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Toys R Us stores closing down


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#21 1701D

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Posted 22 March 2018 - 06:42 PM

Any bid to save TRU is doomed to fail unless they can rejuvenate the business and redefine what it means to be a Toys R Us kid in 2018 and furthermore, tap into a unique customer experience you will only ever find visiting a new TRU store. That doesnt mean relying on only nostalgia, that means redefining the brand, making tough decisions on what Toys R Us is not just today but 10/20 years from now.

I believe that if Toys R Us is as important as everyone thinks it is in the midst of the turmoil surrounding its demise, then when the dust has settled and we all move on, there will still be a demand for it to exist.

If that demand disappears or turns out to be nothing more than nostalgia as we realise that actually like so many businesses before it, Toys R Us is just a relic that serves very little financial purpose to exist, then it will go the way of the dinosaurs being replaced by what consumers actually want.

Toys R Us may just turn into a dated symbol of how much the toy industry has moved on and changed and will continue to change and reduce in size as kids become more interested in interactivity and connectivity than traditional play.

#22 s8film40

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Posted 22 March 2018 - 07:33 PM

Any bid to save TRU is doomed to fail unless they can rejuvenate the business and redefine what it means to be a Toys R Us kid in 2018 and furthermore, tap into a unique customer experience you will only ever find visiting a new TRU store. That doesnt mean relying on only nostalgia, that means redefining the brand, making tough decisions on what Toys R Us is not just today but 10/20 years from now.

I believe that if Toys R Us is as important as everyone thinks it is in the midst of the turmoil surrounding its demise, then when the dust has settled and we all move on, there will still be a demand for it to exist.

If that demand disappears or turns out to be nothing more than nostalgia as we realise that actually like so many businesses before it, Toys R Us is just a relic that serves very little financial purpose to exist, then it will go the way of the dinosaurs being replaced by what consumers actually want.

Toys R Us may just turn into a dated symbol of how much the toy industry has moved on and changed and will continue to change and reduce in size as kids become more interested in interactivity and connectivity than traditional play.

Its important to remember that TRU is actually doing just fine when it comes to day to day business. The bankruptcy is a result of stuff on the back end saddling the company with debt that couldnt be paid off. If someone can purchase the brand or start another similar store and do exactly the same thing they will do okay, if they can additionally do things better than there is huge potential. Really I think TRU had become a little lazy because there really wasnt any other retail competition that carried their variety. I think its likely well end up with a few different competitors trying to fill that void and that competition could bring out some great things.

#23 1701D

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Posted 22 March 2018 - 08:00 PM

Im coming from this from a UK citizen and honestly, Toys R Us was far too slow at changing with the times. They had certainly become lazy and not fast enough to react when competition did begin to arrive.

What should of happened about a decade ago is that Toys R Us should of begun closing their big, out of town retail park warehouse stores to focus on (in the UK at least), smaller, boutique style high street and town centre shopping mall stores. Focused on providing an unbeatable and creative experience with staff that were passionate about the toys they were selling, with events happening within the stores. An Apple or Lego store type of setup. A destination where kids could try out EVERYTHING in store and parents could connect to the website and click and collect, pay and collect, pay and deliver and all the standard things one expects from any retail outlet.

In the UK the Toys R Us experience was a soulless one, driving miles outside of town to visit a large shed with toys rammed down long and tall aisles. That might have worked in the 80s and 90s when I remember visiting TRU as a kid, but that wasnt going to fly in the 2000s.

If anyone was to purchase the TRU brand in the UK, significant changes would need to be made to ensure that it was offering something unique and exciting to both kids and parents and quite honestly, I dont think that theres anyone out there with the kind of money needed to rescue TRU and with the imagination and ingenuity it would need to bring it back.

Also one would have to think whether or not it was worth saving? Toys R Us is a dead brand and with toy sales not what they once were and with other, cheaper alternatives available, what makes TRU in the UK at least, better than Smyths Toys, Lego Stores, The Entertainer, Tesco, John Lewis, Sainsburys, Argos, ASDA(WalMart), Amazon and independent high street stores... Toys R Us has the nostalgia sure, it has a proud history but its also known for being run by greed, unenthusiastic staff, unreasonably expensive and a dreaded place for parents to visit.

Toys R Us had become increasingly disreputable. The customer these days wants the personal shopping experience, they want to be enthused by passionate and dedicated staff. Its not always about the money, its about the experience because whats stopping anyone from ordering everything online. People do love to wander a high street in the UK, browsing the shops and kids are no different but in every shop, those stores with passionate staff who know their product and take care and responsibility over their customers are the stores that do really well, especially when youre dealing with niche or non essential products like toys have become.

#24 s8film40

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Posted 22 March 2018 - 08:50 PM

Im coming from this from a UK citizen and honestly, Toys R Us was far too slow at changing with the times. They had certainly become lazy and not fast enough to react when competition did begin to arrive.

What should of happened about a decade ago is that Toys R Us should of begun closing their big, out of town retail park warehouse stores to focus on (in the UK at least), smaller, boutique style high street and town centre shopping mall stores. Focused on providing an unbeatable and creative experience with staff that were passionate about the toys they were selling, with events happening within the stores. An Apple or Lego store type of setup. A destination where kids could try out EVERYTHING in store and parents could connect to the website and click and collect, pay and collect, pay and deliver and all the standard things one expects from any retail outlet.

In the UK the Toys R Us experience was a soulless one, driving miles outside of town to visit a large shed with toys rammed down long and tall aisles. That might have worked in the 80s and 90s when I remember visiting TRU as a kid, but that wasnt going to fly in the 2000s.

If anyone was to purchase the TRU brand in the UK, significant changes would need to be made to ensure that it was offering something unique and exciting to both kids and parents and quite honestly, I dont think that theres anyone out there with the kind of money needed to rescue TRU and with the imagination and ingenuity it would need to bring it back.

Also one would have to think whether or not it was worth saving? Toys R Us is a dead brand and with toy sales not what they once were and with other, cheaper alternatives available, what makes TRU in the UK at least, better than Smyths Toys, Lego Stores, The Entertainer, Tesco, John Lewis, Sainsburys, Argos, ASDA(WalMart), Amazon and independent high street stores... Toys R Us has the nostalgia sure, it has a proud history but its also known for being run by greed, unenthusiastic staff, unreasonably expensive and a dreaded place for parents to visit.

Toys R Us had become increasingly disreputable. The customer these days wants the personal shopping experience, they want to be enthused by passionate and dedicated staff. Its not always about the money, its about the experience because whats stopping anyone from ordering everything online. People do love to wander a high street in the UK, browsing the shops and kids are no different but in every shop, those stores with passionate staff who know their product and take care and responsibility over their customers are the stores that do really well, especially when youre dealing with niche or non essential products like toys have become.

Yeah I dont disagree that they werent managing the business in the best way. My point is though that even in spite of that they are still profitable. It shows that there is a huge demand for a toy store of some sort. If someone can manage to take on much of what you suggest than they wont just have a profitable business, but a booming one.

Also sounds like the US stores are a little better from your description.

#25 1701D

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Posted 23 March 2018 - 09:19 AM

Yeah from various toy hunt videos I watch on YouTube, Id say that Toys R Us in the states was vastly superior to that of Toys R Us in the UK.

Smyths Toys in the UK seem to have really expanded here in the UK and really showed TRU for what it was; an expensive soulless shed, full of overpriced toys.

#26 Whirlygig

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Posted 30 March 2018 - 08:53 AM

Having learned that NECA sold products at TRU via consignment, I can't help but wonder if DST does, or ever has, too, which I think would probably make many of their old excuses for the Star Trek failure (and for all the Kirks and Spocks that came out at TRU) that much more infuriating...

#27 Gothneo

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Posted 01 April 2018 - 04:07 PM

One would think the exclusives wouldn't be on consignment... but who knows, they very well could have been. 

 

Did a walk through my local TRU the other day... prices are marked down to 30%... and still a lot of inventory. I'm sure as the weeks go by they will cut deeper. Still sad to see this Icon go. 



#28 s8film40

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Posted 01 April 2018 - 09:40 PM

I frequent TRU and there is a variety of things Im always looking at for my son as well as a few things I follow myself. Since the liquidation all existing sales have ended and as a result most of the prices are actually higher now than they were prior to the liquidation sale starting. Its been absolutely crazy to see people filling carts with stuff as though 10% off is some kind of great deal. I cant help but look at their carts and see things that were at 25% off the week prior and now 10% off and think these people are really gullible and stupid.

#29 Alteran195

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Posted 01 April 2018 - 11:04 PM

Ya the one I went to was insane for the majority of the items being only 10% off and very few things being 30% off.

Thats barely even a sale, hardly worth freaking out over.

#30 Gothneo

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Posted 02 April 2018 - 03:23 AM

Thats true... 10-30% were the sales... and your both right... there were a lot of people... but unlike you guys I didn't see a lot of inventory moving yet. 



#31 Whirlygig

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Posted 02 April 2018 - 09:23 AM

I saw the first indication on Instagram that we are still largely yet to be treated to the newer merchandise in their warehouse that will be being flushed out soon.

 

One person just found some Incredibles 2 merch there, and the newest LEGO minifigure bag series.

 

So I for one am glad those gullible people are clearing out the current stuff for us.  Then they will go home and not bother returning thinking they already got the good deals, leaving the 20-40% off new stuff for the rest of us to pick up later!!!



#32 Gothneo

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Posted 02 April 2018 - 10:52 AM

:djparty:  :djparty:



#33 Morgan

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Posted 03 April 2018 - 06:31 PM

For a few days last month the parking lot of my local TRU, which up until then had a max of 30 cars in the lot, was legit full and there was even a car accident at its driveway entrance.

 

I didn't go because what -- are they clearing out the Tapestry Picards they've been hoarding in the back room since 1996? I heard that the max savings to be had were like 30%, best case scenario.

 

The sad thing is that the TRU shutdown took place literally weeks ahead of a Star Wars film & merchandising debut. The Targets and Wal-Marts are gonna rake more cash in May than they would have.



#34 s8film40

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Posted 03 April 2018 - 07:24 PM

I didn't go because what -- are they clearing out the Tapestry Picards they've been hoarding in the back room since 1996?

Haha, wouldnt that be great!

I bought some Galoob Star Trek figures at a KMart in the late 90s, so you never know.

#35 bgiles73

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Posted 03 April 2018 - 09:28 PM

I dont know if they are going to take in as much on the Han Solo Movie as they would have before I found out about that Jabbas Sail Barge Kickstarter! That was an unexpected expense that I really wish they would have waited for SDCC to kick off. I missed contributing to Marauder Task Forces WWII and Boss Fights Horses Kick Starters because of it. The timing really sucked on this one. I hope that it will help bring about some other cool playsets and vehicles that have until now been off the table!

#36 1701D

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Posted 04 April 2018 - 04:04 AM

To be honest, it was somewhat down to the weak sales of Star Wars toys that contributed to the closure of Toys R Us.

The sad fact is; kids arent playing with toys in the same numbers as most of us were playing with toys back in the 90s. The rise in popularity of the video game and VR and interactivity etc... has really crushed the toy industry.

The other sad truth here is that Hasbros toys in particular (see their Jurassic World line compared to Mattels) are made seemingly on the cheap. Their offering for Star Wars I feel has taken a huge leap back in terms of quality and design. In 2008 we were getting a huge amount of articulation and detail on figures and ships, since the financial crash and recession though, plastic prices have gone through the roof and toy companies had to cut back.

If we take the Millennium Falcon both from The Force Awakens and from Solo, both of those toys are utter crap. Made from an overly flexible cheap feeling plastic, omitting paint application, a landing gear and putting features and details on the ship that werent in the movie... Im trying to understand why the most recent version of this toy has lights going up the mandibles rather than in the engine and room for only one person in the cockpit, and no play area in the rear?

Hasbro; if youre ever gonna do a new Milennium Falcon, recreate your vintage ship. Give it modern electronic and interactive features but base it upon that classic toy; fold away landing gear, add the electronic engine in the rear, smugglers give away storage and make it work for both kids and the bigges buyer of toys; fans.

#37 VulcanFanatic

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Posted 04 April 2018 - 04:20 AM

 
I didn't go because what -- are they clearing out the Tapestry Picards they've been hoarding in the back room since 1996?

Wasn't that a JC Penney exclusive? Many people didn't get this figure until Playmates put out a boxset with the Tapestry Picard, Yesterday's Enterprise Yar and the Barclay figure at a later time because people raised a lot of fuss about not being able to get them initially.

#38 Damon1984

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Posted 04 April 2018 - 05:35 AM

To be honest, it was somewhat down to the weak sales of Star Wars toys that contributed to the closure of Toys R Us.

The sad fact is; kids arent playing with toys in the same numbers as most of us were playing with toys back in the 90s. The rise in popularity of the video game and VR and interactivity etc... has really crushed the toy industry.

 

No. They fell victim to the american financial industry. Toys R Us had a horribly debt-laden leveraged buyout by Bain Capital, KKR & Co and VRT in the 90s because the stock prices fell for a while and there was no way for them to ever repay that - even though they were - to this day - really good at selling toys.



#39 Morgan

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Posted 04 April 2018 - 07:51 AM

Haha, wouldnt that be great!

I bought some Galoob Star Trek figures at a KMart in the late 90s, so you never know.

 

That is straight up sorcery -- it would have been ten years at that point. That is amazing, sir.



#40 Morgan

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Posted 04 April 2018 - 07:53 AM

Wasn't that a JC Penney exclusive? Many people didn't get this figure until Playmates put out a boxset with the Tapestry Picard, Yesterday's Enterprise Yar and the Barclay figure at a later time because people raised a lot of fuss about not being able to get them initially.

 

Red Data was the JCPenney exclusive, Tapestry Picard was out in a lot of normal stores, Targets and TRUs and such, I think it was pretty evenly mixed.






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