Spotlight: The Build-A-Bear Phenomenon

Why full service is important to the experience and value

By now almost everyone has heard about Build-A-Bear’s “Pay Your age” sale- or should I say frenzy? Customers flocked in unprecedented numbers to the stores, hours before opening, for the chance to save money on the iconic teddy bears. Due to the unexpected response- many locations had to close early and the company eventually issued and apology.

The queues were wrapped around buildings and many customers stood in t with their purchase- unstuffed and unfulfilled. Authorities were brought in to intervene and shut down the events- and many customers were left “fuming.” Parents flocked to social media complaining about being turned away after long trips into stores, leaving with disappointed little ones. Many stated

“It wasn’t the true Build-A-Bear experience.”

So the question is- is it worth it to stand in line for hours, wasting your time- hours of your life that can never be returned- in order to save a few dollars, but receive and inferior product? Garden of Eve Photography is a full-service photography experience. That’s right- experience. It starts from the very first consultation- where we sit down and get to know one another. I find out what your vision is for the session you would like to book, and together we brain storm some amazing ideas. We set a date and together we make that vision come to life.

But your experience doesn’t end there. Sure, we could give you a CD or UBS with your pictures, hand them to you and send you on your way, much like an unstuffed teddy bear though- we are leaving your with only the skeleton of the product we want to offer. No, instead we bring you in for a nice cup of coffee or hot tea and sit down together and view the images from your session. Together we pick your favorite images and decide just what you want to do with them. Maybe we decide that a beautiful folio box filled with matted photos from your boudoir session is the perfect gift for your boyfriend, or maybe you have a spot on the wall in your nursery that is calling for a framed canvas from your maternity session. I am with you every step of the way, helping to pick the best product and photos for your needs- and even showing you renderings of how they would look on your wall, or personally designing a beautiful album for you. This is the true experience you receive from Garden of Eve Photography.

Why is the experience important? Sure, you could save money going with another photographer, and receive tons of images on a CD- but you have to ask yourself, do I want to waste my time on a skeleton of a product to save a little money? Or would I rather go with a full service- one where I know at the end of the journey, I will hold physical, beautiful, heirloom quality images in my hand, instead of a USB that gets thrown in a drawer, with photos I never print out or see again.