The Energon Pub

[-Kanrabat-]

The brick and mortar toy store is on life support, and has no place in the modern consumer world

I strongly disagree. If you absolutely trust the interwebs for all your purchases without reservation that's fine. I use it myself when I have to. But personally, Id always rather See/handle *know what I'm getting* in real life, what I'm going to purchase before I do.

Online is just perfect and convenient... as long that constantly paying for the damn shipping fees don't bother.

IMO, I'd rather have the thing in hand before buying too.

[Rated X]

I was off today and decided to hit the Hialeah TRU where I was there for the grand opening back in 1985. Got there at 10 am when they opened the doors and started off with the transformers section. Lousy 10% off and only wave 1 potp. Some guy grabbed a primus and then put it back when he realized it was only 15 bucks off. I saw the cart of boxes being unpacked and reconized the hasbro logo. I found 4 studio series thundercrackers. I bought one for me and one for a friend and left 2 behind. (26.99 each) with the crappy discount. I roamed around the entire store to try to get a feel of nostalgia but it wasnt there. As a kid, I was never a buyer of multiple brands so the whole "wonderland" thing didnt really touch my heart. Gone are the walls of video games (1988 Nintendo heydays) when you had to grab a ticket and take it to an enclosed pawn shop style booth to purchase your game. I did also used to buy garbage pail kids cards out there in large cellophane packs with 3 decks. Thats another TRU memory I have. But I cant say I ever ran around a TRU as as kid aisle by aisle like it was some kind of heaven for kids. I never hung out there to play free video games. After about 10 minutes I was done and ready to buy my thundercrackers and get the hell out of there. When I stuck my card in the credit card slot, the machine froze and they had to move to another machine. I called my credit card company and my card got charged twice so tgey go to f**k me one last time. Went back and the manager couldnt really do anything but assured me tge transaction was pending and would be voided by the end of the night since it never made it to the "transaction processed" screen like it did the 2nd time. I wont know for 3 days so hopefully he is right. So there you have it....my final TRU memory. Its not the store you grew up with. All these people going into secere depression over this need to let it go. On a side note, before this closing I had no idea TRU had been around since the late 1950s. I always assumed since my childhood that they opened in 1985 when they came to miami and the "grand openings" were all around the same time. We got the dukes of hazzard signing autographs so I dont know why but I really believed it was a big thing and the store must be brand new. We had Lionel Playworld down the street where I had gotten my first transformers (and also Service Merchandise) and within a few years TRU literally took them out the game. So I always thought TRU had just came into being in 1985. Hell what did I know I was only 8 years old. Oh well, thinking of keeping my thundercracker MISB as a memento especially since I know my friend will likely bust his open. So go pour out a little liquor if you choose. They had a good run. Better than most. Most of the specialized hobby stores closed by 2000 because here in Miami people just dont seem to care about collecting stuff as much as people do in middle America. Theres no money to be made by opening a small brick and mortar business here. Isnt it ironic that TRU killed Kay-bee and now Walmart killed TRU? Survival of the fittest. Oh well, thats just food for thought.

[o.supreme]

All these people going into severe depression over this need to let it go.

Sorry you had that rough experience. I've been victim of really bad customer service there recently as well. However...I don't think anyone is going into "severe depression""...as you say (except anyone who stands to lose their job, which is completely understandable). I'm saddened to be sure, but I'm not losing any sleep over it. It's not like this is the first time this has happened. We lost a local store (Gemco) in the late 80's, probably the best "one stop shop" ever, even 30 years ago, was way better than todays Walmarts, and way better toy selection also. My old elementary school got leveled and replaced by another, Video Arcades are a thing of the past, Shopping Malls that were actually fun to go to, Blockbuster video...I can go on and on. But of course as with all things, there is balance. I'll monitor the situation with TRU closely if for no other reason than it is so convenient I pass mine each day to and from work. But when its all said and done, life goes on, I get it.

[WreckerJack]

I agree, it's time to let go. TRU screwed itself by screwing it's customers and employees. Overpriced and understaffed is the reason that they are going under. They could have saved themselves years ago if they priced things better and didn't do so many bad business deals.

That being said I don't want TRU to go under. I'd rather have them fixed things before they went south, but that happened years ago. I'm probably in the minority here but I have never actually purchased a transformer at TRU. What I really want is a toy store that has competitive pricing and good stock. But of course that's just too much to ask.

[Ironhidensh]

The brick and mortar toy store is on life support, and has no place in the modern consumer world

I strongly disagree. If you absolutely trust the interwebs for all your purchases without reservation that's fine. I use it myself when I have to. But personally, Id always rather See/handle *know what I'm getting* in real life, what I'm going to purchase before I do.

I get that, and I ev3n respect and understand the sentiment. The issue is that this whpay of thinking is in the vast minority, and shrinking daily. As the older generations shop less, and the younger generations shop more, online will be the way to go. Only massive corporations like Walmart will survive, and even they will have do make massive adjustments.

I agree that shrinking and transformation will happen, but I don't think it will disappear entirely. Business interests, nostalgia, and the desire for "hands on" always seem to keep the online universe from true monopoly.

Look at digital media: that was supposed to replace physical copies long ago, yet DVD and even Blu-Ray sales continue, probably because, besides the "collection aspect", DVDs don't require subscriptions, can't be throttled back, and won't be taken away over a rights dispute.

Need any more reason to not underestimate old ways?
https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transformers-original-television-series-score-vinyl-repress-announced/40874/

Been to a blockbuster recently? There are no "dvd" stores.

[primalxconvoy]

Look at digital media: that was supposed to replace physical copies long ago, yet DVD and even Blu-Ray sales continue, probably because, besides the "collection aspect", DVDs don't require subscriptions, can't be throttled back, and won't be taken away over a rights dispute.

Need any more reason to not underestimate old ways?
https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transformers-original-television-series-score-vinyl-repress-announced/40874/

DVDs? You mean those things many people buy online from Amazon? You've confused digital distribution with digital products here. Although they can appear the same, they differ.

Regardless, Netflix, Hulu and the likes of Bitorrent are here to stay. I haven't bought a DVD or Blueray since the recent(ish) TF:TM remaster, and then I downloaded a copy of THAT off the internet afterwards. DVDs and Bluerays suffer more from region restriction, higher prices, take up too much space in my room and I have to get up and change the disk to watch something else.

Digital is simply the new standard and that's coming from someone who grew up with G1 in the 80's.

As for digital shops, then I don't care if most regular shops for most products go under. I'm more interested in availability and prices than seeing it in hand. Although it IS nice to do so, ice usually been disappointed in most retail shops due to something being unavailable, due to being sold out, or that shop not selling imported products.

Online all the way for me.

[WreckerJack]

I always like to have a hard copy. Computer glitches suck when they eat all your songs and stuff.

[primalxconvoy]

I always like to have a hard copy. Computer glitches suck when they eat all your songs and stuff.

That's what hard drives and cloud storage are for.

[Seibertron]

Been to a blockbuster recently? There are no "dvd" stores.

Family video chain is still kicking it and apparently doing well, last I heard.

https://www.familyvideo.com/storelocator/

[WreckerJack]

I always like to have a hard copy. Computer glitches suck when they eat all your songs and stuff.

That's what hard drives and cloud storage are for.

Indeed, but why do all that when I can just pop a DVD in my CD drive or my xbox and watch? Same deal with CD's and my boombox.

[william-james88]

The brick and mortar toy store is on life support, and has no place in the modern consumer world

I strongly disagree. If you absolutely trust the interwebs for all your purchases without reservation that's fine. I use it myself when I have to. But personally, Id always rather See/handle *know what I'm getting* in real life, what I'm going to purchase before I do.

I get that, and I even respect and understand the sentiment. The issue is that this way of thinking is in the vast minority, and shrinking daily. As the older generations shop less, and the younger generations shop more, online will be the way to go. Only massive corporations like Walmart will survive, and even they will have do make massive adjustments.

I studied this as a business student and still pay close attention to this, but the latest facts show that Brick and Mortar retail is still a viable business strategy.

Online retail ends up being just as expensive if not more to maintain, since you now have to bare added logistics costs to ship out to clients, and plus have a better monitoring of inventory. Brick and mortar is pretty easy in that sense, someone shops there and they take the product with them and what they find in the store is at least what you have available. Plus, retail adds that impulsive purchase or cross sell, which is almost non existant at the online level.
This is why Costco is still very profitable while Amazon has smaller profit margins.

Also, you guys forget that the US has 20 Million unbanked consumers who thus cant shop online. Thats 2/3 the population of Canada, a country where Toysrus is doing really well (just to show that its a big number which can sustain a big brick and mortar operation).

So right now, brick and mortar is a very viable business strategy.

[lakebot]

The brick and mortar toy store is on life support, and has no place in the modern consumer world

I strongly disagree. If you absolutely trust the interwebs for all your purchases without reservation that's fine. I use it myself when I have to. But personally, Id always rather See/handle *know what I'm getting* in real life, what I'm going to purchase before I do.

I agree with this. I guess I sound ultra pessimistic but my hesitation is because I have had so many mishaps with items shipped to me that every time I buy something online, one of the factors that goes through my mind is literally the odds of the item arriving undamaged. That doesn't even take into account the times things never showed up or it was the wrong item. This sounds stupid but I have a pretty much 100% success rate when buying anything in store. Not so much online.

At the same time I do not feel this is a reason for TRU to stay open. But I do want choices beyond Walmart/Target.

[primalxconvoy]

I always like to have a hard copy. Computer glitches suck when they eat all your songs and stuff.

That's what hard drives and cloud storage are for.

Indeed, but why do all that when I can just pop a DVD in my CD drive or my xbox and watch? Same deal with CD's and my boombox.

Why pop a dvd in your drive, when you can download them all to a harddrive and watch them on said xbox? No need to get up, no need to worry about region locking.

DVDs are simply moribund.

[WreckerJack]

I always like to have a hard copy. Computer glitches suck when they eat all your songs and stuff.

That's what hard drives and cloud storage are for.

Indeed, but why do all that when I can just pop a DVD in my CD drive or my xbox and watch? Same deal with CD's and my boombox.

Why pop a dvd in your drive, when you can download them all to a harddrive and watch them on said xbox? No need to get up, no need to worry about region locking.

DVDs are simply moribund.

No idea how to do that, but if you'd like to explain it please PM me. (I don't want us to get too off topic here)

[-Kanrabat-]

I used to buy a lot of DVDs and I was amazed at the new features over VHS. By the time BDs rolled in, the new car smell was gone so I bought way less. But now, I'm being a bit stingy and I just watch movies via streaming or torrents. Same thing with anime. It's cheaper, it dosent use storage space, and I don't have the trouble to switch disks. TBH, it's convenience that make me pirate.

So, dear corporations, how about taking example from Steam and put ALL of TV and movies into a single service that require NO subscription fees? Because having to PAY for 20+ sumbscriptions to watch all of my sh!t legally is just ludicrous.

Hmmmmmm.............

Oooops..........

[Galactic Prime]

It's time to let go.

TRU was in trouble before the leveraged buyout, and if saved, they will be in trouble again.

The brick and mortar toy store is on life support, and has no place in the modern consumer world beyond local owned specialty shops. This plan to "save" it..... well, it sounds a bit shady.

You can say that, but it's inherently not true. Online shopping is only a small fraction of the entire sales in retail. That's a fact

[ZeroWolf]

It's only a small faction at the moment but growing, especially as time goes on.

[Rodimus Knight]

Be Aware that if you are buying a collectable item that you want to keep mint in package, they are running permanent marker over the barcode after you make your purchase.

I was pissed when they did that to me today.

[primalxconvoy]

Be Aware that if you are buying a collectable item that you want to keep mint in package, they are running permanent marker over the barcode after you make your purchase.

I was pissed when they did that to me today.

Good to know. I suppose it's another reason to keep on buying from Amazon?

[Galactic Prime]

It's only a small faction at the moment but growing, especially as time goes on.

Yes, but it's going to take years to even come close to over coming retail brick and mortar.

I work at Costco, you know what our company wide daily sales in North America are compared to our North American online sales are? Not even .01%

And that's the same for nearly every company.

[Seibertron]

It's only a small faction at the moment but growing, especially as time goes on.

Yes, but it's going to take years to even come close to over coming retail brick and mortar.

I work at Costco, you know what our company wide daily sales in North America are compared to our North American online sales are? Not even .01%

And that's the same for nearly every company.

Not sure if you worded that incorrectly, but according to USA Today Costco's brick and mortar sales are 95%.

Still, roughly 95% of Costco's sales continue to occur in stores, where foot traffic in the U.S. was up 6.6%.

Source: Costco holds its own against Amazon as online sales soar

I think you meant to write "you know what our company wide daily North American online sales are compared to North American stores? Not even .01%", though apparently it's up to 5% according to the article above from USA today.

[Seibertron]

Why pop a dvd in your drive, when you can download them all to a harddrive and watch them on said xbox? No need to get up, no need to worry about region locking.

DVDs are simply moribund.

Why? Because where can you legally watch Transformers G1, the original 2001 Robots In Disguise, Armada, Energon, Cybertron, Animated, Beast Wars, Beast Wars II, Beast Wars Neo, Headmasters, Masterforce, Victory and other Transformers shows other than Rescue Bots, Transformers Prime and the current Robots In Disguise series?

I still buy Blu-Rays or DVDs of my favorite things that I want to have "on demand" so that I don't have to worry about what Amazon Prime Video or Netflix or Hulu want to show me currently. I subscribe to the former two, and as much as I wanted to buy Stranger Things on Blu-Ray on Black Friday last year, I determined that's where I could draw the line for the time being because that show should always be on Netflix so there's no need for me to buy it at this time. However, I still buy all of the Marvel and Star Wars movies as they come out and the occasional really awesome movie. Basically anything that I hold near and dear or anything that I wanted to see in the theater really bad but wasn't able to due to life, kids, work/Seibertron, etc which only lets me see 1 or 2 non-kid movies a year at the theater.

While I love watching streaming videos, I still prefer to own what it is that I really like.

[EunuchRon]

Yeah I dun like havin' peeps tellin' me what to watch. I got my GeeWon on DVD, Japanese on DVD, all that good stuff whenever I want. If the net's out I can watch my toons. Pop in a disc, pop some corn, and chill. i watch B movies that don't get shown on netflicks too, an why pay a subscription if I can buy it one and done?

[Galactic Prime]

It's only a small faction at the moment but growing, especially as time goes on.

Yes, but it's going to take years to even come close to over coming retail brick and mortar.

I work at Costco, you know what our company wide daily sales in North America are compared to our North American online sales are? Not even .01%

And that's the same for nearly every company.

Not sure if you worded that incorrectly, but according to USA Today Costco's brick and mortar sales are 95%.

Still, roughly 95% of Costco's sales continue to occur in stores, where foot traffic in the U.S. was up 6.6%.

Source: Costco holds its own against Amazon as online sales soar

I think you meant to write "you know what our company wide daily North American online sales are compared to North American stores? Not even .01%", though apparently it's up to 5% according to the article above from USA today.

I never said the USA did I? I said North America, that includes The USA, Canada, and Mexico. Comprehension when reading is your friend.

[Qwan]

Even so, it seems unlikely that taking Canada and Mexico into account could reduce the statistic from 5% down to less than 0.01%. That works out to one five hundredth of 5% - are the Canadian and Mexican markets really so large / their online sales so unfathomably miniscule that they bring the number down that much? Realism when estimating figures (or perhaps citing a source as Seibertron did?) is your friend.