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Author Topic: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations  (Read 19486 times)

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Offline Wardah

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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #15 on: March 09, 2018, 12:23:30 AM »
It's sad if it's true. They always had a much better selection than Walmart and Target. The only one that has a comparable selection is Amazon but they are riddled with 3rd party scalpers sellers. Which are basically the online equivalent of someone buying all of an item in the store and then selling them right in the parking lot for twice as much.

TRU was the only store in the US to carry Glimmies. I was hoping they would eventually get Series 2 since the only ones on Amazon are dispached from the UK so not eligible for Prime and twice as expensive as TRU.

Tho from what I have read the main problem was their debt. If they didn't have so much debt the amount of customers they currently have would be enough to survive but to get out of debt they would need much more.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2018, 12:26:45 AM by Wardah »
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Offline Minty_Magic

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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #16 on: March 09, 2018, 12:31:16 AM »
I was so sad to hear this earlier today. :( TRU is really the last dedicated toy store in my area.
I know you can always buy online but honestly I really try to avoid doing so if I can. I don't like Amazon and when it comes to ponies I really don't feel like they have any stellar deals. Even if they did though, for me it's much more exciting to go hunting for ponies in actual stores.
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Offline Taffeta

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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #17 on: March 09, 2018, 01:19:38 AM »
When the news hit in the UK it was Smyths who were cited as TRU's big competition. They showed a graph showing TRU decline and Smyths growth. That is at least a physical store. I think it is more about debt than just online competition.

I never grew up with TRU and only had good access to one these last 2 years. Ours was always busy though. I expected it to survive longer. Going on Monday was a big shock.
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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #18 on: March 09, 2018, 08:15:26 AM »

All of my business classes hail Amazon as some sort of monopolistic beast. I think it's ironic that a lot of the pony toys that I want end up being more expensive on Amazon than straight from Hasbro or even TRU, lol.

Even grocery stores are scared of Amazon now, since they bought Whole Foods. The store I work at is a common supermarket round these parts and the management was petrified when Amazon got Whole Foods, lowering lots of prices in order to stay in business. Amazon is a scary monopoly.
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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #19 on: March 09, 2018, 08:55:28 AM »
I feel like ToysrUs might be able to make it as an online only toy store if they put an amazon prime like model of free shipping into effect, but if the stories of this debt are all true I guess they would not have the starter money for that :(. Still their brand is so well known I  wonder if someone is at least buying the name so it can live on somehow...
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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #20 on: March 09, 2018, 09:45:52 AM »
Ours was always busy though. I expected it to survive longer. Going on Monday was a big shock.

Same here, I really thought mine would stick around longer. At this point I'm just hoping perhaps a Smyths will move there, otherwise I'll be totally screwed :( TRU was the nearest toy shop for me, the others are all like an hour away..

It's worrying how everything keeps moving online nowadays, if this continues what'll be left? :s I dunno.. online shopping is alright for stuff that's not sold over here or w/e, but I really do prefer getting stuff in-store when at all possible.. particularly dolls since their faces can vary so wildly.

I'm going to miss TRU :cry: :sad:
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Offline Leave a Whisper

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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #21 on: March 09, 2018, 11:13:08 AM »
I remember when people thought Target was totally done for. Alot of em did sink, but they're still around. I have a suspicion that TrU will lose a lot of stores but not completely wipe out.
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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #22 on: March 09, 2018, 02:55:20 PM »
Should Australians be worried about Toys R Us here with Amazon planning to move into our market in the next few years?
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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #23 on: March 09, 2018, 02:58:38 PM »
I'm gonna be going to TRU today to get the EqG Mini pack, since I've been meaning to for quite a while and they're the only store around me who carries it. Sure I could get it on Amazon, but I'd much rather buy it in store if possible. Might pick up a MH doll as well, and I'll see if there's anything else they've got that I want. I don't plan on buying their set with Tempest since she's in All About Wave 4. As for the Princess set, I haven't decided if I'll get it yet, we'll see.
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Offline goddessofpeep

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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #24 on: March 09, 2018, 03:56:39 PM »
I went to my local TRU today to buy ponies, hopefully NOT for the last time:(  I'm *incredibly* lucky - my TRU never really got remodeled too much, so it's very similar to the TRUs of my childhood.  I took a few pics of a fully stocked and still thriving TRU.  Very, very sad day if it does close:( 

Unfortunately, TRU managed to drive all the other major large toy stores out of business in the 80s.  KB was the last devoted toy store national chain, and that went out in the 2000s.  All that's left are local toy shops and whatever the toy section at Target and Walmart has.  I read that due to TRU possibly closing, Habro's and Mattel's stocks dropped too.  It's going to have a really big impact on all toy manufacturers - especially the smaller ones.  TRU always had the best selection of toys, and they kept them in stock a lot longer.  They even had stuff you'd never expect like Doctor Who toys back before it became a huge thing.  You'd never know what you'd find at TRU:(

For anyone who's interested: they're currently having a buy one, get one 40% off for all ponies 16.99 and under.  So if you're looking to have that possible last TRU experience, this week would be pretty good time to do it.  If it gets liquidated, things will get picked over *really* fast.

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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #25 on: March 09, 2018, 04:09:28 PM »
Sad to see them go, saving money and spending it there for my birthday. Was a big deal when I was a kid, good memories. The very last MLP I bought in 1989 was from there. The few times I've been in one over the past decade the prices did seem high. Especially when compared to Target/Wal-Mart but the stock in certain areas was excellent. Granted it may have only been those two stores, in a major US city. That had something to do with the selection.
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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #26 on: March 09, 2018, 04:35:55 PM »
"Game over for Toys R Us" is headling on my facebook feed. looks like they're closing down ALL stores no matter what country they're in....

sad times but I'm not sad to see that place go. over priced, rude  and unwilling to help staff who have been heard that 'if you can't find it here go on amazon'
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Offline Sunset

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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #27 on: March 09, 2018, 05:14:05 PM »
Went to my store.  It was busy but more like Friday night busy not going out of business busy.  I went ahead and picked up some stuff for presents.  Thought about buying a couple ponies for myself but the things I was looking at weren't exclusive to that store so I decided to wait and see.  Anyone know much about the light up Tempest?  She isn't marked as Toys rUs exclusive but that's the only place I've seen her thus far.  May go back for her later.

Also, my store is all sold out of the big $60 set.  I'm surprised by that since usually those big sets hung around for at least a year.  Did they order fewer of them, I wonder?

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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #28 on: March 09, 2018, 06:48:23 PM »
Just got back from TRU! I bought the 6 pack EqG Mini set and two of the little clip plushes. The MH doll I was planning on getting was no longer there so I didn't get any.

Went to my store.  It was busy but more like Friday night busy not going out of business busy.  I went ahead and picked up some stuff for presents.  Thought about buying a couple ponies for myself but the things I was looking at weren't exclusive to that store so I decided to wait and see.  Anyone know much about the light up Tempest?  She isn't marked as Toys rUs exclusive but that's the only place I've seen her thus far.  May go back for her later.

Also, my store is all sold out of the big $60 set.  I'm surprised by that since usually those big sets hung around for at least a year.  Did they order fewer of them, I wonder?

Nah, the light up Tempest isn't exclusive, she's available at places like Amazon and HasbroToyShop.
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Offline Taffeta

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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Is Said to Ready Liquidation of U.S. Operations
« Reply #29 on: March 09, 2018, 09:40:01 PM »
I didn't realise that TRU was the main/only dedicated outlet for toys in the US surviving. But surely on the positive, if TRU disappears, it doesn't mean no other store will come to take its place? Smyths and Entertainer are pretty stable here, but Entertainer is always in the middle of town centres, and Smyths is mostly on retail parks but in conjunction with other stores. One of the issues cited for TRU here was the habit of them being warehouses away from other stores that mostly you had to drive to.

I remembered there was one nearish where I worked for some years. There was one bus that went to it. It was hourly. I used to leave work on a Wednesday half day and get this bus, and then do a TRU sweep in about 15 minutes so I could get the bus back and then my train home. I had forgotten but possibly some of my G3 came from that TRU. It was already on the closure hitlist before the big news broke, though.

@Carrehz, I think the news articles were saying that TRU which operate in closer proximity to other stores may get bought by other chains, but warehouse style ones are the most in danger. I haven't been to the one in Queensway here in London, which is inside Whiteleys shopping centre, to see whether it's in the same mess as my local one and the one I know of in South London was also on the hitlist, but if yours is in that context, it might get taken over? I think it also depends on rents but if there's no competition in the area, it wouldn't surprise me if Smyths or Entertainer took over or at least appeared in your vicinity following this.

I'm not happy to see TRU crashing down like dominoes, I have grown really fond of the store here and going there. But in another sense, if this is a global thing then it's not just Brexit. A lot of stores here are also closing down some stores or are in administration (Maplin Electronics, Prezzo restaurants, New Look clothes, and not that long ago it was BHS) so the bigger economic picture here does worry me.

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