Posted on 03/14/2018 4:58:16 PM PDT by Java4Jay
The chain — whose history traces back to a post-World War II baby furniture store — has spent many decades as the country's largest dedicated toy emporium. Today's parents are the millennial generation who grew up with the Internet and approach purchasing decisions and time they spend with children differently from baby boomers. Generally, foot traffic is falling at brick-and-mortar stores. And children are playing differently than they used to decades ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
You miss the point, they never had what we wanted.
Interestingly enough my local bike store is pretty much the opposite for me.
I bought a new/last year’s model for $400-450 off MSRP. I paid them $90 for a 3 year service plan (Bring it in whenever I want for 100 mile checkups, 10% off everything.) and so far they’ve had it up on the rack twice and I’ve spent another $300.
They make me laugh a lot when they told me they had someone in that bought a bike on a nameless online discount store and it was a nameless bike they spent $900 on that was “Comparable to Specialized or Canondale”. You know where this is going right?
So $90 to put it together, $150 more to get parts that fit/worked and another $100 in labor and that $900 bike became $1,240 with no guarantee because it had been altered from the kit that came in the box.... that didn’t work.
Oh and my last year’s brand name bike that was $1,500 was $1,040.
So, how did that discount work out for you?
The issue with Toys R Us at least with the store near us, no price matching. They can sell the same Paw Patrol toy that I got for my nephew for 12.99, TRU will sell it for 24.99..TRU lost to other stores such as Walmart and Amazon..why go to TRU if you can get the same item for cheaper at amazon or walmart
I have. I wouldn’t do it with a mom and pop shop but I’ve done it at Best Buy when Christmas shopping for DVDs and fired up amazon to see if they had one I couldn’t find and discovered the price was 1/4 less than the average price at Best Buy and started looking up dvds in my cart and it was the same across the board.
The bigger problem I have today is when I see something like shoes or a coat online from a major manufacturer and then go to the stores to find it and they only carry a small selection now and don’t have what I’m looking for so now I have to buy it online.
And further, if they had the item, they price match, so we could buy.
When she saw the boys name written in the snow she blew a gasket and we larfed our butts off!
When I was a child Mom cut out the linings on the pockets of the pants just so we’d have something to play with LOL
Best Store ever for a kid of my generation?
Western Auto
My best friend is a pretty high placed retail executive, and he says this is happening to lots of retailers, like PayLess and Gymboree.
The fate of lots of retail these days. They are the show room for the Amazons etc..
God abandoned us
Well, that is the end of my play dates...
“”Kids don’t play with toys. They sit in front of the tv or play video games.””
True it can sometimes be a real battle but our grandson (9 years old) loves to spend his Christmas and birthday money at Toys R Us for Legos and I enjoy playing with them when he brings them over to put together. I have some I put away at Christmas and birthday time saving because he got too much stuff at Christmas/Birthday...If I don’t get Legos for him, I order stuff from Fat Brain website which has lots of interesting stuff making kids exercise their minds. Have to admit he kind of puts those aside but I keep hoping!
Bikes and trikes and wagons
You can trust
A telescope for learning
Toys R Us
“It is wonderful when people visit our local bicycle shop, talk to the owner about bikes, helmets, and accessories for an hour...and then drive home to order online to save $5.00.”
Agree. Online shopping is good for some stuff, like books and groceries, but I like Mom and Pops (the few that are left) for bigger items.
When my kids were little I loved that place and hate to see it go out of business.
The other night, knowing the way the wind was blowing, I bought my very last: a Star Wars minifigure. Still in the bag with the dated receipt.
What you said.
when my kids were small the store of course carried manufacturer tie in products, but also carried non branded toys. You could get a Barbie tea set, holly hobby tea sets but you also could get ones with flowers and no branding. All their products had the no-brands available. Now? it is all brand brand brand.
it was also the only place I could get glass baby bottles way before it was cool.
“Getting mommies to buy overpriced electronic junk for Jr on Pappys dime.”
Yeah, ok. Is this like your attempt at trying to virture signal to us, because it sounds really retarded.
I remember that toy line and show!
“Masked crusaders, working overtime, fighting crime!”
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