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RIP Toy's R Us

My sons always called it
"Toys 4 us"
 
Sucks to see an iconic chain disappear, but my more recent experiences there have not been great...

I've found stuff at Target that TRU didn't have and for less.

The stores are often dirty.

Customer service BLOWS.

Prices often range from high to outrageous.

Have to have 'em order stuff cuz they don't have it on the floor. And did I mention the CS fucking blows?
 
^ the one down the street from us was ok. About as good as I expect any chain retail place to be. Admittedly, that standard is pretty low. It was still fun to go in and actually play with stuff or look at things you may not have been shopping for. We went for Lego's and Brier horses mostly. They were pretty well stocked on those.
 
Sign o' the times. People are only using brick and mortar stores for showrooming then buying from Amazon. Sears will be gone before the end of the year.
 
Oh god....I used to count on places like this to be a holding pen for large groups of children. I knew that on any given Saturday, that I all I had to do was steer clear of that place to avoid other people's spawn. Now there's going to be that many more wee-demons flooding the streets.
 
I don't wanna grow up, I'm a toys r us kid.

The old store that's been closed down for years near me still has the shading of the removed letters. Nobody's moved into the building yet.
 
and here's what happens when private equity does a heavily leveraged buyout of a retailer. Every. Single. Time.
 
Wow!

How does a retailer who exploited parents willingness to buy their kids just about anything they wanted go out of business like this?

There must have been some major mismanagement going on.
 
DucatiHoney said:
Oh god....I used to count on places like this to be a holding pen for large groups of children. I knew that on any given Saturday, that I all I had to do was steer clear of that place to avoid other people's spawn. Now there's going to be that many more wee-demons flooding the streets.
Click to expand...

When I read this, I hear a Manchester accent.
 
easter bunny said:
Sign o' the times. People are only using brick and mortar stores for showrooming then buying from Amazon. Sears will be gone before the end of the year.
Click to expand...

Sears has been in a death spiral for years. It's turned into a real estate scheme for the current owner. There are articles out there detailing what's happening to Sears and basically he seems to be intentionally taking it, tho he will make out like a bandit anyways if and when it does.

Which is really unfortunate cuz Sears is truly an iconic American brand.
 
DucatiHoney said:
Oh god....I used to count on places like this to be a holding pen for large groups of children. I knew that on any given Saturday, that I all I had to do was steer clear of that place to avoid other people's spawn. Now there's going to be that many more wee-demons flooding the streets.
Click to expand...

Their range will only extend as far as their wi-fi.
 
aminalmutha said:
Sears has been in a death spiral for years. It's turned into a real estate scheme for the current owner. There are articles out there detailing what's happening to Sears and basically he seems to be intentionally taking it, tho he will make out like a bandit anyways if and when it does.

Which is really unfortunate cuz Sears is truly an iconic American brand.
Click to expand...
There are some flaming assholes out there who gain control of a company and strip it down to fatten their own bank account and leave husks behind with numerous lost jobs. But hey, it's their Right to do WTF they feel like if they own a controlling interest.
 
Climber said:
There are some flaming assholes out there who gain control of a company and strip it down to fatten their own bank account and leave husks behind with numerous lost jobs. But hey, it's their Right to do WTF they feel like if they own a controlling interest.
Click to expand...

A corporation and the directors thereof have only 1 moral obligation, and that is to act in the best interest of the share holders. To expect anything more would be naive.
 
LakeMerrit said:
A corporation and the directors thereof have only 1 moral obligation, and that is to act in the best interest of the share holders. To expect anything more would be naive.
Click to expand...
Not naive, just think they're flaming assholes for one person to destroy thousands of lives in order to fatten their own bank account. That's the action of a true sociopath.
 
DucatiHoney said:
Oh god....I used to count on places like this to be a holding pen for large groups of children. I knew that on any given Saturday, that I all I had to do was steer clear of that place to avoid other people's spawn. Now there's going to be that many more wee-demons flooding the streets.
Click to expand...

LOL... Honey, Triggered. :laughing

:Port to me never having even stepped into that particular store franchise!!! :wow :wtf kinda amazeballs neh?
 
Climber said:
Wow!

How does a retailer who exploited parents willingness to buy their kids just about anything they wanted go out of business like this?

There must have been some major mismanagement going on.
Click to expand...

The company is privately held by investment firms, including Bain Capital...
 
Abacinator said:
The company is privately held by investment firms, including Bain Capital...
Click to expand...
Perhaps they sucked it dry to the extent it couldn't continue. Investment companies are big on the payout and not very smart on the long term success.
 
Climber said:
Perhaps they sucked it dry to the extent it couldn't continue. Investment companies are big on the payout and not very smart on the long term success.
Click to expand...

This exactly. Private Equity often buys retailers, then leverages them for other investment.

The only real asset a retailer has is sales revenue. The real estate and product on hand are usually moot (unless it's Sears, Walmart, Target, or another bigboi that buys their own land and builds their own store).

Therefore, when sales slow, the PE ownership that has over-leveraged the business can't pay their loans and has to immediately file and liquidate. A traditional retailer can hunker down and push through the downturn or figure out how to reinvent themselves since their hand isn't being forced because they haven't leveraged their entire company to make questionable unrelated investments.

It's best to leave the retailing to the retailers. PE buyouts usually spell the end within 10-15 years (pretty much at the next retail slowdown or economic downturn) for retailers.
 
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