Toys R Us to close all 800 of its U.S. stores

wingzrow

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http://archive.is/mg24P

Toy store chain Toys R Us is planning to sell or close all 800 of its U.S. stores, affecting as many as 33,000 jobs as the company winds down its operations after six decades, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The news comes six months after the retailer filed for bankruptcy. The company has struggled to pay down nearly $8 billion in debt — much of it dating back to a 2005 leveraged buyout — and has had trouble finding a buyer. There were reports earlier this week that Toys R Us had stopped paying its suppliers, which include the country’s largest toy makers. On Wednesday, the company announced it would close all 100 of its U.K. stores. In the United States, the company told employees closures would likely occur over time, and not all at once, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.

Toys R Us, once the country’s preeminent toy retailer, has been unable to keep up with big-box and online competitors. The recent holiday season dealt another blow to the embattled company, which struggled to find its footing even as the retail industry racked up its largest gains in years. In January, Toys R Us announced it would close 182 U.S. stores, or about one-fifth of its remaining locations.
 

Lastblade

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Bain capital purposely f this company with that leverage buyout.
 

Ip Man

BBLLOOOO__HHAARRDDDDDD!!!!,
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sad news, but toys r us has been shit for twenty years anyway. but still sad to hear it go considering it was the greatest place on earth for kids who grew up in the 80's.
 

wingzrow

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Link to original article, for those of us that aren't raging homos:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...800-of-its-u-s-stores/?utm_term=.7a6f1fc590f3
What's wrong with archiving news stories? I do it in case the site I link goes belly up & becomes a dead link later on. News sites are closing down a lot lately.

Newsweek Exec in Secret Tape: "We Gotta Turn the Business Around or We’re Dead"
Two weeks ago, Newsweek Media Group Chief Content Officer Dayan Candappa said the company had just five weeks to turn around its business, or it might have to shutter for good.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/newsw...e-gotta-turn-the-business-around-or-were-dead

http://archive.is/DvW55
 

Neo Ash

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When I was a kid Toys R Us was the shit! All the consoles, accessories, and games in one spot....even the more expensive hard to find systems were all there.

Now I feel obligated to take my daughter before the stores are totally gone, if for nothing more than the nostalgia of it.
 

ggallegos1

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it was all about the big book of toys every year.
 

Spike Spiegel

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I brought my kids there yesterday. They didn't give any indication they were closing, but my god were they shitty looking. And what's funny is they asked me if I was a toys r us rewards member and if I'd like to be. Like wtf?

I miss them as a child, but they're not the same. It's not a surprise they're closing.
 

Day_Man

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The Toys R Us locations near me were pretty well stocked. Ill be sad to see them all go.
 

GregN

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When I was a kid Toys R Us was the shit! All the consoles, accessories, and games in one spot....even the more expensive hard to find systems were all there.

Now I feel obligated to take my daughter before the stores are totally gone, if for nothing more than the nostalgia of it.

Yep. I remember when I was a kid I bought NES and SNES games from them. I like how they had all the box art displayed with little paper slips. You took the paper slip to the register for the game you wanted, paid, and then went to a storage area near the exit that was like a gas station in the hood with glass and they gave you your game.
 

SpamYouToDeath

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What's wrong with archiving news stories? I do it in case the site I link goes belly up & becomes a dead link later on. News sites are closing down a lot lately.

Ah, sorry. I usually see "archive.is" used to intentionally deprive web sites of advertising revenue, while still linking others to their content (which is a dick move).


More on topic - I remember Toys R Us as being fairly nice, the last few times I went there. I guess everyone's just using Amazon and/or buying video games digitally? It didn't seem like there was anything terribly wrong with their stores. When I was younger we used to go all the time, because we had a credit card that gave cash-back in Toys R Us gift certificates.
 

rarehero

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I went there about a year ago. It felt like there was more kids clothes than toys. Had a hard time finding the games and was underwhelmed. Target had a bigger game section, and probably better toys.
 

CORY

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And what's funny is they asked me if I was a toys r us rewards member and if I'd like to be. Like wtf?

The employee who told you that probably learnt about the closing today like the rest of us. It's usually how it works.
 

Renmauzo

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I'm going to try to get the Nintendo signage and Switch kiosk.

My best non-gameplay video game memories from back in the day are all with TrU. My kids enjoy trips there, so for a number of reasons, it'll be sad to see them go.
 

madman

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I don't think I've been to one since the late 90's, last thing I remember buying there is my GBA SP. I later lived a 5 min walk from a Best Buy so that was pretty much my go to place for games. Now I just order shit on Amazon and it's here in a day. I don't even have to put pants on.

I did buy my N64 at a TRU. Great memories!
 

Arcademan

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Yep. I remember when I was a kid I bought NES and SNES games from them. I like how they had all the box art displayed with little paper slips. You took the paper slip to the register for the game you wanted, paid, and then went to a storage area near the exit that was like a gas station in the hood with glass and they gave you your game.

That's how the Toys R Us was by my house...a wall full of games with little slips. They scan the slip, gave you a receipt and pointed toward the window with the speaker. You rang the bell, guy takes slip, finds your minty fresh game and you were good to go.

Sad to see them go the way of KB Toys and Lionel's Playworld :(
 

Montatez

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My fondest memory of toys r us was going their with my dad when I was 7 and we were picking out a new NES game. My dad picked up Crystalis and said this looks good so we bought it. First new game we picked up for the system since he bought it for Christmas.

Third favorite game of all time and a great memory.
 

Psygnosis8

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This is really sad. We go there quite a bit, mostly for Babies R Us for my 1 y/o but I cruise through the toy section too. The whole thing is a lot smaller than when I was a kid (and I remember the little kiosk where you picked up the games, like everyone else.). But they still have some really neat toys, and a lot of them.

My biggest concern is that there’s no real big toy store to take your kids to anymore. Target’s selection is weak and TRU has WAY more toys, some involving robotics and toys that learn and respond to you. I don’t see anything like that at Target or Wal-Mart. TRU has even gotten into more adult-themed figurines. I saw a Little Alex from Clockwork Orange doll there.

Kay-Bee is dead. FAO Schwartz doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Where are the big toy stores? Amazon is not the same experience, and it’s way less fun for adults.
 

Fritz

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Yea, it does suck. I still buy toys/games from there a couple times a year. More than that it was just something fun to do, go in and browse the toy section with a bit of nostalgia.
 

mainman

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Lots of transformers nostalgia and the old video games days when you would pull a ticket and whole aisles would be dedicated to games instead of one corner of the store. It seems everything That I loved/love is dying.
 

NeoSneth

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Bain capital purposely f this company with that leverage buyout.

This is the real truth , but people just gonna say they been irrelevant the last 20 years.
They've actually been doing well, but not well enough to fix the Bain captial shit.
 
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