As most people have heard, Toys "R" Us has filed for bankruptcy and will be closing or selling all of their 800 stores nationwide. This has come to a shock to most people, but the truth of the matter is that children no longer are playing with action figures and Barbie dolls but rather iPads and other electronic devices. While Toys "R" Us has been around since 1948 and has managed to evolve through the years, they are still a toy store and are not meant to be filled with electronic devices.
As a Toys "R" Us kid myself, I paid my respects to my local store and this is what I saw.
Now more than ever, people are flooding the aisles of Toys "R" Us desperate to get the best deals, to walk through their favorite section one last time, and even ride the last standing kiddie rides in front of the cash registers. For me, I walked right over to the dolls section where I use to love picking out my new favorite doll to ask my parents for. Sadly, two of my favorite doll brands, Bratz, and My Scenes’ can no longer be found, and most of the dolls that replaced them such as Monster High dolls are basically revamped hybrid versions of them.
However, there are still hundreds of toys that are sure to give shoppers nostalgia. These toys include classic board games, Legos, karaoke machines, razor scooters and more. From what I saw not a single person in the store overlooked these toys or any for that matter. Instead, everyone carefully looked through each aisle holding onto the joy of examining each and every toy in sight. Personally, I loved hearing bits and pieces of everyone’s memories being told while I passed them by in the aisles. Watching parents with their little kids was especially touching as they just kept nodding their heads when their children would throw another toy into the shopping cart. Therefore, the atmosphere was bittersweet…..but the deals were priceless!
Deals and Quick Facts
Website: open for a limited time..no orders being taken
Gift cards: will be valid until approximately April 21st but cannot be redeemed for cash
NO Returns
Sales in Stores: currently anywhere from 10%-30% on all merchandise
So what is to become of all these stores once all the inventory is sold? Well, many companies have been already eyeing these Toys "R" Us’ including Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Big Lots, and more. Since Toys "R" Us’ are relatively large in size, it is likely that they will not become local stores or clothing stores but instead department stores of some sort.
In addition, all Babies "R" Us’ are going out of business which are also around the same size, making it a time of competition amongst companies to rent out the stores. However, even though Toys "R" Us may be closing their doors, that does not mean we should give up on raising future generations with the toys of our past. Electronics may be wonderful and progressive, but I think most of us can agree a good old game of Candyland with the family is priceless.
