Build-a-Bear shuts down single-day 'Pay Your Age' sale: It was so successful, it failed 
 
 CLOSE The Build-A-Bear Workshop pay-your-age sale created lines so long safety became an issue. USA TODAY 
 
 Build-a-Bear's one day sale was so successful it was shut down — in some places, just hours after it began. 
 
 "We have closed lines in our U.S. and Canada stores." 
 
 **Urgent Alert: 
 
 Per local authorities, we cannot accept additional Guests at our locations due to crowd safety concerns. We have closed lines in our stores. We understand some Guests are disappointed and we will reach out directly as soon as possible. https://t.co/aSFfPCcfsGpic.twitter.com/WZJ53tOAEH — Build-A-Bear Workshop (@buildabear) July 12, 2018 
 
 The message went out about 11:30 a.m. EDT. 
 
 Before the stores opened in the U.S., the long lines caused the company to publish a notice on social media that it would limit the number of people who could take advantage of the deal due to safety concerns. 
 
 When the deal was announced Monday, parents were overjoyed at the opportunity to walk in and pick out a plush toy for the cost of their child's age. (A typical bear costs between $10-$25 plus the cost of accessories.) 
 
 That excitement turned to disappointment Thursday as eager children were turned away. 
 
 Livid parents took to social media in the U.S. and the U.K. to rage. 
 
 @buildabear not being able to supply the demand on pay-your-age day is bad. making kids have to attend and being turned away at the door is disgusting. #promofail#PayYourAge#buildabear#angryparent — Graeme Allan (@pieman1872) July 12, 2018 
 
 @buildabear@emma1885 angry and fuming, we are working parents, my wife is having to drive 100 miles after work to get to a store to take up the offer, and now we have a 2 year old in meltdown she's not getting a bear, perhaps your MD wants to consul her @BBCWatchdog#buildabear — Dave A (@geekonaleashuk) July 12, 2018 
 
 'Overwhelming and unprecendented' 
 
 The line for #buildabear#payyourageday at @mallofamerica goes from storefront, through a packed rotunda and the entire length of #NickelodeonUniverse. And the line is now officially closed. pic.twitter.com/PYnYuTuMJC — KARE 11 (@kare11) July 12, 2018 
 
 Lines stretched outside Build-a-Bear stores with parents reporting waiting up to six hours to buy a plush toy, according to some social media reports. 
 
 Build-a-Bear representatives told All the Moms that the response to the promotion was "overwhelming and unprecedented." 
 
 "The response to our Pay Your Age Day event has been overwhelming and unprecedented in our 21-year history, and the safety of our Guests and associates is our top priority." 
 
 Customers should hear something ASAP 
 
 The company said it is "working to address the situation" and "will reach out directly to our valued guests as soon as possible." 
 
 To earn the Pay Your Age promotion, adults had to enroll in the free Build-a-Bear Bonus Club rewards program and provide an email address. 
 
 Build-a-Bear is expected to contact customers through their email. 
 
 Also note the sign. Seems the line at Build A Bear was closed due to overwhelming response to the 'Pay Your Age' promotion pic.twitter.com/3vwWG0Rwro — Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) July 12, 2018 
 
 MORE: Shut out of Build-a-Bear Pay Your Age Day? Try this birthday month deal instead. 
 
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 Build-A-Bear Workshop’s “pay your age” deal proved to be too alluring for its own good. 
 
 Only hours after it began, the bargain event was forced to shut down after chaos erupted across its U.S. stores. 
 
 The limited-time promotion kicked off Thursday morning in Build-A-Bear shops within the U.S., U.K, and Canada. For one day only, customers were given the chance to purchase the stuffed toys, which usually range in price from $20-$35, for the amount of their age. Children could take home a bear for only a few dollars, while adult prices capped off at $29. 
 
 But many were furious to find that the “pay your age” event had been canceled only hours after its launch due to safety concerns posed by unexpectedly large crowds. 
 
 “Per local authorities, we cannot accept additional Guests at our locations due to crowds and safety concerns,” Build-A-Bear said in a statement. “We have closed lines in our U.S. and Canada stores. We understand some Guests are disappointed and we will reach out directly as soon as possible.” 
 
 Build-A-Bear customers quickly took to social media to express their frustrations. Some waited in line for hours only to be turned away at the door when the promotion prematurely ended. 
 
 Build a bear MADNESS! 5 hour wait time and lines closed at most build a bear stores. This line is Tyson's corner. @ABC7News pic.twitter.com/eV8bCU09og — Caroline Patrickis (@Cpatrickis) July 12, 2018 
 
 “Most customers expect crowds and long lines with a promotion like this. However, to be so ill planned that it has to be shut down so early is very disappointing,” wrote another user in a comment on the Build-A-Bear Facebook page.
– Build-A-Bear Workshop's almost-too-good-to-be-true "Pay Your Age" deal turned out to be just that. Or at least just too good. The shopping mall staple, which specializes in customized stuffed animals, offered shoppers a one-day-only deal: customers could buy the typically $20 to $35 items for a price matching their own age. Per Fortune, the promotion, which was offered in the US, UK, and Canada, was pulled after just hours. As USA Today notes, the insanely long lines that appeared outside stores weren't just casual shoppers, they'd all enrolled ahead of time with the Build-a-Bear Bonus Club rewards program in order to get the deal. Some waited hours before they were told the promotion was no longer available. As a flurry of criticism ensued from miffed customers across social media, the Missouri-based Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. stepped in to try and calm the masses with the aid of vouchers for future purchases. "We could not have predicted this reaction to our Pay Your Age Day event," read a company statement. "As such, our goal with the voucher extension is to enable us to better flow traffic to the stores over the next several weeks to avoid long lines and wait times as much as possible." The company blamed safety concerns spurred by extremely long lines as the reason the promotion was cut short.