Fluffed it! The truth about Build-A-Bear's day of mayhem

The global company was once lauded for being ahead of the curve, so what was behind the ‘pay-your-age’ misjudgment that left scores of its little customers brokenhearted?

Thursday 12 July should have been a red-letter day for thousands upon thousands of kids, and for their favourite shop, Build-A-Bear Workshop. The company had announced a pay-your-age promotion, so customers in the UK, US and Canada could come in to make their own teddies and pay just a fraction of the normal cost: instead of £52 for a top-of-the-range bear, a six-year-old would pay just £6. It sounded brilliant.

What Build-A-Bear hadn’t factored in was the devotion of its young customers, and the unending human appetite for getting something cheap. Its shops were overwhelmed with huge queues wanting to take advantage. Police had to be called to help control the crowds outside the Leeds branch. Scores of shops had to close early; thousands of people left without getting in. Even some of those who did left wildly disappointed: one parent told the BBC that she and her children queued for three and a half hours to get into the Derby branch, then spent another two hours waiting to get their bears stuffed: “When I look back I will probably think, ‘What have I done that for?’ – especially with what I will end up paying for parking,” she said. The next day’s headlines contained the words no executive wants to see describing their business: “chaos”, “carnage”, “fiasco”.

Related: Bargain teddy bear offer sparks violent scenes across Britain

Related: Build-a-Bear boss apologizes after pay-your-age sale causes chaos

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2uY9lhe