Toys R Us - Death Watch

RoryN

You're screwed.
Joined
Apr 8, 2003
Posts
53,922
Multiple analysts predict that, if/when stores are abandoned, around 15% of all toy sales will never return because of lack of physical in-your-face shelf space.

No liquidation announcement yet, but they've been missing vendor payments for the last 48 hours. Probably time to call in the priest.
 
Last edited:
There is one here that I used to take Jennifer in when she was little.

I have such good memories of that store.
 
I was telling Arte the other day that I thought toy stores would be particularly vulnerable to online sales because people with young kids often prefer not to go shopping with them.


The number of iconic brand names that are dead or clearly dying is really startling.
 
Kinda have a sad. I have no reason to shop there in this time of my life, yet, I have memories of genuine happiness going there as a kid and wish it could be forever, as I used to believe it would be as a kid. :(

Living electronically changed everything. But that's the nature of living. The only real shame of a potential aftermath would be letting the structural space of the stores to languish with no purpose.
 
I was telling Arte the other day that I thought toy stores would be particularly vulnerable to online sales because people with young kids often prefer not to go shopping with them.

But toy manufacturers depend a lot on store space because of the "I want that" impulse nature of sales - and the colorful and interactive nature of their displays.

So, this will hurt them more than losing physical space hurts other industries.
 
Bummer......well, good thing I've moved on to big kid toys that are sold elsewhere. :cool:

another-one-bites-the-dust-gif-3.gif
 
"Anchor store" effect will be in play as well.

(Bad pun intended.)
 
True because Wal Mart and Target aren't going to have the shelf space for the cool toys in the acrylic display boxes that the little kids and big kids will want to play with that are cool.

But toy manufacturers depend a lot on store space because of the "I want that" impulse nature of sales - and the colorful and interactive nature of their displays.

So, this will hurt them more than losing physical space hurts other industries.
 
"Anchor store" effect will be in play as well.

(Bad pun intended.)

Targets buyers cant compete with Walmart in the Toy section for selection and it doesn't appear Target replenishment is on top of there game.
 
I'm trying to remember the last time I walked into a Toys-R-Us. It would be the one on the south side of Santa Rosa CA near World Market and a Mexican furniture store. Let's see, maybe around the late 1980s, well before I had grandkids, only sisters and cousins with kids to buy stuff for. So I'm not part of the solution; I'm part of the problem. Oy.
 
blame video games and the fact that kids stop playing with toys at younger and younger ages.

also, i haven't been in one in ten years or so. i used to waste a shitload of money there buying star wars back in the day, but fuck that shit.
 
I'm hoping for a big sale here cuz I'd like to get a couple of the higher priced Legos at a discount if I can.
 
This isn't just disheartening as in another chain gone, more jobs gone, etc, but Toys r us provided such great memories for kids for so many years.

I remember when Child's World was the big toy store but TRU put them under.

This is also yet another sign that people are too fucking lazy to shop and everything is now being purchased online. That and amazon makes it so no brick and mortar store can compete with its prices.

I work for a display manufacturer, been there for over twenty years and we're at deaths door because well....if people are shopping online who needs displays right?

This is the evil of the internet, all the jobs its put under...where do all these people go for work? And this isn't a political issue, this is an issue of a society of weebles who can't get their round asses out of the chair to go anywhere or do anything.
 
Only 6%-9% of all goods in the USA are purchased online.

Most children only need a few toys.

Bloated business selling childhood obesity, deserves to die.
 
Only 6%-9% of all goods in the USA are purchased online.

Most children only need a few toys.

Bloated business selling childhood obesity, deserves to die.

Sorry, but child obesity is the problem of parents too lazy to parent and letting their kids eat god knows what and sit on their ass all day playing on their phone or other devices. Pretty much just like the parents I'm talking about.

Typical that its always someone else's fault when there's something wrong with a kid. Never the parents fault.

Maybe the Dem should lead a crusade to ban candy and fattening foods. :rolleyes:
 
That was one of my favorite stores till the Valley Fire and I moved. I use to hit that store daily on my normal run.
I'm trying to remember the last time I walked into a Toys-R-Us. It would be the one on the south side of Santa Rosa CA near World Market and a Mexican furniture store. Let's see, maybe around the late 1980s, well before I had grandkids, only sisters and cousins with kids to buy stuff for. So I'm not part of the solution; I'm part of the problem. Oy.
 
Toys R Us is going the way of a lot other big box brands. People under 50 shop on line. I for one am a touch and feel,interaction, personal return person. I have to know what I am purchasing and what I am purchasing is what I want and is correct size fit etc.

My son is 13. I have raised him to go shop and purchase by touch feel etc.

I frequent the Roseville Galleria and the surrounding areas. If you cant find what you need you don't need it.
 
I was right: looks like Rory is going through his second childhood.
You should test your memory too, while you're at it. ;)
 
The death of TRU has nothing to do with online competition nor the general state of big box retail. This is the result of a leveraged buyout from a little over 10 years ago, when they were acquired by Bain Capital, KKR and Vornado. Those vipers, I mean firms, took a billion out of TRU for themselves and saddles the chain with 5-6 billion dollars in debt. Now indeed, if there were no online sales perhaps they would have had a prayer's worth of a chance to pay back their debt as they matured (And of course, Amazon fucked them out of an exclusivity deal prior to the buyout but I digress) but most likely not, and eventual Chapter 11 filing was inevitable. Going Chapter 7 at this particular point would somewhat surprising because they secured 3 bill in DIP financing (Debtor in Possession, operating capital approved by court while in Chap 11) and they didn't have another debt payment come up... but I've heard that was going to happen for the last 3 weeks.
Source for this post: Me and my memories
 
Last edited:
Crackerwhite Barbie created a world-wide toy dynasty for decades and decades...

...an entire Marvel universe of Black Panther action figures couldn't even save ToysWereUs.

WHITE POWER!

LS-402SBLK-2.jpg




roflmao.gif
 
Back
Top