Toys R Us Is Back! (Kind of...) | Retail Archaeology
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 лис 2022
- Toys R Us Is Back! (Kind of...). Let's take a look at the new Toys R Us pop up stores inside Macy's department stores.
My 2nd channel: / ra2channel
Social Media:
Twitter: @Ret_Archaeology
Instagram: @Retailarchaeology
Facebook: @RetailArchaeology
Patreon: / retailarchaeology
#toysrus #macys #retailarchaeology - Розваги
A dead store being ressurected zombie style in the basement of a near dead store... BRILLIANT!
Same thought exactly. How brilliant put a pop up dead store inside of another dying retailer, absolutely the best decision ever.
Macy’s is not dying. It’s actually doing pretty well.
This sounds like edp’s next idea to get kids
How is macys dying….
@@NintendoSEGAreviewer I guess it just looks dead. I never see anyone in there. Even this video gives that impression. But alas, Macy's is still here.
My mom is a Macys merchandiser for 15 years here in Tx. It’s a high volume store and I asked her recently how they going to do about Toys r Us being in the Macys. She said she they had no clue. They don’t even have any fixtures that has anything to do with toyrus or even any room. Probably just going to put the toys on shelves. She said there’s so many back stock of toys that they don’t have any clue where to put them
In my nearest mall there is a Macy's and they had a toys r us in there! Hopefully toys r us can make a small comeback
Wonder if they bought Surplus toys that did not sell after Toys R Us went under and then the low numbers of people shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
@@stphinkle that would make sense if they were toys from 2016-18, but they’re all modern within the last year toys you’d see at Walmart or Target.
This is sad. It reminds me of the random toy section shoved in the back of Kohls stores. When I think of Toys R Us, I think of huge aisles dedicated to an entire ip or theme. Like a whole, massive Barbie section, or a bike row, or video games. It was sensory overload in the best possible way for a kid. This is just....sad.
Thank you couldn't have said it better! ):
Barnes and Noble and target still carrying me rn 😢
@@capone6716I used to rely on target a lot when I was younger, and still kinda do (but for mega construx halo stuff instead of 3.75 inch star wars stuff). Unfortunately, it's down to a micro section of a single isle for both the 3.75 inch star wars and mega construx halo stuff.
Walmart has all but gotten rid of the mega construx stuff...
Curse you distribution issues!!!
The 1990s was the last good days for a lot of stores. I remember Toys R Us, Lionel Play World, Kay-Bee, Waldenbooks, Electronics Boutique, Software Etc., and so much more long gone.
toys r us was still pretty good until the early 2010s
I'd even say RadioShack, too.
It seems like many stores from our childhoods are gone. Toys R Us, Lionel Play World, KayBee Toys, FAO Swartz, Playco, Radio Shack, Software Etc, Camelot Music, Sam Goody, Fry's Electronics, Babbages, Software Etc, Borders, Computer City, CompUSA, Incredible Universe, Circuit City, Montgomery Ward, Best, Service Merchandise, Sears, Captron Nintendo, Game Towne, SG Computers, ATC Computer, ComputerLand, etc are some of the chains I miss.
And Babbage’s, Kmart and Sears.
Internet killed the retail star...
It feels like a generic toy section that you could really find at ANY department store, but with a Toys "R" Us shell to bring people in.
I'm old enough to remember going to places like Kay-Bee's, K-Mart and Toys "R" Us (although we mostly went here during the holidays) and seeing the store pack to the gills with toys.
And I agree that the outlet store would have been a better use of both the brand and the name. Seeing that put in the mind of when malls had stores like Kay-Bee's.
I definitely agree! Lol
Part of what made the experience of going to Toys R Us so magical as a kid was the sheer size of the place. These branded toy sections don't look like places where kids could easily get lost or would beg their parents for just a little more time to look around before they have to go home.
This feels like seeing an old friend you haven't seen in a while fall on hard times. All the memories of them in their prime come flooding back and it just makes you pine for the good old days. I wish them the best of luck.
I remember Toy R Us use to do Pokemon tournaments & show cased local Lego art and it bring in huge crowds. With Pokemon Go and Pokemon cards being being popular I know they can bring in people into stores if they use the brands they sell to attract an audience.
I remember my Mom dropping me and a friend off to Toys 'R Us for a Pokemon tournament each month, wherein they gave out "gym badges" as pins. Sigh...getting older happens to the best of us lol
@@lvrboi92 I still have all of my gym badges and the little booklet you got to track your wins.
Toys R us are opening pop up stores in the UK too, they're exclusive to WHSmith, which is a place that sells newspapers and magazines mostly, but also sell stationary, books and movies in larger stores.
But they've been around since 1792, so one of rhe first ever stores of its kind.
I am from the U.S. and so Toys R Us was a big deal for me as a kid growing up in the 80's. I visited London many times with my parents during the 80's and Hamleys was like every child's dream come true.
larry is truly everywhere on youtube
I work at one in canada
WHSmith is so down beat though. It would have been better in Boots or John Lewis.
I was in Canada recently and had to go to Toys r us for that sweet sweet nostalgia. This one in Calgary was packed with toys. No clothes bs taking up room
Yeah the one here is all toys except the Babies R Us section
Honestly I do agree they should’ve made stores like the outlet ones rather than go to Macys. I worked for Macys, and my store was one of like 14 I believe to test out toys sold at Macys (2019.) I remember as the toy specialist I had a bunch of toys and no space at all. And that’s kinda how these Toys’R’Us’ feel. Here in Vegas we do have two locations with nicely sized tru stores tho!
I hope one day Toys R Us comes back in full force. It hurts my heart to see it like this.
I don't think they will unless they start focusing on selling ipads and iphones or other electronic video games with some toys on the side.
Maybe at other countries outside of US?
Unfortunately this is probably the best we're going to get.
There is a dedicated Toys R Us store in the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, NJ.
ToysRus rebrand themselves if make come called ToysRus and video games
these feel like Macy's is just branding their toy department Toys R Us. they really should build a little Sephora style store to make it more legit
Crazy to think they went from their flagship Times Square location to... this. 😐
We still have TRU in Japan, and they’re crazy busy. The stores are clean and well-stocked (unlike the one near me when I lived in the US). Hamley’s (UK toy store) didn’t fare well during the pandemic because it’s very experience-based (display toys for kids to play with, performers, etc.). The one near us is now a giant gatchpon mall with a “child casino” (kids arcade, but my son calls it “child casino”).
Video games and consoles in-store is hugely unlikely. Macy's is struggling with theft and can barely keep their loss prevention teams staffed because of their extremely strict policies. One complaint (even from a known, documented shoplifter) and the whole team gets fired, then the store goes weeks or even months without LP at all.
It's like finding a Payless ShoeSource in a Shopko.
I miss Shopko.
I’ve been to the Macy’s in my mall which is currently dying and saw the Toys R Us area and the selection was really not the best, aside the FAO Schwarz toys it was mainly a lot of clearance items or toys that you could find in the Target of the opposite wing of my mall. Truly a depressing site for sure
So many stores could comeback if they focused on just 3 things, online shopping, quality merch, and decent prices. In a world now with cheaply made toys and merchandise in general, I think a store selling top quality goods at decent prices with decent weekend sales with top quality website and online shopping experience with great in store experience would get people to come back to brick n mortar stores.
The nostalgia flooded back when you brought up the lack of video games. That was my brother and my favorite part of going to Toys R Us back in the 80's, was checking out and TRYING OUT the new Nintendo games for that year. Hopefully they can resurrect Toys R Us to it's former glory. I saw a taxidermied giraffe at an oddity shop recently, and unfortunately the first thing I thought of was Geoffrey and the collapse of Toys R Us.
Tell them to put a little tie on him, it'll probably sell faster
I may have been born in 2010 but since my parents liked taking me places and i didn't even use youtube until mid 2015 i got to experience toys r us and my favorite thing to buy was skylanders figures and i even though i'm still a child i feel so much nostalgia and i hope they can come back like when i was 3 and a half feet tall
Its still the same in Canada if you're near the border
@@j.johnson7891 yeah but unfortunately i live in Wisconsin
I think at some point in the future people will get tired of the online stuff and want physical stores again.
Jade nova,
I hope you’re right. I hate online shopping especially since there seems to be a porch pirate problem here in the US.
Oh, as for huge Toys R Us sized toy stores, there's an Irish toy store chain called Smyths that's exploded since the demise of toys r us, you might be seeing those in the US in the near future.
Thanks for the tip Guru Larry! Maybe someone is listening to the plea of Mattel, Hasbro and Lego and their need to bring back some form of Big Box Toy Store back into US.
...and "Hello, You!" 😁
@@syxepop Considering how huge Mattel and Hasbro are, I'm surprised they haven't considered joining up and buying Toys R Us together.
Wouldn't be the first time rival companies have joiined forces.
@@Larry I'd say Larry they need to bring back the retro appearance of toys r us again
Radio Shack has tried the store within a store as well, with limited success. 'Radio Shack Express' stores have been popping-up inside select Hobby Towne stores. They amount to a couple of aisles in the corner, with basic Radio Shack branded DIYer supplies & some minor tools.
The remainder of the Radio Shack dealer/franchise stores are slowly closing in the Midwest. In Illinois, the Yorkville & Gibson City R.S. stores within Ace Hardware are gone. And rumor has it, that the Fairbury Radio Shack - a stand-alone store, is soon to be gone as well. This effectly eliminates all Radio Shack dealer/franchise stores, in Northern & Central Illinois. The next closest store is Monroe, Wisconsin.
Hello Wisconsin! :p
Does New Carlisle, Indiana still have a Radio Shack dealer store? I remember noticing that, when I was looking up this town on Google street view.
Too bad if the last of the Radio Shack dealer stores in Northern and central Illinois, might be all gone soon. I hope the one in Monroe, WI can hang on.
@@BoratWanksta Good question. I haven't be to Indiana in a couple of years. I'll have to check that one out.
Toys-R-Us did try to relaunch with a few pilot mall stores, emphasizing the ability to play with toys before buying. This was planned as a way to separate it from the online buying experience. It probably would have worked, had they not launched just before the pandemic.
I recall those being pretty successful too, wonder if those plans are just on hold or if they've truly given up entirely
There is a Toys R Us store in the American Mall in New Jersey
@@Starpotion They said they were still planning on opening more mall stores in the future, the only reason they postponed it was because of the plannedemic
I visited the one in Houston at the Galleria Mall several times during the year it was open. The store really felt like a Toys R Us and had a lot of excitement. Covid is exactly what killed the concept. The store had several hands-on displays to try products out. There was also a tree house for the kids to play in at the front of the store. Nintendo had a huge display with several test consoles for people to use as well. These new Macy's departments are nothing like those stores. Some stores are better than others, but video games, collectables, bicycles, power wheels, and so much more are missing.
which is crazy dumb since covid isn't easily spread through touch, hand sanitizer is everywhere, and it's more of an airborne disease.
We still have full size Toys R Us stores in Canada, and they are still overpriced...you can have them.
The lack of video games is something I noticed immediately too!
There also is a standalone Toys R Us store in the American Dream mall in NJ, but it also doesn’t have a video game section
Toys R Us was the place to go for Video games in the 90s. Hell it's all I really know it for. We went there for TurboGrafx-16 games as it was the only place in the early 90s you could really fund TG16 games
@@lovelorn88nick I remember going to Toys R Us all the time in the 2000s, and it’s where I have a pretty fond memory of picking up quite a few Pokémon games I’ve gotten over the years
I even remember walking around the one that used to be in NYC, it was such a neat experience
Gamestop had to be bailed out by memes, I don't blame Toys R Us for not doing video games
@@maxxpower3d6 GameStop has its own slew of problems
I’m an ex-employee and a lot of it is because of how they try to run the business + treat employees
Probably because digital is rapidly taking over gaming
the toys r us in wesley chapel fl was so big and i miss it so much 😭😭😭
I visited Japan recently and one day while visiting a mall I stumbled upon a Toys R Us / Babys R Us and was delighted to take a walk around. It was just as I remembered it stateside! There's just something special about walking around those long, tall corridors full of toys that pop with colors, sounds etc. While its nice to see these "pop-up" sections maintaining the brand, it just doesn't feel the same as the big box store itself. I hope the company that owns the IP now in the states sees the value in these locations again in the future. Obviously the bankruptcy had a lot to do with just too many stores that weren't profitable, so I think a handful of them instead could remain popular with today's consumers. Only time will tell. Thanks for making great videos!
This is both sad and happy news that toysrus exists in some ways. Sure it will never be as big as it was back in 80s and 90s but if somehow it can bring kids happiness then I have no problem with it.
I'm glad that Toys R Us is trying to come back, but the way they're doing it kind of makes me sad. They seem to have lost their magic. It isn't any better than the toy section in Kohl's.
These TRU in Macy's are just that, a toy section. Most that I've gone to seem to have older inventory (I'm talking pre-closure) with a small percentage of newer items. It seems that they are just testing the waters before taking the leap. With talks of many Macy's closing, I hope if all goes well, they opt to open a store within a mall/plaza like KayBee Toys.
They are! They're doing that already. My local mall has a shopspace that is being remodeled into a Toys R Us. I think it's a good idea. People still like malls.
I can definitely see the smaller footprint as a trial to see how things go.
Best case they get some more room next holiday season or whenever, worst case at least you tried.
I'm with you, opening Toys R Us standalone stores in malls might have been a smarter move, in addition I think trying to bring in stuff from other places that you can't get anywhere else might help. Of course I say that as someone who would love for there to be more places to find Gundam model kits and just more places to find import stuff in general.
There's a mall in New Jersey called The American Dream Mall and they actually have a two floored Toys R Us as its own store in the mall, I was there during the summer so it wasn't just a pop up shop for the holidays either
Some in the Dead Mall Community call that "half-baked" mall "American Nightmare" and it's the 2nd largest mall in US (after King of Prussia Mall in PA and bigger than The Mall of America in MN, whose owner owns ADM as well).
AFAIK, that TRU store is THE ONLY ONE IN US outside of a Macy's "store-in-store" concept.
Before someone deemed the land plot able for a mall (Jake Williams did 2 great docs on it in his Bright Sun Films channel) someone else tried to make a baseball stadium in that same lot to bring a MLB team to NJ, but the late George Steinbrenner (then owner of the New York Yankees) opposed bringing a team there as it was just a 15 minute trip from the lot to Yankee Stadium in The Bronx (probably the New York Mets would've opposed it as well), so the team was rejected for the area.
What if that closes too 😢😢😢😢😢
I feel sad my kids will never be able to experience a Toys R Us. The sheer quantity of toys there was just amazing to behold. I can still remember going through the Nintendo aisle, the GI Joe aisle, the bicycles, and the Legos.
My kids freak out when we go to the Target toy aisles. I can't imagine what they would think if they got to visit a Target-sized toy store.
This isn't the first time the TRU brand was resurrected in the US. In 2019 they attempted to launch a smaller boutique similar to the store you showed at 7:35, but I think the pandemic nipped it in the bud, because the two experimental stores closed in early 2021. I visited the one inside the Houston Galleria a few times and it was really cool. Larger brands like Hasbro, Nintendo, and Nerf had their dedicated corners, while other toys were relegated with smaller shelving units. There was a big playground at the center and a creativity/party room in the back. The google page for the store is surprisingly still up for a neat look
The one at Lakeside Mall here in Michigan was real nice! This one had a bench with Geoffrey the Giraffe sitting and you can pose with him!
The Toysrus shop in Macy's Herald Square actually does resemble an actual store within the store, having taken up part of the space in the Kids department. An archway was created by the entrance to make it feel like a separate space, has a few play areas, and for visuals, a recreation of the Thanksgiving Day Parade out of Lego bricks, complete with the facade on 34th Street, spectators, floats, and Batman as one of the guests. To my understanding, only a few locations within the chain have a bit more of the luxe feel, and Herald Square being the flagship, has extra. As for video games, there are none, and has had the song lyrics changed to "from bikes to trains to lots of games" to accommodate. The most the website sells is a handful of games online and a few basic small video games in the store.
Toys R Us is still thriving up here north of the broder!
I remember back in the 80's every department store had a toy department just like this. Sears, Penny, Broadway, Best, Mervyns's, Gottsxhalks...they all had 'em. Sears even had a candy counter.
Toy R Us was so good and delightful back in the 90's and early 00's. It would be hella wonderful to see Toy R Us come back for the Generation Alpha kids but this store looks nostalgic.
I'm shocked at how empty the stores are, here in Australia where I live the shopping malls are always packed with people.
Mate, it’s likely because they’re trying to escape the heat of the upcoming summer there. But then again, you live in a country where Kmart still exists but Target doesn’t. Things aren’t quite the same there as it is in Eagle Land.
@prettynoose888
Most people here in the USA are totally broke, and have huge credit card debt too.
@@taimaishu-nao1922 I live in Sydney and the weather here has changed in the last 5 years, before 38 degrees Celsius was average but in the last 5 years it rarely goes over 30 degrees. I thought maybe online-shopping is more popular in the US. Not sure why Target closed down, the two near me were always very busy as well.
@@watershed44 I thought it might be related to online-shopping, maybe in the US people shop online more? Australians however are pretty well-off, many have made a lot of money with the housing boom here.
@@prettynoose888 We also have a problem with the dark people from the jungle, they like to congregate at these malls because they can r.0b. the paying white customers.
So it drives away white people who want to shop safely.
I also visited the Toys R Us pop up in the Superstition Springs Mall Macy's the other day and unfortunately my excitement quickly wore off. As you mentioned a few times in the video, just didn't feel like a toy store. Felt more like a small toy section. Also, again as you mentioned, lack of video games/electronics was one of the first things I noticed. Hopefully something good can come from this though.
I did have a Toys R Us Oultet store in Potomac Mills Mall which also closed in 2018. Potomac Mills Mall is a Mills Corporation mall just like Arizona Mills Mall. Potomac Mills Mall opened in 1985 and it still doing well making it one of the older Mills malls in the country
I was a teen mother with my first and I think I overcompensated the time that I spend at college, to get my degrees as fast as I could, to care for her, by buying too many toys. I legit went to Toysrus at least once a week and gifted my daughter toys constantly. But she never broke a single doll. She has a huge Lego collection now.
We finally had our second baby and I wish so much, we could go with her to Toysrus some day. I loved bringing my older daughter there. And my husband loved building Lego Star Wars with her and still does to this day.
It's Ok
I thought it would be bigger
But it doesn't feel like Toys R Us, It feels like a Tempoarty Pop Up Toys R Us in Macy's. I doubt it will grown traffic into the Macy's Store
I’m glad to know the reason for Toys R Us closing wasn’t a lack of selling toys. I thought maybe kids were only playing with ipad / iphone which would have been pretty depressing. My best memories as a kid were choosing Christmas presents with my grandparents at Toys R Us. Toys R Us was where I bought Lunar 2 Eternal Blue Complete for PS1 back in the year 2000. ❤ As you said in the video, they did our boy Geoffrey the Giraffe dirty. ☹️
I love the Lunar series 😁 I have a complete Lunar 2 Eternal Blue sitting on my game shelf.
@Wise Acres I bought Lunar Silver Star Story Complete for PS1 (good condition used) on Amazon for $70.00 back in 2005. Today that price has sky rocketed to $300.00 and up!!! My only gripe with Toys R Us back in the day was that most of their video game selection was out of stock. I remember wanting to get Mega Man Legends 2 but it wasn’t available. Maybe my Toys R Us was just a big hot spot for video games at that time. I remember our local Best Buy having a wider and more available selection in the 90’s and 2000’s.
Funny we talk about games here. I bought my 2DS from TRU in 2016 for $80 about two months after getting hired at my current job. My first real console after nearly 8 years unemployed and it was every bit as enjoyable as I’d hoped it was. I was lucky because the GameStop across the street at the adjacent mall was selling them for $120.
Not only that but I managed to score Pokémon X, Y, OmegaRuby and Alpha Sapphire all on sale at Target nearly a week later. I got them for 50% off and brand new, sealed!
But yeah, I got A LOT of great stuff there. Even my old phone case before my friend gave me his unlocked iPhone 5.
Toys R Us did $1.3 billion in sales for 2017 it was definitely hedge fund debt and corporate greed that killed it
As someone with young cousins and nieces, having this experience for them is great. But it’s even better for me.
Eh, this is nothing like the 90s, not even close, and this just looks like a Toy section you'd find at Walmart,etc
Most of these Brick & Motor stores need to go back to general leadership like local manufacturing businesses instead of these corporate recruiting and management.
When I mess an order up on a $15hr I get fired. When Corporations close numerous sites because lack of corporate VP awareness (which pays thousand times the average coordinator) no one cares.
It's nice to see toys r us back even though it's a pop-up store in Macys. I still had nostalgia walking around the pop-up store and even bought something for my nephew.
Love seeing the toys r us sign but hate how small it is hoping it would a been a pop up store killed my excitement the one in my macys brought me down on how small it was
When I was a kid in the early 90s, I remember going to SEARS when they had a video game "store within a store" kiosk booth in the store, and it was located in the back of the women's clothing section. I always thought that was odd, but as I grew older understanding how businesses strategize these "micro stores", it made perfect sense on why they did that and I think the same thing is going on here.
The toys are there to keep your kids occupied while mom, auntie, or grandma can shop for clothes in peace.
In the past few months, there's been a Toys R Us Mexico account on Instagram posting some photos and videos of Geoffrey teasing that they're coming to the country. They've never been in Mexico and even though malls and department stores are actually busy and healthy in here, I don't know how they're planning to make it work and if it's even true that they're indeed coming here. Local toy shop chains (Juguetron and Juguetibici) aren't exactly growing, and the biggest one (Merceria del Refugio) went bankrupt like a decade ago, though Hamley's opened a couple of stores and they seem to be doing fine, and FAO Schwartz has just opened a "store within a store" inside Palacio de Hierro, which is the most exclusive department store chain in Mexico.
Bain Capital stole our childhood away from us for a quick buck.
If you have a chance, I’d absolutely visit a high volume Macy’s store to see how much better their big Toys R Us stores are. While Superstition is a large Macy’s, it isn’t a high-volume location.
I checked out the location at Scottsdale Fashion Square. That's the highest volume Macy's in AZ and a large 3 level store. The TRU section wasn't any better, was just thrown into part of the kids dept and bled into the womens apparel section as well. Was a mess, and no staff. I do think it's doing some decent business, I did buy some gifts there. I had been there with my nephew before Thanksgiving so he could pick out some gift ideas. Almost all of those items are sold out already. They did have a Geoffrey bench though at the front, more for photo taking, etc.
The Macy's at my local mall was selling FAO Schwarz toys, in an unbranded toy section (not labeled as Toys R Us or anything like that), for last year's holiday season and Macy's had them for sale on their website as well (you can still find FAO Schwarz toys, all the same toys I saw in-store last year, on the Macy's website and they have been marked as Last Act). Also, there is a Toys R Us store at the American Dream Mall (it's a two story location that is apparently their global flagship store).
Toys R Us should use Spirit Halloween's standalone pop-up model to start. Although that would likely lead to TRU pop-ups operating out of some of their former permanent locations.
"They did you dirty Geoffrey!" Rotf!
Honestly, and I really mean this
thank you for preserving this history
so many family shops from when i was a kid just don't have any footage and i wish i had more than just a memory of them
The Macy's in downtown Chicago has a whole floor of toys and its also a Toys r Us pop up. It's fairly big!
I think thats definitely the way to go for retailers on anchor stores. Diversify the building to host smaller sections of stores. As well as offering some sort of kiosk to place an online order in each section to have it shipped if not available in store. As more and more corporations acquire smaller ones, it would be interesting to see this concept in fruition. Of course, there are many flaws to this idea but its hypothetical and fun to imagine.
Before the local Toys R Us store closed here in Southern California, the only reason I would go there is to buy video games. Without that, it's not much of a Toys R Us.
If it was still a standalone store, it would have to keep up with the times, like offering video games, video game consoles, vr headsets, robots, etc..
I recently went to Macys last month in two different malls, it’s just more of a toy department equivalent to Target, not the real TRU! I have mixed feelings about this, I like that our mall now has a toy store for once since its north block was closed down during the pandemic. But they could’ve used some vacant space to open a standalone store during the holidays, but I think the mall owners want more money for the bigger space, so Macys which is the biggest anchor in our mall can use its third floor or basement level for toys!
As someone who has fond memories of getting video games and toys like TMNT action figures as a kid at Toy R Us, it's heartbreaking to see the brand reduced to a section at Macy's.
Much appreciated. I'm always looking forward to your new videos!
It's just branding for the Macy's toy department.
If you expect more than that, you will be disappointed.
They need to have video games though.
My mom and I went to the mall. We ate at a restaurant for the first time in two years. I got a Mocha made by a robot. I shopped for some shoes. We walked in through the Macys side. On the way out we got some hot wheels packs. Just something to make it feel like Christmas. I decided I’m not going to be such a stranger to the mall.
I only ever window shopped at Toys r Us cause it was more for rich kids and not the typical middle to lower class child. I'm glad they shut down. The majorty of the children i grew up including me would play with all the "try me" toys and games on display. The experience was cool but everything was sooo expensiv. You can get the same, equal quality toys at walmart and amazon for much cheaper.
We still have Toy 'R Us stores in Canada and they're huge and packed with inventory, so it's a shame that the chain struggled in America which makes no sense other than due to how purchases from Amazon, eBay, Walmart, etc. must have killed it.
I saw the one in the Thousand Oaks CA store. They had it crammed, over-stuffed with merchandise practically toppling down from the shelves. They shoved the Toy R Us section sandwiched next to the Last Act dept., which is always a MESS in that store, clothes all over the floor and stuff. I wouldn't go near the scant Toys R Us displays for fear I'd knock everything over. Nobody was looking in there, it's just at the back of the store on the ground floor behind Housewares and nobody ever goes back there anyway.
You used to be able to get toys at Toys R Us that weren't available anywhere else. I'm a big kid I loved just walking the store just to see cool toys. My one grandson got to go pick up his jeep at Toys R Us before they closed.
thanks for making my friday better! love these vids
Toys R Us in wherever Spirit shops are post-Halloween for the tail end of the year would be cool.
In my area, there's a Spirit Halloween that pops up and occupies the building Toys 'R Us used to be housed in. It'd be hilariously ironic if a Toys 'R Us Pop-Up Shop occupied the space Toys 'R Us used to be in.
Pop Up Toy sections are pretty brilliant, especially for the holiday season.
Glad toys r us could find a way into that market
We still have Toys R us here in Canada, and they no longer sell video games.
I have a feeling an overworked store manager is given this stuff and told to put it on display. So they just clear out a spot and put it out.
It seems you're not too far off the mark - see the comment by "Erica Cruz".
You said " who wants pool toys right before x-mas?"....Speak for yourself.... We here in the upper midwest would LOVE to be able to use pool toys in December!!! HA HA HA!!!!!
I'm down in Casa Grande AZ where we have several dead strip malls, and they continue to build new ones which soon become full of dollar stores and furniture outlets. Our Dillards was rebranded as a clearance store similar to a Ross or Marshalls, and our Target lasted less than a decade.
Also as a kid my family used to frequent the Toys R Us off of Ray road and the I10
This is for the new kids so of course it doesn’t “feel” like Toys R Us to adults. A kid doesn’t care about the overall aesthetic of a toy store but rather what toys the store has. The big signs are just the razzle dazzle to draw in a new generation. Like for us as kids, to them, it’s just a name of a place for toys.
Love seeing these videos, I grew up going to Superstition Springs mall and Santan had just opened before I moved to california
I was at Macys in maplewood and saw the toys r us at Macys quite fast. It definitely felt like the past, I even got an ornament from the store.
Our local toys r us was connected to an indoor mall, but was a full size store. Many memories there.
My local Macy’s in Cambridge Massachusetts closed a while back. I should go into the downtown Boston location to see if such a pop up is there. I would pick up a couple of things just for the nostalgia of it but I don’t think it’s a place I could Take somebody or spend the concentration of my purchases. Not in a pop-up store like that. But an outlet or a major toy store, absolutely I would bring people and spend the concentration of my purchases there. It would be a lot more reliable than seeing what Amazon sense to be quite frank
I worked at Toy's R Us back in 2008. I still have my red button up work shirts with the logo on them. I was supposed to turn them in when I left but am glad I kept them now. xD
Here in the uk we still have toys r us sized stores for toys. They are called Smyth’s and are doing super well because of their competitive prices and exclusive items.
You say that about big box toy stores and how they don't have a place anymore. But you should see the store that (more or less) replaced Toys R Us in the UK, which is Smyths Toys Superstore. Basically got the same kind of thing Toys R Us had, like video games, toys, bikes, baby stuff etc., and carries a lot of exclusive merchandise or is the main seller of certain toy brands.
I wish the US would bring back that type of toy store. I’m so sick of having to order most things online because stores don’t carry the items I need.
That second location looks a lot like the toy section at a Kohl's before the doors open for the day.
I was just thinking this. This is basically no different than Kohl's toy section with Toys R Us branding
I just made this comparison in my head lol.
I bet there is a ton of recycled stock. Retailers are so full of over purchased inventory they are charging restocking fees.
i remember going here in 2018 in houston. and there coming back :)
I Can’t wait to do this again at Macy’s. Because Toys R Us has finally returned in the year 2022. I remember hearing the announcement that Toys R Us is now at Macy’s on TV last year and seeing the tease that Toys R Us with the iconic cartoon character that I use to remember in my brain is Geoffrey Giraffe. This was a dream come true for me after so long for Toys R Us after maybe 9 years of going to the most beloved Toy Store I’ve seen throughout my life, Toys R Us.
*WELCOME BACK, TOYS R US!* 😇 😊
My folks would take me to greensboro nc location during the 90s, browsing gi joe toys, playing mario 64 on the demo station for the first time. When you we’re ready to buy a game getting the paper slip and taking it to the register. Sad they went away, but glad to see Jeffrey again.
"They did ya dirty, Geoffrey" - quote of the episode for sure ^^
I think it’s kinda neat how they are trying to semi-resurrect it. However, being a 1985 baby, I remember the good old days of SNES, barbies, GI Joes, etc. I got a lot of my books from there too, when they had the smaller book section. Still have a ‘Carmen San Diego’ book from there I got around maybe 1993. Good times ❤️
Come up to Canada, Toys R Us is business as usual
Even as a kid, Toys “R” Us felt like a dirty hell hole
If Toys R Us managed to fund and open up just a handful of big stores in select cities like FAO Schwartz did, that would be awesome. One area that could benefit from one big toy store is definitely Boston Massachusetts.
Don't ever leave us again toys r u 😢 ❤️
I work at the flagship TRU at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford NJ. Pretty big, and we have live magic demonstrations.
In Canada there are still Toys R Us's. They never closed there.
I worked at a toys r us in the 2004 holiday season, pretty much the first job I had out of high school, it wasn't bad, I'd show up early to play the game demos for about 10 min before I clocked in
Pretty much every mall, including dying malls, have at least one dedicated toy store. They are about KB Toy sized, or the older preclosure TRU pop ups, but sell really crappy cheap Chinese toys with signs everywhere letting you know that they do no accept returns. Some of them even exist where these former toy stores once were. So yeah, it wouldn’t be too hard for TRU to open up a bunch of pop up stores in malls, as they once did in the past. Start with the big holiday season, and the most successful stores may even experiment with staying open year round. I just hate seeing children waste their allowance money on garbage these other stores sell. And that’s just it, children are still being given cash for allowance. And when you give you kid a debit card, to use at their allowance, you get evil stares and comments from their grandparents.
WHSmith has bagged the Toys R Us concessions in the UK which already isn't a good start as it hasn't been needed since the 2000s