Build-A-Bear ‘chaos’ as toy shop holds ‘Pay Your Age’ sale

Hundreds of people have descended on Scotland’s Build-A-Bear stores following a mega sale from the stuffed toy retailer.

Build-A-Bear hosted a ‘Buy your age’ deal meaning parents pay just a couple of pounds for toys that would usually cost up to £27 at regular price.

And angry shoppers have been turned away from stores across Scotland, including Braehead and Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow and Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh, due to the chain running out of stock.

It is understood Marks and Spencer at Ocean Terminal are handing out water to customers who have waited since the early hours. Queues has been cut off, with those waiting expected to have to wait for at least another six hours.

Video posted to Facebook has shown the extraordinary length of the long, snaking queue outside the Livingston store.

One witness in Edinburgh said: “It’s mental. There are kids everywhere and the queue tails right back to the car park. There must be over a thousand people here.

“I was going to bring my kids down later on but I think I’ll give it a miss now. It’s a great idea but not to stand in a queue like this.”

One furious customer posted online saying: “Very disappointed with @buildabear today! “Told by Livingston store we could no longer join the queue at 9:45am!! Four-year-old is very disappointed”.

Another wrote on Facebook: “This was badly planned to begin with, there’s no way they would have enough stock for everyone planning on coming to the event.”

intu Braehead apologised to customers on their social media accounts. A statement read: “This has been an extremely popular event and due to this higher than expected demand, we’re sorry that the queue for Build A Bear is now closed and no one else will be able to join the line. This is to make sure there are enough bears available for those already in the queue.”

A spokeswoman for Build-A-Bear told how all UK stores have been hit with delays and shortages.

She said: “The response to our Pay Your Age Day event at all of our U.K. locations has been overwhelming and unprecedented.

“The crowds have greatly exceeded our expectations and, per local authorities, we are closing all Build-A-Bear Workshop locations in the U.K. due to extreme crowds and safety concerns.

“Locations are no longer able to accept additional Guests for this event.

“We are working diligently to assess the situation and appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.”

*The video attached shows the line up for the Build-A-Bear store in Blackpool.