To be annoyed play centre held a party at the same time as open session?

[Hohohoididnotgo]

I went to a little role play cafe today with my children. It’s only small so probably only capacity for about thirty kids. Fine except today there was a birthday party which was pretty much the whole centre. So after an hour or so of play pretty much every other child there went and sat at a table with food, balloons and cake and were playing party games.

I have had this before at soft play and obviously it happens but at soft play it’s bigger and less obvious and when the children go to eat and play games it’s in a separate room. This wasn’t.

AIBU? I felt a bit sad for mine as they’d struck up friendships with some kids playing and then they were left almost alone!

My kids are nearly 30years old. Soft play centres run parties at the same time as public sessions when they were toddlers so it's nothing new.
I honestly can't see what you are upset about. All the children play for a bit and then are called by the party organiser to regroup. It's not sad. You just say oh, it looks like it's that little girl's birthday.......and that's it!

I can't remember feeling sad for my children when it was someone they didn't know having a party, why would I?

I definitely don’t think we should have joined in the party. That would be entitled! But I also think we were out in an awkward position and the enjoyment of the session was compromised. So I don’t think they should have taken bookings. Yes, they are a business but that doesn’t mean it should purely be about profit.

How many children do you have OP?

Ha ha ha
you're funny op

I get it op. I booked a workshop for my children only when we booked it it seemed to be at the same time as a birthday party and we were the only ones not part of it. It was really awkward and we felt like we had gate crashed someone's party. Definitely wouldn't have went had I known.

Not purely about profit
ye gods I've heard it all now

Pretty sure business is only about profit
this happens all the time at soft plays and other entertainment places
they can’t afford to shut for parties - their costs are their costs

As a parent, if your child is upset, it’s then your job to explain that it was someone’s party.
If they aren’t old enough to understand that, then they aren’t old enough to feel left out of something that kids (they even don’t know) moved on to do.

Sorry OP, I think you’re being a bit unreasonable in this instance

Op, most kids understand they can’t attend a strangers birthday party. I understand your kids struggled, but you can’t expect a business to simply shut down if they habe a party. Maybe next time phone ahead.

I had this recently at a tiny soft play, my dd is too young to understand the party wasn’t for her so just went and joined in. Luckily the parents were very understanding about her demands for cake 😂

It's just unfortunate that you were the only other non party people really.. so it felt a bit weird. No one's fault just a thing that happens.

I highly doubt it's profit they're after, more making ends meet, being able to afford staff wages, pension contributions, utilities, rent, rates, insurance etc. Running a small business is a nightmare these days.

They're hardly Scrooge McDucking into piles of pound coins.

One of the most ridiculous posts I’ve ever read 😂
Are you going to come on here moaning every time your kids feel a bit left out? Time to pull up your big girl pants and accept that there will be times that they’re not included, for many reasons, and teach them to be resilient about it.

😂

Am I the only person who has no clue what a "role play cafe" is? Is it like those places where they let cats climb ober you?

I own a business and it isn’t just about profit. Does that surprise you?

Obviously you make a profit otherwise the business isn’t going to work. But you do have to think about customer satisfaction as well as just being fair.

Why didn’t you stop her?

Surely you’d just say something like
’oh they’re having a party- how nice! Remember you went to little Johnny’s party with your friends? This little boy is having a party with his! Let’s have a little play then go home for tea’
It’s weird to think this is an issue tbh

How old is your child?

Do you know what role play is?

Customer satisfaction by shutting thr place down ? You can’t be serious.

Clearly.

But when my kids were little they were't pretending to be a fireman / princess / Batman in Starbucks, along with lots of other kids doing similar.

Are you the parent who complains to school when your kids aren’t in starring roles in the nativity 🙄 sounds like it

I think you're being a bit OTT tragic about their sadness. You're not paying £30 for the other kids' company. Your kids had each other to play with and frankly it's even better that the other kids bogged off to eat so your kids had the equipment to themselves. £30 for 2.5 hours is a fair price, especially if that's for both/all your kids. It'd be worse imho to close the whole place to others while the party was going on.

YABU and ridiculous.