You Will Not Escape Toys R Us This Christmas
One good thing about the bad economy: There are plenty of empty storefronts in malls across the country, and the owners are more than happy to rent them to short-term tenants during peak seasons. And, this year, you can add Toys R Us to the usual gang of Halloween and Christmas stores that pop up suddenly in your local Simon, and disappear in the night a few weeks later. Jeffrey and his posse are expected to open 80 temporary stores next month, along with new toy sections in 260 Babies R Us shops.
According to the Washington Post, the effort is part of what's expected to be an epic battle between the R crew, Walmart and other major retailers for the hearts, minds and wallets of America's parents.
...it's not the only retailer ramping up toy operations before Christmas. Sears has already installed permanent toy shops in 20 stores in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago. Behemoth discount retailer Wal-Mart said it is planning exclusives with popular licensed brands such as Bakugan and Transformers. "I think every lever that can be pulled will be pulled," said Anita Frazier, senior industry analyst for the market research firm NPD Group.
While retailers are hoping for a better season this year than last, that's far from certain. Toys R Us recently reported a drop in revenue for its latest quarter, as consumers remain reluctant to spring for high-priced toys.
Holiday blitz for Toys R Us [Washington Post]
(Photo: thewastedsmile)
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Interesting, considering the Toys R Us in the town I work in closed. I wonder if they will open a temporary one here. Seems odd. My mom went to a Toys R Us the other day for a baby shower gift for a friend of ours and she commented on how messy and trashed the inside was.
This is what Kaybee toys used to do to dam the flow of bankruptcy...didn't work.
Hopefully they sell candy for a reasonable price and not their usual overpriced toys and other crap along those lines. (why buy from toys r us when you can get the same toy online for half the price)
These stores fail because they feel that just because a few people buy their products at the ripoff price that charging any less will be a loss of profits. If only they could see the wonders of charging much less and getting more customers which will lead to more profits at the end of the day, products will sell faster which will basically mean you can order larger shipments of toys and get additional volume discounts while at the same time selling the products for a lower price that still allows you to make money.
"You Will Not Escape Toys R Us This Christmas"
Oh, I can.
The last time I was in Toys R Us was over the summer, during their "Free Lunch Bag with a Purchase of a Backpack" sale. My daughter and I went walking through the rest of the store, and the prices were comparable to the local Walmart or Target. Sure, Toys R US were a couple of pennies here, and a nickel there, more expensive but not enough to make me walk into Walmart and suffer.
OK, can I just say, I went into a Toys R Us two days ago and it was awful, just like the last three times I've been to various other Toys R Us over the last two years? I mean, badly organized shelves, aside from the electronics section, and wholly lacking in several basic types of childsplay items. They had a five-foot-by-five-foot display of "job" dress-up items with ONE girl pictured (in the pink Nurse scrubs). They had NO functional toys (by which I mean toys that help the child actually accomplish something) and if there was an art section, it was buried.
We bought a Halloween Mr. Potato-Head for the baby and left without finding anything for the 6-year-old. There is NO surprise that Toys R Us is losing market share. Money is tight for a lot of people, and most of the toys there were bulky, one-note (ala Baby Loves-to-Laugh), unhealthy (ala "Make-Your-Own Donuts Maker!"), or collectors items (I did see a naughty Little Red Riding Barbie).
Add that to the previously mentioned disorganization within the store itself and you have something that almost deserves to die.
@Razor512: I agree. I don't price toys that often, but Toys R Us's furniture section was clearly aimed at consumers who were not in my tax bracket. Giant plastic "play" beds (race cars, princess castles) for something like $300, a solid-oak toy chest for like $173!! We got our toy chest for $50 and it's mostly particle board and veneer, but its held up for 6 years, dammit, and is still in immaculate condition.
@Red-headed bookworm: Ayup. I've had the same experience at several Toys R Us over the years. It's never neat and shiny like I remember FAO Shwartz. It's always half a step above "warehouse store on Black Friday".
Toys? Do kids still play with those?
I can just see going into Toy R Us and telling the salesperson, "Your price is much higher than at the Toys R Us across the mall." I've never understood the economics of a single vendor having multiple locations in a mall.
You Will Not Escape Toys R Us This Christmas
Yes, I will. I already have.
Most of our Christmas shopping is done, and while we buy a lot for all of the little kids in our lives, none of it came from Toys R Us.
We have focused on safe toys made in the United States or Europe by small companies or individuals the last few years.
Nothing against Toys R Us, though.
This started a few years ago with the huge number of lead-covered toy recalls. And because the government recently gave Mattel (one of the biggest culprits in the lead recall) a permanent pass on lead testing, there is no way we're trusting toys made in China, which negates most of what Toys R Us carries.
For electronics (mostly various gaming system stuff for the teenagers) Costco/Sam's/Woot/Newegg are great alternatives.
The first year we did this, I sort of felt like the hippydippy mommy/aunt who refuses to allow little kids to eat candy - that the plastic crap had to be more fun.
But the kids still play with stuff from previous Christmases (and Birthdays) and all of the better made stuff is still in fine condition.
@SpiderJerusalem:
I used to work at Toys R Us a few years ago. It was basically an overpriced Walmart. Alot of the stuff was thrashed by the staff during shipping, everyone was so underpaid and overworked that no one cared about aisles looking nice.
Thats what happens when $ means more than people.
Wasn't Babies R Us on deathwatch a few years ago?