Is Build-A-Bear a good company to work for?

Build-A-Bear has an overall rating of 3.8 out of 5, based on over 1,852 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 2% over the last 12 months. 59% of employees would recommend working at Build-A-Bear to a friend and 51% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Build-A-Bear have been left by employees working as Master Bear Builder , Manager and Associate .

Does Build-A-Bear pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Build-A-Bear employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Build-A-Bear. This rating has improved by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Build-A-Bear?

59% of Build-A-Bear employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Build-A-Bear 3.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Build-A-Bear?

Bear Builder (394) , Sales Associate (238) , Sales Lead (93) , Sales Assistant/Bear Builder (90) , Assistant Manager (64) , Chief Workshop Manager (41) , Store Manager (39) , Assistant Workshop Manager (34) , Retail Sales Associate (32) , Sales Assistant (32) , Associate Manager (29) , Bear Builder Associate (21) , Associate Workshop Manager (19) , Manager (18) , Associate (17)

What are the pros of working at Build-A-Bear according to real employee reviews?

"Great for people not in college as there were shifts available during the week and was able to work a 2nd job alongside" ((in 77 reviews)); "Most coworkers were great to work with." ((in 68 reviews)); "Great team to work with." ((in 55 reviews)); "Great environment to work in" ((in 30 reviews)); "Benefits were great." ((in 29 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Build-A-Bear according to real employee reviews?

"Pay is low and its not enough for the amount of times you're being used by your managers" ((in 219 reviews)); "management is bad" ((in 99 reviews)); "If you do get promoted from associate manager to assistant manager you get another dollar." ((in 64 reviews)); "Long hours or hours getting cut if it was quiet" ((in 62 reviews)); "Pays minimum wage and very hard to love up" ((in 29 reviews))

What are employees saying about Build-A-Bear layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Build-A-Bear layoffs and their outlook for job security at Build-A-Bear in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Build-A-Bear locations?

Saint Louis , New York , Houston , Atlanta , Nashville , Chicago , Dallas , San Antonio , Orlando , Boston , Freehold , Fairfax , Los Angeles , Las Vegas , Richmond , Albany , Tulsa , Indianapolis , Columbus , Anaheim , Jacksonville , Miami , Greensboro , Raleigh , Austin , Franklin , Toledo , San Diego , Overland Park , Pittsburgh

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Build-A-Bear

Build-A-Bear reviews

3.8

59% would recommend to a friend

(1,771 total reviews)

Sharon John

60% approve of CEO

51% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.9

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Culture & values

3.6

Work/Life balance

3.3

Senior management

3.1

Career opportunities

2.8

Compensation and benefits

Build-A-Bear has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 1,771 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Build-A-Bear employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

4.0

Nov 24, 2014

Good first job

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fun atmosphere with a variety of daily tasks

Cons

No raises, on-call shifts, and unable to take tips after parties

1.0

Nov 18, 2014

Freakish cult where you sell directly to children

Chief workshop manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

It's fun hanging out with kids most of the day. The environment is full of bear puns, which may or may not get old quickly. The pay is not too bad as a CWM, but you end up working a lot of additional hours during peak times. Ability to attract fun employees that love kids makes for a great team.

Cons

Unrealistic sales plans so that your bonus is unattainable, with up to 20% increases over LY for base plan. Corporate communication needs to be streamlined. It's like they're a small company still, but they're trying to fit into big boy pants & don't know how to do it. Tools are all over the place and processes differ from district to district and even store to store. Quality issues with products have gotten increasingly worse, even over a one year time span. Unprofessional altogether.

4.0

Nov 17, 2014

Great atmosphere and place to work

Sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Everyone is super friendly, the work isn't too hard and you get to hangout with kids a lot of the time. All of the employees were fun to be around and I never dreaded going to work.

Cons

If you have never had sales experience it could be difficult. Sometimes the hours weren't what I was hoping for but they we willing to work with me on that.

Viewing 1621 - 1623 of 1,771 Reviews

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