The Energon Pub

[Qwan]

So yeah, dang. Growing up mostly in a rural part of Australia it's not like I've had a whole lot to do with Toys R Us, but I did used to visit relatives in America with my family about once a year, and trips to the nearby Toys R Us were always a memorable highlight. Titanium Rodimus (a toy I still like to this day); Animated Cybertronian Optimus, Ratchet and Arcee; even a couple non-Transformers like the Glatorian Mata Nui and some weird all-terrain Hot Wheels vehicle; I have clear memories of picking up each and every one from that huge child-haven full of toys.

It is just a retail company, and not even a very popular one at that, but TRU was probably a big part of a lot of people's childhoods and it does strike a bit of a chord with me to see it go. Seems I'm overly sentimental about this, eh? Ah well... I'm guessing the big news now is going to be how TRU Canada/Australia/Asia etc. are affected by this - there's no way they're coming out totally unscathed, at least.

[Quantum Surge]

I don't want to sound like I am brushing off a concern on the fate of a famous store, but at least there is a chance that stuff like any exclusives TRU sold (like Masterpieces and Thundercracker) can be sold in more commonly found stores. I don't think Target or Walmart would have issues with selling the upcoming MPM-5 and 6 Barricade and Ironhide or maybe bring out the Predaking gift set.

[-Kanrabat-]

http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/14/news/companies/toys-r-us-closing-stores/index.html

Damn.
So TrU will remain only in Canada and Asia?

FYI, TRU Australia isn't part of the TRU Asia group.

Close enough.

Still, hope your TrU stay open.

[ebonyleopard]

I guess I have to grow up. I was a ToysRUs kid. So many different kinds of toys that I could play with. From bikes to trains to video games, they were the biggest toy store there is. I guess I have to grow up, oh baby now that I did, I can longer be a ToysRUs Kid.

[Mr.MicroMaster]

In other news my childhood died today. So I gues we have to grow up.

[DecepticonFinishline]

I don't want to sound like I am brushing off a concern on the fate of a famous store, but at least there is a chance that stuff like any exclusives TRU sold (like Masterpieces and Thundercracker) can be sold in more commonly found stores. I don't think Target or Walmart would have issues with selling the upcoming MPM-5 and 6 Barricade and Ironhide or maybe bring out the Predaking gift set.

I think the more likely scenario is that the ones that already hit shelves will just be obscenely rare.

As I recall, though, MPM Ironhide was never officially slated to be a TRU exclusive. Like... To the point where people pointed out that the packaging didn't have the 'exclusive' stamp. Maybe Hasbro has been anticipating this. Or. I'm remembering this entirely wrong.

I'm just worried, now, that Amazon exclusives will take its place. I f***ing hate Amazon.

[Burn]

I'm just worried, now, that Amazon exclusives will take its place. I f***ing hate Amazon.

I hate exclusives in general, regardless of what store/website they're sold at/on

[Questworld12]

For me it is a sad day. I was a Toys R Us kid. Reading the holiday catalog and circling what I would want. As you grow older, you start to realize their prices were higher than most. I started to head elsewhere but still never forget that feeling of heading to the store and being surrounded by toys. I can still remember standing in line for Nintendo Wii and talking to the manager. Hunting for MP-10 at every local TRU. Finally finding him and using a coupon to save some money.

I don't know what the future holds. Hate shopping online but that might be what I have to do. My local stores never change or restock their items. I wonder what this closing would do for other smaller toy lines? If GIJoes are not in the stores now...I don't think they will ever be.

Thanks for all the nostalgia and memories, Toys R Us.

[ebonyleopard]

Whelp, I guess I'll be getting home from work a whole lot sooner now.

[-Kanrabat-]

I'm just worried, now, that Amazon exclusives will take its place. I f***ing hate Amazon.

I hate exclusives in general, regardless of what store/website they're sold at/on

But... But... that PREMIUM feel?

Seriously, Exclusives suck ass. Especially when they are overpriced and/or badly distributed. Not counting when the thing is an exclusive of a store that ISNT EVEN IN YOUR FREAKING COUNTRY!

[william-james88]

Masterpiece toys will probably just be sold through online vendors. This is currently what is happening with the only generation one style masterpiece toy coming out this year, prowl.

[Black Bumblebee]

I think that the future just means that there will be less exclusives... and that's bad. Sometimes, a figure just won't sell a lot of toys, and a manufacturer might only make 4,000 of them. Toys R Us was a good place to sell those exclusives. Walmart doesn't want them--they make it VERY clear to retailers that they have limited space in their stores, and if their stuff doesn't sell fast, they don't want them.

If there's not a ready market to sell small runs of figures... the small run of figures just aren't made.

Thus, say bye bye to likes of figures like RID Cryotek or Animated Rodimus or US Masterpiece Optimus. If it can't make a profit from mass production, it's just not profitable to make.

[Ig89ninja]

Well, time to wait for the clearance sales

[griftimus prime]

gone the way of childrens palace and kb. good luck to those losing jobs.

[Rodimus Primal]

This is a sad day indeed. I was a Toys R Us kid too. I used to love going to the one in Times Square before it shut down, and now it is all of them. Damn you greedy corporate Leveraged Buy Outs that caused this mess. Maybe a new toy chain will take it's place.

[Megatron Wolf]

First i find out my local comic shop is closing now i find out TRU is closing, pretty crappy day if you ask me. I didnt like how they over charged on transformers and other brands like that but they were the only place i could get neca stuff for regular price and they just started to carry import stuff like gundam universal unit. Corporate greed strikes again and the only ones screwed are us, the customers & employees.

[The Lonely Cracker]

Well, damn. I don't know what to say. RIP TRU. You will be missed

[Aimless Misfire]

I NEED that Thundercracker for a custom I'm planning.

[shajaki]

What about This?

http://toynewsi.com/news.php?itemid=307 ... m=facebook

[Blitzwing is bae]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo!!!

[EunuchRon]

Major bummer. Local TRU has been here longer than me, and now it's gonna be gone. Prolly see a Spirit Halloween in there later this year, then someone will doze it and put in another crappy storefront with a phone place, a vape place, and a Subway, like they got on just about every other corner 'round here.

[WreckerJack]

And here I thought that the internet would cheer me up after being sick all day.

I couldn't agree more about not taking your toys for granted. Here is to hoping that another company will try and pick up where TRU is leaving off. Makes me worry a bit for the future of toys as a whole considering how crappy my local Target is.

[tmthor]

What about This?

http://toynewsi.com/news.php?itemid=307 ... m=facebook

The news (11pm local news) said that deal fell through as far as the American stores go

[Rodimus Prime]

Holy crap. It's happening. Honestly, though, they did it to themselves. I do feel bad for all the people losing their jobs. However, tomorrow I will go to my TRU to be a vulture and try to pick the carcass. Maybe I can score a TLK Cybertron dirt cheap?

Also, I wonder what effect this will have on previous TRU exclusives on the 2ndary market, if any.

[lakebot]

So what? Even in normal times, some people migjt not see toysrus exclusives at their specific toys are us.

The point is this exclusive has been shipped to the stores. There is no going back on it and you will not see it at another outlet aside from a discount outlet ifTRU dumps their stock.

I see this as a part of the problem. I am like others and do not like exclusives. Especially when they rarely pop up at the actual store they are exclusive to. Especially when I have a hard enough time finding non-exclusives at their stores. Do not get me wrong, I do like to look at TRU. But that's honestly all I feel like I do these days. Look. I'm even ok with the prices being a little higher(Kay Bee never bothered me either and they were way higher than other places). But man, actually give me something that other stores can't/don't. And not just one or two that get snapped up immediately after the truck arrives at the store that I miss out on because I have things like, you know, work to be at.

Despite all this, I am sad to see them shutting down. A lot of good child hood memories and whatnot. But I am not sure what to say other than that. Especially with recent experiences there. Oddly enough I find myself missing Kay Bee's more. I'm not sure there will really be anything to snag if they start to clearance anything because they really haven't had much in the way that Target hasn't. Anything I would pick up would be non-TF anyways.


On another note, did I grossly misunderstand the leveraged buy out aspect or did someone really buy TRU while using TRU itself(or it's revenue generating power) as the collateral for buying TRU? Can you claim something as an asset to use towards buying said asset? That blows my mind so I'm hoping I really did not understand that. Otherwise, that seems almost like it was an intentional failure and the only way I see that being pursued is if whoever did it had something to gain whether TRU sank or swam(which it would be hard not to know it would have most certainly sunk based on repayment totals for said debt incurred and projected revenue earnings).