Build-A-Bear Workshop stores in metro Denver, Loveland and across the country had to shut down a “Pay Your Age Day” promotion Thursday morning after hordes of customers eager for discounts swamped them.
“Now that we are here and I can’t do it, I’m mad,” said a disappointed Collin DeChant, 9, a little before noon at the FlatIron Crossing in Broomfield, where the vibe was more Black Friday door-buster sale than a weekday in July.
Allyson, his mom, would have paid $9 for a bear that could have normally cost $25 to $30 or more. Divided among the seven kids in her group, the savings would have been substantial, she said. For them and many others, it didn’t happen.
“I’m hopeful. I think we will make it,” said Alli Hildreath, part of a group of three adults and five kids who didn’t drop out of the line. “It is one of those things you got to do when you are a parent.”
Having a sister and brother-in-law who could make food runs and handle bathroom breaks was a huge help. One mom who tried to go it alone left the line to take care of her kids, losing any chance.
A little before noon those in line were told 700 bears were left, and an hour later that number had dwindled to around 300. The waiting game was one of endurance, but it fostered strategic alliances and new friendships.
Parents took different strategies. Ranessa Wiley of Lochbuie, north of Brighton, didn’t tell her children what they were waiting for to temper any disappointment.
Most kids knew exactly what was at stake. Leona Deering of Northglenn, with three grandkids in tow, tried to use the long wait as a lesson in patience and perseverance and weighing trade-offs.
“We have been giving the kids the option to leave, and they have wanted to stay,” she said.
Monico Sanchez, right behind her, sent his restless boys ages 6 and 9 to count the number of kids ahead of them to gauge their odds. At 9 a.m., they counted precisely 298.
Demand was so overwhelming, the company shut down the promotion in the U.S. and Canada and at many malls police had to intervene to help with crowd control.
“Per local authorities, we cannot accept additional guests at our U.S. Build-A-Bear Workshop locations due to crowd and safety concerns,” the St. Louis retailer said on its Facebook page.
To ease the disappointment and thin the crowd, store employees in Broomfield went through the line handing out $15 off vouchers, reportedly 600 of them, to use in the future. Many dropped out, but the hard-core and patient remained.
“The Park Meadows Build a Bear event is in progress. Customers are in line and enjoying the event,” said Pamela Kelly, general manager at the retail complex.
Likewise, by the afternoon, people in line in Broomfield were well-behaved, which wasn’t always the case early in the morning.
The people in line for the promotion stretched more than a half mile from the Build-A-Bear store, down to Macy’s and back the other side, with some at the front of the line estimating more than 2,000 people waiting.
Social media accounts had more than 1,600 at Park Meadows and an aerial shot from the Promenade Shops at Centerra in Loveland showed a long line snaking out the door and into the sidewalks outside. A police officer on the scene asked for , according to the Loveland Herald Reporter.
Hildreth, who showed up around 8 a.m., described the scene as “insane” Thursday morning. Hundreds of people entered FlatIron only to realize getting their discounted toy wasn’t going to be as easy as they thought.
Thornton resident Elizabeth Sandavol, who showed up with her cousin Amber Dolan and three kids at 7:20 a.m., knew an early start was the key to success.
There were only 40 people ahead of them. But after the mall opened, some people who arrived later tried to cut to the front of the line, including a woman with nine kids. Tensions flared and fisticuffs ensued.
“People were fighting. It was becoming a safety hazard,” she said.
After a long wait in the first line, there was a second line to build the bear and a line to pay. In all it took the group five hours from showing up to landing their prizes.
The promotion allows customers age up to 29 to get a price set to the buyer’s age. Sandavol and Dolan each took advantage, but they were there for Lianna and Maya.
The first landed a unicorn called “Precious” and the second one called “Sparkles.” Both were beaming in the food court afterward.
Build-A-Bear likely disappointed far more customers than it made happy with the promotion, said retail analyst Neil Saunders at GlobalData Retail.
“A lot of parents are now upset that they cannot fulfill promises to their children, and many who made special trips to malls are frustrated that their efforts have come to nothing,” he said in a statement.
If there is a silver lining, it is that Build-A-Bear, which some analysts view as a tired retail concept on its way out, remains “relevant and popular.” That thousands would show up and spend hours for a discount on a toy shows it still could draw a crowd.
