Toys R Us is Closing

[LadyKay]

24 minutes ago, Still Alive said:

The weak ones are the ones that will go down first. 

I don't think it's amazon, per-se. Rather, it's online purchasing. As people get more and more comfortable with it, and shipping gets faster, and getting to the brick and mortar gets to be more and more of an ordeal, it will hit the most vulnerable ones first and the dominoes will fall. I think its already happening. Shopping malls are getting killed, Guitar Center is struggling, etc.

 

Barbers and hair stylists are probably pretty safe, though.

The stores can come here. Cause there is nothing where I am living. Nearly everyone has to drive 30 miles out of town for anything. Or order online. 

[Still Alive]

5 minutes ago, LadyKay said:

The stores can come here. Cause there is nothing where I am living. Nearly everyone has to drive 30 miles out of town for anything. Or order online. 

Similar where I live. It's on reason I love it. I used to live in Seattle and this would be hard if we were in the days of the Sears catalog.

[ayin jade]

5 minutes ago, Davida said:

I'm really appalled that is what you got from my post. Your defensiveness has nothing to do with me Jade.

Im not defensive about me. I barely shop online for anything. 

But your comment was pretty harsh and judgmental of folks who shop online. 

[wingnut-]

Interesting the different viewpoints on this.  In reality, all that is happening is we are reverting back to how things were once done by many.  Sears began with a catalog that was very popular in rural areas, mostly a big hit with farmers.  All the internet has done is eliminate the need for the paper for the catalog and put the items on display through a screen.

Times change based on technology.  Was it lazy to go from riding horses to automobiles?  It certainly took a lot more effort to saddle a horse, feed it, and then ride it to your destination than hopping in a car that occasionally requires fueling.  For many, online shopping is a necessity, for many, it is merely a convenience.  Are there negative repercussions?  Sure, it allows businesses to eliminate jobs, but they look for ways to do that anyway.

[LadyKay]

19 minutes ago, Davida said:

Yes Jade I was specifically thinking of you.  Wow!!!

Ohhh. You mean you weren't thinking of me this time? I'm sad. 

[LadyKay]

19 minutes ago, wingnut- said:

Interesting the different viewpoints on this.  In reality, all that is happening is we are reverting back to how things were once done by many.  Sears began with a catalog that was very popular in rural areas, mostly a big hit with farmers.  All the internet has done is eliminate the need for the paper for the catalog and put the items on display through a screen.

Times change based on technology.  Was it lazy to go from riding horses to automobiles?  It certainly took a lot more effort to saddle a horse, feed it, and then ride it to your destination than hopping in a car that occasionally requires fueling.  For many, online shopping is a necessity, for many, it is merely a convenience.  Are there negative repercussions?  Sure, it allows businesses to eliminate jobs, but they look for ways to do that anyway.

Finely a voice of reason. 

[wingnut-]

5 minutes ago, Davida said:

Yes that is how technology develops, from one to another , but yours is still only a myopic view. The god of this world is moving things in a direction, read any Bible prophecies lately?  Lol....never mind.

 

Actually it's a historical view, mingled with experience in the industry.  It has not quite been a year since I parted ways with Sears, but long before I saw the trend forming.  When the internet became a hit, it was clear they began designing their goals around an online market.  The workforce was reduced to a paltry number, so that those customers who came into the store could not find anyone to help them.  It's sad when someone has to spend more time searching for an employee than the item they came to buy.

Then slowly, over time, we stopped carrying items we had always carried.  Our instructions were to take the customer to the computer and do an online order.   Now, which do you think is safer, using a public computer to put your credit card info on, or your home computer?  If one cannot get what they need from a store, why would you go there?  This is all designed to feed the greed at the top, by allowing them to eliminate employees.  The fact is, people are being forced to shop online to a large degree, when stores no longer stock the items.

The younger generation is fine with buying things they have never seen, but the older generations are still largely composed of people who want to examine something before buying it.  As far as toys r us goes, is it any surprise they would go out of business?  We are talking about a retail store that only has a few months out of the year to sustain itself annually.  This is not a successful business model, it's amazing to me that they lasted as long as they did and points more towards a generation that spoiled their children with excess.

[bornagain2011]

41 minutes ago, BrutalHeart said:

Too much online shopping, yes, but people also forget that people give their kids phones, too. I find it very worrisome when the parents are off talking while their 4 year old is waddling around with a tablet. What's the point in a Transformers toy when you can pick up a Transformers videogame? Not to mention, with less people buying them, the prices of toys have increased.

It's a shame, though. I liked Toys R Us as a kid. That's where I bought most of my matchbox cars at. They had a weird selection, unlike Walmart... My favorite one was a car made to look like a toilet. I loved my Bionicle and Beyblade stuff as well.

I have a car shaped like a toilet. On the underside it says 1997 hotwheels hotseat . my 3 year old loves it! 

[Still Alive]

1 hour ago, Davida said:

It is sad.  Many independent stores have gone because they cannot compete with the mega stores that can buy huge warehouses of merchandize and now also the internet.

Actually, I think the internet is now killing the mega-stores in the same way.

My wife and I have been members of costco since 1988 and quite huge fans of the store. I realized one day about three months ago that I'm having a paradigm shift regarding them. Their choices are incredibly limited compared to what I can find on Amazon. I'm finding that, though we have a sort of embedded loyalty, when we snap out of autopilot mode, we end up shopping online instead. 

[wingnut-]

7 minutes ago, Davida said:

Eventually there won't be a competitive market.

 

I agree, that is what is really happening here.  Stores like wal-mart for example.  You can get a canned good at wal-mart for 59 cents, whereas your local grocery chain sells it for $2.99.  Once wal-mart puts all of the competition out of business, they will charge you $5 for that same can.  We have already seen this play out with the wave of Lowe's and Home Depot that wiped out all of the mom and pops hardware stores.