MALE ANNOUNCER: Tonight on Undercover Boss,
Sharon John, president and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop...
You gonna be able to go in and not be the boss?
That's gonna be tough.
ANNOUNCER: Goes undercover in her own business.
- Welcome to Build-A-Bear. - Wow, so exciting.
ANNOUNCER: By joining her employees on the front lines...
- Party has arrived. - Are we having a party? Oh.
- Absolutely. - Yay!
ANNOUNCER: This baroness of bears...
- Oh, wow. - ANNOUNCER: Will meet the people
that keep her company a beloved brand.
Oh, we're going all the way.
Get wacky 'cause he's a really crazy monkey.
- Okay. Ahhh! - Bye.
Oh, wait, hang on, hang on, hang on.
- Oh, we didn't pay? - Yeah, we didn't check out.
Yeah, that would be important.
ANNOUNCER: While undercover she'll find out
that making toys isn't child's play.
- Ohh! - (children screaming)
This is getting backed up. Still gonna keep coming.
If you're not fast, then everything falls back on you.
It looks like that rang twice, so that's... let me check on that.
ANNOUNCER: And what will happen
when her disguise starts to unravel at the seams?
Is that part of the process?
She was, like, coming toward the hairdo.
I was scared to death.
ANNOUNCER: Find out next on Undercover Boss.
(upbeat music)
ANNOUNCER: Based in St. Louis, Missouri,
Build-A-Bear Workshop is a global retail chain
where customers can design
and create their own stuffed toys.
With almost 400 locations, more than 3,000 employees...
There is Fluffy.
ANNOUNCER: And $400 million in revenue,
this family favorite has been bringing joy to kids
since 1997.
Building this company one bear at a time...
- Hey, how you doing? - Good, how are you?
ANNOUNCER: Is one woman.
My name is Sharon John, and I am the president and CEO
of Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Build-A-Bear Workshop is the only retail experience
where consumers go through an entire process
of choosing their furry friend,
picking a heart to put into their furry friend,
stuffing their furry friend,
and then dressing and customizing their furry friend.
Build-A-Bear Workshop was founded in 1997
by Maxine Clark.
She had an idea where she wanted children
to be able to make their own special stuffed animals
and customize them exactly the way they wanted.
The company grew very rapidly,
multiple stores all over America
and expansion into other countries.
Unfortunately, from 2008 until 2012 the brand
and the company actually experienced
a pretty rough road, to the point that 22%
of our North American doors were unprofitable.
Oh, we've got such a good...
In 2013 when I started at Build-A-Bear,
it was time to reinvent the brand
and refresh it for the new consumer, the new millennial.
Jen, what do you think order's gonna be here?
Definitely our hot pink with the gold accents.
I brought in a new CMO
to look at every aspect of the marketing concepts.
In that process we developed
a brand-new store called the discovery store
to bring in a new color palette
and a little bit of refreshed look and feel
to make it more relevant for today's consumers.
All right, let's talk a little bit about Promise Pets.
One of the reasons I think I was considered for president
and CEO of Build-A-Bear was the recognition
that I could fix businesses and turn around brands.
I graduated in advertising
from the University of Tennessee
and got my MBA from Columbia.
Most of my career has been at big toy companies
or children's-focused companies, from Mattel
to Hasbro to Stride Rite Children's Group.
I've taken some powerful brands
and in some cases historic brands
and been able to reinvent them to much success,
so much so that I get the opportunity
to get the next thing that isn't quite running right.
The interesting thing about being a first-time CEO
is that it requires me to live and breathe Build-A-Bear.
Fortunately for me, it is very close
to my own personality.
It's fun. It's engaging.
It's kid-focused.
It wants to stay young,
so it's not that far off from who I am.
I am pretty excited about it, actually.
I've been thinking about my disguise.
Are you gonna... you gonna run the stuffer?
I'm gonna try to run it.
I'm gonna try to run... no idea how to run the stuffer.
Are you gonna be able to go in and not be the boss?
I know that's gonna be tough, but I'm gonna try.
I've been working on my persona.
I'm so excited about the future of Build-A-Bear Workshop.
After three years at the helm,
the brand is stronger than it was even
at the height of the company in 2006, 2007.
- You ready to go? - I'm ready to go.
So we're well-positioned to move Build-A-Bear
to a very, very bright future.
- Bye. - Bye-bye.
- Take care of the kids. - Oh, yeah.
Who are we turning you into today?
It's, like, a alter ego,
so we definitely have to fix... change the hair.
- We gotta change up the hair. - Got some options here for you.
I think now is a great time to go undercover
because we are in the middle
of changing the trajectory of Build-A-Bear.
We have recently rolled out
our new discovery store formats,
and I really want to know how the bear builders
feel about the new format, the new service model,
and some of the other changes that we've made.
Let's build some bears.
When I go undercover, I'm going to be Jessie.
My employees will think I'm on a different reality show.
They'll have no idea it's really Undercover Boss.
(upbeat music)
♪ ♪
Today I'm in Northridge, California,
and I'm going to be working with a bear builder.
This location was upgraded to our new discovery store model
just a few months ago.
Our discovery store represents
a new branding look for Build-A-Bear,
but it also has a little bit of a different process.
Our bear builders guide
our consumers through the experience,
so I want to see how our bear builders
are responding to the change.
- Hello, welcome to Build-A-Bear. - Hi. Oh, wow, hi.
- Are you Jessie? - Yeah, I'm Jessie.
- Oh, hello! - Yeah, hi.
- My name is Leney. - Laney?
- Leney. - Leney.
- Leney, yes. - Okay, got it. Yay.
I'm gonna take you through this entire process today.
- Okay. - A to Z.
So let's get you an apron, and let's get started.
I'm a little nervous.
Oh, don't be. You're gonna do perfect.
Okay. All right.
It's a bunch of beautiful babies.
They're celebrating back-to-school month.
Are we having a party?
We are having a party, absolutely.
Oh!
We have an hour to do the whole, entire process,
and they must have a good time.
- Okay. - That is what our main concern
is, is their experience goes bearrific.
- Bearrific? - Yes.
Oh, that's so cute.
So now we're gonna prep for our party
'cause the kids are gonna be here in a minute.
Oh.
So now we can just show you the stuffer.
All right.
I am nervous about the stuffing machine.
It's harder than it looks, and I've never mastered it.
I'm just gonna show you how the stuffer works
so you don't freak out, okay?
Well, I'm freaking out already.
When the kids come up, you tell them,
"Okay, now step on the magical pedal."
And the stuffing comes right out of here.
- Okay. - (excited chatter)
Oh, look it, party has arrived.
Hello, ladies. Welcome to Build-A-Bear.
How are you guys doing today? Are you excited?
- Yeah! - Hi.
Yeah? We can get started with picking out
your special furry friend.
You have all the bears to select from.
Go ahead and pick your bear.
- She got a Pokémon. - I picked this one out.
- Perfect, what a good choice. - Oh, my goodness.
- Do we all have our bears? - all: Yeah!
We know which ones we're getting?
Then we can head over to the stuffer.
(suspenseful music)
(excited chatter)
When Leney says she's gonna put me on the stuffer machine,
I'm... I'm a little frightened.
Here we go. Okay.
Do you know how to do this? All right.
- Ready? - Okay, let's go.
- Ohh! - (children scream, laugh)
She made it snow.
Like, all the stuffing
that should have been inside that bear,
it was kind of everywhere.
It's in my mouth.
It's in my hair, and I'm like,
"I... I knew this would happen."
Yeah, slow it down! (laughs)
But then I was scared to death.
She was, like, coming toward the hairdo.
Is that... is that part of the process?
I was frightened and afraid that if she, like,
sort of pulled on it too hard that my cover might be blown.
- Ohh! - (children scream, laugh)
Slow it down! (laughs)
She was, like, coming toward the hairdo, and I'm like,
"Oh, it's all over. It's all over,"
but she just pulled out some of the fluff,
and we just moved on.
Mommy! Mommy!
Okay, can I do better this time?
- Maybe. - You're gonna help me, right?
All right. All right.
- Are we ready? - We made it!
- Don't forget his tail. - Oh, yeah.
Just take your time, Jessie.
Just breathe. You got this.
Okay, look at that.
All right, give me a little more fluff.
Okay, that's good. Give her a squeezy.
Happy? We'll sew her up.
How many stitches do you think I need?
Tie it about ten times or so.
Did you go to Build-A-Bear when you were young?
Absolutely.
I have been coming to Build-A-Bear
since I was five or six.
My little sister, she had a big impact on my job here too,
'cause we were in here all the time.
So were you here before this was all, like...
This?
With the new stuffer and everything?
Yes. God, so emotional with it.
- Why? - The old store was... you know,
it was my childhood, and when you come to Build-A-Bear,
you come to be a kid again and to relive your childhood.
Uh-huh. So you didn't want to do the remodel?
No. Even eliminating the Fluff Me station
where they got to give the bear an air bath...
Oh, yeah. It had emotion to it?
Yeah. We took that out, unfortunately,
and we put in a Smile For Me
where the kids stand against the wall
and take a picture with their bear instead.
But the parents take the picture, we don't.
- Oh, I see, yeah. - So that's very misleading.
In this discovery store model we are still looking for a way
for people to bond with their bears.
That's what really was happening
at the Fluff Me station.
And I think Leney's making a good point,
that maybe the Smile With Me station isn't working as well.
- All right, party kids... - Oh, we're gonna go.
- Party time. Okay. - (all cheering)
All right, we get it out of our system.
You can get something that's on a hanger,
a cute little outfit and a pair of shoes,
and that's it, okay? Outfit and shoes.
Okay, guys.
And now you just follow them and make sure they have fun.
(upbeat music)
That is so cute.
All of your bears' birthdays are today,
'cause you got to make them.
I think Leney, she's doing a great job
managing the organized chaos of the party.
If you want to hold the other side, you can.
When the party was over, the kids were so joyful.
Leney definitely exemplifies the heart of Build-A-Bear.
So you seem to really enjoy, you know, working here.
Oh, I love it.
And your little sister likes it too, right?
Oh, yeah, she loves it. She's like,
"I'll come in and clean, and, you know."
I'm like, "You don't clean at home."
Do you guys still live in the same house?
I'm living with my family.
Being at home with grandma, that's special because,
you know, you never know how long you have.
- That's true. - Oh, you know what?
We can actually... I'll show you how we can fill the stuffer,
since there is a little bit of room.
Okay, okay.
We just take our bale that's back here.
Okay. So you said something about,
like, your grandma, you know,
you never know how long you're gonna have.
- I'm terrified. - What's going on...
She has lupus.
So it's... it's nerve-racking, you know,
and it's really taken a toll on her.
Is that... like, that would be your mom's mom?
No, that will be my dad's...
I don't talk to my mom or my mom's family.
She left about four years ago,
but mentally she was never, like, here, you know?
- Oh, I'm sorry. - My grandma raised me.
- What does your dad... I mean... - He's disabled.
He doesn't work, so I have three jobs to try and help.
- Oh, my goodness. - I work all the time literally.
- You just work all the time? - Yeah.
Leney is just a couple of years older
than my oldest daughter,
and she has so much responsibility
on her shoulders,
and what's really amazing about that
is the spirit that Leney brings to work every day.
She is what Build-A-Bear is supposed to be.
Fluff is my new best friend.
Let's make sure it doesn't enter your stomach
- again though, right? - Yeah. Oh.
(upbeat rock music)
Today I'm in Whitehall, Pennsylvania,
and I'm going to be working with a bear builder
at one of our heritage stores.
(excited chatter)
I liked what I saw in our discovery store
yesterday working with Leney,
but most of our stores are still our heritage model.
I want to make sure that even the teams
that are in heritage stores are getting the message
that we're changing and they understand
that these changes
are giving our company a new future.
- Hi. - Oh, hey, are you Jessie?
- I am. - Jessie. How are you?
- My name's nick. - Hey, so nice to meet you.
It's good to meet you. Welcome to Build-A-Bear.
- Wow, so exciting. - Definitely, definitely.
Now what we're gonna start with, I guess,
is we're gonna have you run some register.
- Okay. - So follow me.
- Thank you. All right. - Follow me.
We'll grab you an apron. We'll grab you a lanyard.
- All right. - So first off,
these are our registers. We got two of them right here.
The system is pretty basic.
I mean, if somebody comes over with something,
you got a code on it. Scan the barcode.
- And then does that come up? - And then on its own...
Is it ever... is it always right?
Yeah, it's... I mean, as right as computers can be,
you know what I mean, but yeah.
And then once they're ready to go,
you just click total,
and then they'll pay with their cash, credit cards...
Okay, and it's usually what?
It's usually debit and credit card.
Okay.
Dad. How you doing, Dad?
- I'm all right. - Cool, cool, cool.
What do we got? Let me see that tag there, bud.
That's the one.
- Look at him. - Darth Vader bear.
- Darth Vader. - You're ahead of the game.
Look at you go. So he's paying with a card,
so I click the total,
and then you just go to debit/credit,
and then the amount's already gonna be right there.
- Mm-hmm. - All right, now it's gonna ask
for your autograph 'cause you're famous.
All right, dad. This receipt's for you.
Be sure to come again to see me real soon, okay?
I can help the next guest over here.
- Hi. - Hi there.
- Think it's your turn now. - Okay.
So... and that was good? Did something good happen?
Yep, and then we have a dress.
All right, thank you.
- Thank you. - All right, bye.
Oh, wait, hang on, hang on, hang on. So...
Oh, he didn't pay.
Yeah, we have to check out first.
Yeah, that would be important.
- Total. - Thank you very much.
All right, bye-bye. Thank you.
Thank you.
This time you're gonna try it without my help.
Okay. Can I help the next customer?
Guest, please? Hi, how are you?
- Hello, we're good. - Okay.
Total is $75.26.
(tense music)
Is that right?
Oh, you know what happened?
It looks like that rang twice, so that's... let me check on that.
- I'm sorry. Nick? - Yeah.
The Chase is rung twice on here.
Oh, no. Let's fix that. What do you say? Two...
- I'm so glad you caught that. - That's okay. I'm just like...
- Item. - Am I doing this right?
So now we have $53. Does that sound better?
Yes.
If Jessie is going to be ringing
the register under my numbers with my name in there,
I'm definitely gonna want to keep a good,
close eye on what she's doing.
- And then... - Me?
- Yep, okay. - Okay.
There you go, and then swipe your card.
- I ripped it. - It's nerve-racking for me.
Know what, that was pretty nerve-ra...
I mean, I almost sent that one couple out
without, you know, paying at all.
You know what? We caught it. We're good to go.
- Everything's fine. - Yeah.
- But you'll learn in time. - All right.
Follow me over here. Check this out.
I think I should show you the whole process
of how we build a bear.
Oh, that's gonna be really helpful.
Take your pick.
- I love horses. - Horses?
We're gonna go stuff that horse now.
- All right. - I start with the legs.
Now what we're gonna do is grab a heart right out of that bin.
- Okay. - We're gonna give the heart
a kiss and shake it like this and say,
- "Wake up, heart." - Wake up, heart.
And then we'll turn in a circle like this carefully
and say, "Whee!"
both: Whee!
Working with Nick was really fun
because Nick made it fun
to go through every step and participate.
- This is sound station. - Sounds.
All kinds of different sounds are on here.
- Oh. - (horse neighs)
All right, so we're gonna take one of these.
- Okay. - Blue side down.
- Hey, that's pretty cool. - Isn't that neat?
How does it know that that's that? How did it know?
To be honest with you, I have no clue.
I don't know how it works, to be honest with you.
Let's just say that it... let's just say that it's magic.
So now we're gonna come over here.
Adding a sound to your bear is not a new thing for us.
Our bear builders should be able to explain this.
Okay, how many of these do you do?
I usually just do maybe two, maybe three.
Leney told me to put ten knots in the bears.
All of these processes should be consistent
between stores,
even between discovery and heritage stores.
See how that... does that look right to you?
- 'Tis perfect. - Okay, good, and now we're done.
Not yet. We got to make the birth certificate.
- Follow me over here. - Okay.
All you do is take this tag, swipe it.
Now, what do you think you want to name her?
I'm gonna name her Goldie.
Goldie, that's a good name.
So how long did it take you to get this good?
I just... I just come here and have fun, you know?
I just think it's a fun experience,
the sense of just that adolescence to it.
It's important to keep that sense of imagination.
I want to be a filmmaker, for example.
- I want to make movies. - Okay.
I apply the things I learned here
to everything that I... everything in my outside life.
- Do you? - Definitely.
Let's click the enter button.
Congratulations on making your new furry friend.
- That's really cool. - See, this reminds me of a...
this reminds me of an idea that I had for Build-A-Bear too.
Oh, what's your idea?
Well, it's a Build-A-Bear movie.
- Is it? - It kind of incorporates a lot
of those older bears that we used to have.
I miss some of the original bears.
I remember we had Bearville. It's got that involved in it.
- Wow. - It's a little personal to me
'cause I grew up kind of outcasted on the side,
a lot of issues because of my leg.
I was wheelchair-bound.
What was wrong?
It's a bone disease called Perthes disease.
Your hip gets all goofy because of...
because of clotting, and I got one leg shorter than...
I got one leg shorter than the other.
- Oh. - Actually, I did make
a teddy bear not that long ago.
Oh, wow, that's neat.
I made that bear as a personal reminder
to myself that it's okay to be different
and it's okay to think outside the box.
Nicholas is all about passion.
He's really enthusiastic.
He seems to love what he does.
I think he brings a really special personality
to everything that he does.
Your official Build-A-Bear Workshop birth certificate.
- Oh, great. - Yep.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up...
- Ooh, that's heavy. - See how they coming down?
- Yep. - You got to be fast.
ANNOUNCER: Jessie can't get a grip...
This is getting backed up.
If you're not fast, then everything falls back on you.
And I think I just messed this one up.
- Ay-ay-ay. - ANNOUNCER: And later...
This is our training guide, so I have Build-A-Bear's way,
but I've switched up and made my own little packet.
ANNOUNCER: The boss meets an employee
who isn't playing by the rules.
I used to work in a restaurant.
I would have gotten in trouble
for not following what the latest stuff was.
- Not following? Oh, yeah. - What's the deal with that?
(upbeat music)
I'm in Columbus, Ohio, today, and I'm going to be working
with a cherry picker operator in our warehouse.
♪ ♪
The warehouse is a critical part of Build-A-Bear.
We have shipments to our stores
leaving this warehouse almost every day.
We also fulfill our BuildABear.com orders
from this warehouse.
I really want to make sure
we're following the safety rules.
- Yes, ma'am. - Hi, good morning.
I also want to make sure we're being as efficient
and effective in our ability
to redistribute the products to our stores.
- Hey, how are you? - Hey, hi.
- My name is Solomon. - Hi, I'm Jessie.
We're gonna go over cherry picking and then shipping.
I don't know what that is, so you're gonna have to help me.
Cherry picking? We're gonna go pick boxes.
Okay. Sounds like fun.
And we're gonna be shipping the same thing.
Yeah, clothes and bears.
Now you ain't scared of heights, are you?
No, no, I'm good.
Long as you ain't scared of heights then we'll be all right.
Okay, good. Let's get going.
- Now this is my cherry picker. - Is that a cherry picker?
- Yeah, this is it right here. - Okay.
Yeah. That's where you build your boxes at.
This is the only thing that goes in the air, this part.
- It goes in the air? - Yeah.
This almost will actually touch the ceiling in certain aisles,
so you got to be careful what aisle you go in.
Okay.
Anything other than that, it's okay.
So I would think, like, being careful...
- That's number one. - Is really important.
That's number one, safety.
How do you know what you're supposed to be doing today?
That's when you get the gun involved.
This is everything we can pick.
- Aisle 31, 30 and 25. - 31, yes, yes.
I usually start high, in the high aisles
and just work my way down.
So you do it, like, sequentially?
Yeah. Now our thing is getting us safe.
Now we got to get safe.
Solomon must have said that three, four, five times.
Safety first. It's always safety first.
We got to make sure we're safe,
so that was a big thumbs up for me.
Now you want to jump on there.
- I got to get on there? - Yeah.
This is up.
Oh, wow. You got to warn me!
- Yeah. - (horn honks)
Now we're gonna go to aisle 31. 31, 40.
Oh, you gotta tell me when you're doing that.
Yeah. (chuckles) That's 42-11.
- This is 42-10. - How many do you need?
So it's telling us scan one of them.
Now we're ready to go to aisle 30.
So now we got to go to 30-542, so we going up right now.
- Oh, really? - Oh, yeah, boom, going up.
We're driving it. We up, we up, we up.
- Oh, we're going all the way. - Right here.
- Right... this guy? - Yeah. But that was...
- So we got to get that box? - Yep.
- I got it. - You comfortable with it?
I got this, I can do this. All right, I'm climbing in.
- Climbing in. - I'm getting the box.
Get the box, set it there, climb back.
- And I'm climbing back. - That's what I would do, smart.
- That's a smart way to do it. - All right, good.
That's actually a speedy way, too.
That's... that's smart. And we're out of here.
I got to hurry up and get picking done
so I can go to shipping and help them out.
- I got it. This guy. - Yeah, see?
Now you telling me where it's at.
I loved the cherry picker.
I know I got to go to 43-22. I'm already in my head.
I'm already counting, like, okay.
- Right. - It's fun to me. I love it.
It's pretty zippy, and you can turn it different ways.
Aisle 25, and I'm gonna have to go up.
This time we going all the way up there.
And I like being up high.
Gonna be able to see everything.
- Cool. I love it up here. - Yeah.
I mean, being up there like that...
We're on top of the world.
And being able to see the whole warehouse
and all the boxes and everything that's going on,
it's pretty magic, and I've never been up there.
See, we got somebody else coming through.
We got Tayo. That's Tayo.
- How's it going, Tayo? - How are you, man?
- You guys all know each other? - Yeah, that like...
Build-A-Bear is a family, straight-up.
- Build-A-Bear's a family? - Build-A-Bear is a family.
It's not a job. That's why I love it here.
And then knowing it's for kids?
- Oh, yeah? That's cool? - That makes it even better.
- Yeah, 'cause I have kids. - You have kids?
How old are they?
My son is seven and my daughter is three.
That's awesome.
We pretty much wrapped up everything with the picking.
It's time to change over to shipping.
Okay.
So this is where you put the boxes?
Yeah. They throw it on the line,
and this is where they eventually come.
And they come down this, and then we put them on a pallet,
and then they get on a truck or...
Yep, every box on this line needs to be scanned.
Boom.
- So I can put this on? - Yeah.
Now, you want to build, probably, to the point
where you know you have other boxes coming.
Yeah. Okay, so scan some.
I'm gonna help you too as we go.
(upbeat music)
♪ ♪
Now, this is fast. See, they keep coming.
- Oh, goodness. - Ay-ay-ay.
No pressure.
♪ ♪
Ooh, that's heavy.
- This is a mess. - Yeah, this is just crazy.
You got to be fast, you know?
'Cause the lines get backed up, and the bosses get mad
because they got to come out and do extra stuff.
Speed and accuracy is definitely important.
This is getting backed up.
If you're not fast, then everything falls back on you.
Jessie got to speed it up a little bit.
See how they coming down?
Yep. Both of these, right? You got those?
Yep, and nothing heavy goes on top.
- Got you. - So this is a heavy box,
so I'm gonna go ahead and set this to the side
'cause what happens is if this was six-feet right now
and we had ten huge boxes,
we're gonna have to rearrange the whole pallet.
I mean, like, you really got to, like, undo it and re...
Yeah, the whole thing.
- But how could you fix that? - Ain't no way.
When, you know, Solomon said,
"I don't think there's any way to fix it,"
I'm definitely turning on maybe there is a way to fix it.
Maybe there's a way to think about the order
we shoot the boxes down.
So they're... are they excited that you work here? They get it?
Oh, yeah, it's more my daughter.
My daughter is more excited.
Like, she's the younger one, so, you know,
she's into bears and all that.
Does she ever come down here and see you?
Well, they moved to Texas.
Hey, that's an important piece of information, man.
I'm gonna go down. I just don't know when.
It got to be the right timing.
With this kind of been my... almost, like, the first job
I really been hired on full-time and benefits,
it's just like... then I like it, the people here.
I don't want to go to Texas.
I love it here, but I'm like, I miss my kids.
My dad wasn't in my life, so now I'm like...
I kind of feel like I'm entitled
to be there for my kids, you know what I mean?
Once you start your own family,
then that's your first priority.
So why did she move?
'Cause there's a lot more opportunities in Texas.
I mean, problem is it's kind of...
it's a little more on the expensive side.
You kind of got to already have money, 'cause I mean,
I live in Columbus, Ohio, and I can tell you right now
where I live at it ain't nothing pretty.
- Yeah. - You know what I mean?
I come to work with a smile on my face every day
because I'm thankful for what I got,
but where I live at, it's not good.
I love this, what you got going on here.
Oh, yeah, this? You know, I do music.
I write music. I rap music.
I got a whole team full of people.
You... what do you do? You sing?
So this is it, 1st Degree Entertainment.
My music is, like, about my past life and about my life,
so it's like, I don't share it with a lot of people.
It's always touching to me
when you meet someone that is working so hard
and has such a great spirit
and a great attitude, so clearly, you know,
Solomon's a great employee for Build-A-Bear.
So no matter how the rest of the journey goes,
at least I know the warehouse is in good hands.
Well, we got all this wrapped. We need to go to the back.
- All right. - Finish wrapping that up
so we can get out of here
and get these trucks out of here.
Okay.
(horn blares)
Today I'm in Alpharetta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta,
and I'll be working with an assistant manager.
The assistant manager is a really
important role inside of Build-A-Bear Workshop.
They have to know everything about every process
because they have to teach those aspects.
- Kendall? - Yes.
- Hi. - Hi.
- I'm Jessie. - Hi, I'm Kendall.
- It's nice to meet you. - Hey, it's so nice to meet you.
I'm the assistant manager here.
I've worked here for eight years.
So are you ready to get started?
Uh, yeah.
All right, you can just put your shirt right there.
I'll get you a locker in a little bit.
So I have some stuff here for you.
I train a lot of people.
- Okay. - Just the summertime,
I trained 60 people.
- Wow. - Yeah.
This is our training guide.
We kind of switched over to, like, a new training guide.
We've changed Build-A-Bear a little bit.
The person who started Build-A-Bear,
- she's actually retired. - Oh, okay.
So we had a new person step in,
and they have changed it all up.
So I'm gonna leave that there 'cause we'll refer back to it,
but I've switched up and made my own little packet, so...
Oh.
When Kendall first started to show me
some of the training manuals, I was a little concerned
because I would have expected that the new
experience first manual would have been the thing
that she would have kind of guided me through,
not something that she's created on her own.
What's the difference between the two?
They're kind of the same.
So why did they bother doing this
if this is the same thing?
It's... it's not really the... it's just an upgraded version.
I don't know, I used to work in a restaurant.
I would have gotten in trouble
for not following what the latest stuff was.
Not following? Oh, yeah.
We are a company, and there are certain aspects
that really do need to be followed.
What's the deal with that?
Because, like, even in the restaurant,
maybe I don't say the right thing, and...
It's definitely not like that.
It's more of just, like,
I have Build-A-Bear's way and... which I always follow.
- Uh-huh. - Everybody learns differently.
So that's kind of why I've made my own packet.
It's all the same training,
'cause I would lose my job if I didn't do it right.
- And we can't have that. - Oh, that's right.
Been here too long.
All right, so what we're gonna do today
is we're gonna learn about sales and smiles.
Kendall has created a process that works for her.
She gave them sort of, like, a Cliff's Notes version,
which is not a bad idea, except I'd like to make sure
that we have a more standardized approach,
and that really falls on me.
All right, you ready to do some more?
- Okay. - So this is FIB,
- which is First Impression Bear. - Okay.
I'm gonna recite the first impression to you,
then you're gonna repeat it back to me.
"Have you been to Build-A-Bear before?
"No? Well, let me explain the process.
"For the price of your animal, it includes the stuffing,
"the heart, the birth certificate,
the house, and the picture at Smile For Me."
- The picture at Smile For Me? - Mm-hmm.
Okay, I don't know what that means.
It's something new that we're starting.
"We also have sounds, clothes, and accessories,
"so those are all extra. My name is Jessie.
If you have any questions, just let me know."
Okay.
I like to tell all of my employees,
you just never know, really, who you're impressing.
When I first started working here,
I met a little girl.
She was really standoffish at first,
but by the time she left, you know, she hugged me.
Her parents were taking pictures and everything,
and I just let them go not thinking anything of it.
A couple weeks later the parents emailed corporate telling us,
you know, how she was autistic and how she's really, like,
standoffish towards people, you know,
and they were just basically just thanking me,
and she still actually comes back to see me to this day.
Oh, that would make you feel good, I think.
It's great. It's a good feeling.
- All right, you ready? - I think.
- You got this. All right. - Okay.
Kendall understands who Build-A-Bear is
and how to take it seriously that everyone has a story,
but you have to be willing as a bear builder
to explore that story.
So you are standing here in this area.
- Okay. - I'm gonna walk in.
All right, are you ready?
- I'm ready if you are. - All right, let's do this.
Hey, have you ever been to Build-A-Bear before?
No, I have not.
Okay, so let me take you through the process.
Included in the cost of the animal is the stuffing,
the birth certificate, the condo,
the, um...
oh, and the Smile With Me photo.
Pretty good. So do you think you can do it now?
- I don't know. - Oh, come on.
You need a little more confidence.
All right, so looks like we have some customers.
You ready to go help them?
- Okay, great. - All right.
All right. Oh, did you pick out a Poppy?
- Yes. - Yes?
- Yes. - Did you like her hair?
- I do, I love it. - Yes, it's crazy right now.
- I'm a pink nut, yes. - Are you? You're a what?
- A pink nut. - A pink nut?
- Yes. - Okay, that's great.
So this is our pinkiest of pink dresses.
Oh, I know, that's beautiful, but...
That's so pink.
- Yeah. - It's really pink,
but you really like pink.
- Oh, I do. - All right, yay.
Yay, Poppy.
She's so much fun.
All right, Miss Jessie. That was awesome.
I'm so proud. I think I'm, like, in shock.
I'm like, "What?" You did really good.
Thank you. So do you have a family?
Yes, I have a five-year-old, a three-year-old,
and a seven-month-old.
And I have a five-year-old stepdaughter.
- You're like the Brady Bunch. - Yeah, not yet.
- No? - Not yet.
I don't know if I can handle any more.
I barely brush my hair as it is,
and my fiancé travels a lot. He's in the Air Force.
Is he? You got to be busy, right?
I'm busy, yeah. I barely sleep.
Like, the really only thing I do is I go get my nails done.
That's mommy time.
Well, they're pretty. Is your family nearby.
My dad lives nearby. He's retired.
My mom passed away of cancer when I was ten.
My mom actually died of cancer too.
- Oh, really? - Yeah.
What kind of cancer did she have?
- She had breast cancer. - You know, there's times,
like, even working in here,
that parents will come in with, like, grandparents, you know,
just all the generations of kids that are with them,
and I'm just like, "Oh, I wish that was me," you know?
It's definitely... it's not easy.
And your goals at Build-A-Bear?
I mean, I would love to grow with the company.
It's a very welcoming company.
I thought Kendall did a great job today.
She was very conscientious about training me.
I feel terrific about the future of Build-A-Bear.
We have wonderful employees that are dedicated to this company
and dedicated to the mission.
We're just gonna head over here and just talk to them.
Hello. Did you find everything you were looking for?
I think what I've learned about myself
is that to get to CEO there's been a part of myself
that I've tried to hold back,
an exuberant, joyful part,
but this company needs me to be, like, my real self.
Bye-bye.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up...
Do I look familiar at all to you?
ANNOUNCER: The boss reveals her true identity to her employees.
I am the president and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop.
ANNOUNCER: How will they react?
This is Undercover Boss.
Ah, that is funny.
My undercover journey has now ended,
and it's time to get back to Build-A-Bear headquarters.
I learned a lot, but what's really meaningful
is we have employees that really care,
and that's what makes Build-A-Bear so special.
(exciting music)
♪ ♪
- Hi. - How are you today?
I'm good. How did Jessie do?
She was really nervous.
Maybe she could have been a little louder.
Do I look familiar at all to you?
- Are you Jessie? - I'm Jessie.
Oh, come on.
- Do you know who else I am? - I don't.
Well, I'm Sharon John, and I am the president
and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop.
- Holy moly. - This is Undercover Boss.
Ah, that is funny.
Oh.
Leney, you had so much spirit, and you were so patient with me
when I totally messed up on the stuffer.
- Ohh! - (children scream, laugh)
You also had some questions
about why we took the Fluff Me station away
and put the Smile With Me in.
We're looking into that right now.
I wanted you to know that.
That's amazing.
And you also shared with me
some of your personal situations,
and, you know, I'm a mom of a 17-year-old,
and I can't imagine her
having some of the responsibilities and burdens
that you have on you at this age,
so I want to give you $10,000
for you to do special things for yourself.
Wow, oh, my God. Thank you so much.
So you can think about what you can do
with all of that spirit
and beauty and amazing capability that you have.
That's really amazing.
And I know that that sounds like,
"How am I gonna fit that into my busy schedule?"
Well, we need to get you some time,
so I'm gonna give you $15,000 to make sure
that we're taking care of medical bills
for your grandma and your father,
and we're gonna set up a college fund for your little sister.
Oh, my God.
Thank you so much.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my... you have no idea how much that means to me.
You're so amazing.
Thank you so, so much.
I'm still in shock.
I've never gotten a break from life.
I thought it would take me a lifetime
to save up some money,
even, like, a couple hundred dollars.
This is gonna change my life forever.
It's the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me.
Nick, it was a pure pleasure to learn from you.
I've never run the cash wrap.
- That's the truth. - Yeah.
I can help the next guest over here.
- Bye. - Oh, wait, hang on. So...
- Oh, he didn't pay. - Yeah, we have to check out.
Yeah, that would be important.
So one of the things that I've learned on this journey
is that there were a lot of inconsistencies
from the operational perspective.
Okay.
"How many times do I tie a knot?"
And so I know that there are things
that we can do at the headquarters to make sure
that your jobs are easier and better and more intuitive.
Oh, awesome.
So, Nick, I know you want to pursue filmmaking.
- Right. - So first I want to send you
on an all-expense-paid trip to either New York or L.A.
to do a high-intensity film seminar.
Oh, wow. Well, thank you for that.
That's awesome.
You've been in school, and I'm sure you've,
you know, been paying for tuition.
Right, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And so I want to give you $5,000
for you to help make things a little bit easier for you.
- Oh, my gosh, thank you. - Yes, and then finally,
I'd like to give you $10,000
for whatever you need for new film equipment.
Really? Oh, my gosh.
Thank you for that.
Oh, wow. That's crazy. Can I hug you?
- Yeah, you can hug me. - Thank you so much for that.
I think that it's crazy that Build-A-Bear
would be willing to help me,
you know, pursue what it is that I want to do with my life,
and it's really nice just to have someone believe in you.
I'm definitely blown away by the whole experience.
Solomon, when you told me you felt like Build-A-Bear
was a family, that was really special.
- How's it going, Tayo? - How are you, man?
You guys all know each other?
Yeah, Build-A-Bear is a family.
It's not a job. That's why I love it here.
You mentioned you have to unstack the boxes
and restack the boxes, and that slows you down.
Right. Yeah.
So I'm gonna speak to my head of operations
and see if there's some other ways to make the warehouse
even more efficient.
- That sounds great. - Yeah.
- Definitely. - So you also shared with me
a little bit about your music.
Yeah, I've been writing music since I was 13.
So I have a few relationships in the music industry,
and I'm gonna get a meeting for you.
That's amazing, yeah. Look at Jessie.
(laughter)
You also shared that you're separated from your family.
- My family, yeah. - Yeah.
So we wanted to make that a little bit easier on you
and give you $10,000...
Whew.
For you to have an all-expense-paid vacation
with your family.
That's nuts.
And a year's worth of flights
back and forth between Texas and...
Wow. Now you all spoiling me. Come on, man.
- And Ohio. - That's crazy.
Well, one other thing you sort of said to me
was you don't live in the best place.
Yeah.
What if we could move you to a better part of Columbus?
What if we could, like, move you to a neighborhood
where your kids would feel comfortable?
- That'd be crazy. - What if I told you
I was gonna give you $20,000 so we could make that happen?
Crazy. That's crazy to me,
'cause I've watched the show, and I'm thinking about...
like, I watched this moment, you know what I mean?
It happening to me, like, this is crazy.
It's a blessing. I really appreciate it.
This is the biggest thing
that ever happened in my life other than my children.
For my kids to be able to visit me
and I know they're safe and I know
they got somewhere to call home when they come back here?
That's... that's crazy because I was
never really able to provide for my kids like that.
My future looks beautiful now.
It's... it's lovely, man.
Kendall, one of the things that I noticed is
that you'd created a separate manual
to help you with your training.
Yeah.
I have Build-A-Bear's way, which I always follow,
but everybody learns differently,
so that's kind of why I've made my own packet.
I love the initiative.
Oh, God.
And what you saw was a need,
so I think it'd be a really great idea
if we had a quick start manual.
I wondered if you'd be interesting
in helping us elevate
our training program at Build-A-Bear.
I can't even breathe.
Yeah, I... I would love that.
There would be some compensation with that.
Thank you.
One of the things that you mentioned to me,
though, is, "There's so much going on in my life
"that sometimes I don't even get to sleep,
but I always get my manicures."
I do, always.
So the first thing that I want to do for you
is to take care of your manicures for a year.
Shut up.
Yeah, we're just gonna make sure
you have the best nails in the company.
- Yay. That's great. - Yay.
You also shared about your family.
You've met a wonderful man, but he's in the Air Force.
- He's in the Air Force. - So he's gone a lot,
and you're a working mom,
so for your upcoming wedding celebration,
I'd like to give you $10,000.
Oh, my gosh.
I was just talking to someone today
about I didn't know if I was gonna be able to do it.
That's cool. Thank you.
You've dedicated yourself to Build-A-Bear for years.
Think how many kids have walked in the door of your store
and you made their day.
Thank you. That means so much to me.
I want to give you $40,000.
Oh, my God.
For a college fund for all of your children.
I'm trying to, like...
It's okay.
You did an awesome job, and you made me feel so good.
I can't handle this.
Thank you.
I'm excited for my future.
I'm excited for where I'm gonna go with Build-A-Bear.
Before, it was dream just to have
the opportunity to do what I was doing,
but now this is like... I could...
I... little old me, I just would have never thought.
(upbeat music)
♪ ♪
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