Toys R Us Files For Bankruptcy

[the_horror_man]

The toy giant has filed for chapter 11. We we just discussing about whether kids even buys toys anymore. This is mentioned here.

thm

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/toys-r-us-files-bankruptcy-protection-035152559--finance.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&uh_test=2_07

[AlwaysWitty]

The universe hates me.

[Anton Phibes]

Not just you, BBW. Toys R Us was the last refuge of solitude for shopping my wife and I frequented. Everything around here is closed down. Pretty soon, we will never leave the house except to buy groceries. Terrible.

[the_horror_man]

All those great Toys R Us exclusive figures and other goodies gone. We'll have to wait and see what happens with the actual stores. Toys R Us is like one of the only actual toy stores in existnece. You can go to it and see rows of toys in person. To see it go bankrupt is disheartening.

thm

[Universal Steve]

I got a lot of Universal figures over the years. Even though they don't have as much as they once did, I will still miss it.  We don't go as often as we used to but it was nice knowing it was there.  I blame all these kids nowadays who are too lazy to go out to get things. They would rather just hit a button and wait for delivery. I like instant gratification and I don't like waiting or paying shipping charges. I miss the days  I would save my allowance and when I got enough I would go to the local hobby shop and buy a Aurora monster model off the shelf and take it home and get prepared to build it. These kids don't know what they are missing!

[KelG1]

No toy stores where I am. The drug store and Walmart being the exceptions.
I used to enjoy going to the  bins where they had drawers full of dinosaurs and rubber snakes and the model kit section which ceased to exist eventually. I have to order model kit paints from a mail order place in the East.

[long live kong]

Not just you, BBW. Toys R Us was the last refuge of solitude for shopping my wife and I frequented. Everything around here is closed down. Pretty soon, we will never leave the house except to buy groceries. Terrible.

A lot of people are buying their groceries online too these days!

[aura of foreboding]

Chapter 11 does not mean TRU is going away.  It could, but I think it will be around for a few more years... or fifty...  Depends if someone like Amazon swoops in to buy them up.   

[marsattacks666]

 

[Maceo1]

 

[Crossbonez74]

Really cool article on Toys R Us.  It shows comparison pictures of the toys aisles from the 1980's vs  pics from today.


http://www.retrojunk.com/article/show/3508/vintage-toys-r-us

[the_horror_man]

Really cool article on Toys R Us.  It shows comparison pictures of the toys aisles from the 1980's vs  pics from today.


http://www.retrojunk.com/article/show/3508/vintage-toys-r-us

Great article. Wouldn't it be great to get into a time a machne and step into a Toys R Us from the 80's. Actually, when I was growing up, a remember a store called Child World. Child World was like a Toys R Us. I still remmeber the feeling of walking in there. It was a huge toy store and being a little kid, it seemed like a whole other world.

thm

[Anton Phibes]

Let's not forget Children's Palace either. Long gone.

[Hepcat]

I blame all these kids nowadays who are too lazy to go out to get things. They would rather just hit a button and wait for delivery. I like instant gratification and I don't like waiting or paying shipping charges. I miss the days  I would save my allowance and when I got enough I would go to the local hobby shop and buy a Aurora monster model off the shelf and take it home and get prepared to build it. These kids don't know what they are missing!

Indeed. Very true and very sad.



It's ironic though. Toys 'R' Us was in the 1980s itself a category killer that put the myriad of smaller mom and pop toy stores out of business. Does anyone still have a free standing toy store in their own neck of the woods?



I know of two dedicated toy stores in downtown Toronto but they're both in indoor shopping malls.

[Remco Wolfman]

Chapter 11 does not mean TRU is going away.  It could, but I think it will be around for a few more years... or fifty...  Depends if someone like Amazon swoops in to buy them up.   

I'd like to reemphasize what AoF said, TRU is not going anywhere. They are just restructuring. They aren't even for sale. If I were TRU I would actually team up with Amazon and utilize their website and shipping. They would spend themselves out of business if they tried to create anything on their own close to the robust and user friendly online marketplace Amazon has (frankly so would Walmart).  Maybe some stores would close in the restructuring but they'll be around for a while.

Frankly, I was never impressed by TRU even as a kid. I always thought it was too big and I could never find anything (when I was a kid). I always much preferred the smaller toy stores in the malls (KB Toys and to an extend Lionel Playworld).