We spend our Build a Bear Gift Cards

          In my attempt to use and not lose our gift card monies, I planned a trip to Build a Bear with the grand girls.  We had $60 total in gift cards.  Our nearest Detroit Build a Bear Workshop was closed for remodeling so we decided to hit the one in Grand Rapids when we were bringing the girls home.  I briefly checked the website and it looked like the girls would be able to build a bear and get a few accessories for $60.
         When we got to Build a Bear the girls went straight to Eevee (above), a favorite Pokemon character.  There was no doubt which one they both wanted.  The bears were $15-$25 dollars.  However the way cool popular Pokemon characters were $28.  I had of course looked at the $15 dollar bear and thought the girls could choose a sound chip for another $10 and then a little accessory (hair clips, guitar, ear buds) for another $5 which would keep us within the budget of $30 each.
         I watched as the girls participated in the stuffing of their Eevee.  They have quite the ritual to make this stuffed animal seem very real and almost human.  At one point you choose a heart (no additional cost) and they have you kiss it and warm it up and put it in your bear.  They had the girls hug their stuffed animal to see if the stuffing is just right.  
        Since the girls had chosen the same animal I wondered how they were going to tell them apart.  That is when I decided each girl got to choose an accessory to put on her Eevee so she could tell it apart from her sisters.  Cate fell in love with a $10 accessory so I gave Charlotte the same amount to spend on her accessory and she actually found 2 things adding up to $10.
       My opinion:  Build a Bear is marketing genius at work.  They are so manipulative and you can almost hear them say "if you really cared about your stuffed animal you would give her a sound chip or a dress or an adoption ceremony.....or all three!"  Yes, you can build a bear for $15 but chances are your kid isn't going to pick that one, they will go for the "in" thing which will cost you way more.  
     So the research I read said that when you use gift cards you spend an average of 20% over the amount you were given.  That was definitely true with Build A Bear.  We spent $20 over our $60 gift card.  I won't be going to Build a Bear again, I think it is a bit of a rip off.  
     This process has helped me to realize that the smart thing to do is give gift cards to places that you know the other person already frequents.  Stores really win on gift cards.  People either don't use the cards or they spend 20% more on things they wouldn't have bought.  I want to beat this system!

Result:  Used $60 in gift cards to Build a Bear but the store won because I spent $20 over the card amount that I would never have spent otherwise.