Toys R Us

[Mango kid]

Toys R Us has no pull as an online identity. The entire point of that store's existence was that it was a whole store full of toys. The internet is the internet. Toys R Us was about sensory overload for little kids. Online means nothing.

That's true and I understand that but online it the only way they would be able to some semblance of Toys R Us still alive without it's completely fading away for good as of right now the only Toys R Us going to stay in the UK is online stores

[maskedmaniac]

Toys R Us was like a cheaper alternative to taking your kids to Disney land.

[MikeM]

 

Toys R Us has no pull as an online identity. The entire point of that store's existence was that it was a whole store full of toys. The internet is the internet. Toys R Us was about sensory overload for little kids. Online means nothing.

Basically this, when my niece and nephews were younger I took them to Toys R Us for the first time and it's something they talk about constantly. I think we can all remember the feeling of having some money and going through those doors and seeing a store full of toys.

 

We may see it as an overrated, expensive place...but it's still magical to them.

 

 

Yeah but rival stores offer that now. A Smyth's store opened near me recently and it's massive. Still having said that, 90% of our daughter's toys come from either Amazon or e-bay sellers.

 

Being a place based on "sensory overload" for kids back when I was little was fine, because the range of toys available was directly proportional to the size of the store. Trouble is now, you can pick up even the rarest toy with a couple of clicks of a mouse. It's not really a sustainable business model for the long term.

 

To be honest, I believe high street retail will probably be dead in 20 years.

[Creepy Bro]

I'm sorry, but... "high street retail"... what's that, exactly?

 

Is that what we would call a brick & mortar store over here in the States?

[MikeM]

I'm sorry, but... "high street retail"... what's that, exactly?

 

Is that what we would call a brick & mortar store over here in the States?

 

Yeah, if by which you mean a physical shop.

 

Over here there's a tradition where the main shopping area of a town is concentrated on a single (or a couple) road - and that's normally the "High Street".

 

If you think of Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films, you wouldn't be far off. Without the magic, sadly.

[Creepy Bro]

Yeah, if by which you mean a physical shop.

 

That's what I thought, yeah... a traditional store.

 

Thanks for clearing that up.

[MikeM]

 

Yeah, if by which you mean a physical shop.

 

That's what I thought, yeah... a traditional store.

 

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

 

No problems.

 

(I have only just now realised the irony of my signature in this particular thread!! ) A grab from a commercial for the chain mostly responsible for Toys R Us going under.

[Ernez]

 

 

Toys R Us has no pull as an online identity. The entire point of that store's existence was that it was a whole store full of toys. The internet is the internet. Toys R Us was about sensory overload for little kids. Online means nothing.

Basically this, when my niece and nephews were younger I took them to Toys R Us for the first time and it's something they talk about constantly. I think we can all remember the feeling of having some money and going through those doors and seeing a store full of toys.

 

We may see it as an overrated, expensive place...but it's still magical to them.

 

 

Yeah but rival stores offer that now. A Smyth's store opened near me recently and it's massive. Still having said that, 90% of our daughter's toys come from either Amazon or e-bay sellers.

 

Being a place based on "sensory overload" for kids back when I was little was fine, because the range of toys available was directly proportional to the size of the store. Trouble is now, you can pick up even the rarest toy with a couple of clicks of a mouse. It's not really a sustainable business model for the long term.

 

To be honest, I believe high street retail will probably be dead in 20 years.

 

My town was/is pretty small so Toys R Us was basically the only choice lol

[Muur]

So i found this today really..... https://www.gofundme.com/helpsavetoysrus

 

 

Whoa, 200 mill?

 

Jesus Christ

[Ernez]

 

So i found this today really..... https://www.gofundme.com/helpsavetoysrus

 

 

Whoa, 200 mill?

 

Jesus Christ

 

Don't think I ever seen that high before on gofundme lol

[Muur]

Wonder how much the OP of it will get lol

 

I wouldn't even think it's worth saving, psychical stores are dying out to Ebay/Amazon etc

[Guest]

Get of what?

[Muur]

The one on the money site. He'll get a cut of that 200-1 billion from making the money poll

[M3J]

Unless he plans on keeping it all for himself.

[Faster Than Light]

Wonder how much the OP of it will get lol

 

I wouldn't even think it's worth saving, psychical stores are dying out to Ebay/Amazon etc

 

 

Yes, psychical stores are the way of the future.

 

I too want to go to one of these types of stores

[Muur]

Auto correct mate

[Generations]

There's no replacement for physical stores. There never will be. Chains may fail (mostly because they've become greedy, or entwined with shady dealings)...but the concept of the physical store never will.

 

Honestly, I think a resurgence of 'Mom and Pop' shops might be on the horizon more than anything else.

 

I'm seeing local businesses spreading like wildfire in my area. And, no...that has nothing to do with Trump. Shit was happening years before he took office. In fact, I'd go further to say that Obama-era incentives have helped the local businesses around here.

 

But, anyway...a handful of the closest towns in my area have all been supporting each other instead of going head to head, and they've all been doing great because of it. There are three breweries in the one town, and they constantly promote for each other. All three are doing extremely well. There is no need need for everything to be a competition. Competition is how corporations get ahead. Normal people get ahead by lending a hand.

 

I don't care if every single major chain falls in the next decade. None of it has anything to do with Amazon.com or the internet...it's all about corporate greed. If you want to run a successful store, you will always be able to do that, IMO...(as long as you understand the demographic that you have decided to set up your shop within).

[M3J]

Competition is good, especially for us....

[Generations]

Competition is good, especially for us....

 

Such a vague statement. - the kind of thing that someone says when they have succumb to what they've always read and been told. Just sounds like giving up on the idea that there is anything outside of competition.

 

Prime example...how well did WWE do when they declared themselves the absolute best, and neglected to credit anyone else outside of their world? Hint - not well.

[M3J]

 

Competition is good, especially for us....

 

Such a vague statement. - the kind of thing that someone says when they have succumb to what they've always read and been told. Just sounds like giving up on the idea that there is anything outside of competition.

 

Prime example...how well did WWE do when they declared themselves the absolute best, and neglected to credit anyone else outside of their world? Hint - not well.

 

Are you criticizing competition or defending it? WWE without competition was repetitive and dull, and it wasn't until WCW becoming dominant that they started to change things up.

 

Competition forces companies to be innovative and keep their prices in check, as well as give a shit about customers. Competition is one driving force behind why we get better stuff, like better cars, better laptops and whatnot, without paying a kidney, eye, and sperm. Monopoly and to a degree oligopoly are cancerous to consumers.

[Generations]

The idea of competition is good...but actually being competitive is really not.

 

When they bought WCW and ECW, they immediately set off on this "we are the only company that matters" campaign. And it ultimately got them absolutely nowhere.

 

They only recently became halfway decent again...and it was as a direct result of name-dropping and talent-swapping with other promotions (ie: cross-promoting, not competition). If competition was the thing that gave them power, then they would have bought everyone out and stomped those other promotions into the dirt. That's what"competition" is. Coexisting is not competition.

 

WWE chose the opposite of competition this time around; They saw where it got them the last time. Being competitive with WCW and ECW ultimately dropped WWE into the dark ages for over a decade. Cross-promoting is not "competition". WWE in 2018 is all about cross-promotion.

Competition forces companies to be innovative and keep their prices in check, as well as give a shit about customers.

 

Also, I would say that the opposite is true for both of these statements. Competition means bottom lines...and bottom lines mean shortcuts.

[M3J]

oh I see what you mean now. For companies like WWE, cross-promotion is good, but some companies do need to be competitive.

 

But this just raises more question. How was WWE being competitive after buying WCW and ECW, when there was no competition? All they did was go back into relaxation mode and refocused their priorities because they were dominant. Oh, and WWE did cross-promotions with ECW, they never really saw the company as competition.

 

But competition isn't just crushing rivals into the dirt, it's mainly being superior, at least in terms of market share and finance. WWE could do cross-promotions with the other companies because those companies were okay with it, and because WWE didn't see them as competitions or dangerous like they did with WCW or even TNA.

That is true, actually. But then, if the quality is noticeably lower, then they'd be hurting themselves.

 

 

And in any case, what really killed Toys R Us was it being sold to a shady person/business, who racked up more debts for Toys R Us. Competition hurt it, but apparently not that much.

[Generations]

"Competition" is another company that offers the same thing you do. - That's good (it does drive innovation).

 

"Being competitive" is when you choose a path that undercuts said alternative. I don't think that's good at all. I think it's better to work with said alternative to mutually benefit each other (as well as the community).

 

Big business is always competitive (because they only care about money and the bottom line). Small businesses benefit from helping each other, because there is more money to be made through the community that way.

 

Ultimately, I'm just saying that large corporations like Toys R Us and Walmart won't get any sympathy for going bankrupt after utilizing cut-throat methods. They dug their own holes just by being what they are. But their downfall also doesn't represent the death of the physical store...it only represents the death of cut-throat business practices.

 

And again...a store like Toys R Us going bankrupt doesn't mean that the "internet has taken over" and people no longer want physical toy stores...it only means that we don't need gigantic chains of toy stores (because they get too greedy and overextend themselves).

[maskedmaniac]

Toys R Us is pretty damn greedy still to the end. They have a going out of business banner outside their stores and are only advertising 10-30% off stuff and I'd say 98% of the items in the store are only 10% off, with bigger items such as video game systems being 5% off. I know 10% is better than nothing, but when they are going out of business and are already overpricing stuff by 2 or 3 dollars that !0% adds up to maybe those 2 or 3 dollars, so they are selling stuff at the price that other stores like Wallmart or Target are already pricing shit.

[Ziggy Vercetti]