Praise where it’s due - Build-A-Bear

As you know last week we flew to LA (via New York), what you perhaps don’t know is that we used Continental Airlines. If you follow me on twitter, then you’ll have heard me moaning about the appalling service that we received.

I’d been separated from G and Middlest on the flight and Littlest began to feel ill. I pressed my button for assistance and asked for a towel or a blanket and pillow. I was told that they couldn’t provide the items. Littlest started being violently sick, I pressed my button again and asked for water and tissue. None arrived. Instead I saw the air steward chatting at the back of the plane for the remainder of the flight, while I struggled with full sick bags and trying to get Littlest to walk to the toilet. Shocking quality of service!

Our Xbox Kinnect experience in LA was possibly the best time that I’ve ever had (photos to follow) but still I’ve told everyone that I’ve met about Continental Airlines and it’s got me thinking about how we often talk about the negatives in customer (not) care and forget to praise those who offer something outstanding.

So, because I’ve been there this afternoon and because the customer care was outstanding, I’m offering a praise-filled blog post to Build-A-Bear in Chester.

It was Littlest’s birthday a couple of days ago and she asked to add another bear to her collection. She loves buildabearville.com (the online world that is, dare I say it, better than Club Penguin!)

From the moment we stepped into the store, the staff at Build-A-Bear were amazing. Giraffe Man Dan was our main host. He made Littlest and Middlest shout things out and pull funny faces and squirm because they were feeling a bit shy (initially).Giraffe Man Dan was the person who got Littlest a special birthday sticker and later all the shop staff sang Happy Birthday to her. I love that Littlest felt so very special and I love that Giraffe Man Dan was genuinely funny.

Littlest decided to make an Enchanted Pony and Middlest an England Lion (the current limited edition is Zoorrific). He’s still at an age where he loves bears and animals (even though it isn’t classed as ‘cool’ by some of the older boys in his school) and I particularly liked the range of ‘boy’ clothes for the animals. The Star Wars clothes were particularly cute, appealing to my inner geek and the England Lion was perfect for a football loving boy.

After the ‘Choose Me’ stage, we moved to ‘Hear Me’ where Littlest chose a singing birthday sound and Middlest chose a goal sound to be placed inside their animals (so many sounds to choose from and I am already singing the Happy Birthday song on a loop inside my head). Next came ‘Stuff Me’ and Giraffe Man Dan chatted happily to the children, as they filled the animals and chose a heart, before whispering wishes and making the animals become part of the children’s lives. (Seriously, how cute!) Next came ‘Fluff Me’ and then ‘Dress Me’ and at each and every stage the staff interacted with the children and I genuinely found myself sighing with delight.

I felt as if I was in a happy and magical place (I’m not talking commercialism here, I’m talking about energy and atmosphere). I mean where else could I meet ‘Jonas Brothers loving’ Nat or hear about all the bears that Giraffe Man Dan had collected in the last 3 months or have Head Ranger Nicola coordinate clothing for the Enchanted Pony. I’m not talking cheesy or false, I’m talking about a genuine passion for their jobs. I don’t know if it’s the same in every store, but the staff at Chester were amazing (and possibly should be paid more money!) and sometimes I feel that people should be given credit for being fantastic!

I think that in our downtrodden society where so many do jobs they hate it is utterly refreshing to enter a ‘zone’ where you’re left with the feeling that the staff genuinely WANT to be there. There was innocence, lots of noise and a sense of being welcomed into a safe environment. I am sure that each and every member of staff at the Chester store has their own collection of bears, that each of them is a member on buildabearville and that they have shaken away the inhibitions that make so many grownups rubbish and grumpy!

The children left the shop feeling happy and making me promise that I’ll take them again next month when the ‘Ice Cream Bears’ are released. I left thinking that the Hello Kitty with pink roller-skates was possibly the cutest thing in the world and that one day I’ll visit Build-A-Bear on my own and make one.

Hats off to Build-A-Bear in Chester! Top class service in a shop that is now officially my ‘happy place’.