‘Bear’ with us – there’s a bit of a queue
BUILD A Bear stores across the UK had to close yesterday because of the “overwhelming” response to its Pay Your Age Day promotion.
Queues started forming at the Welsh shops in Cardiff and Bridgend from early morning, but by lunchtime the company said it could not accept any more customers.
Of those customers lucky enough to get a bear, some saved more than £100.
Dawn Collard, 52, from Barry queued outside the Cardiff store with seven children.
Two are her grandchildren and the others are children she looks after as she is a childminder.
She said: “I think it’s amazing. My bill should have been £150 but I only paid £27.
“I bought them for all the kids. They absolutely loved it.
“It’s so special for them – they have a certificate and they give them a name. It’s really memorable for them.
“It’s so great – they’re about £25 normally. I came here at about 8.50am and we were not that far in the queue.”
But other customers were not so lucky as stores around the UK saw chaotic scenes and shops had to close after running out of stocks.
A spokesperson for Build-A-Bear said: “The response to our Pay Your Age Day event at all of our UK locations has been overwhelming and unprecedented in our 21-year history.
“The crowds have greatly exceeded our expectations and, per local authorities, queues are at capacity and we cannot accept additional guests due to extreme crowds and safety concerns.
“We understand our guests are disappointed, and we are working to address the situation. We will reach out directly to our valued guests as soon as possible.”
Customers in Cardiff who did not get into the store are being given vouchers to use at a different date.
In Glasgow, customers had started arriving at 6am, but eye witnesses there described it as a “war zone” with some mums “basically squaring up to each other” as families tried to jump the line.
In Exeter, people took their children out of school for the day to try and grab a bargain.