Gorgeous store. Fantastic selection. A bit pricey but fun stuff

The owner Mary has a VIP list of customers that she notifies when specific product come in. These customers are allowed to purchase products that will never hit the floor and are told they can’t post about the product on social media until after the “release” of the leftover, unwanted product. Mary allows her VIP list to pay over the phone, purchase multiples, and even go in her storage room to pick out what they want. If you are not on her VIP list, you pretty much have no chance of getting what you want (unless of course you see her participating in these backroom buys and she wants you to keep quiet). Regular customers don’t even get to see these products, let alone purchase them. Honestly it’s just completely unethical and disgusting.

My daughter loves this place. Great place to visit for kids on birthdays and holidays. Lots of cool stuff.

Id like to indicate I havent personally been here. Ive just heard enough to form my own opinion based on the information provided.As a potiential customer, I wont ever shop here personally. For starters, I live 1.5 hours away. I have no license or means of transportation from Madison to Milwaukee. However, I was excited today to here about phone orders and felt this would be the way so I was waiting until I had my lunch break to call.As I waited for my fellow local squish collectors to stand in line, I heard everything from the store allowing everyone in at the same time. For starters, WE ARE IN A PANDEMIC. People were pushing & shoving. There was no control of the situation and led to many squish hunters scared for their own safety.There shouldve been someone at the door, someone at the cash register and someone stocking. But instead, I heard the store manager locked a bunch of people out and others continued to shop. Which was rumored to be due to theft but honestly, the store has a history of favoritism including the store manager giving her number to her favoritesIf you dont have enough staff to protect your customers, you shouldnt be selling hard to find squishmallows that day or you shouldve organized this to be online orders only.I will never, ever, ever shop here.But if you want anything other than squish, just know who youre giving your money to.

Some of the women here dont know how ti treat their long-term customers. Not sure if shes the manager but today this store has lost me as a customer

My family and I used to have many very positive experiences with this store. We have been visiting and buying from them for years. But unfortunately we have decided that we may have to take our business elsewhere unless there are some changes. The store seems to be holding merchandise for select customers. And if you are not one of the select customers you will not have the chance to purchase the same merchandise. It does not seem fair at all. The employees will deliberately hide merchandise in the back and only tell their favorite customers about it. When you look at how the other learning expresses are being run this one is like a circus!! No business should be run this way! I suggest some serious changes in the future.

I don’t get why people are saying they would never go here again? they were super nice people and were helpful, didn’t have that good a fidget Selection, but they still had good fidgets, and they had lots of squishmellows and even the halloween ones, but i would he here again

The owner we met was sarcastic, rude and just plain offensive. She got even more arrogant after she said she was the owner. I will never shop here again - besides the prices are outrageous. Crossed checked several items with other stores and Amazon and I couldnt believe how much higher priced this place was for the same things.

Your people are great. Even when short handed

Love this store! I always have such a fun time and a great experience!

The lady that worked today was so incredibly nice & helpful. When my daughter listed off a buck load of fidget names, she was so kind and helped us find the ones they had.Even though Learning Express was located in a mall, the store had an exit/exterior door directly to their store where you do not need to enter the mall to get into Learning Express Toys.

Not a review but can someone plz tell or show if they have fidget toys for my daughter?

Mary and this learning express is THE BEST. She always makes sure that the customer is satisfied and is so wonderful to talk with. This is literally the only learning express I will go to because the atmosphere and the employees are so wonderful and always make sure everyone gets taken care of in a personalized and timely manner! 10/10

It’s a good store but always out of stock on dimples. Also WAYYYY overpriced

This store is awesome! The best part about this store is the women who run it and work there. They are amazing women! So very helpful! They go above and beyond in their duties! I appreciate them so so much!!! Thank you for all that you do!!!

Great toys - friendly staff!

My granddaughter had some money to spend and she chose Learning Express!! They carry a wide variety of toys and books. There are many lower priced toys that can be included in a childs purchase. Plenty of puzzles too. Crowded. Masks are worn, children too!

Wish i could leave 0 stars. this store is horrible!!! they make it impossible to get any good Squishmallow’s unless they “like you.” they will lie to your face and say they dont have any when in reality they are saving them for other people. i would rather drive to Illinois than go here again.

This store is amazing. I first found it 4 years ago and shopping at Learning Express for gifts has also become a gift for me. When our son plays with a toy from Learning Express you can see the neurons firing in his mind as he problem solves and uses his imagination. Our nieces and god children love every gift weve gotten from there. With kids toys being dominated by plastic junk, the buyers at Learning Express have become go to for valuable toys that dont end up in a pile for donation.As an aside, the team is very helpful and theyll also wrap toys in store, all year round! What a great store and truly wonderful shopping experience.

Hidden gem of a toy store. Friendly staff with a great variety of toys and gadgets for all ages. We love stopping in to the store when we are in the area. Prices are a little higher but thats a small price to pay to shop local.

My daughter loves this store as she is really into fidgit toys. Large variety of items. Many learning toys and books. My only complaint is that a lot of the items didnt have prices on them, which Im sure is a vastly used gimmick.

A really neat store for some stuff you wont find many other places. Prices can sometimes be a little high but to support a smaller business is worth it.

My child wanted a hot toy that is not available in our part of the country. I went in and they were very helpful. Found what my kid wanted and had me on my way in a timely manner. I will be back.

Its very nice in there a lot of stuff for kids that have sensory issues . Which is nice, its expensive in there . Worker are very helpful and nice 😀

Excellent learning toys for kids...

I LOVE IT because it has fidget and of fun stuff

I love Learning Express so much. I have never had a bad experience here and the owner is amazing! I will always come here to buy my squishmallows!

The ONLY place I was able to find all kinds of fidget toys! Definitely will be going back and recommending to others!!!

Well stocked, and had just about every fidget toy my daughter wanted, plus a super cool cashier who was so tolerant of me video chatting my daughter who was at home to see exxactly what she wanted. Added bonus,, SQUISHMALLOWS!!!!!!!!

Great place but super small the staff were so friendly and I asked do you guys have simple dimples and they said No so simple dimple they run out a lot

They sell products that are out on the shelf, let the customers walk up to the counter holding said product and then refuse to sell the customer the product because it has “already been sold online”. This has happened multiple times. Also one of the workers is extremely rude, she left the counter while I was making a purchase to go help another customer decide what puzzle to buy. I’m not the kind of person to leave Karen reviews but this place has made me so mad multiple times!

Nice selection of toys, a little pricey.

Food! Kids love this store and we travel 45 minutes just for this store! You guys rock!

The owner, Mary, holds Squishmallows in back for certain customers. I have been there on multiple occasions looking to buy a particular Squishmallow only to be given excuses as to why they can’t sell it to me. She has a list, that I have supposedly been put in multiple times, and yet I have received no phone calls. I agree with the other reviewers saying she sells these to scalpers looking to make a profit.

I love it and its got really cool fidget toys for my age.

I would pick 0 stars if i could. the store owner and her employees are extremely disrespectful and will lie to you about their stock. they have a list of preferred customers, and will sell to them before anyone else. it’s absolutely ridiculous for a chain toy store to be acting like they’re running a country.

Great variety of toys

Nice selection of things. Prices are way above retail depending on the item. disturbingly rude staff.

As multiple customers have stated, the owners are terrible people. They have things out on the floor that you can’t buy, they’ll literally rip it out of your hands at check out and say someone bought it online then tell you to buy it online- yet it’s NOT available online. There’s multiples reviews talking about how rude she is and how I’m not the only one this has happened to!

Don’t put stuff out on the floor if you aren’t going to sell it. Especially if you are going to show them the product let them walk all the way to the register and then tell them it’s already been “sold online”

Staff is always helpful and so many fun things to look at.

Great store and great staff

Fun store! Sales clerk was very helpful in assisting us. Plenty of items that are not available in a big box store. Found several new varieties of stress balls, which I search for on a regular basis. Many varieties of Crazy Aarons putty. A must stop store from here on out!

Fun place with fun toys

Nice store. Kind of expensive.

Lots of cool stuff

I just went there and it was very busy but the employees were great!

Fun store.

I LOVE THIS PLACE! ! Jan - the manager/owner here is incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. She is always willing to help pick the perfect gift! They will wrap and personalize for free!! Always clean and well stocked with toys for all ages. Lots of try it before you buy it options. You can make a birthday basket for people to shop from.

My daughter loves this store which is very unfortunate. Ive been a regular to this store for years and just recently Ive had an issue with an employee, an older woman named Mary. Sometimes I get lucky and its a more human employee working and all my anxiety dissipates, but if Mary is working it is almost guaranteed to be a poor experience for myself and my daughter. She has no love or respect for children and even less for customers. Even though the store is set up in a way to accommodate children who want to try new toys and the like, Mary would rather you sulk around the store mute as an astral being not of this realm as not to disturb her. Ive had more negative experiences with old Mary than Im comfortable with, but two left me beyond bitter --I was playing with my daughter and had purchased two toys for her, a plush turtle and octopus. After about five can I help you or your daughter find anything? within half an hour, Mary suggested we leave the store as we were being too loud for the customers browsing. I looked around and it was just my daughter and I in the store, probably because no one wants to be there when Mary is on the job. I politely complied and left with my daughter.I was there again very recently and my daughter had taken interest in a dinosaur toy which I planned on purchasing. Mary not only talked down to my three year old little girl, but was telling her what she can and cannot play with, even attempting to take it away from her. I understand theres display only items, etc. Mary takes everything to another level, often unnecessarily. Mary should speak with the parent, not take it upon herself to discipline customers children. I stated I was purchasing said item Mary was upset about my daughter playing with, as it is from Germany and very expensive. The dinosaur was $25, hardly anything to make a scene about -- but it wouldnt be a stop at the Learning Express Toys if I didnt have Mary to make it a personal hell. Anyway, I purchased the dinosaur and left immediately.In conclusion, I hate this store because of Mary and it is so unfortunate my little girl loves it, because they do amazing things here like story time, crafts etc. Everyone else is professional and very nice to the children, but Mary is the exception. If you want your child to keep their smile for the day, I highly suggest avoiding this store or at the very least scanning to see if Mary is still employed before entering.

Older worker was very rude to my friend and I and other young girls. They proceeded to let us look through a box and when we went to purchase said we couldn’t buy any since they were for online orders. She didn’t say anything until after.

This place is my favorite toy store. The staff is always super helpful and knowledgeable, they have a selection of unique and really cool toys for kids of all ages, and theyre good quality. They have the kind of stuff you cant find anywhere else, and lots of hands-on displays for you to try. Also, they will personalize items for you with your childs name, they include gift wrapping for free!

The other reviews talking about a rude lady is most likely Mary. She gets so heated when kids play with the toys that are LITERALLY sitting out in a manner I can only assume are meant to be played with?! A toy store is made for kids, and kids are naturally going to want to play with toys that are out on display so all she’s doing is pushing customers out the door with her rudeness. She shouldn’t be working at a toy store if she doesn’t like children!!

A lot of fights I love it

Great learning toys/games...

The owner is nice but theres an old hag who works there that tried to snatch a toy from my two year-olds hand!!! Someone needs to sack that leathery handbag before someone less tolerate has to deal with her.

Great selection of new stuff and old favorites...friendly staff and plenty of toys to play with!

The staff here is so wonderful! Very helpful and obviously like their jobs a lot. Free gift wrapping too!

They have a variety of learning fun tools

Great place for the kids and us adults had quite a bit of fun as well!!!

Weird toys great staff, just what I needed. I gave a vague description unisex, 8-10 years, under $5 lol I thought I was being funny and starting a conversation. Well 2 employees heard me and both were standing in front of me with their perfect suggestions in hand. I bought them both lol gave one to my daughter for her gift exchange :D and kept the other for me.

Usually a good experience in store when I visit but when calling the store to order & ask what they have, “Pat” seemed impatient and had made me lose interest in placing an order. I’m about 3 hours away and commute to shop here for my kids for special occasions and it’s unfortunate that this small phone interaction has caused my day to go negative.

The owner and apparently very overworked only employee was quite a B---- yelled at me telling me her prices are high cuz her rent is high. I didnt ask or want to know, this was one of my favorite stores in the mall until she was so cranky. She just lost a great customer. I always bought something in her store.

Super cute store with so much variety that you dont see in other places. The woman working knew the toys and was full of great suggestions as well as knowledge of age apropriation for each toy. We will go again soon!

My family and I just stopped in this store to check out what they had and I am applaud at how the cashier handled certain situations. She had approached two boys playing with a display toy and rudely stated that they need to be more careful or they will be taking it home after they pay for it. Then she attached my niece who had some silly puddy. My niece found it open and was showing me how squishy it was and she fired off, Did u pay for that! Give it to me, I have to take it now. I did tell my niece that regardless if she found it open or not its not appropriate to play with it. And I also understand as an employee of the store the she needs to be sure that to product is not mishandled. BUT there are more appropriate and professional ways to handle situations. We put our items back on the self and left. Poor work ethic and unprofessional behavior cost this store business.

Five stars but frogs could use a better care

Always had such a great time there and then I went again with my 2 friends one is 17 years old and one is 9 and the workers kept on whispering to each other saying to keep an eye on us yes I get it we are young but they shouldnt have to whisper about us and cheak in on us every 5 minutes

Love hate this place. Love the toy selection. Hate the busy body woman that asks you every 5 minutes if you have any questions or need help. They have little tables of toys laid out for your kids to try. My 4 year olds were checking out the different toys. They were being very well behaved and I was right there watching them. This lady (wish I remembered her name) then very rudely came up to me and said oh, I guess youre just ENJOYING. Im mad that we actually did end up buying something there bc I couldnt find it at the other toy store. I will never shop there again.

Fantastic games and unusual toys and learning games!!!

Always fun to visit, many demo toys available to play with

Great place to get toys and plushies for kids and adults.

Awesome selection, friendly staff, kids love to play while they shop

Grandaughter loves this place. Need a bigger space or less stuff. Not much room to move about.

Very cool with a wide selection of educational toys for all ages.

Great place to get Ty Beanie Boos and other toys for kids at very reasonable prices!

Grandkids was having a great time looking at all the toys

Good selection and friendly staff.

So many cool things for my kids!!

Came in, got what we needed and left quickly and efficiently.

Horrible service, very rude, would not recommend. The owner was very rude to us when returning. It took over 45 mins just to return it! THIS IS THE WORST EXPERIENCE I HAVE HAD WITH ANY OTHER RETAIL STORE!

Wonderful learning toys!

This place is Awesome

Nice selection.

Great service and selection

Awesome store love it

Very helpful

Nice

Nice place