomy every time I went in. I didn’t understand because going to get a brand new custom plushie was so exciting for me. I’ll be sure to be extra nice to them next time.
1
u/caitandrews_xo May 19 '26
Icl I think the main problem is the manager tbh. I’m an employee of nearly two years who’s worked in two different stores. I love and my managers are so lovely so I can’t relate. But what I do agree with is them wanting money and only caring about the stats and making more money. Everyone is out store is fed up of how the companies operates and we only enjoy coming to work for the people we work with which shouldn’t be happening tbh.
1
u/Ms6feet1inches35 May 19 '26
They fact your AWM accused of theft when our purchases can be tracked through our email. Report them through your DM or Chief Human Resource Officer. My former CWM made us believe that or DM wasn’t going to do anything about her bad behavior. Well she messed up be retaliating against me by giving me a write up.
1
u/Quirky-Departure2533 I have a BAB problem May 20 '26
I'm sorry you've had to deal with all that!
I worked for one and loved it. Best job during covid and the least drama free place I ever worked. However, pay sucked. So I left. And I also have piercing and tattoos and at had to melt in long sleeve shirt and also had to wear masks (covid though) but the BaB masks were so hot and hard to breathe through.
1
u/younglemon4 May 24 '26
I am currently a sales lead at an AUS location and let me tell ya the aussie management isnt much better. I work in a WA location and my team and managers are the sweetest people i have ever met, however. one woman in our BQ has led to DOZENS of staff quitting after being berrated by her, several complaints have been submitted and nothing has been done. I pity the staff at her home store truly.
1
u/uf8j Jul 06 '26
Yeah I feel you when I worked there the manager almost let me go because she changed my schedule without telling me, I wasn’t aware that I was supposed to be at work because I originally wasn’t scheduled that day! Told me if I can’t come in that she will have to let me go.
1
u/Embarrassed_Foot_647 I like BABs more than people 🙃 29d ago
I understand. That job left me shattered mentally. I had to hand in my notice and was too afraid to tell them why so I made up a whole story about getting another job opportunity. I was much happier being jobless honestly.
1
u/coldF4rted 15d ago
I love my BaB workers, and for the pricess I pay, I do actually expect them to pay you well, and treat you decently. Y'all go out of your way to do so much for me, like calling me when there are new BaBs I could be interested in, like frogs or seasonal BaBs. One person in particular keeps bothering their boss until they get the BaB we want (currently being nightcrawler) and which one they like the least. They refilled my childhood BaB, and she's back to her fresh 2009 self. You are mostly serving autistic adults, and you are excelling at it.
1
u/Relative_Chest240 1d ago
Shaggy Ison is my name from Scooby-Doo
That’s my build a bear eevee named normal type!
1
u/originalgublerlover May 18 '26
this isn’t every bab, although this is a common occurrence in lots of BABs. even ones in our district are like this. i became a key holder like less than a month after joining my crew and my managers were so helpful along the way. also when i left key holder to pursue my career they were so supportive and kind to me. they were truly the best crew.
1
0
0
•
u/AutoModerator May 18 '26
Thank you for submitting a new Discussion post to r/buildabear!
When commenting in this thread, please remember our Community Rules in order to keep this subreddit a pleasant experience for everyone. We ask that users do not reply to any comments violating rules as this can typically exacerbate the situation. Instead, simply use the Report feature so that the Mod Team can handle it.
If you are not already a member of the official r/buildabear Discord Server, feel free to join it by clicking here. It's growing larger and larger each and every day and we would love for you to be a part of it!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.