NEW ORLEANS – Massive crowds have shut down Build-A-Bear Workshop’s highly anticipated Pay Your Age Day.
The company released a statement around 6:30 a.m. warning of extremely long lines forming across the country at locations that opened early.
By 10 a.m., lines outside all stores had created unsafe conditions, prompting a shutdown of all lines.
“Per local authorities, we cannot accept additional Guests at our locations due to crowds and safety concerns,” according to a post on the company’s official Facebook page. “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.”
There has been no word if the promotion would be extended or rescheduled, or if customers still in line when the lines were shut down would receive any compensation.
Locally, the line of excited Build-A-Bear fans inside the Lakeside Mall stretched through the concourse outside the store.
According to a press release, Build-A-Bear created the one-day promotion “to kick off its new, everyday celebration of birthdays.”