Toys 'R Us to Close All U.S. Stores

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I may given you a false statement Murph. Finding reliable news online is tricky. It’s possible FAO moved in October 24 with an opening date of fall 2018. New store will be 19,000 sqf. Down from it’s original 61,000

Thank you, Robert, for your efforts and considerate feedback.
Murph

[Rufus T. Firefly]

This has been a long time coming and should not have been a surprise to anyone. particularly anyone that has visited one of their stores in the last 5-8 years.........tawdy, sad & dark places that were filled disappointment with parking lots spottily populated with the vehicles of desperation.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

"...desperation" ?
I don't understand.
However, that may be because I have never been in one of those stores, having only passed behind one on the way to somewhere else.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

"...desperation" ?
I don't understand.

Parents in search of those toys to make their child happy thinking that this is what it takes to make a happy child. Perhaps having children provides some perspective otherwise missing.........

However, that may be because I have never been in one of those stores, having only passed behind one on the way to somewhere else.

Almost assuredly.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

When I have wanted to buy toys for children - 7 - 12 - I have used the catalogues that found their way into our mailbox, for some reason, so I use them as a guide about what is favored among and the newest for children, nowadays. Usually, we get something that flies via a handheld contraption, or crawls along the floor squawking at the kid. They have loved them all (until they blasted or crashed them into smithereens!). I never stepped foot in a store for toys. The one particular cousin who loves trains gets some of mine, from occasion to occasion. No strike-outs yet. Beyond age 12, I have no idea what to consider getting them (except for the boy who loves trains.)

[robert.]

I rarely buy new toys for my kid. Anything can be bought from those desperate parents. When they find out that their kids was not happy with it. It gets sold for a dollar. Kids don’t need toys. They need a parent to get down on the floor and play with them!

[Roy]

Kids don’t need toys. They need a parent to get down on the floor and play with them!

Nice thought, but for me, just turn over the cash, and get out of my life!

[rogruth]

I have been in Toys R Us but never bought anything from them.

[HONDO74]

KB Toys plans comeback as Toys 'R' Us shuts down
https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/kb ... shuts-down

KB Toys, the chain of shopping mall stores that closed in 2009, is considering a comeback.

Ellia Kassoff, the founder of Strategic Marks LLC, said the company has “spent the last six months working on a sustainable model to bring back KB Toys the right way,” adding that KB Toys will have to successfully compete with both big-box stores and online retailers.

Strategic Marks owns the rights to KB Toys, which operated more than 1,000 stores in its heyday.

[rogruth]

Sometimes I'm a little slow.
The title says "TRU to close US stores".
Staying open in other countries?

[chuck]

UK stores closed down about two weeks ago. Companies toast. They've been in a downward spiral since 1995 when:

a) founder retired (he understood what worked)
b) Walmart started selling disposable diapers at a discount

A lot of the earlier success was based on selling baby supplies at a discount, mostly formula and diapers. You could buy stuff by the case and save a lot over what you paid at a grocery store/dept store plus you could use the Sunday paper coupons. When you went to get the baby stuff you had to get through the maze to get to it and probably wound up buying other stuff as well. This usually wound up being a twice month trip and generated a lot of traffic. Once Walmart (and then Target) started selling baby supplies by the case the traffic fell off.

KB is thinking of making a comeback? Most malls are in trouble, traffics way down.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Can we conclude, then, that malls are being replaced by on-line sales?

My wife and I noticed, a couple years ago, that we had stopped going to the malls and were making all of our gift purchases, and even clothing, and housewares, from catalogues, via the phone and the computer. (We have even had our live Christmas trees delivered, for several years, now, right to our door, fresh and moist, a couple even 10' tall, all crated-up nicely in a long cardboard box, and delivered with a smile by UPS, thus replacing our previous custom of traveling into Pennsylvania in a borrowed pickup truck to cut one down on a treefarm.)

Yet, we know we are hardly the standard but have wondered if we have concluded correctly that America is in the midst of a giant shift in purchasing habits. Downtowns have certainly disappeared, or gone into complete decay, in many locations, but are malls the next antiques?

[healey36]

You've surrendered to the vagaries of on-line shopping, Murph, along with a vast number of other bleary-eyed Americans. Where's your zest for the thrill of the hunt, the rush of adrenaline at the sale-tables, the parking-lot wars, the tête-à-tête with the sales person, cashier, or, heaven help us, the crotchety old sole proprietor?

I'm sorely disappointed in you, mate...

Healey

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Can we conclude, then, that malls are being replaced by on-line sales?............................... Downtowns have certainly disappeared, or gone into complete decay, in many locations, but are malls the next antiques?

Not entirely. Some malls do flourish and there seems a trend to build outlet malls now that is growing. There's a new one up on Rt 270 in Clarksburg that's open, I see adverts for the Tanger outlets in various locations from PA to Nat'l Harbor.

"Downtowns" are also evolving towards more of a dual use space that creates a layer of what emulates something akin to the small town atmosphere of shops and food sources. The Mosaic District a few miles from me (https://mosaicdistrict.com/) used to be a huge parking lot associated with a very tired movie theater and a lot of run down dying businesses. Now, it's a host of shopping sites and restaurants, and a fairly upscale movie theate, and a lot of housing. Basically, they built a small town.

[chuck]

"Downtowns" are evolving into specialty shops and food/restaurant. Many of the malls are in trouble. They used to be "destinations" in and of themselves and that's changing. Downtown Plymouth never "died" but the mix of stores has definitely changed over the past 35 years. The traffic is up enough that they are considering a second parking structure to handle the increased evening and weekend event parking.

I think the biggest problem for brick and mortar is to tell a potential customer that "we can order this for you". I can order it too, with faster shipping and a lower price. I would buy "the thing" right now at the higher price if you had it in stock. I know you can't stock everything but come up with a better line for letting me know it isn't in stock.

Does any one remember the old catalog showrooms? These were like Ikea but covered almost everything but furniture. You could go into the store, look at it, and then fill out a form, pay, and pick it up? I understand that places like Costco and Sam's Club have displaced them but those are more like wandering around the back of the warehouse and buying stuff by the pallet. Aka I'm going to buy a 6 month supply of TP, ketchup, baked beans and cat litter and fill up the minivan/pickup and I'll see you in another 6 months.