Fights Break Out As Parents Queue For Nine Hours Outside Build-A-Bear

Gunther Hagleitner/Flickr

Parents queued for hours outside Build-A-Bear stores as the company hosted a ‘pay your age’ day, and fights broke out as they waited in line. 

The popular toy shop Build-A-Bear hosted a ‘pay your age’ day, allowing children to get the stuffed toys for unbelievably cheap prices for one day only – depending on how young the child is, obviously.

Parents queued for hours to get into the stores, desperate to get the usually-pricey stuffed toys for a price the same as their children’s age.

Unfortunately, the knowledge of saving money wasn’t enough to keep a lot of waiting customers happy.

Fights broke out between parents who were waiting in line, with some of them having to stand for up to nine hours before they made it into the store.

One person posted on Twitter:

If you think I’m gonna go to the Build-A-Bear at Baybrook mall & fight the crowd to get my child a $2 bear…then your absolutely right

Another added:

I can’t wait for the news reports of mom fights mom for build a bear… but you better believe I’m here too #PayYourAgeDay @buildabear

One parent tried to get into the store in Newcastle’s Metro Centre this morning, but was met by hundreds of parents who had beat her to the queue.

Fiona O’Reilly told The Sun:

It was complete madness. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few riots over this today.

I managed to get there early and it took just over an hour for me to get all four bears.

There’s already people fighting in the queues!

Shopping in Build-A-Bear is no quick feat – as the name quite clearly states, you have to build your bear.

After waiting up to nine hours in a queue, parents would have had to wait for the bear to be filled with stuffing, find the perfect outfit, and then probably wait in line again to pay.

The transaction doesn’t necessarily stop at the initial purchase either – Build-A-Bear have strategically come up with a whole range of bear clothes and accessories that, to a bear-owning child, are absolute necessities.

I would know. I was a bear-owning child.

Those must have been some patient and dedicated parents.

Some members of the public took to social media to share their shock at the long waits and tense atmosphere surrounding the stores.

One person wrote:

If you feel the need to queue for 9 hours at a build a bear.. making your kid also queue that amount of time… I think you need to re prioritise your parenting… utter ridiculous. Does however highlight the ridiculous price @buildabear charge anyway. Such a rip off #BuildABear

Another added:

Build a Bear in chaos today and a quick search says that these people are saving an average of £10. I’m all for a bargain, but 9 hour queues to save £10 on a teddy bear?

I sure hope those lucky children appreciated their bears.

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Emily Brown

Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.