Since the news broke on Toys R Us closing its doors, I’ve been receiving emails from Toys R Us and Babies R Us stating that they’re going out of business and why I should take advantage of their deals.
I’ve opened several of these emails to see what these deals were and whether it would be worth driving to the East side of our town.Sadly, they’re not deals at all.
Although a number of bloggers are heading to their local Toys R Us and doing photo shoots of their children in the store, I will be the first to say that I won’t be missing the retailer.
Yes, I have fond memories from my childhood of heading down the aisles to purchase toys with my parents. It wasn’t until I became a parent that I realized how much Toys R Us — and Babies R Us included — could’ve done more to win me over.
Toys, Clothes, Gadgets…And?
My kids love toys. They love playing with them and even have a playroom dedicated to all the wonderful toys they’re collected throughout the years. They also watch other kids on YouTube, but will ask for the toys as well and get excited when they see the same toys inside the stores we frequent.
Our four-year-old son asks to go to Toys R Us at least once a week to “check out the toys”. We often head over to the toy aisles at stores we frequent to help keep the boys entertained while we “check out my things,” also known as, get things for our home. It’s nice to be able to have a balance when you enter a store. You can grab what you need and check out things you want in the near future.
3 Things Toys R Us Should’ve Done For Consumers
At Toys R Us, the aisles are limited. My eyes are drawn to everything all at once. As a child, that’s exciting because you want to grab every shiny, new toy. As an adult, you almost want to reposition the aisles so they allow for more space and chop the shelves in half. Or maybe that’s just me.
Toys are great for the imagination, but so are books. Reading time is essential, and a lot of families are looking for activities to do with their children on their days off. Retailers like Barnes and Noble and The Home Depot have weekends throughout the month dedicated to parents and their children where they can enjoy activities that help strengthen their bond.
2. Bring back memories.
It’s nice to see how many families are looking back on their trips to Toys R Us as a child and/or with their children, but I think it’s a little late to have these emotions right now as the store prepares to close its doors.A lot of the stores that are owning it in the retail industry are the ones with a personalized shopping experience. You know that nostalgic feeling of walking into a toy store and remembering what it was like to play with a certain character after seeing it on the shelves? That’s something Toys R Us could’ve offered. A designated area for retro toys that made you think of what it was like to have that toy at home. (Plus side, it might’ve triggered parents to want to purchase one for their kids as well).
Whenever I enter Toys R Us, I feel bombarded with toys. Although they have designated sections for different characters and age groups, it doesn’t feel as though you can easily distinguish one section from the next. It feels like I’m at a wholesale club and whatever is above is just storage.When I think of a toy store, I think of having fun. Whether you’re walking in for a present or just looking for a toy for your little one, it’s important to feel comfortable at the store — after all, that’s what will lead you to make a purchase there.Had Toys R Us made shopping at its stores more of an adventure — add a treasure hunt or lead customers throughout the store with arrows/images — it would’ve made a difference and might’ve given them more foot traffic.
Were you a Toys R Us kid like I was growing up?
18 responses to “#FarewellToysRUs: 3 Things You Could’ve Done Better”
So sad toys r us is gone, just a sign of the times. I sign of the online shopping taking over!
It’s sad that my favorite store is closing soon 🙁 I grew up in the 90s so this was definitely a big part of my childhood. You did raise very good points!
excellent suggestions and essential to strengthen the bond !!!!!! very well-written 🙂 thank you for sharing the tips 🙂
It is such a shock that Toys R Us is out of business. Businesses have to change with the times.
LOVE this blog post!!! This was very informative and interesting and extremely well written! Can’t wait to hear more from you!
It is indeed sad that toysrus is gone. But thanks for the tips:)
We had this chain in Europe a couple of years ago, but here it was not such a success. I guess that stores, too, have to constantly improve their marketing – especially in times like these when everything is accessible at any time from the internet. Just having stuff in store and waiting for customers doesn’t do anymore.
It’s so sad my son was talking about the store he went last time which was toys r us, I hadn’t thought about it in a while and now I have to try and explain why we won’t be going there again.
I’m almost positive that I’ve only been to Toys R Us once ever. I didn’t even know they were closing!
Excellent viewpoint. I love where you are coming from with this. Honestly, ToysRUs always gave me a headache!!