Proof Economy is in the crapper; ALL the toy stores are taking a BIG crap.

[radwriter0555]

I can't believe FAO Schwartz took a header; KB Toys always had just crap, but Toys R Us?

Thanks george.

Folks so poor, can't even buy toys anymore.

[zbird]

1. What happened with Toys R Us? I must have missed it.

Thanks.

[madrchsod]

2. wally -world

largest toy store in the world. toys r us had a bad christmas because wal mart discounted "hot toys" ,t-r-u had a 1% increase this christmas. kb toys-3500 people.

[robcon]

3. FAO Schwartz proves nothing.

FAO is just a very high-priced specialty retailer, who demanded exclusivity for every item they carried (so there wouldn't be any price comparisons with other retailers.) Supplier disinterest in dealing exclusively on toys with FAO led to the inability for FAO to get any "hot" toys. That, in addition to consumer disinterest, doomed the company.

[SoCalDem]

4. Toy Stores are going away just like most "specialty stores"

Say.."Thank you Walmart, Target, K-Mart, etc"

People are now accustomed to one-stop shopping..

When I was young, we had downtowns.. There were camera shops, jewelry stores, cafes, diners, restaurants,toy stores, children's clothing stores,high-end department stores, dress shops, drug stores,menswear stores, bicycle shops, furniture stores,appliance stores,shoe stores, bridal shops, photography studios, five & dime stores , banks, savings & loans, atc..

Our town only had about 25,000 people (probably less) but we had a downtown and the two or three blocks surrounding the main street...there were about 75 "businesses/shops"...and all of these were locally owned, and employed local people.. The money made and spent there STAYED in my home town..People that worked downtown, shopped there on lunch hours. Most stores closed at 5:30 pm ,and yet people always found time to shop.. Workers were home for dinner with their families.

THAT'S what's different now.. People "Demand" convenience.. They simply MUST be able to buy canned soup, milk, bread,tires,laundry soap,cosmetics,cat food,medicine,kids clothes, toys, shoes,and everything else...all at the same store..

Toy stores and jewelry stores are almost extinct now because their merchandise range is so narrow, and if Walmart has the same toys for less, and you can also buy dogfood, hairspray,toothpaste and milk with your Barbie Doll, AND save a few cents, people will DO it..

and then they will wring their hands and say WHY??? when they read that KB toys & Toys R Us are going out of business..

[noonwitch]

5. I remember the big department stores all having toy departments

Hudson's had the best one. They also had a book department.
Penney's had a good one-Sears probably still does have a toy department, but I never shop there, so I'm not sure.

Those stores couldn't compete with Toys r Us, so they stopped selling toys in the late 70s and early 80s.

It's too bad about FAO-I bought stuff there for my neices and nephew on a regular basis, even if it was a little pricy. They sold dolls that you just can't get at other stores. I now shop for toys at the Doll Hospital, a local place in Berkely, MI, that specializes in high quality dolls and educational toys.

[SoCalDem]

7. Our Penney store at the Mall did not even HAVE a toy section

this Christmas.. My friend was looking for a specific thing, and we went all over the mall and ended up there.. The clerk said.. "We don't have room" for a toy section" :shrug:

They always did before, and the store did not shrink.. I think they just got tired of having to mark them 1/2 price to get rid of them after Xmas..

They increased the size of the luggage and housewares section, though.. They also did away with appliances and furniture..

Our mall is a sad thing to behold.. There are spaces in it that have NEVER been occupied, and the mall is 10 yrs old.. :(

We have Robinsons, Gottshalks (Harris), Sears, Penney and a bunch of small stores that can probably barely pay their rent. the rest are the same-ole-same-ole..

Even at Christmas time there was never a parking shortage, and the stores were running 50 to 75 % off sales BEFORE Christmas...

[Tansy_Gold]

8. Our mall doesn't even have. . . .

. . .. a Penney's store any more.

[PVnRT]

11. I always loved going into KB Toys when I was a kid

I'd just go in there, look at all the toys, look at the video games, think how cool it would be if I owned this one or that one...hell, they didn't even have the video games in a locked case, you could take it off the wall and look at it and let the cover art convince you it was great.

Yeah, thanks Wal-Mart, who needs specialty stores with employees who are good at what they are doing?

[EV1Ltimm]

6. playing devil's advocate here...

but toys these days SUCK.

i went into a toys r us the other day and there was nothing cool. Sure i'm not exactly in their demographic, but it seems everything has to be educational or a spin-off of some lame childrens show that hardly anyone watches.

Hot wheels and Barbie dolls seem to be the only common denominator between the toys r us of my childhood to the toys r us of today.

And the final nail in the coffin is that kids want to play video games these days, not roll around some $25 tomas the tank engine toy.

[JetJaguar]

9. I'm mostly in agreement

But I did find a cool toy this last season.
(I may be too old to know what cool is.)
While shopping for the usual bells and whistling
thingamabobbies I ran across STIKFAS.

They are a cross between army men and those
jointed pose-able artist figures. And out of the
box very generic.

I had bought some for the kid in me, but the
wee ones in my tribe took a fancy to them.

It was fun watching them make up their own
stories without preconceptions.

[ramapo]

10. Wal-Mart Takes Over

TRU has had problems for years competing against K-Mart and now especially Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has been able to undercut TRU.

Can't really blame this one on George. Just another sign of the retail monopoly.