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

Zenimus

Zenimus

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Sad to see them go, working there in the video game section was one of my first jobs back during Christmas 2002. I've probably told this story before, but some lady came in asking for GTA Vice City for her 10 year old son. I warned her that it was rated mature and told her the basic premise of the game. She promptly stormed out to go presumably beat her child. He'd be about 26 now. I wonder if he's out there, plotting and stewing over the ruined Christmas of 2002...? :D
 
Montatez

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Taiso said:
There seems to be some social media backlash against the people being sentimental about TRU going down.

They just don't get it. TRU has struggled for a long time now, and it isn't all about mobile device distraction or 'kids just not caring about toys anymore'. It's not as simple as all that.

But when they're gone, the only place to get any toys physically will be department stores.

That's depressing.
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People will bitch about anything.
 
NeoSneth

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Dept store toy sections are quite depressing too. It's Star wars toys for a single aisle and the rest is cheap chinese crap you'd find at a grocery store toy section.
 
itsofrustratin

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Taiso said:
There seems to be some social media backlash against the people being sentimental about TRU going down.

They just don't get it. TRU has struggled for a long time now, and it isn't all about mobile device distraction or 'kids just not caring about toys anymore'. It's not as simple as all that.

But when they're gone, the only place to get any toys physically will be department stores.

That's depressing.
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I would say Wal Mart/Target played the biggest factor. Wal Mart used toys as a loss leader and would undercut Toys R Us. They simply can't compete price wise.
 
StevenK

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TRU have gone the same way here too.

So many great memories as a kid, drooling at the glass cabinets. One thing they were great at was their stock of games - they had the full set A-Z of every game in stock for every system they sold for, all day everyday. I used to wonder how long some of the more obscure games had sat there in the back for. Last time I went it had completely changed, there were a few games here and there but not many, video games didn't seem to be an important part of their set up at all.

Another memory - robots. A huge glass cabinet filled with robots, some as tall as I was. Beyond awesome.
 
K

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My son is in 6th grade (age 11/12). He told me four of his classmates (3 boys & 1 girl) have been playing GTA V online together.

Zenimus said:
some lady came in asking for GTA Vice City for her 10 year old son. I warned her that it was rated mature and told her the basic premise of the game. She promptly stormed out to go presumably beat her child. He'd be about 26 now. I wonder if he's out there, plotting and stewing over the ruined Christmas of 2002...? :D
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Tripredacus

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I went to the TRU near where I work, the place I go to buy TFs. They are not having any sales and it seems business as usual... but they haven't had a restock in a month.
 
Neo Alec

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SteveNK said:
One thing they were great at was their stock of games - they had the full set A-Z of every game in stock for every system they sold for, all day everyday.
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This was not always the case. During the chip shortage of the late 80's it was common for the more popular games to be out of stock.
 
fake

fake

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Tripredacus said:
I went to the TRU near where I work, the place I go to buy TFs. They are not having any sales and it seems business as usual... but they haven't had a restock in a month.
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Hmm. Gonna try to stop by my local one on Saturday, just for one last visit. But I hear they still have iPod Nanos, so I'd grab one of those if I can. Could also get some Star Wars stuff for my studio.
 
HDRchampion

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Stop by today and they have some cool stuff. Haven't been there in years...Had sign saying they are not liquidating yet, sorry for the inconvenience...I made a list on some stuff to look for when i go back next week. Hoping to get some signs/display case for the theater room.
 
fake

fake

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HDRchampion said:
Stop by today and they have some cool stuff. Haven't been there in years...Had sign saying they are not liquidating yet, sorry for the inconvenience...I made a list on some stuff to look for when i go back next week. Hoping to get some signs/display case for the theater room.
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Man I'd love to snag a '90s era Toys R Us sign or some of the plexi letters.
 
ChopstickSamurai

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Zenimus said:
Sad to see them go, working there in the video game section was one of my first jobs back during Christmas 2002. I've probably told this story before, but some lady came in asking for GTA Vice City for her 10 year old son. I warned her that it was rated mature and told her the basic premise of the game. She promptly stormed out to go presumably beat her child. He'd be about 26 now. I wonder if he's out there, plotting and stewing over the ruined Christmas of 2002...? :D
Click to expand...


I remember shopping at a Funcoland and the clerk having to explain to someone's Dad the premise of Conker's Bad Fur Day. Billy didn't get his game that day either. :)
 
NeuroticMoose

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Stopped by yesterday since the liquidation sale was supposed to start, and according to an employee I asked, there was some sort of court related process that got pushed back. So none of the remaining locations started the liquidation process on the 22nd like they had planned to. My local store has been busier than I've ever seen it since I got my license at 18 and started going whenever I felt like killing some time or buying Christmas presents for all the spoiled kids on my gift giving list (I'm the one who tends to spoil them, but still). It almost feels like if these bozos had been visiting the store as much as they have been since the announcement that it wouldn't be going under, I don't even get why people are swarming the store when nothing is on sale yet.
 
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NeoSneth

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NeuroticMoose said:
I don't even get why people are swarming the store when nothing is on sale yet.
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Because the experience of going to a major toy retail store is about to go away forever. Read this thread.
 
J

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Kid Panda said:
Looks like Kaybee is coming back and want to help TRU employees, mostly the higherups. But still.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...wn-helps-pave-way-for-resurrection-of-kb-toys
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They're crazy if they think Kaybee will thrive in malls in today's market. Just look at This is Dan Bell or, the Proper People on Youtube...malls are literally becoming places for urban exploration. There is a mall about an hour from me where the only business open in the entire place is an arcade.


fakeXsound said:
Man I'd love to snag a '90s era Toys R Us sign or some of the plexi letters.
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Friend of mine, who owns a bunch of game stores in the Columbus area, already convinced them to sell him their vintage Sonic, Tales, and Mario PVC statues. They are all about 3 ft. tall...still in amazing condition, too. They weren't cheap, though: Try low 5 figures.

Jon
 
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Psygnosis8

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Jon said:
They're crazy if they think Kaybee will thrive in malls in today's market. Just look at This is Dan Bell or, the Proper People on Youtube...malls are literally becoming places for urban exploration. There is a mall about an hour from me where the only business open in the entire place is an arcade.
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I believe that’s What’s going on in parts of the country, but in Los Angeles the malls are always super crowded. They keep building new ones too, like the Americana.

Toys “R” Us was always really busy around here every time I went as well. I think that, around here anyway, there still money to be made with a big toy store. It just has to be managed properly, and not get neck deep in debt.
 
Tripredacus

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NeuroticMoose said:
It almost feels like if these bozos had been visiting the store as much as they have been since the announcement that it wouldn't be going under, I don't even get why people are swarming the store when nothing is on sale yet.
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Yes it seems that way to me also. I can't speak for how the store near where I work is on weekends, because I only go during the lunchtime break. And on Tuesday it was as dead as usual. But last saturday the parking lot was full. The other store I go to on weekends is always busy on Saturday or Sunday. But I see a lot of people online (and in this forum) saying they never go there, but even TRU is not expecting adults to go there to buy things for themselves. A co-worker or mine is noting that kids (even his) aren't playing with toys as much as they used to, and his kids friends are not into them. It seems the time is changing and perhaps it is related to cartoons not being on every morning or on saturdays besides a couple of cable channels. And let us not forget that toy prices have been going up a lot in the past few years. Retail Transformers, per size class, is at least double in price than they were 10 years ago. I'm sure this is also true across the board.
 
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