Toys R Us No More?

[packerbacker180]

End of an era...

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-toys ... res-2018-3

The last of the toy stores appears to be finished. Just went yesterday and used up my Reward points and gift cards. I guess they will honor gift cards for the next 30 days and that's it.

I remember being a kid and there were two toy stores in the mall; Toys r Us and Child World were giant standalone toy stores of awesomeness. From bikes to trains to video games...


Then you had Hills, which is where the toys were if you didn't know. So much wonder to behold.

We didn't have a Walmart or Target, never heard of them. I know kids today, including mine, are more into video games and online stuff. It's sad. But it was only a matter of time.

RIP Toys R Us, Olympus has fallen.

[secondwhiteline]

Honestly, it didn't have to be this way. That leveraged buyout in 2005 that saddled TRU with over $6 billion in other companies' debt was the beginning of the end. Now Bain Capital gets to liquidate TRU and clear its own debt off the books and leave in good health while thousands of people end up jobless.

[packerbacker180]

Bain is basically Jason Alexander in Pretty Woman. A pretty apt name.

[secondwhiteline]

I haven't seen Pretty Woman, but I can take a guess what the character's like just from the fact that it's Jason Alexander.

I always think of Ellis from Die Hard, myself.

[packerbacker180]

Sadly, bubbie, they were not TRUs white knight. Actually, Bain is pretty much Hans Gruber and this time John Wayne doesn't appear to be riding into the sunset with Grace Kelly.

Bain also bought and ran Kaybee into the dust, top.

[Webslinger]

70 years of toys, gone... this was the last of the great toy stores and now what's gonna become of the toy industry now? Where will the planned exclusives go? Where will we be able to get SDCC exclusives at retail like TRU had? Where will all the smaller toy companies put their product at now? So many questions...

[secondwhiteline]

I'm guessing the answer will be some combination of company websites, BBTS, and (ugh) Amazon. Target seems to be picking up exclusives, too, especially for WWE.

I'm at the point where I'm mostly commissioning customs and doing dioramas and finishing up team displays. Going forward my attention is mostly on Friday the 13th from NECA, Mythic Legions, and some WWE. Mostly Asuka and Becky Lynch variants.

[Webslinger]

I heard from a friend tonight that Kaybee toy and hobby is coming back with the news of TRU going out of business. anyone hear about that or know anything?

[packerbacker180]

[packerbacker180]

I heard from a friend tonight that Kaybee toy and hobby is coming back with the news of TRU going out of business. anyone hear about that or know anything?

I can't see anyway another toy chain comes around at that size. I could see a KB sized toy store spring up, but that wouldn't be the same. There were so many things at TRU for adults and kids that I'm not sure we'll see again anywhere except online, and that's sad.