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Toys ‘R’ Us Is Planning Bankruptcy Filing as Soon as Today

W

Wood Man

Member
90's TRU was like going to an amusement park. The closet one was 45 minutes away so it was an adventure when we went. I could spend all day at those Nintendo kiosks that showed you video of all the new games.

I still remember you had to pick up the paper slip to buy video games. It's where I got Secret of Mana for $60 or $70.
 
D

darkwing-buck

Member
6870134838_a656d80cea_z.jpg


Getting those game slips was the dopest thing as a kid.
 
V

Vidiot

Member
Sad stuff. As a parent, and a child at heart that still collects certain things here and there, this is really depressing news. Though I must admit the last few years the kids Christmas and birthday shopping has been almost exclusively on Amazon.
 
R

R0ckman

Member
dragonflys545 said:
I remember in the early 2000's I would go to toys r us every weekend to play all the game kiosks they have there. Good times! Sucks that kids nowadays no longer into physical toys.
Click to expand...

Weird, my kids hands down prefer toys over ipads. Do parents just toss their kids an ipad or something to keep them busy?
 
X

XGRaViSmOrSX

Member
I still go to Toysrus almost weekly. Only reliable place to still get loose hot wheels mainlines. Really not looking forward to a future that limits me to shitty ass target and walmart. :( Guess i'll have to order full cartons online and have a bunch of shit I don't want.
 
A

Anth0ny

Member
This is pretty shocking to me, as TRU is still THE toy store to me. I understand them no longer being the place to go for video games, but toys themselves? I guess Amazon and Walmart are kicking their ass? :(

I also wonder if physical toy sales are down across the board.
 
D

Downhome

Member
canoli2006 said:
Well, crap. Ahhh, the memories of buying video games at toys r us...

I have fond memories of Super Mario 3 and TMNT Arcade for the NES.
Click to expand...

Two of my favorite memories of being a kid is going there to buy two specific games. I remember going there and being able to buy anything I wanted so I picked Back to the Future 2 & 3 for NES. I remember us then going to Red Lobster and I was showing it off to my cousin all excited about it.

Then I remember the glorius day of going there to pick up LoT: OoT. So many other memories, but those stand out. Surely something can be done about this. I refuse to believe that TRU is going to close down.

I don't wanna grow up...

Because if I did...

I couldn't be...a Toys R Us.......Kid.
 
V

vonStirlitz

Unconfirmed Member
Mysterious said:
I heard this has to do with Bain Capital pulling profit out of the company, and not underperformance of the business. What a shame.
Click to expand...
Doesnt surprise me. I worked on a tonne of these kind of leveraged buyouts before the big crash, and I always thought they werent sustainable. Huge assumptions about future earnings, massive debt levarage, and the private equity guys got a massive take from earnings. It often seemed that deals were calibrated in a super optimistic light to increase PE take, buy in the banks, and ensure PE and banker deal bonuses, rather than present a realistic and viable business model. Growth had little to do with it. It was all about selling a deal to investors, as PE and banks needed to use that cash, and needed their year end payout. Would not be surprised if Toys r Us fits that model.

I wonder how many other big firms with a lot of debt are living off time.
 
M

Mattlikewhoa

Member
Can't say I'm surprised, but it's still sad for me. I remember roaming the many isles, looking at the various toys. And the videogame section?! Those slips were like gold to me when I was young.

I'll have to take my little one a few times before they are gone for good.
 
N

NolbertoS

Member
I stilll remember the 1980's tune of Toys R Us. Can't believe they're going under :(. I use to love walking at Toys r Us. Guess sign of the times that online sales are the future.
 
R

rudger

Member
They used to be my go to for hard to find or rare videogames. They always had a copy of everything but little kids weren't exactly the audience for games like Phantom Dust or Ace Attorney. Shame. Though bankruptcy doesn't mean they can't claw out of this...we'll see.
 
S

Slo

Member
GhaleonEB said:
It's been a long time since I was at a TRU (I guess I'm part of the problem) but this picture was a massive nostalgia bomb. I remember how ecstatic I was buying Genesis games there. Whoa.
Click to expand...

I remember begging my parents to take me there just to see a TG-16 in real life.
 
N

norm9

Member
The great thing about having nephews and nieces is that you end up at TRU every other month. Where you can still find a box of football/baseball cards in bulk for sale without having to resort to online.
 
S

SNURB

Member
I haven't been to a Toys R Us in a dog's age up until like 4-5 years ago when I had to get a few gifts for my nephew's birthday party and the place was completely dead with only Disney songs making up the ambience and the employees walking around aimlessly. It was super bizarre. I'm kinda surprised that the store is and was, still standing when it's seemingly dead all the time whenever I driven by.

I've also been to the one in Times Square too, pretty damn big and it's a fucking shame it went bust. The place even had a candy machine thing.

As a kid, I solely went there just for the games and maybe a DVD, I always preferred KB Toys though since I thought they had better variety.

Shame it came to this though.
 
A

AColdDay

Member
Other companies that have gone through Chapter 11 bankruptcy:

Macys
Marvel
Chrysler
Pizza Inn
General Motors
Fuddruckers
Kodak
Almost every airline
Sbarro
 
N

norm9

Member
SNURB said:
As a kid, I solely went there just for the games and maybe a DVD, I always preferred KB Toys though since I thought they had better variety.

Shame it came to this though.
Click to expand...

KB Toys were only in malls so they were much smaller and the aisles were real claustrophobic and I couldn't ever ogle the games because they were behind the counter and employee would be there. I did steal a transformer at a store once.
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
This was their time, too. Walmart has been shrinking their toy sections.


norm9 said:
KB Toys were only in malls so they were much smaller and the aisles were real claustrophobic and I couldn't ever ogle the games because they were behind the counter and employee would be there. I did steal a transformer at a store once.
Click to expand...

KB was not only in malls.

kopitarrulez_11 said:
Explains why they didn't have shit for force Friday really
Click to expand...

Most stores didn't. It's because the Rogue One stuff from the event the year before never sold and they don't have space.
 
I

I-hate-u

Member
End of an era. Toys R Us is still a magical place to walk through despite my older age.

Retail is dying out all around. Best Buy is next best believe.
 
S

SNURB

Member
norm9 said:
KB Toys were only in malls so they were much smaller and the aisles were real claustrophobic and I couldn't ever ogle the games because they were behind the counter and employee would be there. I did steal a transformer at a store once.
Click to expand...

No, KB had stores of their own. Trust me, I still vividly remember walking out to the lot with my mom when we bought the PS1.
 
N

norm9

Member
I stand corrected. As a kid, the few KB's I went to, all in malls.

I-hate-u said:
End of an era. Toys R Us is still a magical place to walk through despite my older age.
Click to expand...

I still have a good time wandering down every aisle looking for bday gifts. And a lil something for myself too.
 
R

rrs

Member
Don't have much for TRS memories, an air being way expensive kept away my parents
I-hate-u said:
End of an era. Toys R Us is still a magical place to walk through despite my older age.

Retail is dying out all around. Best Buy is next best believe.
Click to expand...
Best Buy is putting up a good fight, but that's due to becoming a bunch of microstores inside and running prime mall cell phone high margin stores
 
D

Dishwalla

Banned
jred250 said:
Other companies that have gone through Chapter 11 bankruptcy:

Macys
Marvel
Chrysler
Pizza Inn
General Motors
Fuddruckers
Kodak
Almost every airline
Sbarro
Click to expand...

The only one of those that is in the same category as Toys R Us(retail), Macy's, is still struggling to this day. Others like Chrysler would be struggling if they hadn't been bought out by foreign car companies(first Daimler, now Fiat).

Retail stores are fucking being hit hard right now, nearly every big chain is struggling. I've even seen Lowe's stores closing, which is bonkers. It's not easy out there in the retail world right now.
 
B

biggersmaller

Banned
My two kids have never been there. Mainly because Target has good enough toy/gaming/bike departments that they are more than satisfied with.

Honestly, I'm surprised the concept lasted this long. I woulda never thought a chain of 25,000 sq ft stores dedicated to toys alone woulda survived in any era of retail.
 
C

Chie Satonaka

Member
rudger said:
They used to be my go to for hard to find or rare videogames. They always had a copy of everything but little kids weren't exactly the audience for games like Phantom Dust or Ace Attorney. Shame. Though bankruptcy doesn't mean they can't claw out of this...we'll see.
Click to expand...

Toys R Us is directly responsible for my love of the Ace Attorney franchise. A friend suggested that I pick up the first game, but I couldn't find a copy anywhere. I was out shopping and went to Toys R Us for the hell of it to see what they had going on, and they had copies of it for ten dollars.

You can find rare stuff there all the time. TRU and Kmart were my go tos for out of print games.
 
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