BUILD-A-BEAR PROMO CROWDS OVERWHELM LOCAL STORES

After waiting in long lines Thursday at Build-A-Bear stores, some customers walked away with stuffed animals. Others got vouchers.

The chain’s first-ever Pay Your Age Day event, in which parents could pay their child’s current age for a plush bear, drew huge crowds to Build-A-Bear locations throughout the country.

As a result, many stores were forced to turn customers away when lines grew too long. Those customers were given $15 vouchers for a future visit.

Those receiving vouchers included Build-A-Bear customers at The Mall at Wellington Green and at The Gardens Mall.

“There were significant crowds here at the mall, unlike any I’ve ever seen,” said Rachelle Crain, The Mall at Wellington Green’s marketing director.

Crain estimated the Build-ABear wait time was about five to six hours Thursday. The first customer got in line at 7 a.m., two hours before the store opened, and emerged later with a stuffed crocodile.

Mall officials closed the line at 5 p.m., because they estimated at least a five-hour wait time remained, Crain said. The store closed at 10 p.m., an hour later than usual.

The Gardens Mall cut off its BuildA-Bear line at 4 p.m., according to an employee of the store. The employee said the store opened a little earlier than usual and closed a little later to accommodate the remaining customers in line.

Crain praised the efforts of mall officials Thursday in keeping things running smoothly despite the crowds.

“We had additional security that was managing the line breaks so that regular customer traffic could get through,” she said. “It really was very organized. A lot of the stores did tremendous business as a result, especially in the food and snack category.”