NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A sweet deal to score children fuzzy new friends went wrong Thursday when overwhelmed Build-A-Bear Workshop stores across the nation shut down a special promotion halfway through the day, leaving thousands of children and parents disappointed. The promotion priced the company’s stuffed animals equal to each child’s age, starting at $1. Customer response went far beyond expectations. Huge lines were reported outside stores in Boston , San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and New York. At around 1:45 p.m., the company tweeted that all stores would stop taking new orders today. “Urgent Alert: Per local authorities, we cannot accept additional Guests at our locations due to crowd safety concerns. We have closed lines in our stores. We understand some Guests are disappointed and we will reach out directly as soon as possible,” the company posted on Twitter. **Urgent Alert: Per local authorities, we cannot accept additional Guests at our locations due to crowd safety concerns. We have closed lines in our stores. We understand some Guests are disappointed and we will reach out directly as soon as possible. https://t.co/aSFfPCcfsG pic.twitter.com/WZJ53tOAEH — Build-A-Bear Workshop (@buildabear) July 12, 2018 By mid-afternoon, the retailer had issued an apology to customers and offered vouchers for children to get their stuffed animals another day. “We feel it is important to share that, based on the information available to us before the day began, we could not have predicted this reaction to our Pay Your Age Day event,” the company statement said. “We understand that many Guests were turned away as, due to safety concerns created by the crowds, authorities in certain locations closed Build-A-Bear stores and, in other locations, we were forced to limit the line.” Social media tracked huge turnout at the retailers across the county. Build-A-Bear Workshop On 34th Street, Manhattan Outside the @buildabear on 34th….Part 1 @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/62mu5FkGm7 — Alice Gainer (@GainerTV) July 12, 2018 Outside @buildabear on 34th continued ….. @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/VzN7WDEN5Q — Alice Gainer (@GainerTV) July 12, 2018 Staten Island Mall: Menlo Park Mall in New Jersey: Paramus Park in New Jersey: This is the line at @ParamusPark for the @buildabear pay your age day. Mall management and security are present, handling the crowd well despite the fact they were caught off guard. pic.twitter.com/zm8v5hG8zb — (@APH005) July 12, 2018 Around The County: No, really. This is the line at Mall of America, where Build-A-Bear-Workshop is promoting their “Pay Your Age Day” deal, which was so popular they eventually had to cut off the line. | https://t.co/kJ9Mhu6u2h pic.twitter.com/1PPDrKUbir — WCCO – CBS Minnesota (@WCCO) July 12, 2018 Wow. The Pay Your Age Day crowds at Build-A-Bear are huge. Hundreds of people lined up OUTSIDE Valley Fair Mall in San Jose… pic.twitter.com/kLPL7upnsJ — scott budman (@scottbudman) July 12, 2018 Build-A-Bear is overwhelmed with customers they have cut the line off at Chandler Mall in Arizona they are asking people not to come… They have handed out $15 off dollar coupons. #12News #BuildABear #Longlines pic.twitter.com/aAptX3vbDt — PhillipMathews (@PhillipMathews) July 12, 2018 Prov Place Mall acting like somethin fire just dropped. Nah just some build a bear day special pic.twitter.com/tIdleRfkFn — Trev (@Trevytrev401) July 12, 2018 People in line at the Altamonte Mall Build-A-Bear Workshop for the “Pay Your Age” promotion @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/suH8YVc4UQ — Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) July 12, 2018 Yep..this is the line at the mall of GA for build a bear I don't even see the store pic.twitter.com/rkk3Ebe3s5 — Becky (@rebecsierra) July 12, 2018 Photo Credit: Jamie Laureen Armstrong Photo Credit: Jamie Laureen Armstrong The photos above were taken at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Ill. Both the pictures feature a look at the line inside and outside the mall for the Chicago suburbs’ Build-A-Bear Workshop. The major mall is located northwest of Chicago.
Continue reading here:
Build-A-Bear Promotion Goes Out Of Control As Crowds Mob Stores
