Can Toysrus Ever Make A Come Back?

I think they are too far gone. I remember being a kid, a Toys R Us gift card was the only thing I wanted for my birthday. I feel that now, because so many kids are more interested in TV, video games, or other electronic devices, not many are really hoping for a new Barbie doll or action figure. It's a bit sad, too, because they always used to draw kids in, and now you never really hear about it. I can't remember the last time I saw a kid receive a Toys R Us gift card.... Nonetheless, I think they'll last maybe a few decades more. What do you think?

 

Oh man I just got a wave of nostalgia. Did anyone else sit down with the catalogue before the holidays and circle some of the things they wanted?? I go in their sometimes for nieces and nephews and the state of it just makes me sad, but as far as I know they aren't going bankrupt yet. I think it's just way more convenient for people to grab toys at Wal Mart or Target while they're grocery shopping.

 

I didn't realize they were in trouble, but judging from what I've seen trying to browse online I'm not surprised. They just haven't made a good enough transition to the online market to stay relevant and I think it really has started to hurt them. There have been multiple Christmas years when I wished I could just buy something off them online but the service just wasn't available and I feel like it's too much of an opportunity lost at this point although I do feel they could certainly turn it around if they put enough money and effort behind it because the brand is still very popular.

 

Wow, me too @DrRipley! I mean, I don't have kids, and never really frequented it in the UK. But once in a while, we'd venture in there if we needed to grab a gift for a child of friends or members of our family. It seemed to be doing ok right until we left the UK at the end of 2013. It would be such a shame because it's such a big brand that stretches as far as South Africa.

 

Yeah, TRU has kind of lost its way. It used to be this amazing thing everybody wanted to go to, now its just this overpriced toy store chain that never compares to online prices without some kind of fudgery going on.

 

I'd really hate to see it go because it's a good brand that brings memories to me from when I shopped there as a kid myself and it's really kind of sad how they didn't seem to jump onto the online market as I'm sure they could have done very well doing that. I would really hate to see them go the way of blockbuster and thankfully the physical stores here still seem to be doing well especially during the holidays but I sometimes wonder how long that will continue to work for them without a proper online presence.

 

Toys R Us won't make a comeback. What killed them were online retailers like Amazon, stores which offered better deals on kids stuff [Target and maybe Walmart] and lots of other smaller retailers who offered better services.

And another reason why Toys R Us won't make a comeback is because competition is too steep at the present and any stores that didn't start selling their stuff online earlier find it harder to compete against those that did.

 

With the exception of an occasional deal, Toys R Us is usually way overpriced. It used to be a great place that stocked a lot of toys that you actually couldn't get anywhere else around here, but now that Wal-Marts and Targets have started keeping up with the latest toys, they will never recover. Plus, if you also include the fact that online stores give insanely great deals on toys, they are doomed without a doubt. I used to love to go there when I was a kid though. It was cool that there was a store that was only filled with kid stuff and no other aisles that my parents could distract me with. I once won a contest when I was about 6 that gave away $100 in Toys R Us gift certificates. I thought I was rich. Now, $100 is lucky to buy you a few items.

 

Exactly, I think they really messed up with their online market. I remember a while back, I was trying to do some online Christmas shopping for my kids and it was just dreadful. I ended up getting one thing through Amazon, but the majority of the stuff I ended up buying came from Target. Target actually became my go to for a lot of my online toy shopping.

 

I don't really think they can. I see them going the way of Sears, K-Mart and Circuit City in terms of having to down size a lot. I can't even really remember the last time I've spent in money in there. I've checked it out a couple of times just to see what they have in comparison to Wal-Mart, Target, etc and I just wasn't impressed. They do seem to get decent business at the store near where I live, but I don't think that's how it is throughout the country. Mark me down as not a fan.

 

I had the same experience during the holidays. It's especially frustrating when you are looking for specific toys instead of just browsing since if it's rare then chances are you could only find it in a specialty store like toys r us but since their online system is archaic and nearly useless the only option is to actually go to the store just to find out which is just a very outdated method. I tried calling but I don't remember anyone ever picking up my call since it was the holidays so I assume they were extremely busy.

 

Toy R Us will be the next K Mart sad to say, I rarely hear about people wanting to go there. Everyone I know shows anywhere else to go buy there toys. It's so many places with cheaper and more awesome toys to buy.

I went there once with a friend who just wanted to buy something for her boys, and everything was out of budget, not saying that she couldn't afford the stuff. It was just that she did not want to pay $6 dollars for a toy car that was less than half that price at other stores.