doctorwhofan
Mid-Carder
Mattel WWE Superstar Action Figure Collector
Joined on: Dec 3, 2018 2:07:18 GMT -5
Posts: 268
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Post by doctorwhofan on Apr 29, 2019 0:52:45 GMT -5
What I think Toys "R" Us is hoping to do is try to revive itself but this time be featured in malls around the country. As they tried to do during the holidays in 2010 with the Toys "R" Express chain of holiday toy stores that were gonna be successful but failed when they realized that Toys "R" Us couldn't work in a holiday toy store format. But I think as I mentioned if Toys "R" Us had opened more stores in shopping centers in small cities instead of focusing on big cities they would still be successful today. Take for example in California besides Los Angeles and the Southern California cities Toys "R" Us had opened more stores there while in the Bay Area San Jose and the other cities Toys "R" Us was opening up stores there. But in the Monterey Bay Area I was surprised to see that Santa Cruz had a Toys "R" Us other than Salinas but I never understood why TRU was never opened in Monterey or planned to open a store in Marina because it would've been a huge hit. But just like Woolworth's and Montgomery Ward and Children's Palace a store can try to come back but it won't be the same Doctorwhofan
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Post by BØRNS on Apr 29, 2019 1:16:06 GMT -5
What makes them think things will be different this time? Like seriously? They had the highest prices and big open stores (i.e. high overhead). Bad combination.
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Post by DZ: WF Legacy on Apr 29, 2019 3:01:28 GMT -5
Whatever they have to do to stop the wave of depression I feel when driving by the old closed one, I'm all for it.
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catsoftheworld
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Joined on: Apr 1, 2016 23:39:31 GMT -5
Posts: 82
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Post by catsoftheworld on Apr 29, 2019 6:36:25 GMT -5
Whatever they have to do to stop the wave of depression I feel when driving by the old closed one, I'm all for it. Yeah I'm with you. All the ones I pass by in Pittsburgh seem to have struck a deal to allow near by car dealerships to park over stock there. So it almost looks open, but all the cars are to the side and back.
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Deleted
Joined on: Apr 19, 2024 23:53:21 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2019 6:44:05 GMT -5
Whatever they have to do to stop the wave of depression I feel when driving by the old closed one, I'm all for it. They're turning my old one into a Big Lots. Which is stupid because one of their DCs is located in the same town.
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nate315
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Joined on: Feb 25, 2016 12:26:09 GMT -5
Posts: 395
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Post by nate315 on Apr 29, 2019 11:01:16 GMT -5
Ugh - they’re turning ours into a Planet Fitness!
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popyduggan
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jun 24, 2010 5:31:32 GMT -5
Posts: 4,601
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Post by popyduggan on Apr 29, 2019 13:08:50 GMT -5
Whatever they have to do to stop the wave of depression I feel when driving by the old closed one, I'm all for it. I don't even go to that side of town anymore, I used to go to the Targets twice a week, now it's about twice a year. Not having a toy fortress is pretty boring, even if it's not good for my budget and I don't find exactly what I want most of the time.
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hbkowns
Main Eventer
Joined on: Aug 15, 2011 23:33:52 GMT -5
Posts: 4,248
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Post by hbkowns on Apr 29, 2019 15:25:19 GMT -5
It’s disappointing because TRU had the most inventory of WWE figs and I think I found the majority of my figures there, on top of the amazing exclusives they carried. I feel like Target’s wwe section gets smaller and smaller every year. Walmart gets new stuff like every 3-4 months. TRU was amazing because every time I walked in there I left with something more times than not.
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doctorwhofan
Mid-Carder
Mattel WWE Superstar Action Figure Collector
Joined on: Dec 3, 2018 2:07:18 GMT -5
Posts: 268
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Post by doctorwhofan on Apr 29, 2019 23:50:21 GMT -5
The other problem I think caused TRU to go broke was there was no other toy store chains to compete with them besides Kay-Bee Toys and I think all the other competing retailers couldn't keep up with them in toy sales. Take for instance when I would shop in San Jose the malls would have independent toy stores that sold dollar store type toys and other toys but in time they would close. But in Salinas in Northridge Mall the original building that housed Toys "R" Us still has the sign but remains empty but when Best Buy was built in Salinas and opened Toys "R" Us lost customers because the Best Buy shoppers would park in the TRU parking lot when the Best Buy parking lot would be full. But if there was another toy store chain to be developed and started toy supermarkets would make a huge comeback. Because that's what essentially what TRU was a toy supermarket where you could find toys such as WWE figure sets at great prices. But I think with stores such as Ollies and Big Lots getting all their leftover stock from their going out of business sales they were in it for the money. But did you know that the Mattel WWE Superstars fashion dolls were originally meant to be sold exclusively at TRU but when TRU went broke the whole WWE Superstars girls toyline was sold at stores like Target and Kmart and I think when TRU went broke it hurt Mattel because they made money from selling their exclusive WWE figures and TRU was the king of exclusive WWE figures. But as they often say the third time's the charm Doctorwhofan
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Post by poindizzle on Apr 30, 2019 23:13:22 GMT -5
They are turning mine into a Burlington Coat Factory which might be the most dreadfully boring thing I have ever heard. They have been stripping that store until I no longer recognize it and it feels bad every time I see it.
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Deleted
Joined on: Apr 19, 2024 23:53:21 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2019 23:28:02 GMT -5
Reading this thread is very strange from a Canadian. I pay the same at TRU as anywhere else, for figs or lego sets. It and Walmart are the only places to get figs in my city. Our markets and options are very different. The success of TRU in Canada/failure in the states, the success of Blockbuster in Canada and failure in the states (Ours were alive and well, but closed because yours did and I still miss it), and the massive, massive failure of Target in Canada. I'm not sure if it's cultural, brand recognition, dumb luck, or some other factor like real estate.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2019 2:14:30 GMT -5
I feel sorry for the companies they still owe millions if not billions of dollars to, as much as i hated seeing that part of my childhood going, they almost ruined other companies along the way
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doctorwhofan
Mid-Carder
Mattel WWE Superstar Action Figure Collector
Joined on: Dec 3, 2018 2:07:18 GMT -5
Posts: 268
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Post by doctorwhofan on May 15, 2019 0:57:30 GMT -5
When I went to the Northridge Mall in Salinas I drove through the parking lot to get to Macy's and I passed by the building that used to house TRU and it is now deserted and the the Toys "R" Us sign is now removed and heaven knows what store will be put in the old TRU building because my mall takes a long time to have a grand opening of a store. Take for instance Northridge Mall keeps saying that Hobby Lobby was gonna open in Salinas since October 2018 but it's now May 2019 and Hobby Lobby still hasn't opened yet and the Hobby Lobby building has a Hobby Lobby banner and the building is just sitting there deserted. Why I also think TRU closed and this might've played a factor for it's demise is that the malls and shopping centers that housed the TRU's wanted to raise the rents on the buildings and since they had to share with the other various stores in the malls and shopping centers TRU wanted a piece of the action. Take for example in Santa Cruz when Santa Cruz decided to open a shopping center on the next road over from Capitola Mall their biggest anchor store in the shopping center was Toys "R" Us while the second store that was in that shopping center was originally Circuit City and now Marshall's is in that spot and when that TRU first opened it gained a lot of visitors but then they closed it for remodeling and put Babies "R" Us in with TRU it was an idea that failed and you would think it would've been a smart idea that TRU would've combined their other stores together and it would've made millions. But as FAO Schwarz tried to do in the 90's with opening shops in malls TRU should learn that opening shops in malls are not the way to go. But with the rise of comic book shops and action figure shops and video game shops such as Gamestop WWE fans will have a lot of other places to continue their searches for WWE figures around the world Doctorwhofan
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BaLoR RoLLiNS
Main Eventer
Joined on: May 18, 2006 1:05:47 GMT -5
Posts: 1,561
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Post by BaLoR RoLLiNS on May 15, 2019 1:08:50 GMT -5
Just saying, my local toys r us took down there store front letters today. It's very odd to see
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Biff Slamkovich™
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WF 10+ Year Member
Joined on: Nov 21, 2009 22:53:58 GMT -5
Posts: 3,589
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Post by Biff Slamkovich™ on May 15, 2019 1:56:23 GMT -5
Reading this thread is very strange from a Canadian. I pay the same at TRU as anywhere else, for figs or lego sets. It and Walmart are the only places to get figs in my city. Our markets and options are very different. The success of TRU in Canada/failure in the states, the success of Blockbuster in Canada and failure in the states (Ours were alive and well, but closed because yours did and I still miss it), and the massive, massive failure of Target in Canada. I'm not sure if it's cultural, brand recognition, dumb luck, or some other factor like real estate. Yeah we're pretty fortunate like that. I can't imagine a world without TRU. Without TRU, I would have never bought my first ever BCA figure that kickstarted my love for wrestling figures.
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Post by LA Times on Jun 4, 2019 19:59:37 GMT -5
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drnickriviera995
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jul 25, 2010 23:58:50 GMT -5
Posts: 2,030
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Post by drnickriviera995 on Jun 5, 2019 0:37:10 GMT -5
Hopefully going to make a summer vacation to Canada next year, and will need to get to a TRU while up there.
Really hope full size stores do come back someday, but it seems very unlikely sadly. Hope they keep around in Canada though.
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doctorwhofan
Mid-Carder
Mattel WWE Superstar Action Figure Collector
Joined on: Dec 3, 2018 2:07:18 GMT -5
Posts: 268
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Post by doctorwhofan on Jun 5, 2019 2:16:16 GMT -5
Another factor that might've caused Toys "R" Us's demise was I think they created too many spin-off chain stores like Kids "R" Us Babies "R" Us Geoffrey which basically was TRU with a different name and the "R" Superstore which was an outlet store of TRU but never achieved success in California but had they not focused on TRU the other stores in the "R" Us series needed more attention and that's why the clothing store Kids "R" Us went broke. But when TRU announced the opening of their giant Times Square store in 2001 in New York they caused FAO Schwarz to close and FAO Schwarz was an iconic toy store of New York and when TRU moved to Times Square it gave New York a lot of business. Just like Marriott Hotels with their spin-off lines of hotels like Residence Inns Courtyards TownePlace Suites Fairfield Inns and Springhill Suites Toys "R" Us was like the Marriott of toy stores and I have a feeling that TRU Kids "The company that now owns the TRU name" will revive TRU but rename it Toyworld or Toy King and be successful once again in retail Doctorwhofan
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Post by Vamp55 on Jun 5, 2019 4:27:15 GMT -5
Cool, hopefully they stock some WWE. TRU here in australia was average at best when it came to WWE.
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Post by RuthlessFigs on Jun 6, 2019 9:40:49 GMT -5
Cool, hopefully they stock some WWE. TRU here in australia was average at best when it came to WWE. I remember a TRU in Sydney was packed in mid 2009 when WWE came to Australia, it was like heaven for me at the time, they had Deluxe Sets, RA, CS, CS 2-packs, the old school WrestleMania authentic scale ring among other things. Some of it was older stuff, but still a pretty good selection all around. Maybe i was just too used to my towns selection and thought this was a gold mine. From memory, i got these - Deluxe 7 Sabu - Hulk & Andre Classics 2-pack - Classic Mania Authentic Scale Ring
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