Build-A-Bear Workshop Is Caught Off Guard for Its ‘Pay Your Age’ Promo and Forced to Turn Away Customers

Build-A-Bear Workshop Is Caught Off Guard for Its ‘Pay Your Age’ Promo and Forced to Turn Away Customers

Build-A-Bear Workshop generated buzz on social media leading up to Thursday’s “Pay Your Age” sale, calling the upcoming promotion its “biggest deal EVER.” The company, which allows children to construct and decorate their own stuffed animals, expressed on July 11 that it had received “unprecedented response” from customers leading up to the event, which would allow customers to pay their age to take home a bear or other species of “furry friend.” In other words, for $5, a 5-year-old could walk out with a newly made stuffed animal (with sound effects and accessories available for an extra cost). Many families and children arrived at Build-A-Bear locations across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. to long lines, with reports of some lines extending more than a mile long and wait times of several hours. Related: Did Ruth's Chris Steak House Bite Off More Than It Can Chew With its New Promo? The company posted a statement to its website on Thursday, clarifying 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. “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,” the statement continued. We have closed lines in our stores. We understand some Guests are disappointed and we will reach out directly as soon as possible. The vouchers expire on Aug. 31 of this year, and Build-A-Bear has advised customers in its statement to “consider delaying their trip to Build-A-Bear” to avoid a lesser version of the overcrowding it saw on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/7R6iW3yAFT — Tashanea@22News (@TSWHITLOW) This promotion gone awry is reminiscent of an October 2016 deal promoted by Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Ann Arbor, Mich., which promised University of Michigan fans a percentage off their bill equal to the final winning point differential in a game between Michigan and Rutgers University. Michigan beat Rutgers 78 to 0, and although the restaurant capped the promo at 50 percent, it still found itself having to fork over half-offs steaks to diners, who experienced a win for their team and their pocketbooks.

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Build-A-Bear Workshop Is Caught Off Guard for Its 'Pay Your Age' Promo and Forced to Turn Away Customers

Build-A-Bear Workshop generated buzz on social media leading up to Thursday’s “Pay Your Age” sale, calling the upcoming promotion its “biggest deal EVER.”

The company, which allows children to construct and decorate their own stuffed animals, expressed on July 11 that it had received “unprecedented response” from customers leading up to the event, which would allow customers to pay their age to take home a bear or other species of “furry friend.”

In other words, for $5, a 5-year-old could walk out with a newly made stuffed animal (with sound effects and accessories available for an extra cost).

Build-A-Bear posted a note to its official Facebook page explaining that employees at its stores were “anticipating the potential of long lines and wait times.” Despite the warning, turnout exceeded the ambitious expectations of the 21-year-old company. Many families and children arrived at Build-A-Bear locations across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. to long lines, with reports of some lines extending more than a mile long and wait times of several hours.

A release leading up to the event specified that each customer “must be present for offer,” meaning there were a lot of cranky kids queued up for new toys.

Related: Did Ruth’s Chris Steak House Bite Off More Than It Can Chew With its New Promo?

The company posted a statement to its website on Thursday, clarifying that, “based on the information available to us…

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