Chuck E. Cheese counters Build-A-Bear's 'pay your age' day with a much worse deal


Chuck E. Cheese seemed to enjoy a peaceful day at his many establishments across America on Friday. Which probably means it wasn't so good for business.
After fellow kid-friendly hotspot Build-A-Bear incurred angry mobs during its "pay your age" day Thursday, Mr. Cheese launched a business-savvy counterattack. Kids disappointed by Thursday's Build-A-Bear promotion could come to participating Chuck E. Cheese's locations Friday for 30 minutes of play time for the same price as their age.
Build-A-Bear held a day where customers' age corresponded to how many dollars they'd spend on a furry friend — a tremendous deal, seeing as these animals can cost upwards of $35. But turnout was so good, it was catastrophic. Hours-long waits and angry patrons forced the bear-stuffing business to shut everything down and hand out $15 vouchers to the disgruntled throngs. So Charles Entertainment Cheese took direct aim in its Facebook post, announcing its own pay your age deal the next day.
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What a perfect swap. A kid who wanted a lifelong stuffed pal and the experience of building it would definitely rather have a measly half-hour of gaming with a rat. Cheese's promo isn't even a deal for kids 9 or older, as 30 minutes of All You Can Play already starts at $9. And bringing in more kids with a marketing gimmick only creates lines and subtracts from a kid's playtime countdown.
Then again, Build-A-Bear only had to worry about angry crowds and the potential for fights on one special Thursday. That's a lot more common at Chuck E. Cheese's.
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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
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