Toys R Us hires law firm as it explores possible bankruptcy filing 2 2

[WolverineX]

On 9/8/2017 at 4:42 PM, Silver Ager said:

Or CW's Children's Palace stores, which we had in my old town. Or Showbiz. Miss those kind of places. Cry.

CP was the best.  Man, life is not the same with out Go hastings.... now if ToyR us goes... all we will have left is Amazon and Whole foods... ugh... once the Monopoly is established, prices will go back up....

[Icculus308win]

I agree. 

Brings me back to K B Toys 

[Icculus308win]

On 9/8/2017 at 8:33 AM, romanheart said:

Kind of sad. I liked Toys and Babys r'us. I never knew they were in debt. I hope they can dig themselves out of it.

I agree. 

Brings me back to K B Toys 

[1Cool]

8 hours ago, Buzzetta said:

Not necessarily.  I will bring up the case of Lego.  Lego has redesigned itself to provide an "experience" at the brick and mortar level that cannot be found anywhere else.   

 

Things they do at the brick and mortar level that cannot be done online:

• They have "building events" 
• They feature models at the store created by its customers (customers own designs)
• They have a play area for children 

 

Things they do at the brick and mortar level that is different from Walmart and Toys R Us

• They feature exclusive sets designated to Lego only.
• They feature sets in store that other retailers only feature online
• They feature a pick a brick option where you can purchase specific bricks outside of sets (Lego also offers this online)

There are probably more... but here are three for each.   Creating an experience that cannot be duplicated online CAN be done.  Toys R Us needs to get more inventive.  Most likely they have to become more tactile in their approach.  However, prices have to come down and become competitive. 

 

Retailers need to comprehend that I shop with a smart phone.  They need to deal with it.  If they cannot accept that many customers comparison shop with their cell phone in hand while at their store they need to wake up before they find themselves out of business.  I wrote about my Barnes and Noble experience a couple of weeks ago. ("Barnes and Noble Brick and Mortar" will not honor their own "Barnes and Noble Online" prices.)  I have not stepped foot in the store since then and they have carried MANY of the items I have had to purchase in the last two weeks. 

Those ideas are great but definitely just a drop in the bucket for a store like Toys R Us.  Their stores are massive and must cost a ton to maintain and stock full of items that could get stolen, damaged and not purchased or just plain taking up room for the year.  Toy stores have to go the way of the dodo since you do not need to bring a kid to a store to pick out toy - pop them in front of a computer and scan thru product online and most have little videos about the item being played it or used.  Clothing stores are probably here to stay just because each item fits different but one toy is basically the same as the rest so who cares if it comes from a store or online. 

[Dick Pontoon]

I generally prefer to buy at a brick and mortar. For pretty much any toy I buy, shipping cost is going to eat up any online savings. If I go to the store, I can put the toy in the trunk and bring it inside later without having to deal with 20 questions about the box the mailman brought. For ToysRus specifically, I’ve found Godzilla related Bandai figures that haven’t been listed online. And if I’m not sure what to get, I find walking down an aisle seeing what available much less aggravating than scrolling through pages of listings.

A toy store is like an ice cream stand to me. You can get a half gallon at the supermarket but its not the same experience. It’ll be a sad day when they’re gone.

[STORMSHADOW_80]

I will be really disappointed if Toys R Us shuts down. Currently the are the only brick and mortar store that carries GI Joes. Also they have been the only one that carries the U.S. masterpiece transformers