LeeJ07 Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 I look on shopping 20 years ago a lot more fondly than I do now. I don't know how or why, but the crass commercialization of two decades past seemed a lot less crassly commercial than it does now. Ironic, I know. At only 24, I find myself already growing cynical of the commercial aspect. Where once there was a joy and wonder, I now look around and see Barbie houses that are a whopping 4 feet tall, and cost an obscene $119.00, and I just think to myself, "Good Lord, that is far TOO EXPENSIVE. What a waste of good money." RickR 1 Quote "I'd buy that for a dollar!" -Smash T.V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted November 1, 2016 Report Share Posted November 1, 2016 (edited) I loved going to the toy stores of the 70's and 80's. I felt toy stores of that era were custom-made for kids. They were OUR store. OUR domain. And I even remember making rudimentary maps for each major store. Oft times going to those places was the "reward" for having had to tag along with mom at the cosmetic shop, the bedding store, the appliance warehouse, and god remembers where else! Edited November 1, 2016 by Keatah The Professor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabertooth Posted October 1, 2023 Report Share Posted October 1, 2023 @Ballistik shared an article on his X (do we call it that now?) feed that Toys R Us is opening new stores! The plan is for 24 flagship stores to open across the country, plus smaller stores in airports and aboard cruise ships. It will be interesting to see if this new iteration of the iconic store is successful. Now having a little one, I am happy to hear that she may get to experience some of the wonder of a giant specialty toy store. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/29/toys-r-us-to-open-new-us-stores-and-airport-and-cruise-ship-shops.html Also, I read five or so articles about this and not one of them said anything like, "the current holders of the Toys R Us name." Not all iconic legacy brands get the same grace I guess. Justin, sramirez2008, RickR and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballistik Posted October 3, 2023 Report Share Posted October 3, 2023 On 10/1/2023 at 7:42 AM, Sabertooth said: @Ballistik shared an article on his X (do we call it that now?) feed that Toys R Us is opening new stores! The plan is for 24 flagship stores to open across the country, plus smaller stores in airports and aboard cruise ships. It will be interesting to see if this new iteration of the iconic store is successful. Now having a little one, I am happy to hear that she may get to experience some of the wonder of a giant specialty toy store. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/29/toys-r-us-to-open-new-us-stores-and-airport-and-cruise-ship-shops.html Also, I read five or so articles about this and not one of them said anything like, "the current holders of the Toys R Us name." Not all iconic legacy brands get the same grace I guess. I'm excited to see where this goes, esp since the pop up shops within the macy's didn't seem to be stocked or managed very well thanks for the shoutout, i love talking about retail too haha BB Sabertooth, Justin and RickR 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrekMD Posted October 3, 2023 Report Share Posted October 3, 2023 On 10/1/2023 at 9:42 AM, Sabertooth said: @Ballistik shared an article on his X (do we call it that now?) feed that Toys R Us is opening new stores! The plan is for 24 flagship stores to open across the country, plus smaller stores in airports and aboard cruise ships. Oh, this is cool! Sabertooth 1 Quote 🖖 Going to the final frontier, gaming... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted October 3, 2023 Report Share Posted October 3, 2023 The concept of "Toys R Us" never failed. It was the leveraged buyout that killed them with too much debt. The name and logo definitely have value, and I'd love to see another toy store go big like that...with controlled growth and limited debt. Justin, TrekMD and Sabertooth 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted December 19, 2023 Report Share Posted December 19, 2023 I don't know if this is nation-wide or what, but our local mall Macy's has a Toys R Us branded toy department. I can't decide if that's nice or sad. I mean I'd much rather prefer a stand-alone store, but I guess it is better than nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrekMD Posted December 20, 2023 Report Share Posted December 20, 2023 That is a nationwide thing. My local Macy's store has a full section dedicated as a Toys'R'Us store. I do believe, though, that Toys'R'Us is opening some smaller stores in some areas in the US. RickR 1 Quote 🖖 Going to the final frontier, gaming... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted December 20, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2023 12 hours ago, RickR said: I don't know if this is nation-wide or what, but our local mall Macy's has a Toys R Us branded toy department. I can't decide if that's nice or sad. I mean I'd much rather prefer a stand-alone store, but I guess it is better than nothing. 11 minutes ago, TrekMD said: That is a nationwide thing. My local Macy's store has a full section dedicated as a Toys'R'Us store. I do believe, though, that Toys'R'Us is opening some smaller stores in some areas in the US. We have those here as well. They've been in our Macy's for the past few years. RickR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted December 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2023 On 10/3/2023 at 11:24 AM, RickR said: The concept of "Toys R Us" never failed. It was the leveraged buyout that killed them with too much debt. The name and logo definitely have value, and I'd love to see another toy store go big like that...with controlled growth and limited debt. Agreed. When I worked at Toys R Us 25 years ago they were telling us there was serious competition from Walmart and Target that cut deep into our customer base that we could not keep up with. Walmart sells their toys at very competitive prices - some are loss leaders - these were prices that Toys 'R' Us couldn't match as some were at or below cost. Walmart is happy to sell toys at very little markup to draw in customers who shop for other items that Walmart sells at a high profit, whereas Toys R Us has to make profit from toys to stay in business. Walmart keeps toy prices very low to draw mom and dad in on the way home from work, on a busy day etc., knowing parents can shop for groceries and everything they need in one stop - toys included- without having to drive across town, fighting traffic and finding parking near a mall to get to Toys 'R' Us. Why do that when you can just stop at Walmart and get what you need in one stop for less? Or better yet, online? Even a couple years ago I would meet people who would say "Our son loves Paw Patrol! Toys 'R' Us is so expensive, we always go to Walmart for toys." Toys 'R' Us tried to combat this by offering exclusive products and new product lines. Imaginarium educational toys, quality stuffed animals, children's clothing, American Girl dolls, free assembly on bicycles and Power Wheels, etc. It wasn't enough to make the difference. Pile on everything @RickR mentioned and desperate management, and it turned into another dead store. I had a topic all about Toys 'R' Us memories with photos I had taken at the time, around the year 2000. I still have more I need to upload. If I can find the time I'll do that soon. Here's the original thread from a few years ago: RickR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted December 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2023 Here are six hours of '80s Christmas commercials, enjoy :P RickR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted December 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2023 A look at Christmas shopping in the '90s: RickR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted December 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2023 Nick -at- Nite overnight broadcast including Christmas commercials, mostly from Winter, 1989: (although I spot some 1995 mixed in here) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted December 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2023 I updated the Toys R Us Memories topic with a new Photo Album with some of my personal Toys R Us pictures from back then, plus more! Enjoy: RickR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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