My God, People Lost Their Minds Over Build-A-Bear

ByJayme Kennedy

There’s nothing that brings out the worst in people quite like the promise of something cheap or something free. Giveaways and deep discounts cause people to turn into absolutely monsters with no decorum or common sense. We see it almost every year at Black Friday. And yesterday, we got a taste of just how mad people can get when they don’t get the cheap thing that was not promised or guaranteed to them! Build-A-Bear Workshop ran a really cool promotion yesterday that was destined to be a fucking disaster right from the start. Members of their Bonus Club were invited to visit participating locations and pay their age for a new furry friend. BAB might have, uh, seriously underestimated how much people would want a cheap teddy bear.

Listen, I love Build-A-Bear. My girls love it. It’s great. But I could not have x’d out of that email fast enough when I first saw the promotion. No amount of teddy bears or booze would’ve made me get within 50 miles of a BAB store yesterday.

Customers could come into a workshop and pay their age for a brand new stuffed animal. If you’re familiar with BAB, then you know those things aren’t cheap. They’re definitely more expensive than a regular stuffed toy. But of cours, you pay a premium for the experience! The stuffing, the placing of the heart, the clothes, it’s a whole big thing. So when BAB invited customers to get one for as little as $1, they LOST THEIR MINDS. People lined up outside of stores hours before opening. They waited in lines for 5, 6, even 8 hours just to get one. 8 HOURS IN A LINE WITH YOUR KIDS, CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE. The stores were overwhelmed by the response. The planning was not great, guys.

Of course, thousands of people trying to get a bear skin was more than each location could handle. Due to the crowds at locations on the East Coast, BAB suspended the deal before the West Coast was even settling into their miles-long lines. Parents responded with understanding. LOLJK they were pissed.

https://twitter.com/creselin/status/1017506742479884288

Now, listen. FUCK OFF YOU GUYS. Is there anything more gross than attacking a poor, underpaid employee because you didn’t get a $5 teddy bear? My god, how shameful. Some people, at least, kept things in perspective.

https://twitter.com/AndrewBurk7/status/1017511547806117888

We should have seen this coming from a mile away. Yes, it’s sad that some people didn’t get their cheap bear. Build-A-Bear attempted to make it right by offering everyone, whether they tried to get one or not, a $15 voucher. Which is very nice and completely unnecessary given that their terms and conditions literally said WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. I could see being disappointed that you didn’t get your toy after waiting in line, but boycotting the store? Attacking employees? Trolling the BAB social media with insults and threats? Totally reasonable guys, A+ work.  BAB CEO Sharon Price John issued an apology today, but I’m guessing it won’t be enough to quell the rage hoards.

Build-A-Bear came out of this the clear winner, even with the way things ended. The press and club sign-ups alone, my god! If they decide to do this promotion again, I’m sure they’ll plan a little better. And I’m sure parents all over the country will camp out in malls for the chance to STILL PAY MONEY FOR A STUFFED ANIMAL. We are the actual worst.

(Image: Facebook/Build-A-Bear Workshop)

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