HN Gopher Feed (2017-09-18) - page 1 of 10 ___________________________________________________________________
Toys 'R' Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing as Soon as Today
116 points by rayuela
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-18/toys-r-us-is-...-r-us-is-said-to-plan-bankruptcy-filing-as-soon-as-today___________________________________________________________________
marcell - 47 minutes ago
Toys 'R' Us might have been a great store when we (I) were kids,
but I went there a few months back--what a wasteland. Barbie, GI
Joe, and movie tie-in action figures as far as the I can see. Good
riddance. People can buy crappy Angry Birds dolls on Amazon just as
well as Toys 'R' Us.I hope this opens up opportunities for superior
brick & mortar toy stores.
[deleted]
nielsbot - 44 minutes ago
Wonder if Amazon will eventually get there? I think they are
opening brick and mortar stores now... They can dominate both
online and in meatspace.
slantedview - 45 minutes ago
Leveraged buyouts take down another victim. As always, it's
shocking that these are legal.
speg - 1 hours ago
Aw man, I've just rediscovered this place with our 9 month old son.
Was looking forward to going there as he grew up. Hopefully they
can work out some sort of restructuring..
magic_beans - 1 hours ago
Most kids are just as happy playing with the wrapping paper as
with the toy inside.That is to say: your son will be just as
happy with something you two might find or make together.
criddell - 1 hours ago
Star Wars action figure? No way. Lets get some paper towel
tubes, markers, and glitter and make our own!
jamiek88 - 25 minutes ago
I know right? Such a mom thing to say.My 10 year old self
rolled his eyes so hard.
yellowapple - 21 minutes ago
I don't know about the figurines themselves, but I did plenty
of this for buildings and vehicles.
javajosh - 1 hours ago
Of all the things in the world, children's toys are THE most
amenable to replacement by makers, tinkerers, and other people who
want to do something in the real world.(Alas, that's not what's
happened. People just buy the cheap plastic crap from Amazon.)
EnFinlay - 1 hours ago
Doesn't Toys 'R' Us sell the same "cheap plastic crap" as Amazon?
bspn - 1 hours ago
Amazon sells a slightly different but much wider range of
"cheap plastic crap" thanks to FBA. There's no shortage of
budding sellers with an Alibaba account who think they have the
next best thing (read: re-labeled, generic Chinese crap) and
flood the market with crazy cheap products making it difficult
for bricks and mortar retailers to compete.A store like Toys
'R' Us may have a slight advantage when it comes to licensed
merchandise, but I think even most of the big sellers long ago
accepted that it's impossible to ignore the Amazon juggernaut
and now also sell on the platform.
summer_steven - 1 hours ago
Cheap plastic toys probably use superior plastic to the PLA
plastic of most maker bots though
kizer - 1 hours ago
Damn. I was just in one like two weeks ago looking for a laser tag
system. The prominent NERF gun display right by the entrance was
glorious. NERF has progressed significantly and has also developed
a new kind of spherical ammo in case you were wondering. I'll have
to buy a few while they're on clearance.
kemiller - 1 hours ago
Can someone explain why it would be loaded up with debt on going
private?
empath75 - 1 hours ago
They borrowed money to buy their shares back.
foota - 1 hours ago
They could have taken out financing to buy back their shares.
function_seven - 1 hours ago
Whoever took it private needed money to buy out the shareholders.
They borrow that money using the business itself as collateral.
They buy the stock and the company is now private, with all that
debt on the books.
Spooky23 - 1 hours ago
To make the private equity people rich. They stiff the suppliers,
employees and other creditors.This is a variant of the 80s era
stuff in the movie Wall St. When WalMart was expanding regional
players like Ames, Jamesway, etc would do this. You could tell
when it was happening because the stores would be stuffed to the
brim with stuff before the bankruptcy.
mbesto - 1 hours ago
Fairly typical large cap PE strategy. Load the company up with
debt then sell it off and let the company figure it out
after.Note - not all PE firms do this (big or small) but it is a
common strategy that does earn them money.
mywittyname - 1 hours ago
How is this not fraud?
mbesto - 1 hours ago
What's fraudulent about it?
the_evacuator - 1 hours ago
I'll give you one thing: the assets of the company are
pledged to the senior bond holders, but then after the
bonds are sold the PE company generally disposes of the
assets, leaving nothing backing the senior debt.The junior
debt, of course, has nothing pledged to back it at all.
Junior debt in leveraged buyouts is pure gambling.
xadhominemx - 1 hours ago
This is in the territory of not even wrong
tlb - 1 hours ago
It's possible there was fraud, if the investors were given
false statements. But most likely, they made an educated bet
and lost.The people who issued the debt (made loans to the
company to buy back its outstanding shares) are sophisticated
investors who saw the balance sheets of the company and
thought they were likely to get paid back. If things had
worked out, they'd have made an above-market interest rate.
They also knew what would happen if things didn't work out
(the present situation is a typical downside for LBO
capital). They didn't lose all their money -- they made
7.375% interest for 15 years. If they get 50% of the capital
back through bankruptcy, that's a total return of 160%. Not
the worst investment over the last 15 years, though obviously
Apple would have been better.
xenadu02 - 10 minutes ago
Bain (and their horrible ilk) put up a tiny amount of capital to
secure huge loans. They used those loans to buy the company,
taking it private. Once it is private they can do whatever they
like with it; they pay themselves back for the loans by loading
the company up with debt (and then some to ensure an immediate
profit). They cut everything to the bone, fire as many people as
possible, then spin the husk back out as a public company (or
offload it to some other sucker).Bain effectively risked nothing
to make a killing and ensure Toys-R-Us would eventually file for
bankruptcy due to an unsustainable debt load. Banks are happy to
loan Bain money for these schemes because Bain makes a killing on
them and private equity almost always finds a sucker dumb enough
to buy the zombie company off them. (Every once in a while the
zombie goes south so fast private equity is left holding the
bag).For loans to the zombie company the terms are punishing
enough the bank only needs the zombie to survive for a limited
amount of time.The part I don't understand yet is who is the dumb
money buying shares in these hollowed-out debt-laden husks from
the private capital vultures? It almost always ends up badly.
Even when it doesn't the upside isn't great.FWIW Guitar Center is
almost certainly headed for the same end and for the same reason.
Crontab - 1 hours ago
I have come to the conclusion that it is very hard for a specialty
businesses to survive in the era of Walmart and Amazon - which does
not bode well long term for places like Barnes & Noble and
Gamestop. I hope I am wrong.
martinald - 1 hours ago
I imagine GameStop does very well out of their trade in business.
Does Amazon do that in the US?
thefalcon - 25 minutes ago
Yeah, and Amazon often offers better prices with instant gift
cards and several days grace period to ship your games to them
on their dime. GameStop is only a good deal a few times a year
during specific sales.
zabuni - 1 hours ago
At least for Gamestop, you're probably not wrong. Amazon Prime
gets you new video games at 20% off MSRP. That's cheaper than
what the distributor sells them for.
hn_user2 - 1 hours ago
I think GameStop makes most of its money buying trade-ins.
Perhaps they are more in the pawn shop business than the video
game business?
mywittyname - 1 hours ago
I still go to B&N because I like to drink coffee and read
magazines. I don't pay for the magazines, but I still spend like
$10 on coffee and such.Gamestop has no hope for a continued
existence with their current business model. Frankly, I'm
surprised they are still around.
Larrikin - 1 hours ago
It's crazy to me that nearly all brick and mortar stores that
sell video games took out their biggest draw, in store game
demos. It was a huge draw as a kid, I'd want to be in the store
even if I didn't expect to get anything, but I always knew what
I wanted next since I had played the demo.Do they not exist
anymore because most kids are satisfied watching others play on
the internet?
nostrebored - 1 hours ago
For large scale specialty businesses that do not have a unique
competitive advantage due to their specificity? Sure! And they
should go.These stores are all middlemen and if it's their sole
function, they should expect to compete on efficiency.However,
there are tons of smaller stores that I still frequent due to
atmosphere, niche goods, or a niche appeal. For example, friendly
local game stores that have excellent customer service or local
grocery stores that actually source their products using local
connections. One provides an atmosphere that keeps it busy every
time that I've been and the other provides goods that I can't
find anywhere else, unless I'm getting a substitute good.Brick
and mortar stores that lack either should expect to go under, and
hopefully be replaced by higher quality stores.
dforrestwilson - 1 hours ago
Take the same building, reduce the space dedicated to toy sales,
open up a series of indoor playgrounds and gymnasiums. Heck maybe
carve out a daycare facility.Maybe some sort of toy lab for kids to
try before they buy.Refocus the concept on being a real place for
kids to grow and I think you'd see customers coming in the door
again.
devmunchies - 1 hours ago
A place to try before you buy on amazon.
icelancer - 43 minutes ago
Charge rent/visiting fees.
dmix - 1 hours ago
As an analogy, I visited a weird Ikea experiment like this in
Toronto at a popup in an old retail store building. But half
the store was some (not very fun) carnival games and some
products on display. The products were available to purchase
but the variety was (severely) limited and somehow felt like an
afterthought. A portion of the retail center was a place to buy
the food that is popular at the suburban retail outlets, but a
little out-of-place in a downtown area with plenty of
alternatives.I feel like this was a failed approach to this
idea.That said, the try-before-you-buy combined for a primarily
eCommerce company with a playground for kids approach makes a
lot of sense to me. But I'm doubtful it transfers well to other
submarkets. Unless they are living (but welcoming) examples of
say a fashion lookbook or home furniture example displays by
interior designers, similar to what Ikea has in half their
maze-like suburban stores.
CodeTheInternet - 1 hours ago
I used to go to Borders constantly, like a hangout. As Amazon
grew, I found myself doing exactly this: going to check out the
latest releases, flip through the pages, pull out my phone and
check Amazon prices. 99% of the time it was cheaper there. Add
the book to a wishlist or my cart, put the book back on the
shelf and leave empty-handed.I felt horrible when Borders went
under, but I do the same at B&N. If brick-n-mortar want to
compete with Amazon, they need to compete with their prices.
However, they also have a lot of additional overhead that makes
it untenable.This trend of resellers is going to occur until
Amazon dominates the market, or we start buying direct from
vendors which doesn't seem likely for many items.
joshvm - 49 minutes ago
This is why many bookshops teamed up with coffee shops. Even
Blackwell's in Oxford has Caff? Nero upstairs. Several indie
bookshops do it too.Nowadays I just go to the Oxfam bookshop
near me. It's cheaper than Amazon marketplace (?2.80
shipping). I'm working through the old Hugo/Nebula winners
and pretty much every week there's a new classic sci-fi I
haven't read. That and cookery, you can pick up lovely books
that would cost upwards of ?20 for ?2.50.I'm also very wary
of buying on Amazon, because it's been flooded with cheap
crap from Aliexpress. The exception are a few brands like
Anker which are reliably OK.
dabockster - 19 minutes ago
> I'm also very wary of buying on Amazon, because it's been
flooded with cheap crap from Aliexpress.Seattle here. Only
transplants buy from Amazon. We've known about this problem
here for years.You'll usually see native Seattlites buy
from B&H, Newegg, or the local shops and use Amazon as a
last resort.
tolien - 1 hours ago
Where it's impossible to compete on price, bookshops (and
other segments of retail) need to compete on features, for
example a number of retailers have seen a huge growth of
people collecting online orders in retail stores [1]. I've
picked up an Apple store order within a few minutes of
ordering it online (obviously it depends on stock).
Considering how much Prime Now costs, there's evidently money
to be had for offering rapid gratification.Unfortunately a
number try to have it both ways with high prices,
uninterested staff (not helped by low wages) and terrible
service. Little wonder Amazon's eating their lunch.1:
http://internetretailing.net/2017/01/evidence-points-
click-c... - "John Lewis has said that 52% of online orders
were picked up via click and collect this Christmas, with use
of the delivery method up by 14.5% compared to last year"
8ytecoder - 1 hours ago
This is not true any more btw. Amazon has lost a number of
advantages after they started increasing the number of
warehouses and placing them close to consumers. The only
advantage they retain is that because their distribution is a
warehouse instead of store, they can stock and restock any
time they want - and not have to pay the additional labor
cost of restocking during after-store hours, and also to keep
the place functional but not necessarily presentable. Don't
forget that shipping costs are not neglible and Amazon also
provides free returns ...etc.Stores can try a new model where
they charge a little extra for customers who want it right
away and then aggressively price match online for those who
don't mind receiving the item in a day or two. That way, they
can keep their labour cost low, and operate like a showroom.
However, they need to really aggressively market their touch
and feel factor at the same cost as online.
khedoros1 - 23 minutes ago
I go to B&N with gift cards a lot. Even with cash, I'm
already in the store, and most of what I buy costs less than
an average lunch. Amazon might cost less, but not enough less
to matter if I happened to pop into the bookstore while
walking around the mall.
JimboOmega - 1 hours ago
It sounds like from reading relevant articles it's not so much
business model as staggering debt loads from being taken private
that is hurting the company. They have no money to do anything
with right now.
ChuckMcM - 1 hours ago
This was the impression I got as well, and 10 years later,
balloon payments to come due, and you've got a real squeeze on
your hands.
reviewmon - 1 hours ago
http://badlandsplayspace.com
dforrestwilson - 44 minutes ago
Interesting thanks
JamesCoyne - 1 hours ago
Retailers like Toys R Us usually lease their stores.
otoburb - 1 hours ago
Does this mean that the "R Us" trademark suits will cease[1]?[1]
https://www.lexisnexis.com/legalnewsroom/intellectual-proper...
Keyframe - 1 hours ago
Or intensify?
downrightmike - 1 hours ago
Ah yes, another Bane Capital success story.
product50 - 1 hours ago
Though this may have something to do with Amazon (and retail
generally trending online), it does appear that the big culprit
here were Bain Capital (and its partners) who took it private in
2005 via leverage buyout and ladened Toys r Us balance sheet with
untenable debt from thereon. Apparently, they were paying $500M in
interests alone per year vs. reinvesting capital in growth of their
offline stores or online retail.I personally feel that, similar to
bookstores which as seen a resurgence in neighborhood mom & pop
stores, while Amazon will continue to dominate, a lot of smaller
toy retailers (both online and offline) will spring up to take Toys
r Us' space.
pm90 - 1 hours ago
I just don't understand the people/institutions that give loans
to such entities when a simple analysis would show how burdened
by debt they are... are these investors really that stupid to
loan money at unsustainable rates?
rb808 - 1 hours ago
2005 was a different age, both in the shopping world and
finance.
dabockster - 41 minutes ago
> Bain CapitalObligatory Colbert
video.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSLGt0-bHIA
atourgates - 1 hours ago
Toy stores are a _great_ example of opportunity for brick and
mortar. Just like book stores, they operate in a space where
curation, discovery and the physical experience adds real
value.The town I grew up in has a great independent toy store,
and I make it a point to shop there every time we're in town.
Every time I find something unique that I would have never looked
for on Amazon, and often I'm hooked by the tactile act of playing
with something that couldn't be fully replicated online.As an
interesting aside, this particular store[1] fought for its right
to keep their mural (which was awesome but violated city codes)
all the way to the supreme court[2]. They lost, but you've got to
admire the chutzpa of someone willing to do that.[1]
http://www.inlandoctopus.com/[2] http://www.seattletimes.com
/seattle-news/city-paints-over-wa...
rb808 - 1 hours ago
>Every time I find something unique that I would have never
looked for on Amazon, and often I'm hooked by the tactile act
of playing with something that couldn't be fully replicated
online.You're absolutely right. The result usually is though
that the kid finds a toy they like then puts in on their
Birthday/Christmas wishlist from where the Santa buys from
Amazon. I like to think I never do this, but if the price is
much higher even I have a limit.I think that manufacturers
should sell to physical toy stores at a lower price, and
actively make sure online price is the same or higher than
instore. but I dont how easy this is to police or even if is
legal in some countries.
thefalcon - 43 minutes ago
It's possible to enforce MAP pricing (minimum advertised
price) online that matches in-store prices, but if you're a
small player you'll lose out on the business of some of the
larger buyers who are used to getting their way, and then you
run the risk of getting yourself put out of business by
trying to help out the little guys.
kbenson - 34 minutes ago
> The result usually is though that the kid finds a toy they
like then puts in on their Birthday/Christmas wishlist from
where the Santa buys from Amazon.Well, it's also that when
you walk in there looking for a present for the kids birthday
party you are about to take your child to attend, you end up
buying something there, and possibly even paying them to wrap
it for you. I'm not sure I've ever ordered a present online
for a friend of one of my kids. I have enough trouble
remember the party is that day and getting there on time,
much less ordering ahead of time.
thanksforcoming - 33 minutes ago
>I think that manufacturers should sell to physical toy
stores at a lower price, and actively make sure online price
is the same or higher than instore. but I dont how easy this
is to police or even if is legal in some countries.These
days, many brick & mortar stores are a market inefficiency.
It's simply cheaper to store & ship out of centralized
warehouses (as it goes when you order online) than to ship
merchandise to individual stores, which themselves have
limited floor space and storage space (resulting in less
variety of products) as well as a smaller potential customer-
base (only those who live nearby). I don't see why
manufacturers should be punished by selling at a lower price
in order to sustain outdated business practices.Stores that
provide additional value, having unique goods that can't be
found online or have cool atmosphere or such, will be fine.
ringaroundthetx - 51 minutes ago
> I like to think I never do this, but if the price is much
higher even I have a limit.Really? You rationalize going to a
brick and mortar international franchise simply because it is
physical, instead of going to an online international
franchise?Thats the biggest stretch of "buy local" that I've
ever been exposed to.
Naritai - 46 minutes ago
OP is talking about a small toy store, but regardless - an
international franchise that has a location in your home
town employs people from your home town, whereas Amazon
(for the sake of argument in this case) does not. That's
the core argument of 'buy local'.
nkrisc - 44 minutes ago
Though it may be an international franchise, it still
provides local jobs.
ringaroundthetx - 27 minutes ago
Amazon provides salaried jobs at their regional
warehouses, and revenue to the resellers, and revenue to
affiliates.Perhaps the only thing missing is a way to
sort results on Amazon by locale.
bufordsharkley - 38 minutes ago
They offer a service that can be consumed for free:
physical interaction with product on the show floor.If you
consume this and then buy on Amazon, Amazon is effectively
unloading the marginal costs of running show floors to the
brick-and-mortar stores.
guelo - 38 minutes ago
Which is a great way for vulture capitalists to steal money from
a company. I've seen it before:1. Take out a giant loan and use
it to buy a company by offering slightly more than it's worth.2.
Transfer the loan to the company's books.3. You now own a company
and it didn't cost you anything! You get to be the CEO or sit on
the board. And take nice fat bonuses.4. The company now has to
pay off the loan it used to buy itself from operating revenues.
So you regrettably have to announce layoffs and closures.5.
Eventually the once-great limping company is killed off, enters
bankruptcy, and the company is liquidated to pay off your
original loanWhat I don't understand is how it is legal or why
investors/banks go for it.
slapshot - 21 minutes ago
Because it doesn't work that way? The banks that fund the
"giant loan" in #1 put in covenants preventing any payments to
the equity investor (who has to put in their own money) from
paying out on the equity until all the debt has been paid off.
This is not their first rodeo. The nature of the covenants
varies a lot between industries, but the general rule is that
the banks won't lend into the deal unless they are guaranteed
to get their money back out first (maybe the CEO gets a salary,
but it's all specified in the debt documents upfront). That's
almost the definition of leveraged finance.If you want to
criticize the leveraged buyout model, a stronger critique is
whether the equity investor is putting 10 bets down, where each
has a 10% chance of a >10x return, which puts 9 companies at
risk.
svantana - 1 hours ago
> a lot of smaller toy retailers (both online and offline) will
spring up to take Toys r Us' spaceWhy would anything take its
space? It's still a highly valuable brand, that I'm sure the next
owner(s) will want to leverage to the fullest.
icelancer - 44 minutes ago
>>It's still a highly valuable brandIs this true? I don't
really connect the brand with value anymore. I think that
legacy was firmly in the 1980s-1990s. There's some value there,
but I doubt it is highly valuable.
z2600 - 24 minutes ago
I'm a Star Wars collector and parent who shops at TRU. Beyond
debt, the stores are mismanaged the same as most other old-school
retailers that are having problems.For the last Force Friday (the
day all the stores get new Star Wars toys and people go out at
midnight to purchase), there were numerous reports of TRU's
opening at midnight with almost zero new inventory. How does that
happen, it's a planned date set months in advance. My TRU also
has $200 items that have sat on the shelves for over 2 years.
ars - 1 hours ago
I guess I'm never getting my eToys gift certificate redeemed then
:(
nielsbot - 1 hours ago
Bain Capital strikes again?
marsrover - 1 hours ago
I remember being young and looking forward to every year near
Christmas my mom and Grandma would take me to Toys 'R' Us and pick
out my present.Feels weird to hear they're going bankrupt.
Understandable, though. Huge stores with random assortments of
product (non-essential product, unlike toilet paper et al.) aren't
cost effective or convenient in comparison to something like
Amazon.
Spooky23 - 1 hours ago
Too bad. Toys r Us has a great selection and good pricing. I found
that they almost always beat Amazon on toys and eliminated the risk
of counterfeit stuff, especially for things like Lego.
[deleted]
krob - 51 minutes ago
I don't want to grow up, I want to be a Toys `R` Us kid......
smaili - 1 hours ago
It really is unfortunate that stores I grew up with as a kid, ones
like KB Toys, Montgomery Wards, Service Merchandise, Blockbuster,
Kmart/Sears, and now even Toys"R"Us have gone by the wayside for
one reason or another.It both depresses me and blows my mind that
future generations may not even be able to experience Brick and
Mortar.
heurist - 1 hours ago
Do we really want our kids to enjoy fluorescent-lit warehouses
full of cheap crap that will be thrown away a couple months after
it's bought?
Shivetya - 1 hours ago
I figure we do more damage by limiting their exposure to other
people and places filled with sites that they cannot truly
experience just by ordering stuff over the internet. we are
raising future generations in an environment where it becomes
deadly easy to isolate one self from the world.that environment
also gives you the ability to teach your children. from making
choices, to behaving in public, to seeing other children do
both, to being out of the house in a noisy environment that is
strange, exciting, maybe even a little scary, all the while
with a parent to help them understand.plus where does it end,
how much do we write off due to our prejudices?
criddell - 1 hours ago
You didn't enjoy that when you were a kid? I sure did.Of course
if they didn't let me play with the stuff and instead made me
keep it in the box on the shelf, I'd be wealthier today.
bodz - 1 hours ago
There's something to be said for getting rid of excessive waste
and unnecessarily large warehouses of "cheap junk", but it's
also worth remembering that toys play a very important part in
teaching children fundamental skills like hand-eye
coordination, simple problem solving, fostering imagination,
etc.It's a game of "what-ifs", but I'm fairly confident in
saying I wouldn't be pursuing the career I am now if I had
never had the experiences of walking down the Lego aisle at the
toy store and falling in love with piecing together toy cities.
bduerst - 1 hours ago
Same - except for me it was also Capsela (now called IQ Key),
a bunch of cheap plastic crap that let you engineer modular
machines.I think the medium that kids play with 'toys' has
changed with tablet and phone devices. Now they're solving
puzzle apps and building Minecraft cities - whether or not
that's a good or bad thing, I'm not sure, but it doesn't bode
well for toy stores.
agumonkey - 1 hours ago
Oh I remember seeing these on rare occasions. They felt
very sciency, I would have enjoyed throwing my brain on
them as a kid.
bodz - 59 minutes ago
I think so too, but I wonder about the long term effect
that doing everything in the virtual world will have on
abilities in the physical world. It's extremely anecdotal,
but my little brother, who almost exclusively plays
Minecraft, seems to have a fantastic imagination but very
poor fine motor skills. He has trouble doing anything
physical that requires not using a keyboard and mouse.
summer_steven - 1 hours ago
Haha sounds like your kids will be spending most of their time
at their friends house with the "cool" parentsThey will only
appreciate your dedication to environmentalism when theyre
older
Swizec - 1 hours ago
The web is great when you know exactly what you want to buy.
Brick and mortar is great when you?re still deciding.Web is
very very far from solving the browsing problem. Sometimes I
know I want
but have no idea what exactly I want. So
you go to the store to look around.Sometimes I also like to ask
the sales associate, ?I have so and so nephew, what should I
get for them??. Web still sucks at solving the
librarian/curator/advicegiver problem.
nhebb - 1 hours ago
> Web is very very far from solving the browsing problem.I
may be a rarity, but I still miss Blockbuster for this
reason.
khedoros1 - 18 minutes ago
That's part of why I've got several shelves of DVDs.
Browsing is enjoyable, and I was able to pick up a lot of
movies cheaply when Blockbuster was going out of business.
ars - 1 hours ago
Yes we do.Because right now the only thing kids want to do is
click buttons on a computer.
icelancer - 42 minutes ago
That is not that much different than playing with mindless
toys. Research on device usage with children is mixed to say
the least.
agumonkey - 58 minutes ago
You're a bit too cynical even though the subject is
interesting. Childhood is full of crap that is magical to the
eyes of kids. I wished I and others had clearer, cleaner and
more serious things to grow and learn; but in a way I'm not
sure it's neither both possible nor worth it.And similarly the
notion of "place" is melting in this era. No more music shop,
useless, you can buy a Trillion things on whatever. Same for
toys now. But I think humans have a thing for local space.
Culture in a way. Every shop used to be customed in weird ways.
Some people would waste their time there and find things
randomly. They would discuss with owner tastes. Going to a toy
store was a treat in itself, even when you couldn't get
one.Right now they're going away, but like vynil some will
reopen when people miss them too much.
wavefunction - 1 hours ago
Unfortunately they failed to anticipate the future during the
1990s, which is especially egregious in the case of Sears which
started out as a mail-order only business.
nerdponx - 1 hours ago
Good riddance. Turn them into multi-use developments and let
local stores start to repopulate the area. Like a forest after
clearcutting for agriculture.Edit: at least in already-built-up
areas. Tough to say what to do in remote places where you have
the "no jobs -> no money -> no spending -> bad place to start a
business -> no hiring -> no jobs" feedback loop.
magic_beans - 1 hours ago
Those toy stores were worthless palaces of consumerist made-in-
china crap. I'm happy to see them go.
booleandilemma - 1 hours ago
Where did you buy your Star Wars action figures? Your Lego
sets? Or did you not play with toys as a kid?
dragontamer - 1 hours ago
Man, screw Legos.It was K'Nex all the way for me.
dlp211 - 1 hours ago
I never needed to go to one of these stores to know what I
wanted, they just happened to be the most convenient place to
get them. I now shop at Lego.com for Lego's for me and my
children and Amazon for most other things. Avoiding toy
stores and advertisement heavy entertainment has given me and
my spouse great control over the toys that we introduce to
our children and household.
tiredwired - 1 hours ago
Maybe they will live again in virtual reality.
staticautomatic - 1 hours ago
For at least 3 of those companies, the "one reason or another" is
private equity vampires.