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Old 01-25-2018, 01:27 AM   #41
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Originally Posted by CyberCubed View Post
Times are changing. We're not in the 80's or 90's anymore, or even the early 2000's.

Most people shop online now, kids play with electronics over toys, people don't go to malls much anymore. We're in "the future" now. It is a different age, 2000's kids grew up in a totally different world than us old people.

I love change. Whenever something old goes away or goes out of business, I feel like I'm "in the future" as I never would have believed it would happen. For example there are barely any pay phones on the streets anymore, unbelieveable.
People don't go to malls much anymore?! The two largest ones in my city are usually packed. Especially on weekends and around lunch/dinner time and in December. And I'm sure many of their chain stores also have online services.

Ofc many people buy stuff online these days, but if they can find an item at a physical store, they'll buy it there.
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Old 01-25-2018, 05:32 AM   #42
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People don't go to malls much anymore?
The USA are alwys some years ahead, including online shopping. Online shopping will soon kick in everywhere!
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Old 01-25-2018, 08:59 AM   #43
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Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan View Post
The USA are alwys some years ahead, including online shopping. Online shopping will soon kick in everywhere!

I don't think every country is too far behind you in terms of tech and internet, if that is what you mean?

I have been shopping on-line for years, I just also like to go to stores too. Besides browsing at what I want it can also be a social thing, meeting a family member or friend for coffee and then browse, plus my laptop cannot provide fragrance samples should I want perfume for instance
Also, in the case of toys, I find them more expensive on Amazon than in the stores.
Shopping in stores will have been affected by on-line shopping but it isn't gone

Last edited by newfan; 01-25-2018 at 10:24 AM.
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Old 01-25-2018, 09:40 AM   #44
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Hi all. Sad news if you love shopping at TRU.
Or work there, as I'd considered, but I know they aren't doing much better than my own store. My sympathy to the employees, that's an awful lot of closings and well over the number closing for Sears (including mine) and Kmart combined (same owner).


That said, I'm really glad my local one is not on the list. Esp as the next nearest one is out of state almost 20 miles away.


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People don't go to malls much anymore?!
Surprising as it is, a lot of malls are supposedly doing rather poorly anymore.

Although being packed doesn't correlate with the actual amount of shopping people are doing. People may well still be there, but buying less.

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Old 01-25-2018, 11:34 AM   #45
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People don't go to malls much anymore?! The two largest ones in my city are usually packed. Especially on weekends and around lunch/dinner time and in December. And I'm sure many of their chain stores also have online services.
That's an entirely different situation and the reason is location. You're in a city. Malls still do pretty good business there. Those malls are centrally located in population dense areas. Therefore, it's not a huge deal to just walk down the block, take public transportation or swing by after work. The proximity also makes a convenience factor for some locals, in that they can stop in and pick up what they want, which can win out over lower prices, depending on the person.

Most US malls are outside cities and aren't really centrally located. You have to drive to a lot of them and on top of that the stuff is often overpriced. The convenience factor goes to online ordering, in that case, on top of lower prices, which makes the choice extra clear. So most US malls are at an intense disadvantage, have been falling apart and are struggling to figure out how to adapt.
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Old 01-25-2018, 12:42 PM   #46
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I think the problem with malls is that many have allowed the fun factor to erode away. When I was a kid I loved going my malls KB Toys. I think they had a Toys R Us at one time too. It also had a sporting goods store, pet store, and it's Sears store had everything. There was also EB Games and Gamestop. Basically there was a lot of fun stuff to look at, even if you only needed a spoon. But KB closed. Toys Ru Us has its own store. Sears closed. There are still sporting goods, pet, and game stores around but they are no longer part of the mall either. Most of what is left are clothing and home goods stores. Add in the depressing site of two empty anchor spots, and the fun factor is gone. No fun factor. I might as well get that spoon at BigBox place. It will likely be cheaper and faster. I think people came to have a good time as much as to shop.

As far as Toys R Us goes. I hope they don't. I'd rather buy from them .Mine is priced in line with everyone else. My issue is they are often way behind in getting TMNT stuff. At least the playmates stuff. I wonder if they shouldn't shift more focus on adult collector toys. After all these are the same people and toylines that supported them in their Hey Day. And a lot of us have much bigger allowances than we used to.
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Old 01-25-2018, 01:10 PM   #47
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KB Toys and such wouldn't have closed down in malls if they were still turning a profit.

Where malls may or may not have gone wrong, I think, is in allowing that to happen. There should always be a reputable toy store and bookstore in any mall, and some kind of "activity center" whether it's an arcade or whatnot... I think we can all agree on that. Where malls could possibly have stepped in is in possibly giving incentives for those toy stores, bookstores, etc., to stay open. i.e., offer discounted leasing contingent on those stores hitting less-than-favorable profit margins. Because when those stores go away, everybody goes away. And has. I feel like instead of shifting with the times and allowing for more affordable leasing options, malls like ones owned by Westfield and such, just kept jacking up their rates regardless.
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Old 01-25-2018, 01:52 PM   #48
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There should always be a reputable toy store and bookstore in any mall, and some kind of "activity center" whether it's an arcade or whatnot... I think we can all agree on that.
Some malls in Taiwan have that s*** on lock. There's one just built in the last few years in Kaohsiung, Taroko Park, that's a mall built into an amusement park, basically. There's a go-kart track and all sorts of things. Booths for VR games, the typical movie theater, basketball courts and other things inside.
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Old 01-25-2018, 02:22 PM   #49
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I think shopping centers/malls are doing okay here in Norway, at least in my city as a new one was built recently. And online shopping is huge here, hence why the import charges are outrageous
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Old 01-25-2018, 08:57 PM   #50
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That's an entirely different situation and the reason is location. You're in a city. Malls still do pretty good business there. Those malls are centrally located in population dense areas. Therefore, it's not a huge deal to just walk down the block, take public transportation or swing by after work. The proximity also makes a convenience factor for some locals, in that they can stop in and pick up what they want, which can win out over lower prices, depending on the person.

Most US malls are outside cities and aren't really centrally located. You have to drive to a lot of them and on top of that the stuff is often overpriced. The convenience factor goes to online ordering, in that case, on top of lower prices, which makes the choice extra clear. So most US malls are at an intense disadvantage, have been falling apart and are struggling to figure out how to adapt.
I see. Didn't know that.

Yeah malls here tend to be in densely populated urban areas. Although some aren't that successful and a few have closed down... but those are small malls that mostly survive from the food places they have. Those smallish malls from the 80s are no longer that successful here, with people preferring the large ones
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Old 02-04-2018, 09:18 AM   #51
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The thing is, people have always hated commercials.
I don't know if children hate commercials that much.
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Old 02-04-2018, 10:38 AM   #52
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It might have helped having a drive thru service.



Retrommercials.
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Old 02-04-2018, 11:20 AM   #53
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That song must have echoed all the way from Space Invaders during the late-1980's to TMNT during the late-1980's and early-1990's.
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Old 03-08-2018, 06:50 PM   #54
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Toys R Us might start liquadating stores

http://fortune.com/2018/03/08/toys-r...alflow_twitter



Toys “R” Us Inc. is making preparations for a liquidation of its bankrupt U.S. operations after so far failing to find a buyer or reach a debt restructuring deal with lenders, according to people familiar with the matter. While the situation is still fluid, a shutdown of the U.S. division has become increasingly likely in recent days, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Hopes are fading that a buyer will emerge to keep some of the business operating, or that lenders will agree on terms of a debt restructuring, the people said. The toy chain’s U.S. division entered bankruptcy in September, planning to emerge with a leaner business model and more manageable debt. A new $3.1 billion loan was obtained to keep the stores open during the turnaround effort, but results worsened more than expected during the holidays, casting doubt on the chain’s viability. The situation has also deteriorated for many of the retailer’s overseas divisions, which weren’t part of the bankruptcy. Toys “R” Us’s U.K. unit put itself in the hands of a court administrator after discussions about selling the business fell apart. Its European arm is seeking takeover bids. And talks are being held to offload the growing Asian business, the company’s most profitable arm. It’s not yet clear what will happen to the Canadian unit, which filed at the same time as the U.S. division. A representative for Wayne, New Jersey-based Toys “R” Us declined to comment. Read more about America’s retail apocalypse The news sent shares of the biggest toymakers tumbling in late trading. Mattel Inc. fell as much as 6.1 percent, while Hasbro Inc. declined 3 percent. The downfall of Toys “R” Us can be traced back to a $7.5 billion leveraged buyout in 2005, when Bain Capital, KKR & Co. and Vornado Realty Trust loaded the company with debt. For years, the retailer was able to refinance its debt and delay a reckoning. But the emergence of online competitors, like Amazon.com Inc., weighed on results. The company’s massive interest payments also sucked up resources that could have gone toward technology and improving operations. Facing broader concerns about the brick-and-mortar industry, the company was finally pushed to hire debt-restructuring advisers last year. Its worsening situation, along with reports that it was considering bankruptcy, spooked vendors — with about 40 percent of them ceasing shipments and forcing the company to seek court protection. That quick descent meant the retailer entered bankruptcy without a plan for how to restructure its debt, which made finding a way to exit more difficult.
Risk Taker

The liquidation will be a big blow for the toy industry, as the chain makes up about 15 percent of U.S. toy revenue. Moreover, the retailer was willing to take chances on new products and small companies. Bigger competitors like Walmart Inc. and Target Corp. would typically take a more cautious approach. The company entered this year with more than 800 stores in the U.S. — under both the Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us brands. In January, it announced the shuttering of 180 locations. It’s not unusual for bankrupt retailers to ultimately liquidate, but Toys “R” Us took an optimistic stance when it filed for bankruptcy in September. It initially pledged not to close stores, and its earnings had shown improvement by some measures. Toys “R” Us generated $11.5 billion in sales in 2016. And though the company hadn’t reported an annual profit since its 2013 fiscal year because of interest payments, its operating income had risen 22 percent, to $460 million. The company was founded in 1948 when Charles Lazarus opened Children’s Bargain Town, a baby-furniture store. Over the decades, it grew into the largest U.S. toy chain. In the early 1990s, sales were increasing at a 10 percent annual clip. In more recent years, sluggish traffic and the shift online took their toll. In the 12 months through September, Toys “R” Us sales declined 5 percent.
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Old 03-09-2018, 03:22 PM   #55
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It’s kind of sad that moving forward there is a good chance I won’t be able to say to my kids “hey, you guys want to go to the toy store” because they will no longer exist!
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Old 03-09-2018, 04:42 PM   #56
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Pretty sad, for nostalgia reasons, but I wondered if it was coming when they filed for bankruptcy.
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Old 03-09-2018, 06:13 PM   #57
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I made a mistake and thought one near me was closing. It turns out that it's actually the Babies R Us that's further down the street from that store. Now it might not matter since they might be closing all of the stores.
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Old 03-09-2018, 08:16 PM   #58
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Well, it sucks if true...

But heck, it might be a good time to stock up on stuff. I wouldn't mind buying up some deeply discounted Legos and Mega Bloks. We'll have to see...
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Old 03-09-2018, 09:11 PM   #59
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When I couldn't find my Turtles at my Walmart or Target, it was Toys R Us that came through for me... Now it's really screwed and I guess it's for the best that the first Nick series ended and the next might not be appealing to buy much from. But given another better series someday... Just makes it harder to find them as I don't have much other options around here and I don't want to pay twice as much online.

Poor Toys R Us. Would never have imagined we'd live in a time where a toy store just can't survive. Esp when it has no real competition from other actual toy stores, just half-assed toy aisles and the internet... Incredibly sad. (Who plays with toys anymore it's all about playing with your phone...) I guess that ship may go down right alongside Sears (who I work for).
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Old 03-09-2018, 09:12 PM   #60
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Toys R Us in Canada is a disaster. It's no longer the Shangrila it used to be.
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