Chaos erupted at Build-A-Bear Workshops in Iowa and across the nation today as crowds MUCH LARGER than expected showed up for a one-day-only promotion called "pay your age."
My kids loved - and my grandkids love - the stuffed animals from Build-A-Bear. If you've been there, you understand that the price of "building" a bear - or other animal - can stack up pretty quick. So you can understand the appeal of bringing in a seven-year-old and paying only SEVEN dollars (the stuffed toys range in price from $20 - $35).
Except that Build-A-Bear executives DIDN'T grasp the appeal. An appeal magnified by the fact that kids are out of school this time of year.
Across the nation, angry parents took to social media following the shutdown of local events AFTER the parents had spent hours in line - and were rewarded with disappointed and upset kids.
Linh Ta of the Des Moines Register was on hand at the Build-A-Bear workshop at Jordan Creek Mall.