Toys R Us RIP

[BJoe]

Originally Posted by NoobCrawler

I don’t know how I’ll react driving by mine....as of Wednesday it was officially done. When the sign comes down...then it’ll probably hit me. I’ve been in this city since 1985, when I was four. I am now 37. TRU hasn’t just been a part of my childhood, it was a part of my life. Even when I wasn’t buying toys, I’d still go walk around & see what was what.

Dammit.

Same here, Noob, same here.

[2mtech]

My 30 year-old daughter just disappointed the hell outa me. We lived less than a mile from a TRU in Phoenix when she was 2 to 8 and it was her favorite place (duh). She'd spend hours in "the pink aisle" (all the Barbie stuff).

I sent her the pic of Geoffrey with his suitcase and said what a shame it was that her now 2 and 8 year-olds won't get to be Toys R Us kids like she was, and her only response was, "Meh, they were too expensive anyway. No biggee".

Millennials

[BJoe]

Originally Posted by 2mtech

My 30 year-old daughter just disappointed the hell outa me. We lived less than a mile from a TRU in Phoenix when she was 2 to 8 and it was her favorite place (duh). She'd spend hours in "the pink aisle" (all the Barbie stuff).

I sent her the pic of Geoffrey with his suitcase and said what a shame it was that her now 2 and 8 year-olds won't get to be Toys R Us kids like she was, and her only response was, "Meh, they were too expensive anyway. No biggee".

Millennials

I've talked with people who are also in their early 40's like myself with that same attitude. Wonder how things would have been without that leveraged buyout 12 years ago hadn't happened.

[NoobCrawler]

Originally Posted by 2mtech

My 30 year-old daughter just disappointed the hell outa me. We lived less than a mile from a TRU in Phoenix when she was 2 to 8 and it was her favorite place (duh). She'd spend hours in "the pink aisle" (all the Barbie stuff).

I sent her the pic of Geoffrey with his suitcase and said what a shame it was that her now 2 and 8 year-olds won't get to be Toys R Us kids like she was, and her only response was, "Meh, they were too expensive anyway. No biggee".

Millennials

You can’t beat their selection though. Speaking solely on LEGO as that was my priority, Wal Mart & Target couldn’t hold a candle to TRU. Plus, it was for the most part, only a few bucks which I didn’t mind. There were some odd cases where bigger sets had a $20 mark up though...

[BJoe]

Originally Posted by NoobCrawler

You can’t beat their selection though. Speaking solely on LEGO as that was my priority, Wal Mart & Target couldn’t hold a candle to TRU. Plus, it was for the most part, only a few bucks which I didn’t mind. There were some odd cases where bigger sets had a $20 mark up though...

That was the big thing, Walmart, Target, Meijer, and K-Mart (when it was still around) combined couldn't hold a candle to TRU in selection, even though they could beat the price on what was carried.

Not about where you're at, but this place is about 45min(+/-) from home in one of the Chicago Area malls.
https://www.lego.com/en-au/stores/st...woodfield-mall

[NoobCrawler]

Originally Posted by BJoe

That was the big thing, Walmart, Target, Meijer, and K-Mart (when it was still around) combined couldn't hold a candle to TRU in selection, even though they could beat the price on what was carried.

Not about where you're at, but this place is about 45min(+/-) from home in one of the Chicago Area malls.

Oh yeah, the real happiest place on Earth. I’ll be making my way there in the morning, gotta get those new Harry Potter sets. I have 3 that are all around 2 hours away.

[Frank211]

:

[Shinchu]

As you guys can tell from the other collections thread, toys r us being just... Gone... It's going to leave a considerable empty spot in my life. I already explained it but all these images is really making this feel very real, final, permanent, and painful.

2mtech your daughters reaction is how most feel. But to anyone who knows how important it is for a kid to play and imagine is a very important part of being a kid. I mean its part of the theme song that actually meant something.
Prices too high? Maybe but even Disneyland used to be $20 for a California resident and now nobody can get in for less than $90. But people still pay. That's how I wanted to feel about TRU. But yes I started to notice the effects of the buyout and the shelves would be more and more bare. But I held on. I tried to support the last real toy store but even if a billion people felt the same as me, Geoffrey... was doomed. Other people didnt feel the same as me (well some collectors like soze and the 500,000 nerds who attend San Diego comicon) so the majority just said "meh. Wal-Mart and amazon have it cheaper."
I respect that for the average consumer. But to me it was like kicking poor Geoffrey in the ribs while he was down.

So long, Toys R Us... You will be missed, and I will forever cherish the memories created within your walls, and I still have many things in my collection to remind me how great it once was.

[Shinchu]

Originally Posted by BJoe

That was the big thing, Walmart, Target, Meijer, and K-Mart (when it was still around) combined couldn't hold a candle to TRU in selection, even though they could beat the price on what was carried.

Not about where you're at, but this place is about 45min(+/-) from home in one of the Chicago Area malls.
[Whole bunch of awesome Lego Chicago pics]

Yes. Legos are awesome. My son loves them and I would too if I had the room for display and the wallet for collecting another line of toys.
I live about 1 hour south from Legoland California. And they just came out with that new submarine ride. My son wants to go and we are planning an overnight stay in the Lego hotel (please toy gods give us the star wars room). Hopefully that will distract us from the phantom pain.
My wife and I visited chitown 2 summers ago and we had a blast. We even ignorantly walked around downtown at night and survived lol great food incredible history beautiful architecture... Much better than my first trip to Chicago for boot camp in the winter haha go cubs!!!

[soze]

I'll definitely miss Toys R Us. I've been bringing my son there the last few years.

I remember getting so excited as a kid in the Chicago suburbs whenever I got a chance to go there. I would spend gobs of time drooling over GI Joes, Transformers, Go-Bots, Hot Wheels....

Back then the toy industry was heavily fueled by cartoons. With the absence of Saturday morning cartoons, Toys R Us....

I feel like it's only going to get worse for the toy industry. Toys R Us going down will likely have impact on the bottom lines for toy makers like Hasbro and Mattel.

The limited shelf space available at places like Target and Wal-Mart might cause further culling of what toys get created.

[BJoe]

The internet may actually help keep things from going downhill for the toy industry now that we've lost Toys "R"Us, as crazy as that sounds. While we can't just walk into a dedicated store like TRU, KB, or Children's World and have a spectacular selection at our fingertips, we can at least browse and buy on line if the WalMart, Target, and Meijer are only buying selected products to put on the shelves.

[2mtech]

I grew up in the sticks 100 years ago...my big thing as a kid was getting to go to Woolworth or KMart once a month and actually get to see a toy aisle, and the Montgomery Ward wish book catalog at Christmas time. Now they're all gone too...the cycle continues.

[Frank211]

Originally Posted by 2mtech

I grew up in the sticks 100 years ago...my big thing as a kid was getting to go to Woolworth or KMart once a month and actually get to see a toy aisle, and the Montgomery Ward wish book catalog at Christmas time. Now they're all gone too...the cycle continues.

Woolworths , Zoodys , and kmart for me !
Another subject, eating at the deli in Woolworths .

[high plains drifter]

Not to take away from the TRU topic but a few stores and restaurants from central Ohio that I will always fondly remember:

RIP: Lazarus, Ben Franklin, Burger Chef, Gold Circle, Harts/ Big Bear, Service Merchandise, McCrory's, Dutch Pantry, GD Ritzy's, and Zantigo's.

Just waxing nostalgic here/ end hijack

[soze]

Originally Posted by high plains drifter

Not to take away from the TRU topic but a few stores and restaurants from central Ohio that I will always fondly remember:

RIP: Lazarus, Ben Franklin, Burger Chef, Gold Circle, Harts/ Big Bear, Service Merchandise, McCrory's, Dutch Pantry, GD Ritzy's, and Zantigo's.

Just waxing nostalgic here/ end hijack

I loved the Service Merchandise catalogs with their toy sections. I got my first R/C from them. a Nikko Magnum... or at least that's what I think it was called.

EDIT: Found it.

[sawback]

Well we still have Toys R Us in canada so you guys for buying everything from the amazon jungle

But it dont matter, if they dont sell anything good anyway.

[2mtech]

Originally Posted by high plains drifter

Not to take away from the TRU topic but a few stores and restaurants from central Ohio that I will always fondly remember:

RIP: Lazarus, Ben Franklin, Burger Chef, Gold Circle, Harts/ Big Bear, Service Merchandise, McCrory's, Dutch Pantry, GD Ritzy's, and Zantigo's.

Just waxing nostalgic here/ end hijack

One more non-topical diversion, but the last Ben Franklin I saw was in Guam. Go figure!

[wings_of_fire]

Originally Posted by sawback

Well we still have Toys R Us in canada so you guys for buying everything from the amazon jungle

But it dont matter, if they dont sell anything good anyway.

I don't like the way Amazon has caused brick and mortar stores to close down. A balance between online and offline sales outlet would have been a much better outcome, but the governments won't regulate in such a way.

[Rekreant]

Ill never understand the nostalgia for toys r us, it was always such a shitty store. Amazon for life! People love to hate on them, but seem to forget it replaced other corporations that had monopolies. People used to always bitch about walmart too until they adapted.

[BJoe]

Originally Posted by wings_of_fire

I don't like the way Amazon has caused brick and mortar stores to close down. A balance between online and offline sales outlet would have been a much better outcome, but the governments won't regulate in such a way.

Maybe more need to do like I do, shop local first and foremost, only buy on line if logistics or significant price difference make it the better choice.


Oh, I was surprised to see that Amazon is now going to start selling Kenmore appliances now too..