Parents queued for hours in Churchill Square today for a chance to take advantage of BuildaBear Workshop’s Pay Your Age offer.
Susie Kyriacou shot this video of the queues snaking round from the store by Debenhams on the upper level, all the way down to the customer service desk and then up the other side.
Some parents had reportedly taken their children out of school in a bid to buy one of the teddies – which retail at about £27, but go up to more than £50 – at a cut price.
And by 1pm, store staff were stopping any more people from joining the queue – and the answerphone had a message saying that nobody was able to come to the phone because of the promotion.
Elsewhere in the country, large crowds have overwhelmed high streets and shopping centres, with stores forced to refuse entry or close early.
A spokesman told the Daily Mail: “The response to our Pay Your Age Day event at all of our UK locations has been overwhelming and unprecedented in our 21-year history, and the safety of our guests and associates is our top priority.
“The crowds have greatly exceeded our expectations and, per local authorities, queues are at capacity and we cannot accept additional guests due to extreme crowds and safety concerns.
“We understand our guests are disappointed, and we are working to address the situation. We will reach out directly to our valued guests as soon as possible.”
Nutters just to save £10,