Large crowds force Build-A-Bear to close lines for 'pay your age day'

Build-A-Bear Workshop closed the lines into its stores around noon Thursday, due to the massive turnout for Pay Your Age Day

For the first time ever, customers were given the chance to visit a Build-A-Bear Workshop to pay their current age for any furry friend available in the store--but the massive lines forced the event to shut down early.

At Memorial City Mall in Houston, lines began to form at 6 a.m., even though the store didn't open until 10 a.m. Throughout the morning, the line wrapped through the mall.

Parents said it was work it to wait up to four hours to get into the store, because they were saving around $30 on a stuffed animal for their delighted children.

The company says on July 12, the customer's age determines how much they pay for any bear inside stores--a first of it's kind nationwide event for the store.

Build-A-Bear had announced that to take advantage of this deal, customers need to be a "Bonus Club" member.