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Post by The Dashing Nightmare on Jul 28, 2021 8:20:51 GMT -5
Hi guys,
Back in March I read a number of articles saying that Toys R us was going to reopen brick and mortar stores in the US by the end of the year. Personally, one of the things I miss most about my WWE collecting habit, is my daily trip to TRU to see if anything new had surfaced. I always felt that, unlike Walmart or Target, that Toys R us always had SOMETHING. I am hoping hard this return comes to fruition. Has anyone else heard anything, perhaps more recently about this? Also, what is your foundest Mattel WWE memory from the hallowed ground of TRU?
Thanks!!!
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Post by Deep Figure Value on Jul 28, 2021 8:42:14 GMT -5
It's not going to be the same. TRU, as we once knew it, is dead, and is never coming back. Even with a potential revival, it's going to be conceptual...they're going to be looking at new and innovative retail formats to attempt to capitalize on the constant shift in consumer habits. I miss it too, and it hit me particularly hard as they shut down just as my son was beginning to share a vested interest in our weekly trips to the toy store.
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zachg
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Post by zachg on Jul 28, 2021 9:30:43 GMT -5
My fondest memory was when I first got into the figures when I was about 7 I got a John cena and the rock with a wrestlemania ring at my birthday . The next day or so I went to tru and it was a buy 1 get 1 free and got a basic kofi and sheamus.
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Post by coldblooded on Jul 28, 2021 9:35:58 GMT -5
You know how there's always a spirit store during Halloween, but not during rest of year? Well this is going to be just as similar but durring the Christmas holiday months.
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Post by Deep Figure Value on Jul 28, 2021 9:47:09 GMT -5
You know how there's always a spirit store during Halloween, but not during rest of year? Well this is going to be just as similar but durring the Christmas holiday months. Yep. Pop-up stores in plazas with vacancies, malls that can keep up the foot traffic, and outlet centers. |
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wrestlingfan0815
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Post by wrestlingfan0815 on Jul 28, 2021 9:54:33 GMT -5
I unfortunately see this being like the toysrus express stores were they show up around October/November and then end up closing after Christmas, being in the dc group on Facebook and seeing how stocked their shelves are where they still have them makes me miss them more and more
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Post by LA Times on Jul 28, 2021 9:55:57 GMT -5
My fondest memory of toys r us is going to a john cena autograph signing at the times Square store before WM28. Most of the complaints toy collectors have about the state of the hobby can be traced back to toys r us shutting down. There was nothing wrong with their business model but in this age of corporate greed and corrupt capitalism, it doesn't stand a chance of coming back.
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jmplacz
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Joined on: Jun 17, 2020 17:02:33 GMT -5
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Post by jmplacz on Jul 28, 2021 9:59:58 GMT -5
You know how there's always a spirit store during Halloween, but not during rest of year? Well this is going to be just as similar but durring the Christmas holiday months. Yep. Pop-up stores in plazas with vacancies, malls that can keep up the foot traffic, and outlet centers. They put a Spirit store in an old mattress store here next to the old Toys R Us last Halloween, but didn't cover the old signs. It just looked like we had a new spooky mattress store in town. |
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Post by Deep Figure Value on Jul 28, 2021 10:23:29 GMT -5
Yep. Pop-up stores in plazas with vacancies, malls that can keep up the foot traffic, and outlet centers. They put a Spirit store in an old mattress store here next to the old Toys R Us last Halloween, but didn't cover the old signs. It just looked like we had a new spooky mattress store in town. Our Toys R Us was used as the shell for a Spirit store for the first couple of years following the closure. Spirit only ever comes in with collapsible fixtures, and certainly isn't going to waste time rehabbing a store, so the floor tiles and wall decor was still all TRU. |
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ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕕 𝕋𝕠 𝕂𝕚𝕝𝕝
Main Eventer
ask me about how Verizon owes me over $4,000
Joined on: Nov 4, 2016 15:44:22 GMT -5
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Post by ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕕 𝕋𝕠 𝕂𝕚𝕝𝕝 on Jul 28, 2021 10:27:30 GMT -5
It's not going to be the same. TRU, as we once knew it, is dead, and is never coming back. Even with a potential revival, it's going to be conceptual...they're going to be looking at new and innovative retail formats to attempt to capitalize on the constant shift in consumer habits. I miss it too, and it hit me particularly hard as they shut down just as my son was beginning to share a vested interest in our weekly trips to the toy store. Agreed. At most, I could only see some stores in really popular shopping centers and malls in big cities. Stores similar to the Toys R Us Express stores that some malls had at the end of the company. And I can only imagine it won't even focus on toys very heavily. It'll have to get into other markets and be heavy into other consumer products. I don't know what those products would be, either. It seems like anything a TRU would offer are things that most people primarily buy online. I know WE ALL loved Toys R Us, but I can't imagine a successful revival. |
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Ohtimate Wahriah
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Post by Ohtimate Wahriah on Jul 28, 2021 12:35:57 GMT -5
Hi guys, Back in March I read a number of articles saying that Toys R us was going to reopen brick and mortar stores in the US by the end of the year. Personally, one of the things I miss most about my WWE collecting habit, is my daily trip to TRU to see if anything new had surfaced. I always felt that, unlike Walmart or Target, that Toys R us always had SOMETHING. I am hoping hard this return comes to fruition. Has anyone else heard anything, perhaps more recently about this? Also, what is your foundest Mattel WWE memory from the hallowed ground of TRU? Thanks!!! I have read Toys R Us is coming back so many times that I just tune it out at this point. This is literally the 3rd time they have said they are returning, and I’m sure they will eventually but it’s just like, returning as in being a display in KROGERS again!? Like that was any reason to get excited haha I don’t understand how toy companies don’t see the need in investing in a Toys R Us, there is a gaping hole in the market for a toy store and it benefits all parties to have one. I’m still puzzled as to how the toy companies allowed them to go out of business in the first place, personally, if I owned a toy company, I would’ve helped bail them out. I think they will be back some day, the more things move online the more the marketplace for retail will become beneficial again. Like, hey if we put a Toys R Us in your neighborhood, it might resonate the same way it did at its inception. It’s a luxury that you can go to locally rather than dealing with shipping times and sellouts etc. it’s an advantage to check your local store because the guy 3 states over can buy up all the inventory on Ringside, but he won’t travel 3 states over to check Toys R Us on his was home from work. It’ll all come back around. Everything does |
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Post by plastictaxicab on Jul 28, 2021 12:43:21 GMT -5
From this page: What is different between the new Toys "R"Us® and the old Toys"R"Us® stores?
The new Toys"R"Us® stores will serve as must-visit destinations for kids to learn, play, and fall in love with the latest and most popular toys, and for parents to have fun with their children and ignite their own childlike sense of play. The stores will be highly interactive with new events and activities every day, from seeing toys displayed out of the box to test before making a purchase, to visiting different brand stations to driving learning through play embracing STEAM, or just having fun with Geoffrey® the Giraffe in the open playspace. How can I be notified when Toys"R"Us® comes to my city or when new products are featured at the store?
Follow Toys"R"Us® on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates and announcements on when we will be launching in a city near you. Check back at toysrus.com for store and product news. |
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Ohtimate Wahriah
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Post by Ohtimate Wahriah on Jul 28, 2021 12:46:23 GMT -5
From this page: What is different between the new Toys "R"Us® and the old Toys"R"Us® stores?
The new Toys"R"Us® stores will serve as must-visit destinations for kids to learn, play, and fall in love with the latest and most popular toys, and for parents to have fun with their children and ignite their own childlike sense of play. The stores will be highly interactive with new events and activities every day, from seeing toys displayed out of the box to test before making a purchase, to visiting different brand stations to driving learning through play embracing STEAM, or just having fun with Geoffrey® the Giraffe in the open playspace. How can I be notified when Toys"R"Us® comes to my city or when new products are featured at the store?
Follow Toys"R"Us® on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates and announcements on when we will be launching in a city near you. Check back at toysrus.com for store and product news. I think that was their pre COVID plan. I was a manager there when they closed and that was the direction they wanted to go before they went out of business. The 2 stores they had reopened had this model and I think both are closed again lol. |
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Post by plastictaxicab on Jul 28, 2021 13:01:52 GMT -5
From this page: What is different between the new Toys "R"Us® and the old Toys"R"Us® stores?
The new Toys"R"Us® stores will serve as must-visit destinations for kids to learn, play, and fall in love with the latest and most popular toys, and for parents to have fun with their children and ignite their own childlike sense of play. The stores will be highly interactive with new events and activities every day, from seeing toys displayed out of the box to test before making a purchase, to visiting different brand stations to driving learning through play embracing STEAM, or just having fun with Geoffrey® the Giraffe in the open playspace. How can I be notified when Toys"R"Us® comes to my city or when new products are featured at the store?
Follow Toys"R"Us® on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates and announcements on when we will be launching in a city near you. Check back at toysrus.com for store and product news. I think that was their pre COVID plan. I was a manager there when they closed and that was the direction they wanted to go before they went out of business. The 2 stores they had reopened had this model and I think both are closed again lol. Oh darn, that's such a bummer haha. One of their other FAQs mentions how they are a completely different entity than the previous TRU, so maybe there is hope for something in the future? We'll see I guess. |
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Post by dollarbill04 on Jul 28, 2021 13:10:12 GMT -5
I miss TRU. Whatever they will do upon coming back will not be the same, and I know that. The one closest to me was re-purposed into a PGA Superstore.
First figure from TRU: E23 Macho Man
Last figure from TRU: NS AJ Styles
Last purchase ever from TRU: Adult replica WWE Championship
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Post by ChuckPOORis55 Cody Gang 4 Lyfe on Jul 28, 2021 13:32:00 GMT -5
Hi guys, Back in March I read a number of articles saying that Toys R us was going to reopen brick and mortar stores in the US by the end of the year. Personally, one of the things I miss most about my WWE collecting habit, is my daily trip to TRU to see if anything new had surfaced. I always felt that, unlike Walmart or Target, that Toys R us always had SOMETHING. I am hoping hard this return comes to fruition. Has anyone else heard anything, perhaps more recently about this? Also, what is your foundest Mattel WWE memory from the hallowed ground of TRU? Thanks!!! I don’t understand how toy companies don’t see the need in investing in a Toys R Us, there is a gaping hole in the market for a toy store and it benefits all parties to have one. I’m still puzzled as to how the toy companies allowed them to go out of business in the first place, personally, if I owned a toy company, I would’ve helped bail them out. they were beyond saving the moment they were purchased for the last time. People don't understand that TRU didn't go out of business because of Amazon or poor sales. Its more complicated than how I'm about to put it but essentially it was purchased by a company with a mountain of debt so it would eventually go bankrupt and the parent company would get away as they had already made their money and didn't need it anymore. |
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Post by ChuckPOORis55 Cody Gang 4 Lyfe on Jul 28, 2021 13:35:11 GMT -5
I miss TRU. Whatever they will do upon coming back will not be the same, and I know that. The one closest to me was re-purposed into a PGA Superstore. First figure from TRU: E23 Macho Man Last figure from TRU: NS AJ Styles Last purchase ever from TRU: Adult replica WWE Championship my final purchase at my local TRU was a NS AJ too! Weirdly enough my final visit tona TRU ended up being across the country during vacation which feels weird. |
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Ohtimate Wahriah
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Post by Ohtimate Wahriah on Jul 28, 2021 14:02:21 GMT -5
I don’t understand how toy companies don’t see the need in investing in a Toys R Us, there is a gaping hole in the market for a toy store and it benefits all parties to have one. I’m still puzzled as to how the toy companies allowed them to go out of business in the first place, personally, if I owned a toy company, I would’ve helped bail them out. they were beyond saving the moment they were purchased for the last time. People don't understand that TRU didn't go out of business because of Amazon or poor sales. Its more complicated than how I'm about to put it but essentially it was purchased by a company with a mountain of debt so it would eventually go bankrupt and the parent company would get away as they had already made their money and didn't need it anymore. You're 100% right about that. I know first hand, until the moment they announced their bankruptcy, they were making a profit as far as TRU business went. The only reason they weren't was because Bane Capitol loaded them up with all their debt.TRU as a brand and a store was doing just fine Once they declared bankruptcy, it was as if the public flipped a switch and people stopped showing up. I'm saying even following the bankruptcy, why hasn't anybody bought the IP or just created a toy store? |
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Post by JC Motors on Jul 28, 2021 17:04:59 GMT -5
My Final TRU Purchase was a Once Upon A Time Emma Swan figure
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banditman
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Post by banditman on Jul 28, 2021 17:13:44 GMT -5
I remember right around the time everyone was looking for the toys r us exclusive Christian, I saw bushwhackers, rick Martel, volkoff/sheik, and piper/Orton in the clearance bin. Never felt so much regret
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I dont know good luck 
